Customer Reviews

Lord Of Chaos (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Wheel of Time (Pb))

5 star:		(163)
4 star:		(59)
3 star:		(49)
2 star:		(32)
1 star:		(32)

 

 

I am an avid reader - I read close to 2-3 books a month. Ever since I laid my hands on the Eye of the World, though, I have been wrapped up in this amazing story. However, I feel that I need to say something about the reviews I have been reading of the Wheel of Time series, and I have to say that some of these reviewers are only in for the "quick fix". I only have one thing to say to them - "If you don't like reading, don't". This is by far one of the most fantastic and imaginative series I have ever read. Robert Jordan is a creative individual who has done an exquisite job of relating his story to the reader. He uses the descriptive voice like no other that I have read. "When something can be described by 10 words, he uses 250". So what? Do you think he enjoys writing these long books? He's trying to paint a picture of this world of his, and it's fascinating. Keeping track of the characters in the book is really not that hard if you pay attention, especially when there's a "glossary" in the back of the book to remind you if you do forget. Savor each page, each word, because it is truly a beautiful story.

I have just finished Book 6, and I have to say that this story just gets better and better. Questions are answered, while new ones spring up. Mysteries that are solved only lead to deeper mysteries that you had no idea were there. The compliment of characters gives this series every possible point of view you can get. I started this series only a few months ago, and I have been obsessed by it. The descriptions of Jordan's world are almost at enjoyable to read as the interaction between the characters. Reviewers complain that the series is too long - that's because they must not enjoy reading. Me, I hope this series goes on for a while. I have never truly gotten this much enjoyment from a series of books ever. If you read this series, please have the mind set that this is not something to rush through. Lose yourself in it, get whisked away to the Aiel Waste or to Andor and enjoy the great work of this extremely imaginative author.

There are tons of reviews out there that will tell you that this is a horrible book, slow, verbose, and dull, and just as many that will tell you this book is the best they've ever read, etc. The truth lies somewhere in between. If you like Robert Jordan's previous works (which, seeing as you're considering reading the sixth, you probably do) then you are going to love this book. The conclusion of this book (which the cover - horribly drawn as it is - alludes to) is arguably the best of all those in the Wheel of Time series. It's dramatic, frought with tension, and rather chilling. Personally, I feel that the 600+ pages that get you there aren't that bad either; they are also some of the best Jordan has written. If you don't like his style or his story, though, you won't like it and I don't recommend it. It's as simple as that. But for any Jordan fan - well, what are you waiting for?

This review is intended for people who have not read the series yet
and not as a discussion piece.

I was thrilled by Lord of Chaos. I have read a lot of disparaging
remarks about this book from supposed Wheel of Time fans, but this
book did not live up to their badmouthing. For one thing, the story
takes a noticeably different track than the previous books, focusing
on the developments laid in The Fires of Heaven. In other words, this
book does not follow the "pack up and leave" storylines of the
previous five books. With a few exceptions, the characters are not
journeying, but are dealing with developments as other characters come
to them. I found this quite refreshing.

I expected Lord of Chaos to be a dud because I knew that there were
several events in the storyline that had to take place, and at the end
of The Fires of Heaven, none of them seemed close to happening.
Quite the contrary, Lord of Chaos shows new windows into previously
neglected areas, including The Forsaken, men who channel, and several
other areas. The workings of Aes Sedai are further fleshed out by the
events in Salidar --- I really like reading about the ceremonies in a
way that is relevant to the characters. That is particularly
satisfying in a way that The Star Wars prequels just were not.

Further disappointment in my expectations occurs in the last third of
the book where no fewer than six major twists occur in the plot.
These were things that I totally did not expect. In other words, the
first six hundred pages are merely good and the last three hundred are
incredible. I was blown away by things starting at around page 600.
The story picked up phenomenally at that point. The conclusion is
even more earth-shattering. The story totally did not go the way I
thought and it was very entertaining.

Keep reading. The only recommendation I have is to have a copy of A
Crown of Swords on hand for when you finish. There is little
resolution after the thrilling final scene, except some setup for the
next book. A Crown of Swords even begins with a retelling of the
final scene of Lord of Chaos, which I welcomed.

I am still anxiously waiting to be disappointed by these books: so far
I haven been thrilled.

I would say this is the last of the core series, before they started going downhill. Beware after this. The cool moments become few and far between. I am a slave now, and will keep reading (at least in paperback). If you're this far, that's probably true of you, too. However, it's not too late to turn back. Life is to short to read bad books.

In general, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series has been sharply criticised in two ways. 1. There are so many plotlines, and the characters sit around and talk so much, that nothing happens. 2. Male-female conflict, which is apparently the main theme of the books, occasionally supercedes any rules of logic and common sense. Fortunately for this, the 6th book in the series, the latter is severely muted. Unfortunately, the former is in full flower.

First, the good points. Even up to 500 pages in (out of 1000), I was enjoying this book more than the previous four in the series. It occurred to me that most of the plot-related sources of irritation in the series involve the romantic couples. In this volume, Nynaeve is separated from Lan, Aviendha is often separated from Rand (as is Elayne), and the much-maligned Faile only arrives somewhere aroung p. 700 (but after that is as annoying as ever). This gave the narrative a surprising spring, where new conflicts could arise (especially through the split in the Aes Sedai, which occurred in the previous book). Overall, I found this volume much less repetative than the norm, and with an overall better reading flow.

Unfortunately, by the time p. 800 rolled around I was too exasperated to enjoy the smoother prose. I am willing to give an author a lot of leeway if I think the buildup is leading somewhere. And I understand that it takes time to re-connect with the large and varied cast (the prologue is something like 60 pages in and of itself!). I even understand the repetition of traits (Nynaeve's hair-pulling, Mat's gambling, Leanne's flirtations), to help the reader keep track of the enormous cast. However, it was clear that nothing was really going to happen in the book by the time p. 800 arrived. For example, the first half of the book seems to be leading up to a confrontation between Rand and one of the surviving Forsaken (Sammael). However, the author seems to totally forget that plotline in the second half of the book, filling it up with treacle about Faile getting jealous of another woman, Elayne and Nynaeve running around trying to find an artifact (and never finding it!), etc. That's not to say that no important events occur - I will not reveal them because they are rays of sunshine in the gloom of tedium - but they are short and the only battle in the book basically starts on p. 960. Or, put another way, 5% of the book is action, the other 95% is filler. And Sammael is STILL around to be dealt with in Book 7.

There are other, more insidious problems with the book, ones that I mention because I think they are manipulative on the part of the author. The most obvious is the disappearance of Asmodeon at the end of Book 5, which is the cliffhanger of the book. Why kill him off in such an abrupt and mysterious fashion, but then never solve the crime? What's worse, Rand never seems to notice that Asmodeon is gone. Surely if your teacher in the One Power abruptly disappears, the student would be very concerned, especially if they were a turncoat enemy, as Asmodeon was. Another irritation is the ongoing battle between the sexes. I'm sure lots of people regard the the opposite sex as the enemy - to be conquered and ruled over whenever possible. However, it appears that every single male-female relationship in the entire world of Jordan's is poisoned by this anti-social attitude, especially after 5000 pages (counting all 6 volumes) and counting.

Of course, anything I say in this review is not going to change the mind of someone planning to buy the 6th book in a 12-book series. In spite of it all, when these books are at their best (i.e. the last 100 pages), they are fantastic. Unfortunately, the price you pay is often 800 pages of filler.

While other fantasy-writers always seem eager to tell their story and get it over with, Jordan really puts the story in second place. This saga is one of feeling and emotions of good and evil and of lies and truth. While reading this series you will find yourself in an absurd world that so cunningly written that the thin barrier between reality and fantasy seems to vanish. This book in particular hasn't got much real progress for Rand on his way to the Last Battle; the Forsaken are still roaming the earth and the Dark One is still terrorising the people with an everlasting summer. Still this book doesn't get boring. Jordan invests a lot of energy in deepening out his characters which I think is very important. Most writers can't get to this point, because it uses up a lot of paper. Jordan doesn't seem interested in saving paper, he knows what a good story needs. I can't wait to see Rand win the Last Battle. On the other hand, I would have to find a new hobby, then.

The sixth book of The Wheel of Time takes us deep into the second act of this massive story, with the transition to a more political-oriented narrative continuing apace. Lord of Chaos is one of the more divisive books in the series, with fans praising its deeper exploration of ideas and intrigue, whilst critics bemoan the slow pace of the book compared to earlier volumes.

The kingdoms of Cairhien, Mayene and Tear are now sworn to the Dragon Reborn, and a successful raid on Caemlyn, capital of Andor, has seen that city fall to his forces as well. Several of the Forsaken, the most powerful servants of the Dark One, have been slain and Rand's successes look like they will continue unabated. In the south, he is assembling a vast army to send against the Forsaken Sammael in his stronghold of Illian, whilst the Aes Sedai remain divided on how to proceed with him. However, Rand's announcement of an amnesty for men who can channel has shocked the world, for all male channellers of the One Power are doomed to go mad and die, wreaking havoc as they go, and some of his enemies are prepared to move against him before that can be allowed to happen.

The theme of the sixth book in The Wheel of Time is consolidation. Rand's forces have absorbed vast amounts of territory, but before he can resume his campaign he must secure that which he holds already. With scheming against him in Andor and Cairhien underway and an outright rebellion going on in Tear, this proves a difficult task. Rand also has to find a way of dealing with both factions of the Aes Sedai, an undertaking fraught with peril. His companions also have their own problems to deal with: Perrin must prove his worthiness to his wife's parents, Mat has to deal with the issues of becoming a general, and Egwene, Elayne and Nynaeve have complex currents to negotiate amongst the rebel Aes Sedai. Even Pedron Niall, commander of the Children of the Light, has significant problems he has to overcome in both his own ranks and his dealings with the displaced Queen of Andor, whilst the surviving Forsaken scheme incessantly against one another.

The problem with this kind of stock-taking is that it is hard to work up a dramatic story about it. Instead, you end up with lots and lots of talk. Characters sitting around talking about the plot, about what has already happened and what they think might happen in the future. That's when they are not engaged in increasingly tedious and infantile discussions about male-female relations, which by this volume are starting to get a mite repetitive. The politicking and intrigue is fine as far as it goes (although fans of GRRM or Bakker may find it a bit on the shallow and simplistic side), but you do need a bit more to spice the book up. There's some fine, atmospheric interludes in the book, such as Rand taking a brief sojourn in the desolate, cursed city of Shadar Logoth, but overall the novel has serious pacing issues. Simply put, this is a 1,000-page book in which not a lot happens for the first three-quarters of it.

Towards the end, however, the pace starts to lift quite noticeably as Rand's attempts to play the two Aes Sedai factions off against one another backfire spectacularly and some of the most surprising events in the entire series take place, culminating in a massive battle at the spring of Dumai's Wells in which Jordan's sometimes-variable skills at depicting action, drama and the ability to tie together disparate storylines are put to their best effect. This late burst of action sequences and confrontations is extremely effective, and Dumai's Wells often tops readers' polls as the most satisfying moment of the entire series to date, with some fine moments right at the end of the book which hint at much greater things to come.

Lord of Chaos (****) is a sedentary novel where events unfold slowly, but do succeed in laying the groundwork for the spectacular and satisfying concluding section of the book. I suspect many readers will be put off by the slow pace, but I found the payoff to be more than worth it. The novel is available in the UK from Orbit and in the USA from Tor.

The narrative hits some snags again in this book (as I felt it did in book four), but still results in a strong read by one of the best fantasy writers of our time. Some of the subplots begin to drag on and you don't feel that page-burning speed that is in the other books. There are some great plot twists here that leave you wondering what else Jordan has up his sleeve for future volumes. While the pace of the overall story decreases in this book, Jordan still pleases in the end. Recommended strongly to fans of the series.

That line basically sums up the feeling of _Lord of Chaos_. This is Rand's book, regardless of what happens to other characters. Perrin and Faile reapper? That's nice. Nynaeve and Elayne have difficulty readjusting to life under Aes Sedai guidance? Oh well. Mat and the Band of the Red Hand plan for war and end up visiting the Aes Sedai? Not that exciting. In fact, only three really important things happen in this book that *don't* happen to Rand: one happens to Nynaeve, one to Egwene, and Mat makes a fateful journey to Ebou Dar. By doing so, we learn that he's really very serious about keeping his word, something that just never seemed like Mat before. So there is character development for the other characters. But Rand is the focus of the attention. Whether he's in Caemlyn or Cairhien, whether he's dealing with Davram Bashere, the most powerful man in Saldaea, or Mazrim Taim, the false Dragon, or various Aes Sedai delegations, Rand's hardening of himself is the focal point of _Lord of Chaos_. Min becomes much more important, since she is the only one that Rand fails to drive away, and so becomes the person he depends on the most, and the only one who can make him see reason. Rand and Lews Therin (in his head) have a few good conversations when Rand has nothing else to do, in what is possibly the biggest bungle the Aes Sedai have made in the series so far. _Lord of Chaos_ is filled with scenes that are emotional and touching, but also with battle (Dumai's Wells is the greatest bloodbath seen in _The Wheel of Time_ so far.. sort of a medieval battle with a few landmines added) and definitely shows the greatest character development for Rand as he goes from a suspicious but still occasionally likable guy into a machine of a man. Although this change is good in _Lord of Chaos_, it gets the better of Jordan in later books as it becomes almost impossible to sympathize with Rand, unlike in the earlier books.

I do not understand those who claim that "nothing is happening" in LOC. Did you actually read the book?
-The Black Tower is established.
-Egwene becomes Amyrlin and starts moving against Elaida, accepting what the rebels tried to deny so long (broken tower).
-Nynaeve discovers how to heal stilling/gentling.
-Alanna binds Rand as a warder.
-Aes Sedai take Rand captive.
-Rand makes Aes Sedai swear fealty.
-Wise Ones partake in battle.
-Forsaken coming back from the dead.
And more. "Nothing happening"?

Compare this to the first book.
-They run from the trollocs.
-They run from the Myrdraal.
-They run from the trollocs.
-They still run from the trollocs.
Apart from the last few chapters, there is not more happening/being revealed than in book 6. I don't hear anybody complain about that though. Is it more exciting because people face the possibility of death, and we don't know yet that certain characters can't die before Tarmon Gaidon?

So how much "revealing" and "happening" do you want? And how do you want it? As a bulleted list? Or as a summary in a history book, as brief and concise as possible? There's a difference between a reporter and a writer, and Jordan does an excellent job showing that he belongs to the latter category. I'd much rather read and enjoy these close to 1000 pages, than having a 10 page summary of "what is happening", missing all the important details and undercurrents. Missing having enough information to envision this world and what is happening.

Fund a fantasy newspaper if you can't handle skillfully written books.