The Shadow Rising (The Wheel of Time, Book 4) [Mass Market Paperback]

Robert Jordan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1993 | Series: Wheel of Time (Book 4)

The seals of Shayol Ghul are weak now, and the Dark One reaches out. The Shadow is rising to cover humankind.

In Tar Valon, Min sees portents of hideous doom. Will the White Tower itself be broken?

In the Two Rivers, the Whitecloaks ride in pursuit of a man with golden eyes, and in pursuit of the Dragon Reborn.

In Cantorin, among the Sea Folk, High Lady Suroth plans the return of the Seanchan armies to the mainland.

In the Stone of Tear, the Lord Dragon considers his next move. It will be something no one expects, not the Black Ajah, not Tairen nobles, not Aes Sedai, not Egwene or Elayne or Nynaeve.

Against the Shadow rising stands the Dragon Reborn.....

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Having declared himself the Dragon Reborn, Rand al'Thor must proceed to fulfill the prophecy that he will protect the world from the return of the Dark One. Jordan's hefty addition to his massive series begins very much in medias res as an unknown danger threatens the city of Tar Valon, home of the powerful, nunlike Aes Sedai. In a whirlwind of uncertainty stirred up by the conflicting motivations of such groups as the Whitecloaks, the Darkfriends and Trollocs (among an abundance of others), Rand travels to the city of Rhuidean in the Aiel Waste for answers. Jordan ( The Dragon Reborn ) seems to be intent on turning the series into an endless soap opera; in each successive volume he introduces more new elements than he resolves. What was originally a mood-setting technique--the tendency of most characters not to share their special knowledge with either their companions or the reader--has by now become boring. Hundreds of characters and dozens of conflicting plots cause much of the action to take place offstage. As a result, this fully imagined saga threatens to burst the seams of its steadily more intricate design. Nevertheless, the sheer force of his invention develops a momentum that established Jordan fans, and probably like-minded new readers, will find hard to resist.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

As the power of the Dark One grows stronger, Rand al'Thor and his friends face greater challenges in their war against the Shadow. From the halls of Tar Valon, where the Aes Sedai mystics discover agents of darkness in their own ranks, to the Aiel Waste, where a hidden city holds secrets forbidden to all but a few, Rand and his companions seek to fulfill the destiny laid out for them. Jordan's multivolume epic continues to live up to its high ambitions. Complex plotting, an array of strong characters, lavish detail, and a panoramic scope make this series a feast for fantasy aficionados. Expect demand for this.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 1008 pages
• Publisher: Tor Fantasy; Reprint edition (October 15, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812513738
• ISBN-13: 978-0812513738
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.7 x 6.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (412 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,236 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert Jordan was born in 1948 in Charleston, South Carolina. He taught himself to read when he was four with the incidental aid of a twelve-years-older brother and was tackling Mark Twain and Jules Verne by five. He is a graduate of The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, with a degree in physics. He served two tours in Vietnam with the U.S. Army; among his decorations are the Distinguished Flying Cross with bronze oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star with "V" and bronze oak leaf cluster, and two Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses with palm. A history buff, he has also written dance and theater criticism and enjoyed the outdoor sports of hunting, fishing, and sailing, and the indoor sports of poker, chess, pool, and pipe collecting.

Robert Jordan began writing in 1977 and went on to write The Wheel of Time(R), one of the most important and best selling series in the history of fantasy publishing with over 14 million copies sold in North America, and countless more sold abroad.

Robert Jordan died on September 16, 2007, after a courageous battle with the rare blood disease amyloidosis.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#48 Overall (See top 100 authors)

#3 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#6 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

#7 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy

#46 in Books

#63 in Kindle eBooks

#3 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#6 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

#7 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy

#46 in Books

#63 in Kindle eBooks

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars epic July 24, 2000

By Ritesh Laud

Format:Mass Market Paperback

I read this book twice a couple years ago. I loved it; it's my second-favorite of the series (after Lord of Chaos). This is a VITAL book in the series, it answers many questions about Rand's background and the Forsaken. In fact, for the first time in this series, a book manages to tie up more loose ends than it leaves!

There are a couple parallel threads in this novel (Rand/the Aiel, Nynaeve/Egwene, and Perrin/Faile). All threads are independently resolved nicely at the end with no major cliffhangers, although the protagonists remain in different parts of the world throughout the book and at the end. The Rand/Asmodean and Nynaeve/Moghedien conflicts in particular were very well written, with outstanding portrayal of these characters' distinct personalities coming alive in their struggles.

The Two Rivers part with Perrin/Faile vs. the Whitecloaks was in my opinion weak compared to the adventures elsewhere. However, this narrative takes up so much of the book that it's impossible to ignore, and interesting questions are brought up (i.e. Who is Slayer? What is the significance of the Manetheren heritage in the Emond's Fielders?).

33 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars They just keep getting better and better! March 4, 2001

By Billie

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Wow. Action, adventure, romance, mystery, humor - this book (and the entire series) has it all. I can't even begin to describe it. I love these books so much, when I'm not reading one I go through a sort of depression, in which the world around me seems drab and dull...until I pick up the next Wheel of Time book. Jordan describes everything so well, making the land rich in detail AND history/lore. You can picture the great White Tower of Tar Valon, and this image also brings to mind the history and current affairs of the Tower...it's just amazing. I've heard that Robert Jordan made ten pages of notes for each country in the Wheel of Time...and it shows! All the history is very consistent, and believable. But, don't get the idea that it bogs the books down - it's just the opposite. It makes the land much more believable and enjoyable.

You really care about the characters. Each one treats the situations he/she gets in differently - Jordan doesn't go by stereotypes, he actually creates "real" people, that are very easy to believe in and identify with. There is a large cast of characters, and each one basically has different adventures that appeal to different people. This makes the books rather complex - the Shadow Rising is the first book where all the seperate threads didn't come together at the end. But this just makes the books more interesting. For example: Some people thought Rand's adventures in the Aiel waste were the best scenes in the book. I didn't like them at all, and would have found them pretty boring if Moiraine hadn't been there. (Moiraine's my favorite character.) Instead, I was hooked on Elayne and Nynaeve's quest in Tanchico.

There are three main plotlines in this book, with a fourth (Min and the White Tower) popping up occasionally...which was funny, because I thought that was more important to the series as a whole then, oh say, Perrin's adventures in Emond's Field: population 10. But there were several good battles with Perrin and Faile - the last one brought tears to my eyes, and the note he left her was sooo sweet! All four are all resolved (somewhat) at the end, but like I said before - they aren't connected.

Once again, there were several humorous scenes in this book. Incredibly, I heard some people complaining about them, saying that they're "immature" and a "waste of time." I, personally, am very glad that Jordan puts them in, because they certainly help you care about the characters more. Remember that this is a STORY, not a TEXTBOOK. If Jordan suddenly made every character not make ANY mistakes, and ALWAYS say just the right thing, then the series would get drab and dull, fast.

The Wheel of Time books are the best that I've ever read. But if you haven't read the first three, then by all means do so now, because they MUST be read in the right order to get the best enjoyment out of them. And if you choose not to read them at all? It's a pity, because you're missing out on the best fantasy series (no, the best series, period) ever created.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful! April 5, 2000

By David Rasquinha

Format:Mass Market Paperback

The Wheel of Time turns and brings Volume 4 of the saga, TheShadow Rising (TSR). For my money, TSR (perhaps along with Volume 5)form the peak of the series, before it meanders and loses itself. In TSR Rand edges ever closer to his destiny and we start to understand the Aiel, that fascinating people based on Frank Herbert's Fremen of Arrakis. We learn a bit more about Min (my favorite character of all!). Perrin too comes fully into his own in TSR as the attack on the Two Rivers reaches a crescendo. The White Tower is shaken with dissension. The Atha'an Miere or the Sea Folk also make their appearance and one can sense how the Dragon is slowly but surely gathering all his people for the final campaign. But the highpoint of the book is the Rhuidean experience where the history not just of the Aiel but the world of the WOT series is recapitulated as series of time capsules. At long last, many of the threads spun by Jordan... start to make some sense. The ingenious manner of the unveiling of these threads is almost enough to make one forgive Jordan for the absence of a decent prologue to the series. A book not to be missed; even if you are one of those tired with long plotlines, keep at it and I promise you will not be disappointed. But still only 4 stars for my now patented complains about Jordan's cartography and the excuse for a glossary of characters and concepts. END