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Available
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Series
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Collection
Publication
Tor Books (2000), Edition: 1st, 625 pages
Description
Fiction. Science Fiction. HTML:The ninth in THE WHEEL OF TIME series, WINTER'S HEART begins with Rand on the run with Min. Faile, with the Aiel Maidens, Bain and Chiad, is prisoner of Sevanna's sept. Perrin is hunting desperately for Faile. With Elyas Machera, Berelain, the Prophet, and a very mixed "army" of disparate forces, he is moving through a country rife with bandits and roving Seanchan. The Forsaken are ever more present, and united, and the man called Slayer stalks Tel'aran'rhiod and the wolfdream. In Ebou Dar, the Seanchan princess known as Daughter of the Nine Moons arrives - and Mar, who has been recuperating in the Tarasin Palace, is introduced to her. Will the marriage that has been foretold come about? From the Compact Disc edition..… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member CeolSidhe
Horrible. I bought up till here, but am reading part 10 and 11 in downloaded format. If I can ever get myself to read it, period. Sooo boring, I was waiting since page 100 for it to please END. The characters got increasingly flat and one-dimensional, to the point where no one even believes it
The whole series could do with about 90% less text. If Jordan were restricted to 3 books, or even 6, for the whole series, this had the potential to be awesome. So sad it went straight into the grave with this book.
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anymore. Jordan seems to have one formula for "female" and one for "male", and then two keywords describing each character. That's the end of their personality.The whole series could do with about 90% less text. If Jordan were restricted to 3 books, or even 6, for the whole series, this had the potential to be awesome. So sad it went straight into the grave with this book.
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LibraryThing member mattries37315
In Winter's Heart, the ninth installment of Robert Jordan's epic series, the author learned the lesson from his previous entry (The Path of Daggers) by having one of the myriad of character arcs from the beginning of the book develop over it's course so as to reach a conclusion at the end of the
Jordan's return to having a dominating story arc that gives the book a beginning, middle, and end is big improvement over The Path of Daggers. However, of all the story arcs given space in this volume only Rand and Mat's seem to have traction throughout. Elayne's arc is broken up into several portions through the book while Perrin is gone after the first third of the book. It seems that in correcting the problem Jordan had in The Path of Daggers, he messed up the transitions from story arc to story arc that were a plus from The Path of Daggers.
Whatever the flaws, the last 34 pages of Winter's Heart can make up from some of them. The last chapter, With the Choedan Kal, is one of the best (but not the best) that I've read in the series so far and by far the best since Book 5, The Fires of Heaven. Overall I'm giving Winter's Heart a 3 1/2 stars like The Path of Daggers, because while some of the mistakes of the previous volume were corrected it was at the expense other important elements making them balance out.
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book. This dominating character arc was the series' primary protagonist, Rand al'Thor aka The Dragon Reborn, who's dual goal was to kill those who had attempted to take his life at the end of the previous volume and to cleanse the male half of The Power from the Dark One's taint. The other strong point of Winter's Heart is the return of Mat after being missed in the previous book, like what happened to Perrin in The Fires of Heaven. Elayne and Perrin's arcs continue as well, though they are tertiary in the grand scheme of this book especially as Perrin's is partial seen through the eyes of his wife, Faile.Jordan's return to having a dominating story arc that gives the book a beginning, middle, and end is big improvement over The Path of Daggers. However, of all the story arcs given space in this volume only Rand and Mat's seem to have traction throughout. Elayne's arc is broken up into several portions through the book while Perrin is gone after the first third of the book. It seems that in correcting the problem Jordan had in The Path of Daggers, he messed up the transitions from story arc to story arc that were a plus from The Path of Daggers.
Whatever the flaws, the last 34 pages of Winter's Heart can make up from some of them. The last chapter, With the Choedan Kal, is one of the best (but not the best) that I've read in the series so far and by far the best since Book 5, The Fires of Heaven. Overall I'm giving Winter's Heart a 3 1/2 stars like The Path of Daggers, because while some of the mistakes of the previous volume were corrected it was at the expense other important elements making them balance out.
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LibraryThing member fyrefly98
Summary: Tarmon Gai'don is coming, but before it does, Rand Al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, has a plan: he intends to cleanse saidin of the Dark One's taint, so that men who can channel will no longer be doomed to madness. The Forsaken are moving to stop him, although they each have their own
Review: If you had asked me what happened in this book prior to re-reading it, after a gap of 11 years, I would have said "this is the book in which nothing happens except for Perrin searching for his wife and yelling "FAAAAIIIIILLLLLEE" and being annoying the whole time." (I first read this book at the same time that Season 1 of Lost was airing, hence the "WAAAAAAAALT" / "FAAAAAIIIILLLLLEE" connection.)
But on a re-read, it turns out that the Perrin/Faile storyline actually took up relatively few chapters (despite what the cover would seem to suggest), and was much less annoying than I remember, which was good. Also, the cleansing of saidin, which I would have sworn didn't happen until book 10, is totally in this book, and that's a pretty big deal, and a pretty awesomely epic scene (or series of scenes, since it's written in little snippets from lots of POVs.) However, that does make me wonder what actually does happen in Book 10. I suspect that's it's going to be all of the Perrin-being-annoying that wasn't in this book, which does not make me particularly excited to get to it.
Anyways, back to this book. It's not bad, exactly, but it is square in the middle of this series's slump, where all of the multiple storylines that make this world so rich are just crawling along at slower than a snail's pace, and it feels like no progress is made in any of them until the last fifty pages of the book. It is somewhat of a catch-22 -- the wealth of characters and schemes and subplots are part of what makes this series so epic and so easy to get absorbed in, and by this point you are invested enough that it feels like spending time with friends. On the other hand, the fact that there's so much going on and so many characters does mean that you never get as much time with your favorites as you'd like (no Egwene in this book at all, for example, just like there was no Mat in the last one), and there are definitely times when there are just so many schemes and plots and shifting alliances that it's impossible to keep them all straight, and the whole thing just bogs down under its own weight.
Also, Tuon is introduced for the first time in this book, and she can already shut the hell up, because: seriously, shut up, Tuon. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: This book is the point where I would have to tell my friends who were reading it for the first time "No, hang in there, it gets better eventually and stuff starts happening again." So if you enjoyed the series in the beginning, my recommendation is just to slog through this book so you can get to the good stuff again. (Eventually, at least. As I remember, Book 10 is still pretty slow going.)
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individual - and sometimes conflicting - schemes and orders. Mat, after having spent the previous book under a building, is being hunted by the gholam through the streets of Seanchan-controlled Ebou Dar, and is being hunted throughout the palace by Tuon, a Seanchan noblewoman who is strangely fascinated by him. Perrin is meeting with the Prophet and his Dragonsworn, at Rand's request, when his wife Faile is kidnapped by the Shaido Aiel that are ranging across the countryside. Elayne is trying to solidify her rule of Andor, and the Aes Sedai Cadsuane is trying to get close to Rand so that she can reign in his increasingly self-destructive tendencies before the Last Battle.Review: If you had asked me what happened in this book prior to re-reading it, after a gap of 11 years, I would have said "this is the book in which nothing happens except for Perrin searching for his wife and yelling "FAAAAIIIIILLLLLEE" and being annoying the whole time." (I first read this book at the same time that Season 1 of Lost was airing, hence the "WAAAAAAAALT" / "FAAAAAIIIILLLLLEE" connection.)
But on a re-read, it turns out that the Perrin/Faile storyline actually took up relatively few chapters (despite what the cover would seem to suggest), and was much less annoying than I remember, which was good. Also, the cleansing of saidin, which I would have sworn didn't happen until book 10, is totally in this book, and that's a pretty big deal, and a pretty awesomely epic scene (or series of scenes, since it's written in little snippets from lots of POVs.) However, that does make me wonder what actually does happen in Book 10. I suspect that's it's going to be all of the Perrin-being-annoying that wasn't in this book, which does not make me particularly excited to get to it.
Anyways, back to this book. It's not bad, exactly, but it is square in the middle of this series's slump, where all of the multiple storylines that make this world so rich are just crawling along at slower than a snail's pace, and it feels like no progress is made in any of them until the last fifty pages of the book. It is somewhat of a catch-22 -- the wealth of characters and schemes and subplots are part of what makes this series so epic and so easy to get absorbed in, and by this point you are invested enough that it feels like spending time with friends. On the other hand, the fact that there's so much going on and so many characters does mean that you never get as much time with your favorites as you'd like (no Egwene in this book at all, for example, just like there was no Mat in the last one), and there are definitely times when there are just so many schemes and plots and shifting alliances that it's impossible to keep them all straight, and the whole thing just bogs down under its own weight.
Also, Tuon is introduced for the first time in this book, and she can already shut the hell up, because: seriously, shut up, Tuon. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: This book is the point where I would have to tell my friends who were reading it for the first time "No, hang in there, it gets better eventually and stuff starts happening again." So if you enjoyed the series in the beginning, my recommendation is just to slog through this book so you can get to the good stuff again. (Eventually, at least. As I remember, Book 10 is still pretty slow going.)
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LibraryThing member Carl_Alves
Sometimes I think Robert Jordan got paid by the word. Winter's Heart is so overwritten and has page after page and chapter after chapter of content that does nothing to move the story forward. If you cut the novel in half, it would still be too long for what actually transpired. Nothing of real
There are other issues with the novel, namely the unwieldy cast of characters that are impossible to keep track of. Basically there are maybe about twenty characters in the series who matter, and about 500 hundred minor characters. There's just no need to have that large of a cast. As a reader, I don't have any interest in following that many characters, and it only serves to water down the characters who do matter.
As for the content of the story, Perrin appears in the very opening of the book and is never heard from again. This is an example of a major character who has been marginalized in favor of the thousands of characters who follow in the book. The storyline with Mat, which dominated a large portion of the book was uninteresting and seemed to go nowhere. The Rand storyline, other than the last twenty or so pages, also seemed fairly inconsequential.
The bottom line is that Robert Jordan had lost his way at this point. I have been told to stick with the series because it gets better. I suppose I have invested too much to drop it, but picking up book number 10 will is about as appealing as a dentist visit right now.
Carl Alves - author of Blood Street
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consequence actually happens until about the last 20 pages, which is unacceptable for a 600 hundred plus page novel.There are other issues with the novel, namely the unwieldy cast of characters that are impossible to keep track of. Basically there are maybe about twenty characters in the series who matter, and about 500 hundred minor characters. There's just no need to have that large of a cast. As a reader, I don't have any interest in following that many characters, and it only serves to water down the characters who do matter.
As for the content of the story, Perrin appears in the very opening of the book and is never heard from again. This is an example of a major character who has been marginalized in favor of the thousands of characters who follow in the book. The storyline with Mat, which dominated a large portion of the book was uninteresting and seemed to go nowhere. The Rand storyline, other than the last twenty or so pages, also seemed fairly inconsequential.
The bottom line is that Robert Jordan had lost his way at this point. I have been told to stick with the series because it gets better. I suppose I have invested too much to drop it, but picking up book number 10 will is about as appealing as a dentist visit right now.
Carl Alves - author of Blood Street
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LibraryThing member FieryNight
I like Rand more in this book....he's becoming a little more woman-love-inclined....though I still prefer him the innocent, hot, farm boy from the Two Rivers, from the first book.
LibraryThing member redderik
Book 9 brook me, I couldn't finish it... Good intro, but it immediately fractured into a dozen characters keeping track of all the heroe's and villians, and even mundane details seemed like filler. This series is dead to me...
LibraryThing member qarae
Winter's Heart is book 9 in the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. Saidin is cleansed. Rand is bonded, again.
LibraryThing member jpsnow
This series is weighty. There is a lot of subtlety between the characters and a deep thread of history, but it's hard to track if you wait too long between books in the series. I'm really reading now only because I've come this far.
LibraryThing member tyronebiggums
This is the story of winter heart wheel of time. This is the summary of my book and is a report of it. After being subjected to the Chair of Remorse, Talene forswears her Black Ajah oaths and re-swears the Three Oaths, plus one to obey Seaine, Pevara, Yukiri, Doesine and Saerin. She insists Elaida
Perrin returns from meeting Masema who is keen to go to Rand but not by using the One Power. He learns Faile has been taken by the Shaido. Alliandre tells the Aiel who she is. Galina Heals the prisoners. Alliandre, Faile and Morgase are set to work as Sevanna's maids and told to spy on her by Therava. Galina enlists them to fetch an Oath Rod in return for aiding their escape. Perrin learns Masema has been meeting with the Seanchan. Masema agrees to help Perrin look for Faile, even agreeing to Travel. Hanlon organizes and foils an attack on Elayne and is named Captain of her bodyguard. Rand Travels to Caemlyn to meet Nynaeve and arrange to cleanse saidin. Nynaeve teaches the Windfinders and Talaan asks to be a novice. Alivia and two of the damane decide they no longer wish to be damane. The sul'dam refuse to admit they can channel. Min forces him to meet with Elayne and Aviendha. He tells all three he loves them and they tell him the same, much to Nynaeve's disgust. They all three bond him as their Warder and all are concerned about the pain he feels and that the only emotion they can sense is his love for them. He sleeps with Elayne much to Birgitte's displeasure, getting her pregnant according to one of Min's viewings. Min, Lan and Nynaeve leave with him, taking Alivia, angreal and ter'angreal. Merilille returns from meeting the Borderland army and Elayne goes to meet them. She decides to use their presence in Andor to try and unite the factions behind her. On her return, she learns from Norry that there are four small armies approaching from the east.
This where I stop I hope u have a good knowledge of this book 9 (winter heart)but I tell u that the end is well ill tell don’t read from the beggin cause there is 12 books and it never will end till I read book 12 so bacily I cant ruin the end in the end this is a pretty good story if ur into fantasy but also it is a very complex story with twist and turns now if ur up to the challenge of readin this entire saga be my guest yet I warn u you will stop near the tenth.
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must be Black as the Black always knows what Elaida plans. Although they all doubt it, no one realizes Alviarin is Black. Taim arrives to meet with Elayne. He tells her he has damane and sul'dam for her. He allows her permission to inspect the Black Tower. She is instructed to strip for the first-sister ceremony while he is in Caemlyn, during which a bond, in some ways similar to the Warder bond is established between her and Aviendha. In the Black Tower, Toveine considers the various factions present and how she might be able to use them to escape. Logain is trying to find men interested in Healing severing. It is announced that Damer, Jahar and Eben are rebels. Rand lays false trails and tells Min he plans to cleanse saidin. Perrin returns from meeting Masema who is keen to go to Rand but not by using the One Power. He learns Faile has been taken by the Shaido. Alliandre tells the Aiel who she is. Galina Heals the prisoners. Alliandre, Faile and Morgase are set to work as Sevanna's maids and told to spy on her by Therava. Galina enlists them to fetch an Oath Rod in return for aiding their escape. Perrin learns Masema has been meeting with the Seanchan. Masema agrees to help Perrin look for Faile, even agreeing to Travel. Hanlon organizes and foils an attack on Elayne and is named Captain of her bodyguard. Rand Travels to Caemlyn to meet Nynaeve and arrange to cleanse saidin. Nynaeve teaches the Windfinders and Talaan asks to be a novice. Alivia and two of the damane decide they no longer wish to be damane. The sul'dam refuse to admit they can channel. Min forces him to meet with Elayne and Aviendha. He tells all three he loves them and they tell him the same, much to Nynaeve's disgust. They all three bond him as their Warder and all are concerned about the pain he feels and that the only emotion they can sense is his love for them. He sleeps with Elayne much to Birgitte's displeasure, getting her pregnant according to one of Min's viewings. Min, Lan and Nynaeve leave with him, taking Alivia, angreal and ter'angreal. Merilille returns from meeting the Borderland army and Elayne goes to meet them. She decides to use their presence in Andor to try and unite the factions behind her. On her return, she learns from Norry that there are four small armies approaching from the east.
This where I stop I hope u have a good knowledge of this book 9 (winter heart)but I tell u that the end is well ill tell don’t read from the beggin cause there is 12 books and it never will end till I read book 12 so bacily I cant ruin the end in the end this is a pretty good story if ur into fantasy but also it is a very complex story with twist and turns now if ur up to the challenge of readin this entire saga be my guest yet I warn u you will stop near the tenth.
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LibraryThing member Stewartry
I'm getting there. I'm getting there.
I raised my star rating on this from three to four stars; I was probably pretty cranky when I read it lo those many years ago, because I knew it would be a good couple of years before the next installment came out. (It was three years.) And by then - 2000 - the
But I have to say, this time I felt this was one of the better volumes in WoT. Quite a bit happened, there was some payoff on some long-running plotlines, and it ended with quite a bang. It was a little confused on its way to the bang, I thought, and almost rushed, but after eight other books and untold hundreds of pages I'll take the bang.
One of the many times I read this series I let my obsessive side take over, and I compiled a database of characters and predictions. It was entirely pen and ink and lots and lots of paper. I let it go somewhere around volume eight, and never got it typed up on the computer - in fact, I think getting a computer might have contributed to its demise, because I couldn't quite stomach the notion of recreating all of that work in digital form. (Also, I believe I discovered that there were others just as obsessive as I am, and more digitally forward, so I would only be reinventing the, er, Wheel.) And that's kind of a shame, because it's the sort of Big Fat Giant Fantasy Series that rewards that kind of obsessive behavior. There are foretellings and predictions and visions and dreams and whatnot made throughout which - especially after all these years/all these months (depending on which way you want to look at it) are very satisfying when they're finally fulfilled. There's a bit of that in Winter's Heart.
And there are also mysterious characters galore, including the handful of the Forsaken who were brought back from the dead and downloaded into new bodies - and a couple of other Big Bads who were even more mysterious. A fanatical devotion to noting minute detail might allow the über fan to be able to smugly say "I knew it!" when certain identities are revealed - or to be able to say "Aha! I know that Aginor created the Trollocs, therefore ...!" (I admit it. I had to look that up. But some eighteen years ago I might have known that.
And you never know when one or two of those millions of background characters who were given names and descriptions might pop up again. Jordan was pretty obsessive and detail-oriented his own self.
Yes, there are still spankings; yes, there is still an overabundance of women on horseback with their skirts riding up above their knees. Yes, there's still a boatload of crabby and cliche-ridden characterization.
But there are also very much in evidence all the reasons I keep reading the series, and why I've kept reading it all these years (and all these months). It's - as I've probably said before - a damn good yarn. And I want to know what happens next.
I raised my star rating on this from three to four stars; I was probably pretty cranky when I read it lo those many years ago, because I knew it would be a good couple of years before the next installment came out. (It was three years.) And by then - 2000 - the
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rumors had gotten more widespread that the author was ill and might not live to finish the series.But I have to say, this time I felt this was one of the better volumes in WoT. Quite a bit happened, there was some payoff on some long-running plotlines, and it ended with quite a bang. It was a little confused on its way to the bang, I thought, and almost rushed, but after eight other books and untold hundreds of pages I'll take the bang.
One of the many times I read this series I let my obsessive side take over, and I compiled a database of characters and predictions. It was entirely pen and ink and lots and lots of paper. I let it go somewhere around volume eight, and never got it typed up on the computer - in fact, I think getting a computer might have contributed to its demise, because I couldn't quite stomach the notion of recreating all of that work in digital form. (Also, I believe I discovered that there were others just as obsessive as I am, and more digitally forward, so I would only be reinventing the, er, Wheel.) And that's kind of a shame, because it's the sort of Big Fat Giant Fantasy Series that rewards that kind of obsessive behavior. There are foretellings and predictions and visions and dreams and whatnot made throughout which - especially after all these years/all these months (depending on which way you want to look at it) are very satisfying when they're finally fulfilled. There's a bit of that in Winter's Heart.
And there are also mysterious characters galore, including the handful of the Forsaken who were brought back from the dead and downloaded into new bodies - and a couple of other Big Bads who were even more mysterious. A fanatical devotion to noting minute detail might allow the über fan to be able to smugly say "I knew it!" when certain identities are revealed - or to be able to say "Aha! I know that Aginor created the Trollocs, therefore ...!" (I admit it. I had to look that up. But some eighteen years ago I might have known that.
And you never know when one or two of those millions of background characters who were given names and descriptions might pop up again. Jordan was pretty obsessive and detail-oriented his own self.
Yes, there are still spankings; yes, there is still an overabundance of women on horseback with their skirts riding up above their knees. Yes, there's still a boatload of crabby and cliche-ridden characterization.
But there are also very much in evidence all the reasons I keep reading the series, and why I've kept reading it all these years (and all these months). It's - as I've probably said before - a damn good yarn. And I want to know what happens next.
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LibraryThing member glenline
The stories are in a transitional phase but they are still a lot of fun.
LibraryThing member cousin_gipthorn
Worst book of the series. Fortunately Jordan redeems himself with the two following books.
LibraryThing member bookczuk
The review blurb says, "The eagerly awaited sequel to The Path of Daggers". I can see why it was eagerly awaited. Originally, these were supposed to be one book, but it got so long and so overdue, that Tor and the author split the book in two to keep close to schedule. As a result, I found The Path
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of Daggers, despite a cool quote in the beginning, quite disappointing. All the action (except for the very last part of The Path of Daggers) is in this book, with some very important plot points happening. I felt like The Path of Daggers left on a highway ramp between two highways on my journey. Now, I feel back on track and happily headed into Crossroads of Twilight. Show Less
LibraryThing member chriskrycho
Still love this book. Really, really excellent.
LibraryThing member JeremyPreacher
One the one hand, wrapping up one of the biggest arcs in the series in suitably epic fashion? Excellent. Doing so with a maximum of Emo? Much less excellent. Also, the Perrin/Faile plotline is in fact my very least favorite plotline in the entire book. And Elayne's plotline is better - it fails in
Note: In general, I can't review this series with any objectivity. I've been reading it since I was eleven years old, and it's thoroughly embedded in my brain.
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tedious ways, not infuriating ones - but only a little bit better.Note: In general, I can't review this series with any objectivity. I've been reading it since I was eleven years old, and it's thoroughly embedded in my brain.
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LibraryThing member publiusdb
I was excited to see the Source finally purified, but the plot is getting so large, I can't help but wonder how it's going to be all tied up in less than four more books...
LibraryThing member dreamless
Ashamed to say I've actually read this far, and the next, too. It's not worth it.
LibraryThing member DWWilkin
Here we have the ninth book in the series. I have read this book at least twice before. We diverged with Perrin in a extraneous quest but he needed something to balance all the fun Mat seems to be having.
Thus we run square into the problem that Jordan has created, too many streams. The entire
After the series achieved success others will show how Jordan purports to have thousands of pages on the history of the world. That is all well and good, but back when the story was only going to be a trilogy, you wouldn't need to create so much unless you were sure you were going to be paid for it. Before WoT, Jordan was not all that well published. Conan books, and not as memorable as the items published much earlier by those who expanded on Howard's iconic barbarian hero.
But now as a writer making money. Probably very good money, why not take the time to step back and create a mega opus. Bigger then Tolkien who is regard as the God of Fantasy.
Why not write so many character sketches that you can fill rooms with them. That may make the world richer, but it sets up problems. Winter's Heart fails though not as badly as the previous transition book. The failure is having so many story lines that justice is not done to any of them.
Further the time scale is again destroyed, where earlier books almost a year will pass in the telling, now it is weeks, and our heroes can accomplish what used to take them months. One has to remember that they are novices at there jobs of magic casters, or rulers, or battle leaders despite what memories may be inside their head.
Those of you who aren't twenty, how many really know that it does take years to have the wisdom to read people. To analyze the interactions of your environment quickly and correctly. If every twenty year old could do it (And there are several in Jordan's world who can.) Then what need of older people. Surely everyone over twenty-five are idiots...
In the Music Man, "The older-but wiser girl for me..." (It was on last night) and that is highlighted everytime a Wise One or Aes Sedai of years of experience is bossed around by one of the children. Sure they need to be heroic, but elders need to help them manage, not jump to every order.
So again do you read this book. Well it is better than the previous for stories, though shortened, do complete. But once again Jordan is stretching out his trilogy beyond all reason.
Thus we run square into the problem that Jordan has created, too many streams. The entire
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discussion during this reread is where can this series end, for it was a trilogy.After the series achieved success others will show how Jordan purports to have thousands of pages on the history of the world. That is all well and good, but back when the story was only going to be a trilogy, you wouldn't need to create so much unless you were sure you were going to be paid for it. Before WoT, Jordan was not all that well published. Conan books, and not as memorable as the items published much earlier by those who expanded on Howard's iconic barbarian hero.
But now as a writer making money. Probably very good money, why not take the time to step back and create a mega opus. Bigger then Tolkien who is regard as the God of Fantasy.
Why not write so many character sketches that you can fill rooms with them. That may make the world richer, but it sets up problems. Winter's Heart fails though not as badly as the previous transition book. The failure is having so many story lines that justice is not done to any of them.
Further the time scale is again destroyed, where earlier books almost a year will pass in the telling, now it is weeks, and our heroes can accomplish what used to take them months. One has to remember that they are novices at there jobs of magic casters, or rulers, or battle leaders despite what memories may be inside their head.
Those of you who aren't twenty, how many really know that it does take years to have the wisdom to read people. To analyze the interactions of your environment quickly and correctly. If every twenty year old could do it (And there are several in Jordan's world who can.) Then what need of older people. Surely everyone over twenty-five are idiots...
In the Music Man, "The older-but wiser girl for me..." (It was on last night) and that is highlighted everytime a Wise One or Aes Sedai of years of experience is bossed around by one of the children. Sure they need to be heroic, but elders need to help them manage, not jump to every order.
So again do you read this book. Well it is better than the previous for stories, though shortened, do complete. But once again Jordan is stretching out his trilogy beyond all reason.
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LibraryThing member mirikayla
Rating the series as a whole, because I can't remember them individually without reading them again. Originally read the early ones in 2007, then the whole series in 2009.
LibraryThing member renbedell
This book is a mixed rating because they were parts that were very exciting and then others that were not. Overall I think it was better then what I expected, since I have heard it slows down quite a bit. Big, important things happened and the story moved on (slowly). I would give it a higher
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rating, but we haven't seen Matt in a while and his first few chapters were so boring. They got a lot better, as did the rest of the book. The ending was exciting that had me on the edge, but I don't really know if it meant anything. Either way still a good story that really engrosses you into the characters and the world. Show Less
LibraryThing member seaofsorrow
this book and series is getting to be frustrating. It is so slow and cumbersome. There are so many f assets of this book that have been so much better. One good thing though is Mat is becoming one of my favorite characters. His is probably the best character development.
LibraryThing member TheGalaxyGirl
Rereading. As remembered, some of this book is boring and slow, and some is exciting and interesting. So many of the relationships in this series are dysfunctional, it makes me wonder what Jordan's own marriage is like. He excels at worldbuilding, which I love, but even I get tired of all the
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description. Still, many plotlines moved forward, even if not fast enough for my taste. The ending finale is good. With all the ter'angreal around, it makes me wonder why the Forsaken don't have any. Is that the Dark One's doing, to keep them from challenging him? In any case, it leaves them vulnerable to the likes of Cadsuane. Despite all the things that are annoying about this series, I still really like it. Show Less
LibraryThing member quickmind
Definitely not my favorite, I just wish the ending battle was longer. I feel like it could have been very interesting, and could have developed more, but it ended fairly quickly after 700 pages of largely minor things happening. I feel like Robert felt like he had to write an obligatory action
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sequence to keep readers interested, but those sorts of scenes weren't his favorites to write. It just seems like a pattern after the last few books. Setup for the most part, one big battle at the end. There was still enough here to keep me reading though. Show Less
LibraryThing member N.W.Moors
I thought the last book in the series was slow and feared I was in the midst of the so-called slough, but Winter's Heart is a delight to read. It helps that it's centered around my favorite characters, Rand and Mat, with a dose of Elayn that I tolerated (not a favorite character). Mr. Jordan
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manages to wrap up a few of the major plot points as well and kept the story moving along. I enjoyed this book a lot and I'm looking forward to see where we go next in this excellent series. Show Less
LibraryThing member Dr_Bob
A surprisingly enrapturing tale for a mid-series novel. Excluding, yet again, Jordan's antiquated perspective of the sexes being incomprehensible to one another with pithy aphorisms stated by his characters that fall to the level of misogyny and misandry, his deft weaving of multiple character arcs
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and story plots, some parallel, some intersecting, is unescapably admirable in keeping the reader engaged. The climactic ending of this tome where Rand, our hero, attempts to cleanse the tainted male half of the One Power aided by as well as opposed by many of the notable characters he's attracted to him through many of the previous novels is particularly satisfying. A sense of a major turning point is conveyed despite the many threats yet to be faced beyond the long-delayed but inevitable and ultimate Last Battle against the Dark One. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Locus Award (Nominee — Fantasy Novel — 2001)
SF Site Reader's Choice (2000)
Locus Recommended Reading (2000)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2000-11-07 (Tor Books)
Physical description
625 p.; 6.39 inches
ISBN
0312864256 / 9780312864255