Crossroads of Twilight
Wheel of Time
Robert Jordan’s Crossroads of Twilight is book ten in The Wheel of Time. By Crossroads of Twilight Jordan’s writing has slowed down significantly, it seems he has become a bit mired in his own plotlines and character interactions. I’m not saying that this is a problem for all readers, I still can’t get enough of the series, but compared to earlier books in the series Crossroads of Twilight is much slower and as result it feels as though very little happens through the course of the book. Of course there is enough story important content in the novel that it cannot be skipped without losing a vital part of the story. Despite its pace Crossroads of Twilight remains a very good book.
Please do not read this part of the review if you have not read the rest of the series as there are potential spoilers. When Rand cleansed Saidin (the male form of magic that long ago had been tainted by the dark one) in Winter’s Heart he, together with Nynaeve wielding Saidar (the female form of magic), used tremendous amounts of the power. Together they used so much of the power that other users of the power across the continent could feel their channeling, when characters use their magic it is referred to as channelling; this strong use of the power is mentioned in the storylines of all of the characters that can channel. Elayne continues her political maneuvering and it is revealed that she is expecting Rand’s twins, although she is keeping the identity of the father secret. Mat continues to flee the Seanchan, the Seanchan are invaders from across the sea, holding Tuon, the heir to the Seanchan throne, captive. Having located the Shaido Aiel (a warrior tribe that refuses to accept Rand as their leader) who kidnapped Faile, Perrin settles in to figure out how to perform a rescue, a side trip to buy food for his men shows that the Dark One’s prison is weakening and that he is having more influence across the land. Egwene, as the leader of the rebel Aes Sedia (an order of magic users), struggles to keep the rebels in opposition to the Elaida, the leader of the Aes Sedia in the White Tower. The rebels are now besieging the White Tower and Egwene has to manage and direct this siege while various other problems appear, including uncertainty about the massive amounts of Saidar being wielded by Rand and Nynaeve. Rand himself decides that he cannot fight the dark one as well as the Seanchan so he sends some of his men to negotiate a truce with the Seanchan.
My rating for Crossroads of Twilight is 4/5.
