The Beginning of the End
After reading Crossroads of Twilight, the 10th book in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, I am pretty confident about one thing: this really is the beginning of the end. In some ways, the first 9 books seem to be three trilogies packed together, and if that is the case, then Book 10 is the start of the final round. And what a ride it's going to be. The Last Battle is definitely coming. The wolves smell it in the air. Dreamers see it at night. The dead walk the land. The twilight of the current Age is here. And the weevils are loose. Yes, the Light save us, the weevils are running wild!
Overall impression
I'm not going to kid anybody. I'm a die-hard fan of this series just like you are and I had the same worries that you probably have. I have enjoyed all 9 books, but I do think the pace slowed down after Lord of Chaos. So let me get it out now: This Book is GREAT. It picks up the pace once more and things are happening. Is this book exciting? Yes. Do we learn a lot of new facts? Yes. A lot. Does this book actually advance the plot? Yes....
Many of you have probably already read the prologue, "Glimmers of the Pattern", and chapter one, "Time to be Gone." Those two are available online and have been getting us all warmed up for the other 500+ pages. (My "Uncorrected Proof" was 680 pages, not including the Glossary) After those first chapters, and for the first half of the book, RJ does a nice job of keeping things interesting by making the book haunting. We're given subtle clues and signs that The End is coming. The middle part of the book slows down however, and my only complaint comes from that fact (see below). But right after the middle 4 or 5 chapters, it sets off at a gallop and never looks back. All of the characters are moving. They Hunt or are hunted. Every page was interesting, and I stayed up far too late at night trying to pound through this book.
Let me go over some more details. Again, there's no real spoilers below, but there are references to which characters are in the book. I won't give anything away. Consider yourself warned though.
The Bad Stuff
I have a love/hate relationship with Elayne. She's always been my favorite of the major female characters. I think that her journey from being a spoiled rich girl to mighty Aes Sedai & Queen is fascinating. I've cheered her on when other fans wanted to skip onto the battles or read more about Mat. But, it's been hard lately to cheer for her. For three books straight now, she's been in Caemlyn and playing politics. It's fascinating, but can be really sluggish. I find the intrigue to be detailed and interesting, but it reads slowly and there's not much action happening other than her walking around and reading people's glares and sniffs. It wouldn't be so bad if the chapters were mixed up a little bit, but with her storyline, all of the chapters are in a row, one after another. The rest of the book mixes things up a bit more and we trade between the other major characters. Elayne is seen only in 4 or 5 consecutive chapters and they all blur together. The frustrating thing is that, when you get down to it, a conclusion is still not made. Big progress occurs towards her goal, but no resolution.
As I said though, her story is a good one. It's long enough and good enough to be it's own novel. I still enjoy reading about her and her struggles to become Queen. Despite this slower part of the book, she's still my favorite female character, and I hope she becomes Queen. Soon.
That's my only real complaint about the book. And looking back, after having read the entire thing and seeing a larger picture, that is very forgivable. Well, my other complaint is the lack of one of the major characters, but we're all use to them taking a vacation. I won't say who though.
The Good Stuff
What I loved most about this book was the sense of urgency that was in it. The main characters are knee deep in worries and the odds are mounting against them. When people are desperate, they do desperate things. Our ta'veren friends get to that point. Perrin fans: You're going to see a side of Perrin we've never seen before. I dropped my jaw near the end of the novel.
Egwene is the one who makes this novel great. She shines and steals the show. Being absent from the previous book, she's a little overdue for some page time. Her chapters are loaded with new insight into Aes Sedai, the White Tower, and the new tricks they've learned. It's wonderful to read about Egwene's emotional journey in this book, and how it all ties together in the book's climax. As far as that is concerned, expect a type of ending that is different from any other type of ending in the series so far. (Despite how badly I want to chat with all of you about this right now, I will keep my mouth shut about what happens. All I will say is that it's nothing anybody has ever predicted)
Strange things are happening in the land, and there are lots of small clues you can pick up on to figure it all out. Leigh Butler, the Keeper of the WoT FAQ website, is going to have a lot of work on her hands piecing all this new stuff together.
Oh, and Mat fans: you're going to love this book. RJ is at the top of his game with him.
Conclusion
If you are a casual fan of The Wheel of Time, you'll enjoy this book because the story picks up the pace again. The end seems like it could be approaching. Yes, I plan to have paid off my college loans before it's done (I started reading in High School), but it's all about the Journey and not the Destination, right?
If you're a WoT geek who hangs out at sites like Dragonmount all day, then this book is going to give you lots and lots to talk about. RJ starts some new plot-lines but you can see that it is actually coming together nicely.
I'll confess: I was really worried about this book. The last few books were enjoyable and cool, but they didn't capture me like The Eye of the World or The Great Hunt did. I was beginning to accept that it would be a slow ride to the end, followed by a big battle and that's that. Crossroads of Twilight has turned that spark back into a roaring flame. I loved this book. It reminded me of how much I enjoy reading this series. If you're one of those fans who has said that they hide their WoT books when their George Martin friends come over, then get ready to dust them off and show them with pride. (And shame on you for doing that to begin with!)
