A Crown of Swords (The Wheel of Time, Book 7) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Robert Jordan (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Robert Jordan has created a rich and intricate tapestry of characters in his Wheel of Time series. In this seventh volume, Rand al'Thor--the Dragon Reborn--draws ever closer to the Last Battle as a stifling heat grips the world. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly
The seventh volume of Jordan's bestselling high fantasy series carries on the tradition of colossal, dauntingly complex storytelling established by the previous entries (Lord of Chaos, 1994, etc.). In a richly woven post-holocaust world where magic is normally a woman's monopoly and a man who can use it is a menace, Rand al'Thor, a sheepherder, discovered that he could "channel"; he and his companions have gone on to set their world aflame. Here, Rand is engaged in a fight for control of the weather and of the growing number of men and women who have turned out to be magic-wielders. The narrative employs elements of realism rare in high fantasy, including the sense that innocent bystanders are being mauled in an epic joust of magical giants. There's wit at work here, too, in Jordan's exploration of the possibilities created by women being the magic workers. All this comes at the price of enough characters, institutions, spells, countries and so on to intimidate any reader who hasn't followed Rand's adventures from the beginning?and the author is still adding complications. A glossary helps, though, and fans of the series will gobble down this generous addition. Major ad/promo; deluxe leather-bound limited edition.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 896 pages
• Publisher: Tor Fantasy (November 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812550285
• ISBN-13: 978-0812550283
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (666 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,105 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 7 in The Wheel of Time Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Meanwhile, in Tar Valon, January 22, 2002

By A Customer

While Nynaeve tugged her braid, Elayne smoothed her skirts and Egwene folder her arms under her breasts, all of them wishing Rand, Mat, Perrin and/or Lan were there so they could give them the rough side of their tongues and then take off their clothes to admire their pretty buttocks and so on.

Meanwhile, Rand, ever mindful of the oily taint of saidin, wished he knew as much about women as Mat and Perrin did. Perrin, ever mindful of Faile's constant nagging, wished he knew as much about women as Rand and Mat did. And Mat, freshly bedded at knifepoint by Queen Tylin, wished lhe knew as much, etc.

Elsewhere, in Tear or somewhere, the cleavage was robust, the chamber pots were made of porcelain, the lace dresses with the little silver thingies in them were very pretty and the forked beards shone in the pale summer morning like flaxen straw or some crap. Earrings were bright and sparkly and horses wore intricate, ornate saddles and, and uh...did I mention the cleavage and how firm and robust it was? Darkfriends walked the streets and did...things. Whitecloaks arrested anybody who said the word "darkfriend" and looked at them funny. Several Aes Sedai were stilled and then just as quickly unstilled...then stilled again if they stepped out of line. Other Aes Sedai, meanwhile, searched high and low for various weather-altering kitchen utensils. And the Sean'chean invaded every so often, just to keep things mildly interesting...

...and stuff

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intersting, some great events, but a more tedious pace, October 19, 2005

By	James Chapman "WarriorForge" (Everett, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A Crown of Swords (The Wheel of Time, Book 7) (Hardcover)

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Book 7 in the Wheel of Time series, Crown of Swords is the first one of the series where it took me some effort to get through some parts. This one, in my opinion, is the first one where RJ's attention to detail becomes a detriment as opposed to an asset. It begins with Rand reestablishing himself in Cairhien after the events in the previous book (Lord of Chaos) and ends with a pretty important battle.

What I liked:
*Mat and his adventures are as funny as ever!
*Mat vs. Gholam
*Introduction of Cadsuane (some people consider that a minus, but I actually like her character). Hers is a thankless job, but necessary.
*The battles in Illian and Shadar Logoth.
*The return of the Seanchan.

What I didn't like:
*Mat and Tylin moments. Something about that whole storyline really bothered me.
*Elayne and Nynaeve, particularly their treatment of Mat. If someone treated me that way, they'd never see me again no matter how close we had been in the past! Their quest is quite drawn out as well.
*Even though the slow parts had relevant information, these parts were too big and quite tedious.
*Faile

In Summary:
The Previous books in the series all had a certain excitement to them (for lack of a better term) that kept me going even through the occasional slow parts. That edge of your seat excitement was missing from this book at times. It only arose when the battles approached and made itself scarce during the overly descriptive slow parts. Still, there was story progression and the battles & Intrigue were great enough such that after finishing this book, I was greatly looking forward to the next one. I rounded the 3.5 stars up to 4 mainly as an offset to those individuals who rated this book based on their disappointment over the later books and also because the exciting parts were more than a makeup for the slow parts when all was said and done.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Dear Mr. Jordan, February 14, 2000

By	VJS "starr516" (USA) - See all my reviews

I figure I'm about 5,600 pages into this series and while I've been entertained, I must agree with the other 553 reviewers who range from "I love it but it's a bit wordy" to "For the Love of God move the story!" I'm begining to feel taken advantage of. I've never read a series that has both entertained and annoyed me so much, which is a testament to Mr. Jordan's emotional connection with the reader. But everyone has a breaking point. After this much time and effort with relatively little payoff, I must encourage all new readers who are thinking of getting into this series to avoid it at all costs. And for those of us who are just too hooked to let go. Here's hoping we all get to the promised land some day.