Plot or Premise

Following the battle at the end of Book 3, Rand has the flaming sword Callandor, and everyone is waiting for “what’s next”, until the Pattern starts to form again.

What I Liked & Didn’t Like

Rand is drawn to the Waste land of the Aiel, Mat is drawn to a Red Door of prophecy that ties him to staying with Rand, and Perrin is drawn to Emond’s Field to save it from Trollocs and Children of the Light.

There is a LOT happening in Book 4. I like that Mat is trying to figure out his destiny, and that includes deciding to stay with Rand because he knows their destinies are entwined. I was NOT expecting Mat to go into Rhuidean (the all-seeing area) with Rand, and when he makes a deal after going through a Red Door, it isn’t entirely clear to him or the reader what deal he made. We’ll probably have to wait several books to find out, and it’s hard to watch him struggle with the unfulfilled desire to know more.

For Perrin, returning to Emond’s Field is all about him becoming a leader as ta’veren. Admittedly, the entire love spat with Faile is yawn-inducing, with her attempting to play games he’s not even sure he wants to be part of anymore, and her having no real idea she’s about to lose everything if she doesn’t stop. It’s averted at the last second, but the subsequent struggle with people asking him what to do when they already know is great to see for leadership and how he struggles to embrace it. It’s a little repetitive, but great to see all the tertiary characters forming a defense force.

However, after suffering through Book 3 without Rand, Rand’s trip to the Rhuidean prophecy / history world was awesome, seeing him go back in time to live the lives of the Aiel ancestors and to see their original lives. It is unclear to me, however, how it is that the Aiel Clan chiefs and Wise Ones, who have also visited Rhuidean at some point and experienced the same thing, managed / decided to keep the secrets hidden forever. Spoiler alert — they were Children of the Leaf, not warriors of the spear. There’s a “bland” nature to the post-Rhuidean world, with nothing much happening yet Rand is obsessed that he’s somehow out of time. The final bit with the Forsaken is fabulous.

Overall, I liked the book’s balance way better than the previous one, mostly because of Rand being in it, and for Perrin assuming a leadership position. Book 1 had 259 characters, book 2 had 255, book 3 had only 238 and I didn’t have any trouble following them as long as I have my handy little “team chart” (see below). Book 4 was a little harder with up to 437 this time out, and a lot of Aiel who may or may not be important for the long term (hard to tell). At this point, I’m tracking about 38 good guys and 36 bad guys (relatively even), and some 36 that are unclear but likely either positive or at least neutral. But continuity is weak in places (with names and repetition) and about 30% could be easily cut.

The Bottom Line

Hey, look, Rand’s awake and Perrin has an army