The Path of Daggers (Wheel of Time Series #8) FROM OUR EDITORS
The Barnes & Noble Review
Jordan Delivers!
For volume eight of his enduring Wheel of Time saga, Robert Jordan brings us The Path of Daggers, a distinguished new addition in what is certainly one of the most involving, complicated, and adored series in the annals of high fantasy fiction. Jordan is highly proficient at weaving an elaborate plot full of convoluted affairs and escapades, with underpinnings of conspiracies and political or magical machinations. Also involved, as always, are the Aes Sedai, women capable of using the One Power, which spins the Wheel of Time and propels the universe.
For those new to the series, a bit of background: Originally sealed away at the creation of the world, the Dark One has once again begun to touch the lives of humanity. The Aes Sedai, divided into seven houses of color, rule Tar Valon from their White Tower and live in fear of men who can channel the Power. These men, who are doomed to madness, are hunted down by the Aes Sedai and "gentled," which cuts them off from the Power so that they soon die. But prophecies of the Dragon Reborn — the one male capable of channeling the Power in order to face the Dark One — have begun to be fulfilled. At once hated and feared, and yet needed in the battle between good and evil, the Dragon Reborn is an outcast among mankind.
This tremendous tale follows the same five people who — in the series' first installment, THE EYE OF THE WORLD — left their village as teenagers to find their purpose in life and take their positions in the epic struggles. Throughout these grand adventures, allthemany characters and threads of history have become even more intertwined. When the leaders of four nations join together in a secret blood oath to hunt down and destroy Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, they know the consequences of their actions — whether they succeed or fail — will be severe. Friction is built on even the most trivial of circumstances. Elayne, Nynaeve, and Aviendha journey to retake Elayne's legitimate throne, but soon find other enemies even worse than the elite Seanchan force with whom they're still at war. A band of rogue Aes Sedai, led by Egwene al'Vere, who needs to reacquire her captured power, must somehow get to the White Tower past an army of vicious foes. Rand al'Thor, the reluctant bearer of the Dragon Reborn heritage, swears to destroy the Seanchan once and for all. But when a plague of insanity begins to threaten his people, he must confront numerous evils perpetuated against him, as his fate once again takes a decidedly influential twist.
Vast intricacies and developments, which only a series of novels this large could ever fully produce, continue to solidify with each new volume. Numerous vivid protagonists and secondary characters are illustrated with a precision of detail as they move through a wonderfully complex world. Trials and changes in fortune aren't always easily solved, as the author shows the spectrum of events playing out — events that affect not only our heroes, but also nations. Characters and situations intervene in an absorbing manner, and Jordan is remarkably capable at dropping subtle hints and foreshadowing things, which adds yet another layer of suspense to the many stories being told.
The series puts into focus just how chaotic a fully explored world can be, filled with awful predicaments, wars, suspicions, and fears in a realm where everything is suspect and nothing can be taken for granted. There are always highly stoked passions and rages about to blaze between men and women, cities are in constant conflict, and the characters' fears that the Dragon Reborn and the One Power have gone awry are deeply felt by the reader. Robert Jordan creates an intoxicating milieu constructed by the sheer grandeur of the Wheel of Time series, and fan appreciation will continue to be stirred to a near-scream of delighted expectation as readers traverse The Path of Daggers.
— Tom Piccirilli, barnesandnoble.com
— Tom Piccirilli,is the author of the critically acclaimed supernatural novel Pentacle, as well as the dark suspense mysteries Shards and The Dead Past. His short fiction has appeared in many anthologies, including Hot Blood: Fear the Fever.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
The Seanchan invasion force is in possession of Ebou Dar. Nynaeve, Elayne, and Aviendha head for Caemlyn and Elayne's rightful throne, but on the way they discover an enemy much worse than the Seanchan. In Illian, Rand vows to throw the Seanchan back as he did once before. But signs of madness are appearing among the Asha'man. In Ghealdan, Perrin faces the intrigues of Whitecloaks, Seanchan invaders, the scattered Shaido Aiel, and the Prophet himself. Perrin's beloved wife, Faile, may pay with her life, and Perrin himself may have to destroy his soul to save her. Meanwhile the rebel Aes Sedai under their young Amyrlin, Egwene al'Vere, face an army that intends to keep them away from the White Tower. But Egwene is determined to unseat the usurper Elaida and reunite the Aes Sedai. She does not yet understand the price that others - and she herself - will pay.
SYNOPSIS
The day is finally here. Robert Jordan's millions of fans have been anxiously awaiting the release of The Path of Daggers, for two long, dreadful years. Now that Jordan has delivered the stunning eighth book in his New York Times bestselling Wheel of Time series, was it worth the wait? Absolutely! Like a fine wine that must be properly aged, The Path of Daggers, will quench the palates of Jordan's devoted followers everywhere. The monumentally high standards that fans expect from Jordan -- the master of complex and engaging epic fantasy -- will not be diminished with the new release; if anything, they've been raised. Read author Tom Piccirilli's review of The Path of Daggers, and find out for yourself. Finally, the Wheel of Time rolls on.
FROM THE CRITICS
New York Times Book Review
[With] the Wheel of Time, Jordan has come to dominate the world Tolkien began to reveal.
Book Magazine
Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series is more complex than the Lord of the Rings trilogy, more heavily populated than the Dune series and longer than just about anything in the world. The newest 600-page volume is the eighth in the ongoing saga.It's a thick tale of war and magic. A young man by the name of Rand has been chosen as the Dragon Reborn, and gains the ability to channel supernatural powers. Problem is, the prophecy that empowered him also predicts his eminent descent into madness. If he doesn't die in battle or get assassinated by one of his myriad hidden enemies, he is destined to lead an alliance in the Last Battle against the Dark Lord.Rand is only one of many characters enveloped in the book's mad miscellany of plots, details and alliances. Where Jordan skimps on description, he more than makes up for in excessive intrigue, which is the book's weakest point. A typical scene for Jordan is a half-dozen characters with equally unpronounceable names standing around trying to verbally outmaneuver each other. While never matching the sheer epic splendor of Tolkien, Jordan does turn a good phrase. The reader is sucked along as in any decent yarnthere is always a stranger tale, a more shocking betrayal and a nastier plot just around the corner. Chris Barsanti
Publishers Weekly
The eighth book of Jordan's bestselling The Wheel of Time saga (A Crown of Swords, etc.) opens with a renewed invasion by the Seanchans, a conquering race whose arsenal includes man-carrying flying reptiles and enslaved female magic-workers as well as powerful soldiers, many of whom have joined the Seanchans out of fear of the Dragon Reborn. The Dragon himself, Rand al'Thor, appears in only a small part of the narrative, but during that time he endures the ugly experience of seeing his magic kill his friends, heightening his fear that his destiny is to slay everyone he cares about. The first third of the book is a little slower paced than is usual for Jordan, emphasizing the growth of relationships, but the action picks up soon enough. More compact than some previous volumes in the saga, this one has the virtues readers have come to expect from the author: meticulous world-building; deft use of multiple viewpoints; highly original and intelligent systems of magic; an admirable wit; and a continuous awareness of the fate of the turnip farmer or peddler caught in the path of the heroes' armies. Unlike some authors of megasagas, Jordan chooses his words with care, creating people and events that have earned him an enormous readership. For sheer imagination and storytelling skill, if not quite for mythic resonance, The Wheel of Time now rivals Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. 500,000 first printing; $500,000 ad/promo; author tour. (Nov.)
VOYA - Sarah Flowers
In this eighth book in The Wheel of Time series, involvements multiply as the original young men and women who set out from Two Rivers continue to fulfill the legends of the ages in unforeseen and unpredictable ways, affecting the destinies of countless others around them. Rand is the center, the Dragon Reborn, and to him falls the responsibility of controlling saidin, the tainted male half of the power drawn from The True Source, while bringing together the diverse peoples and kingdoms in preparation for the penultimate showdown with the Shadow. Betrayal and intrigue abound, cultures and armies clash, and legends and prophecies come to life as this cast of thousands moves inexorably toward the center of the pattern and the Last Battle, and the Wheel of Time turns yet again.
Clearly not the last book, as had been projected with the fifth of the series, Path of Daggers builds on a history too complex to recap. The uninitiated will be hard pressed to follow the many references not explained, such as "Trollocs," ta'veren, the fall of Tear, the battle at Ebou Dar, Perrin's eyes, the Aiel shaofa, and Tel'aran'rhiod, to name just a few; but those references evoke a wonderful legacy for the legions of readers who have followed the series for years. Jordan's clear mastery of the nuances, foibles, and complexities of human psychology are evident as he choreographs the elaborately cadenced movements of Seanchan, Whitecloaks, Aiel, Aes Sedai (both white and black, tower and rebel), Sea Folk, Asha'man, Kin Folk, and the now scattered core circle of legends incarnate, Rand, Perrin, Mat, Nynaeve, and Egwene. Not Jordan's most gripping installment, this title is nonetheless essential for collections carrying the series, one of the most popular international fantasy epics ever published.
VOYA Codes: 4Q 4P J S A/YA (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses,Broad general YA appeal, Junior High-defined as grades 7 to 9, Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12 and adults)
Library Journal
The Seanchan press their invasion in this eighth book in a best-selling fantasy series.
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