The Fires of Heaven
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

This is the fifth volume of a probable eight in Jordan's splendid Wheel of Time saga. The Last Battle is approaching rapidly, for the seals on the Dark One's prison are beginning to crumble and the Aes Sedai (the female adepts) are divided within their own ranks--entirely apart from the Black Ajah, who serve the Dark One (and learn that they are no match for his ancient servants, the Forsaken). Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, is somewhat closer to ruling the world, thanks to his various allies (including an army of the desert-dwelling Aiel). His comrade Mat Cauthon seems to be another reincarnated hero, while Nynaeve and Elayne, pursuing the Black Ajah, find themselves in company with Birgitte, another legend made flesh, complete with unerring silver arrows. A saga of this size inevitably has a middle several books long, in which everything is carried forward and little is actually resolved. With this caveat, Fires of Heaven upholds the very high standards of this major fantasy epic, with battle scenes, comic interludes, and character development all reaching perhaps the highest point in a work that has lacked for none of these. (Reviewed Oct. 15, 1993)0312854277Roland Green

Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, continues his effort to unify the diverse people of a discordant world against the Dark One in this fifth tome of the Wheel of Time series (begun with The Eye of the World ). While the Aes Sedai, women who channel the One Power, and the Forsaken, ancient disciples of the Dark One, strive to bend him to their purposes, Rand leads the clans of the Aiel in a war of unification. Rand must try to master his powers as a man who can channel, while eluding the concomitant madness, as two groups of women attempt to come to his aid. His love, Elayne, Daughter-Heir of Andor, and Nynaeve, both Aes Sedai in training, join a circus to evade an angry sisterhood, and Siuan Sanche, former leader of the Aes Sedai now stripped of her powers, and two companions seek other rebels in an attempt to avert the final doom. Jordan deftly weaves details from previous books into this narrative and includes a glossary so that new readers can pick up the saga at this point. But all should beware: the few months covered here suggest it may be years and many more volumes before this series reaches its conclusion. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, leads his army of desert warriors toward a destined war against the forces of the Dark One. Elsewhere, while the Forsaken seed the land with their plots of corruption, a few stalwart individuals gather their strength for the coming battle. Jordan's epic saga of a world threatened by evil incarnate builds steadily as separate strands of a complex plot begin to come together. Fans of this richly detailed and vividly imagined series will not be disappointed. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Another colossal installment in Jordan's already immense saga (most recently The Shadow Rising, 1991), which many volumes ago proceeded past the point of intelligibility to outsiders. Series veterans, however, will recall that Rand al'Thor has declared himself the Dragon Reborn, and must gather allies and defeat his temporal enemies before the dread Dark One snaps his bonds and emerges from imprisonment in Shayol Ghul. As noted before in these pages, Jordan is not untalented; certainly he displays an active if tortuous imagination. But long ago he abandoned all attempts to stay in control of his material. Overwhelming, then--in sheer bulk if nothing else.

Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, leads his army of desert warriors toward a destined war against the forces of the Dark One. Elsewhere, while the Forsaken seed the land with their plots of corruption, a few stalwart individuals gather their strength for the coming battle. Jordan's epic saga of a world threatened by evil incarnate builds steadily as separate strands of a complex plot begin to come together. Fans of this richly detailed and vividly imagined series will not be disappointed. Copyright 1993 Cahners Business Information.

Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, continues his effort to unify the diverse people of a discordant world against the Dark One in this fifth tome of the Wheel of Time series (begun with The Eye of the World ). While the Aes Sedai, women who channel the One Power, and the Forsaken, ancient disciples of the Dark One, strive to bend him to their purposes, Rand leads the clans of the Aiel in a war of unification. Rand must try to master his powers as a man who can channel, while eluding the concomitant madness, as two groups of women attempt to come to his aid. His love, Elayne, Daughter-Heir of Andor, and Nynaeve, both Aes Sedai in training, join a circus to evade an angry sisterhood, and Siuan Sanche, former leader of the Aes Sedai now stripped of her powers, and two companions seek other rebels in an attempt to avert the final doom. Jordan deftly weaves details from previous books into this narrative and includes a glossary so that new readers can pick up the saga at this point. But all should beware: the few months covered here suggest it may be years and many more volumes before this series reaches its conclusion. (Nov.) Copyright 1993 Cahners Business Information.