Crossroads of Twilight (Wheel of Time, Book 10) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Robert Jordan (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The eagerly awaited 10th installment (after 2000's Winter's Heart) in Jordan's monumental Wheel of Time has all the breadth and depth that have made this fantasy author one of the acknowledged greats of the genre. Like Tolkien's Ring trilogy, Wheel of Time is a single, extended novel rather than a series, and in Crossroads, new characters join the cast and old favorites grow ever more complex. Yet if the scope of Jordan's richly nuanced creation has won him millions of readers, it also forms the saga's biggest obstacle. Here Mat Cauthon is still fleeing the Seanchan; Perrin Goldeneyes still hunts the Shaido to free his beautiful wife, Faile; the cities Caemlyn and Tar Valon are still besieged and the battles have not been joined. Those impatient with the glacial movement of the last four books will find more of the same. As the title suggests, this entry represents a turning point, a time of momentous decisions as the rebel Aes Sedai consider an alliance with the Asha'man and Rand ponders a truce with the Seanchan. Lending perhaps the most recognizable humanity is Mat's love interest, Tuon, the spoiled, adorable Daughter of the Nine Moons, whose kidnapping is concealed by Valan Luca's Grand Traveling Show and Magnificent Display of Marvels and Wonders. She twists Mat around her finger, deliberately annoying him by calling him "Toy." The epilogue suggests Tuon will play a major role in volume 11. Jordan fans who miss the breakneck pace of the earlier books can always hope the action will pick up again.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist
The Wheel of Time continues to turn slowly and purposely in the tenth novel in Jordan's popular, epic series. Jordan follows his well-established pattern of tracking the activities of his widely spread characters as he moves them inexorably toward the looming Final Battle between the Dark One and those who oppose it. In this story, Mat flees with the kidnapped Daughter of the Nine Moons, whom he is fated to marry, pursued by the army of the Seanchan Empire as well as by the Dark One. Perrin is trying to rescue his wife, Faile, from the Shaido. Egwene, now Amyrlin of the rebel Aes Sedai, and her forces lay siege to the White Tower, where Elaida wears the Amyrlin shawl. The Aes Sadai must be reunited to defend against the Dark One. And Rand al' Thor, the Dragon Reborn, faces his own demons, even though he has managed to cleanse the Dark One's taint from the males who can channel. As usual, Jordan's canvas is vast and his plotting intricate. Each of the many characters is as distinctively recognizable as any of those in the series' other volumes, while on all fronts, intrigues and dangers intensify. Must-reading for Jordan's huge and faithful following. Sally Estes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 864 pages
• Publisher: Tor Fantasy (November 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812571339
• ISBN-13: 978-0812571332
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2,423 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,749 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 10 in The Wheel of Time Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

396 of 418 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Another Masterpiece, December 19, 2004

By	Tom E. (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crossroads of Twilight (The Wheel of Time, Book 10) (Hardcover)

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.

143 of 151 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Armageddon is here! The Dark One finally strikes!, February 13, 2004

By A Customer

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.

119 of 125 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Terrible Disappointment, January 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Crossroads of Twilight (The Wheel of Time, Book 10) (Hardcover)

This is perhaps the worst book in the series so far. After a wait of over two years, we're presented with a series of unconnected snippets in which absolutely nothing happens. There is no forward movement whatsoever in the overall plot, and no issues are resolved. Most of the major characters are presented for a few brief chapters in which they essentially tread water, and we leave all of them at the end of the book pretty much where we found them at the beginning.

It's pretty clear now that Jordan has no intention of wrapping this up in the forseeable future and going on to another project. It's sad to see a talented writer decide to milk a single concept for the rest of his career, rather than finishing it off and seeking a new challenge, but I'm convinced that this is the case with Jordan. The only question is, how many people will still be reading this series 10 or 15 years from now when it finally ends with book 17 or 18? I know I won't be. As far as I'm concerned, this series is dead.