Winter's Heart (The Wheel of Time, Book 9)
by Robert Jordan
List Price:
Our Price: $5.20
You Save: $24.75 (83%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Robert JordanEdition: Hardcover
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2000-10-31
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 625
Book Reviews of Winter's Heart (The Wheel of Time, Book 9)
Book Review: The Wheel of Time...Time being the operative word
Summary: 2 Stars
Shameful as it is for me to admit, I have read every bloody word of every bloody page of every bloody chapter of every bloody book in this bloody series. Due to our dear ol' pal Jordan's (Requiem in Pacem) habit of writing his books as long as the Manhattan telephone directory, anyone who has looked at one of these tomes should understand fully the amount of time I have devoted to this effort. Looking back on it, this staggers me; did I have nothing better to do than flounder endlessly through the sea of Rand Rising? Can I really justify spending all of these hours that could have been spent on more profitable pursuits reading these books, and this one in particular?
The answer, I'm afraid, is no. The first three books were very good, and contrary to popular belief, I don't think Jordan's writing style deteriorates any great amount over the course of the continuing saga of Rand Gets More Power, Perrin Worries Endlessly, and Mat Keeps Right on Chugging. The trouble is that somewhere along the line, Jordan forgot that he was supposed to be entertaining, and just started thinking about his life's work.
More power to him, but reading a legacy isn't quite as amusing as reading a novel. The heady rush of the first three novels (and to an extent, four and five as well) falls by the wayside and settles gloomily into extinction around book seven. There are no more quests, no more chases, no more grand escapades and seat-of-our-heroes'-ornately-embroidered-breeches challenges. The replacement is interminable chatter and pointless maneuvering.
Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne bicker endlessly with each other and everyone else, when, that is, they're not making schemes that Jordan forgets about and then reinserts when we've all forgotten the point of them. Perrin makes his plodding way across a countryside that appears to have swelled to the size of the Canadian Arctic when he had his back turned, searching for a wife who's too jealous to be a very interesting character anyway. Rand, meanwhile, pops in and out like a jack-in-the-box, to remind us that yes, he is the coolest character since Mighty Mouse, before vanishing in a puff of smoke and a smell of missed opportunity.
The trouble with Winter's Heart is that the reader could skip the entire book except for last four or five chapters, and essentially miss nothing. Taking the next book into consideration, we might even be able to miss those last ones out, as once the thing's done with, no one seems to care anyway.
Time. The Wheel of Time keeps spinning out more and more of it, until I realize that far from being the exciting, imaginative series it began as, with just enough mystery and just enough revelation, these books have degenerated into one big, rotund time-wasting machine. And that is a very real shame.
Summary of Winter's Heart (The Wheel of Time, Book 9)
Millions of Robert Jordan fans will rejoice at the release of the ninth book in the phenomenally bestselling series The Wheel of Time. The sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller The Path of Daggers, which swept the nation like a firestorm, Winter's Heart continues a remarkable tale that is mesmerizing an entire generation of readers.
Rand is on the run with Min, and in Cairhein, Cadsuane is trying to figure out where he is headed. Rand's destination is, in fact, one she has never considered.
Mazrim Taim, leader of the Black Tower, is revealed to be a liar. But what is he up to?
Faile, with the Aiel Maidens, Bain and Chiad, and her companions, Queen Alliandre and Morgase, is prisoner of Savanna's sept.
Perrin is desperately searching for Faile. With Elyas Machera, Berelain, the Prophet and a very mixed "army" of disparate forces, he is moving through country rife with bandits and roving Seanchan. The Forsaken are ever more present, and united, and the man called Slayer stalks Tel'aran'rhiod and the wolfdream.
In Ebou Dar, the Seanchan princess known as Daughter of the Nine Moons arrives--and Mat, who had been recuperating in the Tarasin Palace, is introduced to her. Will the marriage that has been foretold come about?
There are neither beginnings or endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it is a beginning....
Rand is on the run with Min, and in Cairhein, Cadsuane is trying to figure out where he is headed. Rand's destination is, in fact, one she has never considered.
Mazrim Taim, leader of the Black Tower, is revealed to be a liar. But what is he up to?
Faile, with the Aiel Maidens, Bain and Chiad, and her companions, Queen Alliandre and Morgase, is prisoner of Savanna's sept.
Perrin is desperately searching for Faile. With Elyas Machera, Berelain, the Prophet and a very mixed "army" of disparate forces, he is moving through country rife with bandits and roving Seanchan. The Forsaken are ever more present, and united, and the man called Slayer stalks Tel'aran'rhiod and the wolfdream.
In Ebou Dar, the Seanchan princess known as Daughter of the Nine Moons arrives--and Mat, who had been recuperating in the Tarasin Palace, is introduced to her. Will the marriage that has been foretold come about?
There are neither beginnings or endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it is a beginning....
Is Robert Jordan still doing the Light's work? Even loyal fans have to wonder. (And if you're not a fan yet, you'll have to read the previous 6,789 pages in this bestselling series to understand what all the fuss is about.)
Everyone's in agreement on the Wheel of Time's first four or five volumes: They're topnotch, where-have-you-been-all-my-life epic fantasy, the best in anybody's memory at the time since The Lord of the Rings. But a funny thing happened on the way to Tarmon Gai'don, and many of those raves have become rants or (worse) yawns. Jordan long ago proved himself a master at world-building, with fascinating characters, a positively delicious backstory, and enough plot and politics to choke a Trolloc, but that same strength has become a liability. How do you criticize what he's doing now? You want more momentum and direction in the central plot line, but it's the secondary stories that have made the world so rich. And as in the last couple of books, (A Crown of Swords and The Path of Daggers), Jordan doesn't really succeed at pursuing either adequately, leaving a lot of heavily invested readers frustrated.
Winter's Heart at least shows some improvement, but it's still not The Eye of the World. Elayne's still waiting to take the crown of Andor; the noticeably absent Egwene is still waiting to go after the White Tower; Perrin gets ready to pursue the Shaido but then disappears for the rest of the book. About the only excitement comes with the long-awaited return of Mat Cauthon and a thankfully rock 'em, sock 'em finale in which Rand finally, finally changes the balance of power in his fight against the Dark One. --Paul Hughes
Science Fiction & Fantasy Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Science Fiction & Fantasy Books
Heart of Valorby L. J. Smith
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; Published: 1990-11-30; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $35.00
The NIGHT OF THE SOLSTICEby L. J. Smith
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; Published: 1987-10-31; Hardcover; Book
Price in other shops:
Deathbird Storiesby Harlan Ellison
Collier Books; Published: 1990-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.00
Where Demons Dare. Kim Harrisonby Kim Harrison
Harper Voyager; Published: 2008-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.57
Price in other shops:
Last Battle 7 (Chronicles of Narnia Adult Jkt)by C S Lewis
Harpercollins Pb; Published: 2005-06-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.04
Tree and Leafby J R R Tolkien
Tolkien; Published: 2001-02-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.37
Lord of the Rings (The Lord of the Rings) (Vol 1)by J R R Tolkien
Harpercollins; Published: 2002-09-16; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $28.59
Lord of the Rings (Collins Modern Classics) (Vol 3)by J R R Tolkien
Harper Collins Childs; Published: 2001-09-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.98
Bone Dolls Twin (Tamir Triad Trilogy 1)by Lynn Flewelling
Voyager Classics; Published: 2002-06-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $34.82
Pilgrim (Wayfarer Redemption)by Sara Douglass
Voyager; Published: 2000-10-16; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.99
Similar Books and other products
Towers of Midnight (Wheel of Time, Book Thirteen)by Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson
Tor Books; Published: 2010-11-02; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops:
The Shadow Rising (The Wheel of Time, Book 4)by Robert Jordan
Tor Books; Published: 1992-09-15; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.84
Price in other shops:
New Spring (A Wheel of Time Prequel Novel)by Robert Jordan
Unknown; Published: 2003-12-31; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.83
Price in other shops:
The Fires of Heaven (The Wheel of Time, Book 5)by Robert Jordan
Tor Books; Published: 1993-10-15; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $10.95
Price in other shops:
A Crown of Swords (The Wheel of Time, Book 7)by Robert Jordan
Tor Books; Published: 1996-06-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.57
Price in other shops:
The Gathering Storm (Wheel of Time, Book 12)by Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson
Tor Books; Published: 2009-10-27; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.99
Price in other shops:
The Path of Daggers (The Wheel of Time, Book 8)by Robert Jordan
Tor Books; Published: 1998-10-20; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.99
Price in other shops:
Crossroads of Twilight (The Wheel of Time, Book 10)by Robert Jordan
Tor Fantasy; Published: 2003-01-07; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.81
Price in other shops:
Knife of Dreams (Wheel of Time)by Robert Jordan
Tor Books; Published: 2005-10-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.61
Price in other shops: