The novel is good, the novel is very good. The novel is long, the novel is exhausting.

Another wheel of time finished. Man these books...I still really liked this one just as much or more than the previous ones. especially the last couple of chapter were amazing but...theres just so much dragging in these books and extensive descriptions of everything and some repetitions even thats its getting really hard to get through. As it didnt bother me that much say inthe first two books, at this point it is really getting in the way of enjoyment. I mean you could easily cut out a couple hundred pages and it wouldnt take anything away from the story and it would make it a much smoother read.
The story, the characters , the plots ,the world all of this is still up there between 4-5 stars for me but the pure enjoyment, the flow of the reading for me is greatly impaired by the slog, Thats why i have to give it 3 stars overall this time.Iam still gonna read the next one but its going to be in some time.

Rating: 2.1/5

Review: This has trended where I thought it would from #2. The YA (Mostly to Very Stupid) ride the story line like a witch on a cold splintered broom stick. There is this authorial division between the genders that spreads a shallow grave of characterization.

Again, all the women are hotter than chili farts except those that A) run a kitchen B) manage a cleaning crew or, C) give Mat a slap and tickle. Egwene and crew only seem to get more feisty and controlling yet swoon over a hunky man then call him an anvil headed lout. Huh? They have all these amazing powers yet seem to get captured, a-lot. The Mostly Stupid men/boys allow the hyper-controllers to move their libidos every which way while growling about it. The only process that might make any of these women palatable would be the deletion of Very Stupid, Naynaeve. Fug me. Every interaction is an emotional tempest coupled with the constant tugging of her braid(s). A very fractional character. The foreshadowing that began in the first novel, where Egwene, Nayanaeve and Dummay could be THE MOST POWERFUL AES SEDAI EVER!!!! is, sadly, still in play.

The only characters worth a shjt are Perrin and Mat. Perrin, because he resists the hyper-controlling efforts of Faile, and Mat, as he is aware of manipulators to a fault. He also is well grounded which makes him more believable. The Ogier never changes much and is more of a story line crutch to expedite the traveling of the Ways.

These novels keep dropping in value as they continue to lose steam to the YA rendition. Lost are the gritty underpinnings that harkened the first novel and Rand al Thor has become a blind footnote to the inter-play of the Mostly Stupid.

I am going to stop here and not finish the series as the pain is too much to bear.

Upon rereading, I still enjoyed The Shadow Rising the most overall thus far. The key highlight has to be Rand and Mat's development in this volume. Rand, in particular, really leveled up in his development as he accepted the destiny that was forced upon him. Both his and Mat's chapters were the most engaging and interesting for me.

Speaking of acceptance, I also did the same with my approach to reading the female POV chapters. They're still aggravating, but I've already expected it and tempered my feelings against it. The way the women in these books behave towards the men hurts my head. It's like they expect men to understand what's on their minds and yet speak in a roundabout or cryptic manner which was infuriating to say the least. Admittedly, the male characters could also be frustratingly stubborn, so the lack of transparency and communication on both sides only made situations worse. Sigh, I know that this problem that would remain for a significant part of the series and hence why I decided to stagger my reread to no more than one month every month or so.

My biggest issue with this book was Perrin's chapters - I still found him boring - and to make it worse, his part of the story was also where the most awful group of self-righteous fanatics, the Whitecloaks, were present. It's quite a deadly combination, literally.

*** 5 ***

A push to catch up with the BB&B read of the full series by August!

WOW!!! What an amazing book!!! Everything that happens here could fill ten regular books and make all of them burst with content! Once again, only superlatives come to me when writing about this series and objective review is impossible... Thus, I am only going to note that Rand is making strides toward establishing himself as The Dragon Reborn and havoc follows wherever any of our three Tav'eren step foot. The five kids from The Two Rivers are all learning and slowly but surely are establishing their influence on the web which The Wheel of Time weaves... There were battles and evil everything trying to corrupt the Light, and our heroes are doing the best they can, still stumbling and fumbling but determined as ever.

I have no words to express how much I wish everyone would give this enormous, but very readable work of Epic Fantasy a chance - it is more than worth it!!!

Happy reading to all and may you always expand your mind with books of the fantastic!

The Shadow Rising (Wheel of Time, #4), Robert Jordan

The Shadow Rising is a fantasy novel by American author Robert Jordan, the fourth book in his series The Wheel of Time. It was published by Tor Books and released on September 15, 1992.

Rand al'Thor has just claimed the crystal sword Callandor to prove himself the Dragon Reborn. He is approached by Lanfear, who tells him of the Forsaken's plans.

However, the fortress known as the Stone of Tear is stormed by Trollocs and Fades, sent by another Forsaken (Sammael), while a third, Semirhage, sends her followers into the Stone, to oppose Sammael's forces. In defense, Rand uses Callandor to create a lightning storm killing all the Trollocs and Fades.

Rand then decides that he must travel to the Aiel Waste, to be acknowledged as the Aiel's prophecised leader.

Before leaving, Rand, Mat Cauthon, and Moiraine Damodred visit a ter'angreal that lets them talk to a mysterious snakelike race called the Aiefinn, who seemingly know the answer to any question. Mat learns from them that he must go to Rhuidean or die and also that he is destined to marry someone called "the Daughter of the Nine Moons".

Egwene al'Vere and the Aiel Aviendha are also summoned to the Aiel Waste, Egwene to learn Dreamwalking and Aviendha to become a Wise One. Thus, Rand, Mat, Moiraine, Egwene, and Aviendha all travel to the Aiel Waste. ...

تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز بیست و پنجم ماه فوریه سال 2019 میلادی

عنوان: چرخ زمان کتاب چهارم: قیام سایه ها؛ نویسنده رابرت جردن (جوردن)؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 20م

چرخ زمان یک سری رمانهایی از نوع «خیال‌پردازی حماسی (اپیک)» هستند که توسط ��ویسنده «آمریکایی»، «جیمز الیور ریگنی جونیور» با تخلص «رابرت جوردن» نگاشته شده ‌اند؛ «چرخ زمان» قرار بود یک مجموعه ی شش جلدی باشد، اما «جردن» آن را به دوازده قسمت و سپس به چهارده قسمت و یک پیش درآمد، افزایش داد؛ «جوردن» در سال 1984میلادی آغاز به نگارش نخستین کتاب از این سری با نام «چشم جهان» نمودند، که آن را در ماه ژانویه سال 1990میلادی منتشر کردند؛

کتابهای این سری: «بهار نو (2004میلادی) (به عنوان پیش‌درآمد و بیست سال پیش از رخدادهای نخستین رمان)»؛ کتاب نخست: «چشم جهان (1990میلادی)»؛ کتاب دوم: «شکار بزرگ (1990میلادی)»؛ کتاب سوم: «تجلی اژدها (1991میلادی)»؛ کتاب چهارم: «قیام سایه‌ها (1992میلادی)»؛ کتاب پنجم: «شعله‌های بهشت (1993میلادی)»؛ کتاب ششم: «ارباب آشفتگی (1995میلادی)»؛ کتاب هفتم: «تاج شمشیرها (1996میلادی)»؛ کتاب هشتم: «گذرگاه خنجرها (1998میلادی)»؛ کتاب نهم: «قلب زمستان (2000میلادی)»؛ کتاب دهم: «چهارراه شامگاهی (2003میلادی)»؛ کتاب یازدهم: «چاقوی رؤیا (2005میلادی)»؛ کتاب دوازدهم: «گرد آمدن طوفان (2009میلادی)»؛ کتاب سیزدهم: «برج‌های نیمه شب (2010)»؛ کتاب چهاردهم: «یادآوری از روشنایی (2012میلادی)»؛

چرخ زمان در جهانی روی می‌دهد که به ‌سبب ماهیتِ دوّارِ زمان، همزمان گذشتهٔ دور و آیندهٔ دور زمین است؛ در گذار روایت، اسطوره‌ هایی باستانی و تخیلی روایت می‌شوند که به تاریخ معاصر زمین اشاره دارند، ازآن‌جمله دو غول به نام‌های «موسک» و «مِرک»، که در افسانه ‌ها با نیزه‌هایی آتشین که تا آنسوی جهان می‌رسید، با هم ستیز می‌کردند، و برخی رویدادهای روایت منشأ اسطوره‌ های زمین واقعی هستند، مانند شخصیت «آرتور هاوک‌وینگ» در داستان که به افسانهٔ «شاه آرتور» در جهان واقعی اشاره دارد

روایت اصلی مجموعه سه‌ هزار سال پس از «شکاندن جهان» روی می‌دهد که به «عصر افسانه‌ ها» (که روزگاری بسیار پیشرفته بود) پایان داد؛ در طول قسمت عمدهٔ روایت، فناوری و ساختارهای اجتماعی جهان به اروپای رنسانس شباهت دارد، با این تفاوت که کفهٔ عدالت اجتماعی به نفع زنان سنگین‌تر است و برخی جوامع زن‌سالار هستند؛ در طی رویدادهای روایت تحولاتی مشابه انقلاب صنعتی در برخی از ملل داستان روی می‌دهد

صحنهٔ اصلی رویدادهای مجموعه بخش غربی قاره ‌ای عظیم است که نام آن در متون اصیل ذکر نشده‌ است، ولی رابرت جردن در مصاحبه‌ هایش از آن با عنوان «وست‌لندز» یاد کرده ‌است؛ در «وست‌لندز»، که از شرق با رشته ‌کوهی محاط است، چندین پادشاهی و دولت-شهر هست؛ در شرق این رشته ‌کوه بیابانی موسوم به برهوت آئیل قرار دارد که ساکنین آن را قبیله ‌ها و جوامع جنگجوی آئیل تشکیل می‌دهند، که در سکونت‌گاه‌هایی کوچک زندگی می‌کنند؛ در شرق برهوت آئیل کشور بزرگ و منزوی «شارا» قرار دارد، که با رشته ‌کوهی عظیم و منطقه ‌ای غیرقابل ‌عبور از برهوت آئیل جدا می‌شود؛ سراسر محدودهٔ شمالی این سه منطقه (وست‌لندز، برهوت آئیل، و شارا) را «پژمردگی کبیر» فرا گرفته ‌است که بیابانی آلوده و شیطانی است؛ در غرب «وست‌لندز» و آنسوی اقیانوسِ «مونرال» قارهٔ «شان‌چن» قرار دارد که عرض غرب به شرقش از قارهٔ دیگر کمتر است ولی از قطب شمال تا قطب جنوب کشیده شده ‌است؛ قارهٔ «شان‌چن» با آبراهه ‌ای به دو قسمت شمالی و جنوبی تقسیم شده ‌است؛ این آبراهه اقیانوس «مونرال» را به اقیانوس «آریت» متصل می‌کند؛ در شمالی‌ترین بخش قسمت شمالی «شان‌چن»، «پژمردگی صغیر» واقع شده ‌است که با پژمردگی کبیر طول جغرافیایی یکسانی دارد؛ در آغاز داستان «چرخ زمان»، ساکنان «وست‌لندز» از وجود «شان‌چن» بی‌خبرند؛ در دنیای «چرخ زمان» «رابرت جردن» در نیم‌کرهٔ جنوبی قاره‌ ای کوچک موسوم به «سرزمین دیوانگان» قرار دارد، ولی در مجموعهٔ اصلی از آن ذکری نرفته ‌است

روایت مجموعه در پایان «عصر سوم» روی می‌دهد؛ «عصر سوم» با «شکاندن جهان» آغاز می‌شود که پایان‌بخش «عصر افسانه‌ ها» بود؛ «عصر افسانه‌ها» در پی «عصر نخست» می‌آید؛ «عصر نخست» به‌ صورت ضمنی بر جهان معاصر دلالت دارد، و نام برخی از شخصیت‌های اسطوره ‌ای آن در خلال مجموعه آمده ‌است که السبت، ملکهٔ همگان (اشاره به الیزابت دوم) و ماترز درمانگر (اشاره به مادر ترزا) از آن دسته ‌اند؛

در عصر سوم در «وست‌لندز» رویداد تاریخی بزرگ روی داد: نخست «جنگ‌های ترالک»، که در آن هزار سال پس از شکاندن جهان موجوداتی از پژمردگی جهان انسانی را تقریبا نابود می‌کنند، و دوم ظهور «آرتور هاوک‌وینگ» که هزار سال پس از جنگ‌های «ترالک» «وست‌لندز» را فتح و متحد کرد، ولی وارثی نداشت و «جنگ‌های صدساله» پس از مرگ او بر سر تقسیم قلمروش درگرفت؛ در پی هر یک از این دو رویداد، تقسیم‌های سیاسی و ساختار ملل «وست‌لندز» به‌ کلی تغییر کرد؛ زبان کهن (که در عصر افسانه‌ ها رایج بود) در زمان روایت مجموعه زبانی مرده است، و تنها برخی محققان و اشراف‌زادگان به آن تکلم می‌کنند

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 07/12/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

The first 20% of this book does nothing.

No way in hell or high heaven are any of the women friends. Elayne, Nynaeve, and Egwene are in this circle-jerk of taking satisfaction out of seeing one of the others "put in their place" or feeling like they're superior to the others. I wish they (plus Faile and Aviendha) were dead - the book would've moved so much faster and seemed far more meaningful.

What is up with this man's fixation on the idea that women control men? And given that, why is he still so obsessed with relationships? They add nothing to the story and detract from the world building and action sequences. No, Perrin, I actually couldn't give a flying duck about Faile while I'm trying to figure out the meaning of the battle. No, Elayne, in no way did you lay your heart at Rand's feet (like SERIOUSLY, even at their late teenage age, nobody writes contradictory love letters and coyly assume it's soooooooo obvious).

I mentioned this in a review for a prior book, but this man really needs to a) learn new adjectives and b) learn how not to overuse or abuse adjectives. Braids - is that the only hairstyle he knows? Frowns, sniffs, and every other passive-aggressive, condescending Mean Girls attitude can be found on every other page. Maybe every page. And rosebud mouth = evil woman.

At this point it already feels like there is not much left to say but to pay homage every time to this incredible series.

This one is a real mover/shaker with all-around interesting POV’s, an abundance of important events unfolding and very exciting worldbuilding taking place. It starts off with a sprint out of the blocks and never really lets up much until the finale. Just WOW.

SPOILERS

Highlights include:

-tOpening fight at the Stone
-tBubbles of Evil
-tMore Forsaken
-tRand & The People of the Dragon
-tPerrin & Faile
-tPerrin makes a name for himself
-tPerrin vs Slayer
-tSiuan & Leane get stilled
-tAviendha
-tRhuidean
-tThe great Black Ajah Hunt
-tHow the Aiel became the Aiel
-tMat visits another world & skills up
-tRand vs Asmodean
-tNynaeve vs Moghedien

4.5 well deserved stars.

n  n   

“The Shadow shall rise across the world, and darken every land, even to the smallest corner, and there shall be neither Light nor safety. And he who shall be born of the Dawn, born of the Maiden, according to Prophecy, he shall stretch forth his hands to catch the Shadow, and the world shall scream in the pain of salvation."

n  n

n  4.5 Stars: ✰✰✰✰½n

In terms of overall content, this was the best book so far. Book Four of the Wheel of Time continued in the same vein as The Great Hunt, making huge developments in the worldbuilding, the characters, and the story as a whole.

The Dragon Reborn almost felt like a break compared to this book - it had relatively slow pacing, few developments in the story, even fewer developments in terms of worldbuilding, but a strong focus on characterization that carried into the heart of this book. There's something so cool about the way that Jordan develops the qualities and characteristics of each character - down to their weapon and clothing of choice. It gives each character in this book an almost iconic vibe to them, that I really wasn't expecting. I don't want to give any spoilers, because it's best experienced as you make your way through the books, but it's honestly a lot of fun to see it all unfold. We're not just discovering the story and the world, we're watching some seriously cool characters come into the fullness of their destiny. Perrin, of course, is still my favorite. His POV in this book had some of the best scenes and sequences of the entire series.

Regarding POVs - similar to The Great Hunt, there was another significant increase in the number of POVs in this book. Some of them were actually characters that we're meeting for the first time, others were characters we saw only in passing from prior books. This really did a great job of broadening the scope once again, showing us almost every corner of this vast world, and tying together many different elements of the story that have popped here and there throughout all of the previous books.

The way that Jordan develops the story in these books is honestly really unique and interesting to me. It's a weird analogy, but he writes almost like the way you sharpen a knife. In book one, we got a pretty full understanding of the plot, and the plot hasn't changed at all. It's just been sharpened. Each book introduces new elements, new ideas, and new developments, bringing us further along and honing the plot to a much finer edge. It might be too slow for some, but it's been great for me, as I have plenty of fast paced books to keep me occupied. This book had a few things in it that really changed the way you think about both individual characters and entire people groups as a whole. It was seriously good stuff.

The only reason I took off half a star is because this book definitely felt a little too long. I feel like certain aspects of it could have been condensed, resulting in a much better flow of the story. Just to put it into perspective, book three was roughly 24 hours long... This book was over 40 hours long. The length itself isn't a problem, as I've listened to books even longer than this one and loved them, it was more the fact that I didn't feel like it needed to be as long as it was that was the problem.

Overall, this is a series I don't think any fantasy fan should miss. I'm heading into the more controversial territory now, as many people seem to have mixed opinions about the remaining books in the series, but we'll see =]. I've genuinely loved reading these books.

For this review and more, check out my blog: Thoughts of a Thousand Lives. I have only just started it, and there are a few pages still being worked on, but I'd appreciate any thoughts or feedback!

Happy reading =].

Ormai siamo al quarto volume di questa mastodontica saga e ci ho ritrovato tutto quel che mi aspettavo, difetti compresi.
E di difetti potrei citarne tanti: a cominciare dalla prosa verbosa e piena di ripetizioni fino ad arrivare ai personaggi, un po' troppo invischiati in intrecci amorosi e sempre alle prese con una goffa rivalità uomo-donna, appropriata per ragazzini delle elementari più che per avventurieri adulti.
Eppure queste mancanze non sono niente a paragone con la meraviglia che è il mondo creato da Jordan: ogni terra ha la sua storia, tutto è perfettamente connesso e una tale coerenza narrativa porta ad un'immersività preossoché assoluta. I protagonisti poi sono imperfetti, a volte perfino irritanti, ma ognuno ha la sua personalità ben definita e dopo quattro libri non si può fare a meno di voler bene a tutti loro. La trama continua nel solco dei libri precedenti e si mantiene epica ed appassionante, è bello notare come i vari colpi di scena si bilancino e convivano armonicamente con quel senso di predestinazione e fatalismo che è il cuore della saga.
Insomma come al solito una lettura impegnativa ma che lascia il segno e soprattutto la voglia di proseguire.

The best WoT was even better on re-read. I think this might be one of my favorite sff books of all time. Every chapter is interesting and full with great characters, writing, worldbuilding, relationships, emotional moments, and plotting. I'm not even sure how the same guy who wrote this also wrote Cross Roads of Twilight to be honest. Regardless of what comes later this is an amazing book.

Дуже цікаво, як в цій частині змінювалися мої емоції та враження протягом читання: спочатку мені все дуже подобалося, але я двічі розпочинала і двічі десь на 100 сторінці зупинялася, щось мене стопало, мені переставало бути цікаво абсолютно ВСЕ, всі лінії ставали якимись нудними і місцям незрозумілими. Але я все-таки вирішила продовжити (хоч і через певний час), середина була досить затягнутою, однак остання третина - найкраще у всьому циклі, багато динаміки і цікавих поворотів.

Спочатку історія дівчат мені була найнецікавішою, але під кінець якраз за нею було навпаки найцікавіше спостерігати, адже було зовсім незрозуміло, до чого це призведе.

Звісно, історія Перрина - це така милота, я декілька раз навіть просльозилася, Мет - мій улюблений персонаж до сих пір, бо я відчуваю величезний потенціал за ним. Парадокс - але за Рандом мені взагалі нецікаво спостерігати.

Єдине, що мені зараз дуже не подобається - як швидко ці персонажі виросли (морально), такі серйозні рішення приймають… з Рандом ще все зрозуміло, але от інші - чомусь мені неправдоподібно. Навіть любовні походеньки для мене повний крінж, як ніби я спостерігаю за дітьми, які ведуть «дорослий спосіб життя». Це незначний мінус, але він мене дуже бентежить . Також я розумію, що вони всі дуже сильні, але ж вони не навчені, як так у них все виходить - це питання. Тобто, мені не вистачає якоїсь реалістичності.

Ну і звісно дуже цікаво, як продовжиться історія в Білій Вежі. Я синхронізувалася з цією історією, зі світом, а тому налаштована читати наступну частину відразу.