A Crown of Swords

In the seventh volume of Jordan's preeminent high-fantasy saga, The Wheel of Time, intrigue and counterintrigue continue to roil. Unlike the fantasy series of Andre Norton (Witch World), Terry Brooks (Shannara), and Marion Zimmer Bradley (Darkover), unlike even Anne McCaffrey's beloved sf series, Dragonriders of Pern, all of which are multivolume but multigenerational in characters, Jordan's has readers follow the fortunes of the same five people who left their village as teenagers to play out their roles on the grand, world-saving stage. Throughout the saga, the characters (minor as well as major), the world, and the source of powers have remained remarkably rich and consistent--no mean feat, given that the books range in length from a paltry 576 to this book's bountiful 720 pages. As in the previous volumes, the focus switches among the various main characters as they carry out their parts of the quest to defeat the Dark One. Elayne, Aviendha, and Mat approach the bowl ter'angreal that is needed to stanch the endless heat wave; Egwene starts putting together a band of women able to channel; and Rand, the reluctant Dragon Reborn, comes further into his powers and faces a deadly foe. Amid all the Sturm und Drang, however, is a finely tuned comic strain that both leavens the story and adds to its development. This latest installment of a major fantasy epic definitely will not disappoint its fans. (Reviewed June 1 & 15, 1996)0312857675Sally Estes

The seventh volume of Jordan's bestselling high fantasy series carries on the tradition of colossal, dauntingly complex storytelling established by the previous entries (Lord of Chaos, 1994, etc.). In a richly woven post-holocaust world where magic is normally a woman's monopoly and a man who can use it is a menace, Rand al'Thor, a sheepherder, discovered that he could "channel"; he and his companions have gone on to set their world aflame. Here, Rand is engaged in a fight for control of the weather and of the growing number of men and women who have turned out to be magic-wielders. The narrative employs elements of realism rare in high fantasy, including the sense that innocent bystanders are being mauled in an epic joust of magical giants. There's wit at work here, too, in Jordan's exploration of the possibilities created by women being the magic workers. All this comes at the price of enough characters, institutions, spells, countries and so on to intimidate any reader who hasn't followed Rand's adventures from the beginning‘and the author is still adding complications. A glossary helps, though, and fans of the series will gobble down this generous addition. Major ad/promo; deluxe leather-bound limited edition. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

In the long-awaited sequel to the bestselling Lord of Chaos, Jordan returns to the complex, detailed fantasy world of his earlier book. For an in-depth understanding of this series, consult the Wheel of Time Archives on the Internet (http://www.cc. gatech.edu/ftp/people/viren/www/jordan/ jordan.html#people). Highly recommended for fantasy collections. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The sequel to Lord of Chaos (LJ 11/15/94)-and a popular series. Copyright 1995 Cahners Business Information.

In the long-awaited sequel to the bestselling Lord of Chaos, Jordan returns to the complex, detailed fantasy world of his earlier book. For an in-depth understanding of this series, consult the Wheel of Time Archives on the Internet (http://www.cc. gatech.edu/ftp/people/viren/www/jordan/ jordan.html#people). Highly recommended for fantasy collections. Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information.

The seventh volume of Jordan's bestselling high fantasy series carries on the tradition of colossal, dauntingly complex storytelling established by the previous entries (Lord of Chaos, 1994, etc.). In a richly woven post-holocaust world where magic is normally a woman's monopoly and a man who can use it is a menace, Rand al'Thor, a sheepherder, discovered that he could "channel"; he and his companions have gone on to set their world aflame. Here, Rand is engaged in a fight for control of the weather and of the growing number of men and women who have turned out to be magic-wielders. The narrative employs elements of realism rare in high fantasy, including the sense that innocent bystanders are being mauled in an epic joust of magical giants. There's wit at work here, too, in Jordan's exploration of the possibilities created by women being the magic workers. All this comes at the price of enough characters, institutions, spells, countries and so on to intimidate any reader who hasn't followed Rand's adventures from the beginning?and the author is still adding complications. A glossary helps, though, and fans of the series will gobble down this generous addition. Major ad/promo; deluxe leather-bound limited edition. (July) Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information.