A Review of Knife of Dreams - the New Chronicle in the "Wheel of Time" by Robert Jordan

As a long time fan of Robert Jordan, I, like every other fan have anticipated the release of each new volume in the "Wheel of Time" Series. The tenth book "Crossroads of Twilight" lacked Jordan's usual brilliance and surprises. While well written, it seemed apparent that the fans' hunger for the next installment of the epic yarn that Jordan has been weaving had his agents and publishers pushing him to finish and release the next volume. I personally was disappointed to get to the end of it, wondering where the rest of the book was. Where Jordan usually ties up the end of one or two sub-plots while continuing the main plot, but there was no such resolution in "Crossroads of Twilight" and disappointingly seemed to fizzle out. Not to be misunderstood, the tenth volume was no less than fantastic work, as it seems Jordan can hardly produce anything less, but being used to his usual genius for weaving the tapestry of the world he envisions, this volume simply left me dissatisfied.

However, "Knife of Dreams", the 11th installment in the epic saga of the Dragon Reborn, and the approach of the last battle of the age, is on the shelves of stores now. In the prologue alone, Jordan makes up for the noticeable lack in the previous volume, with foreshadows and minimal hints of the unexpected turns of events to come.

I have often said that Jordan has surpassed Tolkienn in the fantasy and sci-fi genre. Each story is a gem, and where Tolkienn awed us with a view of a few facets of his particular gem, Jordan astounds us with his ability to reveal the entire gem at his convenience. And as "Knife of Dreams" takes you along the continuing journey each of the heroes must make to reach the Last Battle, at one moment you are certain the whole gem has already been foreshadowed or revealed, he astounds you with yet another brilliant piece.