The best so far
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This book improves on the previous two in most ways, largely due to the larger role Mat plays in the story. Mat is your stereotypical rogue in some ways but in this book both his powers and his character become more interesting. The worst part about the story is Perrin's meeting of Faile, who turns out to be fairly irritating as had been documented quite well in other reviews. The story moves along at a surprisingly un-Jordanian pace for most of the book, despite a couple of tangents (Perin decides to visit a blacksmith for no particular reason other than some clumsy attempts at symbolism - will he choose the axe or the hammer?)
The few blemishes on an otherwise good book:
1) Unneccessary plot events - three groups sailing with three different captains simultaneously - this is not great where we have Perrin, Faile etc on one boat, Nynaeve Egwene and Elayne on another and Mat and Thom on another still! Try remembering so many characters names at once.
2) Jordan has difficulty writing action / fighting scenes. Therefore he seems to hurry them.
3) Undue influence on the detail of minor characters, and the wrong information. You can learn more about someone from what they say than what they are wearing.
4) Too many "not essential" characters who do not move the plot along
I think most people have a good enough imagination to picture people without getting everything about what they are wearing. This is not the best device for making the imagination work. Also, you get the feeling Jordan has made an excel spreadsheet of all attributes (including clothes) for each character, and therefore he feels the duty to proudly report the fruits of his labours. Also I think coincidence is a good enough literary device, and good writers have spent centuries making minor characters serve multiple roles, rather than having the same experience of meeting 100 different innkeepers who all are relatively similar (in fact I challenge you to tell me offhand any differences between them).
Despite these and many other flaws, this is still a fine work of fiction, and represents the strongest part of the series, which is horribly destined to go downhill after book 6.
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amazing!
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i find it hard not to get to carried away with this series....i forget the difference between reality and the amazing world jordan has created! but it!
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Jordan reborn.
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The 1st book was very good, the 2nd was started by some 150 pages of rubbish only to be followed by higher quality writing than the 1st book and the third has continued in this vein.
This is a great book which is only slightly let down by the speedy conclusion - I guess Jordan got bored.
The best of the three so far.
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Dragon Reborn - Part 3
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Another good read by Jordan but one not without its faults. The main character practically disappears from the entire book and I found the climax, bringing together 3 or 4 main plot lines to be disappointingly underdeveloped. That's not to say it's not enjoyable, but as Jordan spent 600 pages plus getting there, it seems peculiar that the story threads were cut short so suddenly! Rand proclaiming himself to be the Dragon Reborn is the ideal platform for Jordan's excellent desciptive narrative skills to come to the fore; instead we get a few lines, whereas 200 pages back we are fortunate enough to have almost an entire chapter on the workings of the White Tower's kitchens! (Perhaps a slight exaggeration!) This is perhaps something of a 'filler' book between the superior Book 2 -The Great Hunt, and Book 4 but in summary this remains a good book within a great series.
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Third time counts for all...
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The Dragon Reborn is the third in the long Wheel of Time series. This one sees the characters as they head towards the Stone of Tear, where Rand al'Thor seeks to claim the legendary Callandor sword; to find whether he really is the Dragon reborn or not.
The third instalment of the series is almost definitely better than its predecessors - the first one being a blatant Lord of the Rings take-on and the second being fairly mundane except for the last part. As usual it is a lengthy book, though if you enjoyed the first two this is definitely one to go for; it holds a more (or should I say more or less) gripping story line and comes to a brilliant climax at the end.
Pro's and con's
+ some excellent "scenes"
+ brilliantly described
- not for the impatient
- some dull sections
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