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"Let the Lord of Chaos rule."

Could this be the first book in the series where the title conveys any real meaning?

News travels fast in the world of Wheel of Time, yet Morgase somehow doesn't know that Rand conquered Caemlyn. That's kind of odd, isn't it?

To be honest, so far the book feels a bit like a filler. It's interesting how Rands starts to think of himself as Lews Therin Telamon and it's cool that the Forsaken now play a more active role in the narrative. And again, I do enjoy to partake in the everyday. But the overall ark certainly could be strengthened.

"All up and down the line, as far as Perrin could see, the women were there. Their numbers were the only reason the lines still held, almost driven back against the houses. Women among the men, shoulder to shoulder; some no more than girls, but then, some of those 'men' had never shaved yet. Some never would."

I'm really susceptible to all the death-and-glory demeanor. I thought the battle was wonderfully written.

The action at the Palace, with its two boss fights, the rescue mission, and the general vibes, to me it felt very much like "Final Fantasy IX" somehow. Now I try to remember if there were political undertones in the game, too.

Wow, marriage ceremony in only half a page. I have to admit, I probably won't miss Faile much when her journey will probably mostly take place in the off?

Nynaeve and Elayne's quest in Tanchico promises some sort of heist into the Palace, right? Their deep friendship with the Seanchan woman is not very convincing, though, especially because the open arms seem pretty out of character for Nynaeve. So far the events there seemed a bit aimless, but I guess that was to be expected from an almost hopeless task like that.

Tales of Goldeneyes. The excessive space makes it possible to really spend time with the crowd, as if we follow Perrin to all his daily interactions, some only rather minor in the bigger scheme of things. I love it, total immersion for me right now.

The alliance with the Whitecloaks came completely out of nowhere. It will be interesting to see how this develops. Peace and harmony is not what I predict.

Perrin's return to the Two Rivers is epic fantasy in its most exciting form.

Naturally, it's all very nostalgic, especially since the situation is not too dire yet. But when he leads the stealthy rescue mission in the Children's camp we fully understand what he's made of. Jordan's writing is great, too, as he portrays the situation in all the detail that makes you hold your breath not to make any sound.

Did we just learn more in 40 pages than in the two thousand that came before? We learn of the Aiel purpose in the perhaps all-encompassing Aes Sedai plan, what they call the Way of the Leaf, and how they lost their Way. We learn of the time before the Breaking, the shifting perceptions. We even learn an important additional detail about the magic system.

Yet, many things not clear, some I just might have missed.

The Aiel origin myth is the most convincing sign of more mature writing. The way it addresses identity of a people was amazing.

It seems the narrative will be continued in the next chapter. This segment of the book is exciting on numerous levels.

Rand and Mat reunited to take up yet another trial, one so much more exciting than Egwene's in the previous novel. Stumbling through the ancient city, unfinished yet unbroken. Literaly deserted, the two in search for Rand doesn't know what.

Great sword & sorcery vibes again, especially with the bizarre things that happen to Mat at the end. I'm beginning to truly love this series!

The two seaward chapters delivered what was perhaps the most captivating prose of the series so far. You could almost smell the ocean and feel the freah wind on your skin.

The sense of adventure fully outweighs the campy attempts at romance. To be honest, even the latter is growing on me. The silly juvenility adds character, doesn't it?

After about one third of the book, people are finally getting on their ways. The quests do sound promising.

The moments between Rand and Elayne were almost unbearably cringeworthy, the kind of romance that that has absolutely no foundation than perhaps mutual attraction.

Yet, I was not prepared for the sudden turn to awesome! Full blown mid-book climax with incredibly captivating battle prose amidst of which Rand debates past dark romance with one very dangerous foe. Keep up the pace, please.

I'm surprised that Rand is actually able to do things. I thought it would take another quest series before be does something in one great moment only. I also enjoyed how him and the Accepted compared their different access to magic.

Not sure about the attempts at romance, though. But still rooting for Egwene.

The plot structure is a bit different than with the predecessor. In the latter most quests were set on the first couple of pages. Shadow Rising started ominous, but somewhat slow. But after more than 100 pages it seems the pace is picking up and war is coming.

The return of our main protagonists. I still think the writing has improved. There is more nuance and detail to the scenes so far, everything seems a bit more alive.

The first chapter picks up from the very beginning of the previous chapter. Commanders of the Children we've met in the Prologue, Min's arrival at Tar Valon, and a new Seanchan POV. This is more what I expected from the last book.

Is it just me or has the prose significantly improved? At least in this early chapter it seems as if more meaning is delivered with fewer words.

"Queen of the Black Coast" shows how you write a gripping opening. It's amazing how Howard creates an incredibly intriguing setting in only a couple of sentences, combining Sword & Sorcery with piracy and seafaring. The titular Queen is quite the character, too.

Not sure why her (white) skin color is emphasized in literally every descriptive sentence, though.

"The Lair of the Ice Worm" is a direct continuation of the previous story. It's certainly not as tight nor as gripping in its prose. The surroundings are mostly forgettable, though I thought the return to the dead horse gave a more visceral touch.

There is the moment of gruesome horror that justify justify the earlier tenderness that wasn't too exciting in itself. The aftermath of the attack made for a great climax.

"The Frost Giant's Daughter" was perfect escapism. It opens at the very (and bloody) end of a battle between Vanaheim and Asgard. Conan is the very exhausted last survivor when the Frost Giant's Daughter appears.

The blue grey images of the eternal tundra before snow-clad mountains are just as enticing as Atali, the ivory-skinned daughter of a god. Frosty.

Real Sword & Sorcery turn at the end. Still not great, but probably more enjoyable than the confusing or rushed endings of the two previous books.

Mat's arc in the book seems fully inconsequential. Yet, somehow I enjoy his happy-go-lucky moments the most so far.

I predict there are many more dream sequences to come. I might have seen this in my dreams.

Not sure if I love the detective subplot, but the childhood adventure vibes are enjoyable enough. I wonder if we will leave Tar Valon any time soon?

Not a big fan of dreams in fiction. But it seems like we are following the Tar Valon witches for now.

In the past I was slightly annoyed by Jordan's overly repetitive descriptions. Now, after pausing on the series for about two years, I'm grateful for every piece of information about what happened previously and how things are in the world.

The first couple of chapters are surprisingly cozy, and all told from Perrin's perspective. I wonder when we get more POVs.

Herakleios's impossible victory over the Persians must have been pretty epic.

So, Justinian was a great conquerer that essentially restored Roman glory (with Constantinople as its capital)? Apparently it was also under him that the Codex we think of as Roman Law was established.

To be honest, I've never heard of this guy.