In the tenth book of THE WHEEL OF TIME from the New York Times #1 bestselling author Robert Jordan, the world and the characters stand at a crossroads, and the world approaches twilight, when the power of the Shadow grows stronger.Fleeing from Ebou Dar with the kidnapped Daughter of the Nine Moons, whom he is fated to marry, Mat Cauthon learns that he can neither keep her nor let her go, not in safety for either of them, for both the Shadow and the might of the Seanchan Empire are in deadly pursuit.Perrin Aybara seeks to free his wife, Faile, a captive of the Shaido, but his only hope may be an alliance with the enemy.Can he remain true to his friend Rand, and to himself?For his love of Faile, Perrin is willing to sell his soul.At Tar Valon, Egwene alVere, the young Amyrlin of the rebel Aes Sedai, lays siege to the heart of Aes Sedai power, but she must win quickly, with as little bloodshed as possible, for unless the Aes Sedai are reunited, only the male Ashaman will remain to defend the world against the Dark One, and nothing can hold the Ashaman themselves back from total power except the Aes Sedai and a unified White Tower.In Andor, Elayne Trakand fights for the Lion Throne that is hers by right, but enemies and Darkfriends surround her, plotting her destruction. If she fails, Andor may fall to the Shadow, and the Dragon Reborn with it.Rand alThor, the Dragon Reborn himself, has cleansed the Dark Ones taint from the male half of the True Source, and everything has changed. Yet nothing has, for only men who can channel believe that saidin is clean again, and a man who can channel is still hated and fearedeven one prophesied to save the world. Now Rand must gamble again, with himself at stake, and he cannot be sure which of his allies are really enemies. |
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1044 of 1124 found the following review helpful:
 Another MasterpieceDec 20, 2004
By Tom E.
Those who can appreciate great setup will really love this book. Personally, I thought the setup in books 8 and 9 were good ... but this was absolutely stupendous. Fans of total plot inertia will be in heaven.
I've grown to hate the character of Rand because whenever he makes an appearance the plot is in danger of moving incrementally forward. Thankfully, Mr. Jordan saves us from any threatening plot developments by keeping Rand almost totally absent from this book. And when he is introduced - briefly - towards the very end, Mr. Jordan quickly whisks him off to the sidelines before anything interesting can happen. Whew! I'm wiping the sweat off my brow becasue that was a close one.
Have you ever wondered how many stripes should be on the dublet of an important dignatary from Illian? How many shawl twitches are appropriate when Aes Sedai negotiate momentous agreements? What kind of stool the general of an Aes Sedai army sits on, and how stable said stool might be? Well buckle up for a wild ride, amigo, because you're going to learn all that (and more!) by the time you've tediously slogged to the conclusion of this book.
Part of what really makes Mr. Jordan's worlds so unique are the wonderful characters which populate them. I like nothing more than to scratch my head in befuddlement as yet another Aes Sedai is reintroduced into the plot whom I can no longer recall. It gives me an excuse to page to the back of the book and open up the 'Robert Jordan Appendix of Useless and Irrelevent Characters' which is always such a joy. I've created my own drinking game based on this called, [...]
For anyone who wants to play along the rules are simple:
1.) Is the character you're looking up totally irrelevent? Take a drink.
2.) Do you have reason to suspect said character will remain totally irrelevent? Take a drink.
3.) Does the character twitch her shawl? Take two drinks.
4.) Is she looking "cross-eyed" at someone? Take a drink.
5.) Do you know the exact design of the embroidery on the fringe of her shawl? Of course you do - take a drink. For your own sanity, consider taking another.
Anyhow, I don't want to pretend everything about this book is negative ... there are a few positives.
First off, Nynaeve is completely ignored. I suspect Mr. Jordan will make up for this oversite by indulging in an orgy of braid-tugging, yellow-shawled action in books 11-16, but you will be blessedly free of it in this tome.
Secondly, Jordan has stopped even pretending to provide "setup" for future books with CoT. Nothing Of Any Signifigance happens - at all - in this novel. Nothing. There's not so much as a cliffhanger. He's no longer bothering to maintain any facade. I appreciate that kind of bold honesty. He's just holding out his hand and saying, "Listen suckers ... we all know you're going to give me your money - so just hand it over. I could personally visit each of your homes and beat it out of you, but isn't this more civilized?". And, yes, I suppose it is more civilized. So I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Jordan for allowing me to voluntarily hand him my hard-earned money rather than forcing him to pummel it out of me in my own house. It is very much appreciated.
I can't wait for Volume 11.
390 of 430 found the following review helpful:
Another wonderful product from the Jordan Barn...May 14, 2005
By Ian Marquis
Phone Rep: "Hello, this is ****, representing Bigelow Tea and other fine beverages. How may I help you?"
Caller: "Well, see, I have this problem with my tea..."
P: "Which variety of tea are you having the problem with?"
C: "Bigelow Blueberry Blast."
P: "Alright...what seems to be the problem?"
C: "See, there was this one batch of tea I brewed for myself one morning. I brewed it into a gleaming silver pitcher with a matching silver ropework tray and a set of three silver cups, each with its own saucer that was engraved around the perimeter with tiny flowers. I had bought the set in Saldea. Oh, the Sea-folk porcelain is wonderful, but I'm prone to breaking it. Anyway, I poured myself a cup of tea. There were piping hot scones in a silver bowl on the tray next to the tray that held the tea. The basket was covered with a white embroidered cloth slashed with blue silk, much like my dress. Oh, the neckline is a bit too low-cut for some of my acquaintances, who prefer good stout woolens to that Arad Domai silk that clings to the body in such a way as to leave very little to the imagination. So, as I was eating a scone and drinking my cup of tea, the steam from each rising and intertwining together like dueling serpents, I noticed a peculiar taste in the tea: it was cool and refreshing, with a hint of mint. Of course, I thought nothing of it. Giving my earlobe a tug and my braid a pull, I remembered the idiocy of every one of my male friends, indeed every male I have ever come into contact with, or ever will for that matter. The lot of woolheads can never compete with the superior logic and rock-solid reasoning that every female in the known universe possesses. It's no wonder we all behave the same."
P: "Um...what was your problem with the tea?"
C: "Oh yes, I'm sorry. After I had consumed the tea, I placed the cup on the silver ropework tray and covered the gleaming silver basket of scones again with the white embroidered cloth slashed with bands of blue silk, much like my dress. I remembered the stout man in the streets of Tar Valon: a vendor of sausages he was. Though I know I will never see him again, I felt it necessary to familiarize myself with every aspect of his appearance and personal history. He was a short, stout man with black hair that was beginning to grey at the temples, slicked back on his head in the manner of warriors, though it was obvious he was not one. He wore brown shoes of stained leather that rustled softly against the dirt of the streets, kicking up clouds of dust that lingered in the air even after he had passed. His pants were of stiff wool, dyed green and patched in many places. He wore a leather jerkin over a soiled white peasant's shirt, the cuffs of his sleeves rolled up and out of his way. Around his neck was a silver chain with a medallion attached to it that bore the image of a bear. He spoke with a gruff voice..."
P: "The TEA, ma'am."
C: "Well you don't have to be rude about it. I was only filling you in on the relevant details."
P: "I don't have all day, ma'am."
C: "You do remind me of a lad I once knew, back when I used to frequent the palace in Camelyn..."
P: "Look, we'll send you a case of Blueberry tea, alright?"
C: "Oh...alright then, I suppose that will do nicely."
P: "Do you have any other problems?"
C: "Well, there is this one other problem I have, but it's not with your tea. The other day, I was pouring myself a goblet of spiced wine. Only the wine had grown cold after being left on the windowsill for whatever reason. So I siezed hold of saidar. It was pure rapture...like opening all of my petals to the sun, for I am a flower. It was like floating in a river that tore along with great speed: resist it and you would be consumed by it. So I accepted it and was consumed by the sweet joy. I sent a tiny thread of fire into the pitcher to warm the wine. Soon, steam rose from the pitcher of gold, sunlight rebounding on the inset gems. I removed the pitcher from the stark Cairheinien plinth of the finest marble and poured myself a glass. But the use of saidar had turned the spices bitter..."
*CLICK*
C: "Hello? Hello? Wool-headed sheep-herder..."
251 of 276 found the following review helpful:
Armageddon is here! The Dark One finally strikes!Feb 13, 2004
For those readers anxiously waiting for the Dark One to lash out with the first fell stroke of the Last Battle, you'll find it here in the Crossroads of Twilight. No, the vast armies of Trollocs and their Eyeless taskmasters don't boil forth from the Blight to overrun the heart of Randland, leaving only carnage and destruction in their wake; instead, in a dazzling and completely unforeseen plot twist, Shai'tan unleashes his legions of weevils against our unsuspecting heroes, and no one's grain is safe. I'm getting chills now just thinking about the brilliance of the move. Just think: weevils in the grain require winnowing, and winnowing cuts down on the profit margins of merchants, and lower profit margins means bankruptcy. I absolutely cannot wait for book 11, where we will surely see the entire economy collapse, and then it's just a small matter to bring this incredible series to a close. The Dark One will be revealed as an evil loan shark, and he'll break free from the Central Bank of Shayol Ghul and repossess every palace, dress-shop, and circus on the continent. I just hope Cadsuane can teach Rand some creative re-financing options before the situation becomes hopeless.Some other notable developments: The quality of tea has really taken a nosedive since the early books in the series, and it's starting to negatively impact the morale of our heroes. After all, what's the upside of fighting off pure evil if you can't even get a decent cup of tea when you're pregnant and temperamental? The Dark One inappropriately touches one of his minions. I'm expecting a sexual harassment lawsuit in the next volume. Hundreds of dresses are described in such intricate detail that I was able to sew exact replicas. I'm wearing one right now, in fact. For hundreds of other patterns, you can shop at wheeloftimewardrobe.com. We are introduced to the riveting social intricacies of the gai'shain laundering subculture. Perrin gets bored with his own plotline and breaks out of character for a minute before returning to form. Woolheads battle ninnies and hilarity ensues. Braid tugging is on the wane. Someone sniffs.
52 of 53 found the following review helpful:
Cross-Weevils of EvilSep 13, 2003
By Elizabeth G-R
A first - a major fantasy book and best-seller whose major antagonist and most menacing villian is ... I mean are ... grain weevils. I kid you not. The Weevils of Evil. The Mites of Malediction. The Parasites of Perfidy. The ... oh screw it. I can't even make fun of it, I'm so ticked. Remember when you felt chills about the Forsaken, The Blight, The Black Ajah, The Darkfriends, Shadar Logoth or Padan Fain? Remember the menace of the Waygates, Trollocs and other Dark Spawn? Well none of that is here. You will feel none of that old wonder, menace or fear. Instead, you will be dreadfully angry that nothing at all happens! Nothing ever happens! If TOR books has a shread of decency, they will FORCE EDIT these books. This 680 page 'story' should have been cut to 100 pages - tops. Does Jordan have no friends that will honestly ask him any penetrating questions or try to help him (and us)? Every character is immobilized in indecision, and instead of moving the plot ahead, Jordan is actually introducing new characters. New characters - ten books into the series - unbelievable. At least I think they're new - but who can tell? I have completely stopped trying to keep track of the literally HUNDREDS of characters and names in this series. You know what I mean - some character whose name is EGSWANGAWAINAVIENDARENAMARRA (choose 5-8 characters) speaks and you find yourself thinking, "Who is this? Why did they say that? What is the meaning of that cryptic statement? Why is everyone glaring at them? Will someone PLEASE tell me what happened? Oh, why do I care?" Admit it. You know you've thought it. Dear Robert Jordan, I used to love this series. Please start writing like you used to. Signed, Disheartented Ex-Fan
76 of 80 found the following review helpful:
DittoMay 27, 2003
With over 1400 reviews, the only change you'll have of reading this is if it gets picked for the main page. This book was exciting. That is to say exciting as watching paint dry is exciting. I had more fun picking out today's socks that I did reading this latest installment. "Honey, I'd like you to read Crossroads of Twilight. It's got some amusing andecdotes for you. Oh, and here's a gun so you can blow your brains out. You'll thank me for it." I could tolerate any insurance seminar. For days I could sit there and listen to them go on and on with a big smile on my face. And they'd say "How can you stand it?" And I'd say "'Cause I've read Crossroads of Twilight. I can take anything." And you know what thy'd say? They'd say "I know what you mean. The 10th Wheel of Time book. Whoah!" Jordan took literally over HALF of the book to get us to where he left us at the end of Winter's Heart. I can remember when even the character stuff was good enough to keep me up to 2 or 3 in the morning. This one put me right to sleep, but like a trained WOT fan, I finished it - with a bad taste in my mouth. Sure #9 ended with a bang, but you never hear a single echo of it. Jordan doesn't even TOUCH on the squeeky clean saidin. It's hardly used in CoT. Go ahead and buy it - if you don't, you'll lay awake at night wondering if it really is as bad as people here say. Blah blah blah filler blah blah blah Third Age fashions blah blah blah Aes Sedai like cheese with their whine blah blah blah. (Insert your own amusing comments here - I'm too tired)
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