Knife of Dreams

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

Knife of Dreams is another huge installment (1.3 days worth of audio!) which suffers the same faults as the last several WOT novels. But, if you've made it this far, perhaps that won't bug you.

I have to say that Robert Jordan can surely set a scene; indeed, each chapter begins with a very detailed description of the setting, including such minutia as the style and oiliness of men's beards, the height of ladies' boots, every knickknack on every plinth, every bit of jewelry worn by each character, how much bosom is exposed, how tight the pants are, etc. The reader certainly feels immersed in the setting, but for those who have other books they hope to read this year, this may be aggravating.

By this point in the series, I can no longer keep track of the characters. In the chapters about Elayne, we find Pelivar, high seat of House Coelan, and Perival, high seat of house Mantear. Ack!! And here are the names of the characters whose names begin with “An”: Anaiya, Anaiyella, Ananda, Anath, Andaya Forae, Andaya Murasaka, Ander Corl, Ander Tol, Andhilin, Andil, Andra, Andric, Andris, Andro, Androl Genhald, Mistress Andscale, Anemara, Mistress Anford, Anghar, Angla, Anjen, Ankaer, Anlee, Annharid, Annoura Larisen, Anthelle Sharplyn, Antol, Anvaere, Anya. You'll find a list like this for every letter of the alphabet (see them at Encyclopaedia WOT. Did he expect us to study? I feel like I need flashcards.

Again, there's so much stuff in Knife of Dreams that we've already heard before: eyes a man could drown in, rosebud mouth, seductive copper-skinned domani, Aes Sedai don't show emotions (but they do), Loial sounds like a bumblebee, damp bowstrings don't work, arms folded beneath breasts, unnecessary adjustment of clothes, smiles that don't touch eyes, Mat worries about his men's influences on Olver (wink, wink – yeah, we got it already!). I could go on and on and on. And don't even get me started on the spanking. There was more spanking in Knife of Dreams than any of the previous novels. Why are adults spanking each other?? (It's not for fun.) I rolled my eyes so often, I started to worry they'd stick.

There was one major redeeming factor here, though, and that's that the plot actually moves forward in Knife of Dreams. There are some big events that occur (each surrounded by a lot of fluff). I got the impression that after the last book (in which nothing happened for 900 pages), Mr Jordan woke up and said “oh, Light! Tarmon Gai'don's got to happen in the next book and I've got to get everyone there and on the same side!” And so we see that starting to happen – alliances are being made, people are getting in position. In fact, some of it happens much too quickly and easily to be believed (e.g., Egwene's storyline, Whitecloak storyline). But that's fine with me – let's get this over with.

Since Knife of Dreams was Robert Jordan's last book published before his death, let me say that I have enjoyed the world, the story, and the characters he created – The Wheel of Time is truly epic and I respect Mr Jordan's work. My complaint is that it became aggravatingly slow and repetitive for the last several novels. But I eagerly look forward to finding out how it all ends.

You're up, Mr Sanderson!!
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What's amazing about KoD is that this is the book that convinced me that Jordan actually did have the series plotted out and that he did actually know which characters were where and doing what. Finally getting some questions answered in this book convinced me that he wasn't insane, just very devious. Sometimes, the distinction gets lost.

Compared to the previous couple books, the plot really lurched forward! It felt more like the earlier books in the series, with much better pacing throughout. I enjoyed Egwene's storyline, and Mat's storyline finally more interesting. I was glad that Elayne's rescue was over quickly, and didn't stretch over three books like Faile's...