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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
81%
She was a soldier, a warrior in her way as much as I. This could have happened two hundred times these past twenty years. She knew it, and so did I. It was a good day to die.
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Has it really been this long since I finished one of these…. Good news is I think this has been my favourite yet! Although some elements are probably blending in with TSR I do think there were just so many fun moments that stood out to me; the Belt Buckle of Hatred, Circus Shenanigans, Igloo Trists, Elayne having to be a trailblazer in every way she possibly can, the way I screamed at that plot twist! Of course there were actual Big and Serious moments too, one I had seen coming from the start, even if the show has always prepared us for it now too, and I’ll admit the aftermath of that did get me as well. You will do well… I have my theories about this and any possible follow up plots so I’m intrigued to see if I’m right! So many exciting developments in this book, I can’t wait to read more and also see them brought to life on screen 😌
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Fires of Heaven is a turning point in The Wheel of Time, with Rand fully embracing his role as the Dragon Reborn. His transformation into a hardened leader making brutal decisions is one of the book’s highlights. Mat also comes into his own, no longer just comic relief but a capable strategist and fighter. The magic system is further fleshed out, with some of the best dream world sequences adding depth to the lore.
The worldbuilding is phenomenal, showcasing Aiel culture, political intrigue, and large-scale battles. Moiraine’s shocking departure and Lan’s reaction were emotionally devastating. However, the Forsaken remain underwhelming—Rahvin lacked development before his abrupt end, and Moghedien escaping felt frustrating. The absence of Perrin and Loial was noticeable, but the book still delivered intense character moments, epic battles, and a strong sense of consequence.
4o
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's hard to distinguish my feelings about The Fires of Heaven from my feelings about any of the books apart from the first, for the main reason that I can't remember what events developed in which books. I had a lot of trouble getting started with this one, as the first few hundred pages served as a recap and scene-setting for what was to come in the last third or so of the novel. That may have been important for someone picking up the books as they were published, but reading straight through makes these loooong recaps time-waste-y and frustrating.
A few remarks about recapping: in epic fantasies running to tens of thousands of pages and hundreds of characters major and minor, some recapping is necessary. Particularly given Jordan's style of introducing a question or plot point only by noting that other characters didn't have perfect information about it, hinting at the reveal for several chapters, and then leaving the issue to resolve possibly one hundred or more pages later.
(For example: (SPOILER FOR SHADOW RISING) Rand's slow ride to meet all the Aiel clan chiefs at Alcair Dal and his intention to reveal the truths of Rhuidean to them and thereby "break" the Aiel. He continually frets over whether it's a good idea, over how he's not telling anyone what he's going to do -- including the reader! -- and whether Moiraine and others will approve or not.)
I think this deliberately opaque style ruins the flow of a novel -- the point of having an omniscient third person narrator is to reveal information to the reader so they can watch character development play out while still following the key narrative with relative ease. But Jordan likes to leave us in the dark; hence, the necessity of recaps.
He also occasionally needs to reintroduce us to minor characters we may have forgotten and are afraid to look up in the WoT Wiki because there are spoilers in EVERY LINE OF THAT WEBSITE. For me in TFoH, that was every single Tairen and Cairhienin lord/lady. They are not well differentiated as characters and they are always scheming, and I cannot follow it because I don't know them and don't care. However, reintroducing us to Nynaeve and Elayne by beating us about the head and neck with their annoying sniffs and hair pulling and chin tilts?? I REMEMBER WHO THESE MAIN CHARACTERS ARE, THANKS. Thank goodness for Nynaeve's slight growth in maturity, and Aviendha's change from being always shitty to Rand to a slightly more nuanced person, but I feel like Jordan is afraid to let anyone change without reminding us first that THEY WERE SOME OTHER WAY FOR A LONG TIME. REMEMBER? He does the same to Mat. This is annoying to me.
ANYWAY, moving on. A prayer of thanks for Rand learning to accept his new role as Hegemon and start using his powers, because boy was his sulking getting old. And only by Rand moving his Aiel army is the plot moved forward, finally. But given that there are no apparent limits on the kinds of things the One Power can do apart from heal death, I'd love to see some more creative one-on-one battles. Enough flinging balefire and lightning!
I enjoyed the battle for Cairhien, although it was a bit hard to follow. I often wish Jordan provided us more frequent smaller-scale maps. I was also flabbergasted by (SPOILERS) the number of Forsaken who were done away with in this one. Asmodean is basically sorted but also Lanfear, Rahvin, Moghedien all dealt with in the last breathless fifty pages of the book. Hopefully Sammael will be a more interesting Big Bad.
All things considered, I was pretty excited to see actual THINGS HAPPEN in #5. But I don't feel that these books are by any stretch particularly well-written. Perhaps they are well-plotted but the digressions and obsessions and unnecessary descriptions and catfights and repetitions really throw things off. I'm forced to wonder who Jordan's editor was and, more importantly maybe, were these books EVER LONGER AND CRAZIER before an editor got her hands on them?? Impossible to imagine.
A few remarks about recapping: in epic fantasies running to tens of thousands of pages and hundreds of characters major and minor, some recapping is necessary. Particularly given Jordan's style of introducing a question or plot point only by noting that other characters didn't have perfect information about it, hinting at the reveal for several chapters, and then leaving the issue to resolve possibly one hundred or more pages later.
(For example: (SPOILER FOR SHADOW RISING) Rand's slow ride to meet all the Aiel clan chiefs at Alcair Dal and his intention to reveal the truths of Rhuidean to them and thereby "break" the Aiel. He continually frets over whether it's a good idea, over how he's not telling anyone what he's going to do -- including the reader! -- and whether Moiraine and others will approve or not.)
I think this deliberately opaque style ruins the flow of a novel -- the point of having an omniscient third person narrator is to reveal information to the reader so they can watch character development play out while still following the key narrative with relative ease. But Jordan likes to leave us in the dark; hence, the necessity of recaps.
He also occasionally needs to reintroduce us to minor characters we may have forgotten and are afraid to look up in the WoT Wiki because there are spoilers in EVERY LINE OF THAT WEBSITE. For me in TFoH, that was every single Tairen and Cairhienin lord/lady. They are not well differentiated as characters and they are always scheming, and I cannot follow it because I don't know them and don't care. However, reintroducing us to Nynaeve and Elayne by beating us about the head and neck with their annoying sniffs and hair pulling and chin tilts?? I REMEMBER WHO THESE MAIN CHARACTERS ARE, THANKS. Thank goodness for Nynaeve's slight growth in maturity, and Aviendha's change from being always shitty to Rand to a slightly more nuanced person, but I feel like Jordan is afraid to let anyone change without reminding us first that THEY WERE SOME OTHER WAY FOR A LONG TIME. REMEMBER? He does the same to Mat. This is annoying to me.
ANYWAY, moving on. A prayer of thanks for Rand learning to accept his new role as Hegemon and start using his powers, because boy was his sulking getting old. And only by Rand moving his Aiel army is the plot moved forward, finally. But given that there are no apparent limits on the kinds of things the One Power can do apart from heal death, I'd love to see some more creative one-on-one battles. Enough flinging balefire and lightning!
I enjoyed the battle for Cairhien, although it was a bit hard to follow. I often wish Jordan provided us more frequent smaller-scale maps. I was also flabbergasted by (SPOILERS) the number of Forsaken who were done away with in this one. Asmodean is basically sorted but also Lanfear, Rahvin, Moghedien all dealt with in the last breathless fifty pages of the book. Hopefully Sammael will be a more interesting Big Bad.
All things considered, I was pretty excited to see actual THINGS HAPPEN in #5. But I don't feel that these books are by any stretch particularly well-written. Perhaps they are well-plotted but the digressions and obsessions and unnecessary descriptions and catfights and repetitions really throw things off. I'm forced to wonder who Jordan's editor was and, more importantly maybe, were these books EVER LONGER AND CRAZIER before an editor got her hands on them?? Impossible to imagine.