Kevin's Watch

Believe it or not, I spent the last three days reading Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan, and actually became engrossed enough that I haven't been online in the last two days, all my free time spent reading (and late into the night, too).
I may keep saying I've 'moved on' to 'better' books, but I guess some of my mild obsession with the series still lingers (back when I read it - they were the first books in the constant stream of reading that I've been in since - I read the nine books in the series (ten, during the rereads) three times in a row, without any breaks in between, finishing each book in about three days). I think I was still letting myself get attached to characters and story back then (hence why I read the Sword of Truth series for five or six books without really disliking it, whereas I open one of those books now and find myself repulsed by the horrible writing), and let myself get carried away so much by this one the effect still lasts.

(Spoilers ahead)

As to the book itself - this book tells the story Jordan should have written years ago. It has the Perrin storyline that should have happened in Winter's Heart (or earlier), the Mat storyline that should have happened in Crossroads of Twilight, the Rand storyline he should also have used in CoT, and the same could probably be said of a lot of other small parts. The Egwene chapters were done well (he's finally managing to make her seem a good character), though he cut that storyline short too soon.
There were a number of anticlimactic points, though - the encounter with Semirhage wasn't well done (and where did that storyline go? It just vanished after the disappointing encounter, and that was little further than halfway into the book), and Perrin's reaction when he 'saw' Rand's injury was unconvincing. The Sitting where the Aes Sedai learnt of Rand's offer didn't have as much impact as parts of it should have had. I was disappointed we got to see no more of Rodel Ituralde past the prologue - Galad, too, but less so. The final scene seemed out of place, and didn't really make a good ending at all - some of the scene order throughout the book should have been shifted around, perhaps.
I'd say the book feels more similar to Winter's Heart than any of the other previous volumes.

Ah Murrin, I too have gone through the same thing as you... Wanting to walk away from this series... but knowing, deep deep down, there is no escape... Not wanting to read... yet compelled to look at every work in the book... I only know of one person who has escaped the Jordan obsession one he started; and that was because he killed himself... even that didn't work though, he couldn't find peace until he finally read this book.

Good points Murrin...I suppose that the simple realisation that at least it's better than the last (few) made it look better than it actually was. As I said in another thread, the "last" book is going to have to cram in a lot if it's really going to be the last.

A shame too, because some storylines are great, and deserve better justice done to them. Better than I expect their to be done in only one more book.

--A

my prediction: the last book will actually be broken up into 8 serperate volumes

Sounds good to me.

--A

i liked the book...a few missing characters that probably could have been included in a few chapters...kinda short...but im used to buying them all in paperback, so...maybe it was just an illusion...it could have used about another 5 chapters