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A review by leonwheeler
The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Really enjoyed rereading this instalment of the WoT. It was great to recap over plot points I could remember happening in this book but couldn’t quite remember at which point they happened.
Generally some great points that are close to being series highlights: Mat beginning to show his insane military capabilities, the capture of Moghedien, the beginning of the dynamic shift between Nyanaeve and Egwene, Rand and Aviendha starting their weird Aiel relationship… lots of great points.
However, the ending did feel a little rushed - the capture of Moghedien, deaths of Lanfear and Moiraine, capture of Cairhien, and death of Rahvin all seemed to happen very close to each other and very quickly. I would argue the pacing could have been better had the capture of Cairhien taken place at the roughly middle point rather than close to the last quarter as was actually the case.
Another issue I had (although I can understand why it happens) is the death of Asmodean. I really enjoyed the dynamic that had been built up between him and Rand and would have liked for it to continue for at least one more book. Instead he’s killed off at the very end just after we get a PoV thought from him about how he’s determined to clutch on to the grass of hope that Rand represents. What’s more his death and the circumstances around it are covered in max two sentences. To this day I still don’t know who killed Asmodean and I’m pretty sure it’s not actually made clear at any point.
Generally some great points that are close to being series highlights: Mat beginning to show his insane military capabilities, the capture of Moghedien, the beginning of the dynamic shift between Nyanaeve and Egwene, Rand and Aviendha starting their weird Aiel relationship… lots of great points.
However, the ending did feel a little rushed - the capture of Moghedien, deaths of Lanfear and Moiraine, capture of Cairhien, and death of Rahvin all seemed to happen very close to each other and very quickly. I would argue the pacing could have been better had the capture of Cairhien taken place at the roughly middle point rather than close to the last quarter as was actually the case.
Another issue I had (although I can understand why it happens) is the death of Asmodean. I really enjoyed the dynamic that had been built up between him and Rand and would have liked for it to continue for at least one more book. Instead he’s killed off at the very end just after we get a PoV thought from him about how he’s determined to clutch on to the grass of hope that Rand represents. What’s more his death and the circumstances around it are covered in max two sentences. To this day I still don’t know who killed Asmodean and I’m pretty sure it’s not actually made clear at any point.