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hawkwood_ 's review for:
Knife of Dreams
by Robert Jordan
And thus my journey with Robert Jordan ends for now. It was not THE ending, but it was AN ending, as the saying goes. This will be a review of not only Knife of Dreams; but a push to read the series as a whole for anyone unsure about the commitment.
I started reading these books when I was around 12, and they were one of the first things that got me into fantasy. During the pandemic I resolved to read them all through, and it’s taken several years of on-and-off reading to go through them. Jordan’s world was dense and enticing, it felt real and fleshed out, coming from someone who was worldly and well traveled. He handles conflict and warfare with the view of someone who was seen and experienced loss of life on that scale. His views on gender, while outdated and entrenched in the binary of the 20th century, comes from a place of respect and desire for equality, something very little fantasy written from that time does. Jordan’s death was a loss for the genre and fiction as a whole. Knowing he could not finish his series is tragic, but I have full confidence as I prepare to read Brandon Sanderson’s writings in the world of the wheel as he concludes the story.
This book, in many ways, represents all the microcosms of Jordan’s writing. Characters spend a lot of time thinking and talking their way through situations as the plot threads begin to coalesce towards a grand conclusion after multiple books of slower pacing. Tragedy strikes, great battles are fought, and the pieces feel all in place at the end for something epic. But the path to get here was long and winding. If you’re reading Knife of Dreams, you’re likely committed for the ride. But if you’re wondering if Wheel of Time is worth it, I think of it not as “the best fantasy ever written”, but rather a masterclass in long form storytelling. Something that’s 14-books long and a prequel is an insane ask for the average reader, but if you find yourself fascinated by the concepts and the characters, let me just tell you it’s worth it.
I feel saddened knowing this is the last of Jordan’s writing, but I feel as if I’ve made a big step in reading 12 of his books at various times in my life. He made a big impression on me and fantasy at large. He had much more to give the world, but his series lives on through others.
Tai’shar, Rigney. Thank you for the Wheel.
I started reading these books when I was around 12, and they were one of the first things that got me into fantasy. During the pandemic I resolved to read them all through, and it’s taken several years of on-and-off reading to go through them. Jordan’s world was dense and enticing, it felt real and fleshed out, coming from someone who was worldly and well traveled. He handles conflict and warfare with the view of someone who was seen and experienced loss of life on that scale. His views on gender, while outdated and entrenched in the binary of the 20th century, comes from a place of respect and desire for equality, something very little fantasy written from that time does. Jordan’s death was a loss for the genre and fiction as a whole. Knowing he could not finish his series is tragic, but I have full confidence as I prepare to read Brandon Sanderson’s writings in the world of the wheel as he concludes the story.
This book, in many ways, represents all the microcosms of Jordan’s writing. Characters spend a lot of time thinking and talking their way through situations as the plot threads begin to coalesce towards a grand conclusion after multiple books of slower pacing. Tragedy strikes, great battles are fought, and the pieces feel all in place at the end for something epic. But the path to get here was long and winding. If you’re reading Knife of Dreams, you’re likely committed for the ride. But if you’re wondering if Wheel of Time is worth it, I think of it not as “the best fantasy ever written”, but rather a masterclass in long form storytelling. Something that’s 14-books long and a prequel is an insane ask for the average reader, but if you find yourself fascinated by the concepts and the characters, let me just tell you it’s worth it.
I feel saddened knowing this is the last of Jordan’s writing, but I feel as if I’ve made a big step in reading 12 of his books at various times in my life. He made a big impression on me and fantasy at large. He had much more to give the world, but his series lives on through others.
Tai’shar, Rigney. Thank you for the Wheel.