The Shadow Rising: Book 4 of the Wheel of Time (soon to be a major TV series)

he was an amazing world builder. And he developed an amazing story. He's also pretty sexist, when you get down to it. I don't think a single female character isn't conniving and/or petty. It wasn't until the 3rd in the series that I realized I was getting angry and frustrated by certain characters, then I realized that's just how Jordan portrayed women.His writing isn't great, either. But his story is. I loved the world he built, the cultures, the history of the cultures, the mystery, and the magic. So ... that's my 2 cents. I have heard that after Jordan's passing, when Brandon Sanderson finished the series (based on Jordan's notes) that the writing improved ten-fold. If you can make it that far through the series, that is.

After finishing The Dragon Reborn, I began to really consider giving up this series. It wasn't that the book (or the series to that point) was bad; it was that it wasn't good enough to justify investing the time into reading through 14 novels in the series. I came very close to "cutting my losses" right there but I had already purchased A Shadow Rising and I decided to make this the book that makes the decision for me. All that I can say is that I am now on board for the remainder of the ride!This book was truly outstanding. Finally the pacing was not an issue. The story is told from multiple perspectives across a large geographical area and this is one of the few books that pulls that off without boring you with some of the less interesting plot threads. There were only 1 or 2 lulls in this 900+ page novel and that's not easy to accomplish.The story is really going places now and the world that has been built here keeps getting more and more interesting. The history and lore that Robert Jordan has imagined here is beyond and fantasy series I can think of. There is a depth to it that is palpable.The book isn't perfect. There are still issues with the way some of the characters make decisions and I was a bit annoyed with a few sequences but this book is a classic. Hopefully future novels int eh series can maintain this standard.

I find myself torn between really liking these books and being totally done with the Jr High behavior of the characters, especially the female ones. Really like Perrin as a character and the plot line going on; however, what adult would put up with the childish behavior of Faile? Let alone how the relationship developed. Does Robert Jordan really see women like that? And the Aes Sedai? What gives them the right to simply do what they do? Robert Jordan criticizes Tolkien for how it is unbelievable that someone would simply run off on an adventure, but the heroines in his book are “mean girls” that are not even likable.Tolkien’s hero’s have nobility, Jordan’s need to grow up.

Whew. This one took me a while. But clocking in at a little over 1000 pages (and according to Wikipedia's word counts), it's the longest one yet. Don't be fooled though, into thinking my long read time was due to the book itself. No, real life simply got in the way. The Shadow Rising, much like The Great Hunt, was entertaining all the way through. And like The Dragon Reborn it felt very complete. I felt that it accomplished a lot for being the fourth of a fourteen book series.There was a particularly satisfying amount of worldbuilding in this one, still Jordan's greatest strength I'd say. We especially learned a lot about the Fremen- er, the Aiel, in this one, through some really excellent Rand scenes. I've always said that Brandon Sanderson is very accomplished at answering reader questions through his books, while at the same time using those answers to raise greater, and even more complex, questions. I now see that this was a tactic he'd had some inspiration for in the form of Robert Jordan. Jordan does exactly that in this book, showing the reader a glimpse, giving us a taste, of the vast, deep mysteries surrounding certain elements of this story. He gives us some answers. And I have a whole lot more questions. I'm also consistently pleased with just how.. cosmic, and mystical, this series can be. For a traditional Fantasy story, the Wheel of Time has some truly trippy moments brought about through the One Power. To the point of me wondering how multiverse theory could fit in with the Power and the True Source. Exciting stuff.Beyond that, there was some very solid character development in this installment, and unfortunately some areas where I'd like to see improvement. Perrin's plot line took center stage for me in this one. Perrin is a character in turmoil. A man struggling between the life he'd choose and the life duty has seen fit to give him. Ta'veren can only stray so far from the Pattern.. And as he wrestles with this internal battle, Perrin is growing. I won't give anything away, but the events surrounding him in this book are really fun, and I'm looking forward to seeing him progress. Now, the other side of the coin. I'm a little put out at some of the female characters. Specifically Nynaeve and Elayne's plot line. Don't mistake me, I really enjoyed it. It was a worthwhile segment of the story. But at times Jordan's female characters do feel a little underdeveloped. Not all of them mind you, but some. Many of them seem to be driven by nothing more than either unending desire for men, or hatred of the same. Aspects of Nynaeve's character for example are really well done, and very interesting. And then there's the part of her that seems to be perpetually spiteful to everything moving. It's a little.. stale. So as I said, it isn't that I didn't enjoy it, but I'd like to see improvement there. As for our 'main' character.. Rand's chapters were some of the most interesting in the book. It's hard to review these and mention specifics, because the characters and their situations have changed so much from the first book. Rand has come a long way from sheepherder in the Two Rivers. Watching him do so has been exciting, and I'm eager to see what he'll do next.Hell, I'm eager to see what all of them will do next. I am loving this story, and the journey so far. Book five up next.