This is the second book in the soon-to-be-completed “Wheel of Time” saga, as most fantasy fans are aware. It’s been several months since I read the first book in the series, and I was a bit concerned that the second book would be hard to crack without full memory of the details. Thankfully, this book eased into its plot slowly enough that I was rarely lost or confused. In fact, if anything, I was quickly reminded that Jordan’s writing style makes it rather easy to find out what’s happening, because not a moment passes that isn’t explored in endless detail.
That probably sounds like a bad thing, but I’m already aware that the books can bog down in sections that appear to go nowhere. Forewarned is forearmed, and while this is still one of the earlier novels (and thus more quickly paced than some of the later novels, as I’ve been given to understand), I was ready for the long setup process.
After reading this novel, I had a much better understanding of the Aes Sedai and their structure, and that part of the series continues to be my favorite aspect. The trials of Egwene and Nynaeve shed light on how magic works in this particular universe. This stands in stark contrast to Rand’s own channeling and his battle at the end of the book, which I found somewhat confusing.
One thing that has struck me, both in this novel and the previous one, is the invocation of themes from Arthurian legend, Christian dogma, and European myth. Certainly there are parallels to Tolkien’s work, but there are aspects that seem very similar to “Dune” as well. In particular, having just re-read “Dune” again, I saw parallels between the Aes Sedai and the Bene Gesserit. Thankfully, these connections, while fairly blatant, are never cloying enough to undermine my enjoyment of the novel.
Two additional things came to mind in the course of reading the novel. First, Jordan appears to have a massive story to tell, and while he’s taking his time, there does appear to be a game plan. Second, I can only hope that all of the parallels and connections are intentional and tie together into a point to the entire story. Because this doesn’t simply feel like a massive story meant to be told well; it has the unmistakable feeling of a story meant to hold Meaning.
It’s more than I could say for a number of popular fantasy sagas currently on the shelves.
Rating: 8/10
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