The Shadow Rising (The Wheel of Time, Book 4) Mass Market Paperback – October 15, 1993

As always, if I get the spellings of names and places wrong, just let me know. Don't flame, don't hate, just let me know. Thank you.As I wrote an extremely lengthy review for book two, but failed to write one for the equally mediocre book three, I will try to keep this one brief. Sorry if I’ve failed in that endeavor, but these are long books, and require long reviews. Up to this point The Wheel of Time has been a long disjointed disappointment, occasionally flashing me with brief glimpses of greatness such as the Seanchan plot line in book two, but as a whole has been one long wordy mess after another. I can only read so many chapters of long pointless descriptions strung together with horribly sexist female characters and the bland male counterparts who put up with them. Book three took a step in the right direction when it carted all the female characters off into their own plot line so I could skim over their parts. As far as I'm concerned the quality of these books is judged entirely on one thing: Mat/Perrin> Nynave/Egwene/Elayne. The more Mat and Perrin, and the less of those three wenches, the better the book. Simple.TSR starts as all Wheel books do, with an improbable and unbelievable attack by darkfriends. In this case, it’s a small army of Trollocs and Fades sneaking into the most powerful fortress in the world by hiding in barrels (yeah, barrels, You read that right) and nearly capturing the "most powerful fort in the world" for the second time in a week. Note to Jordan, if he wants me to think this Stone of Tear is so damn strong, don't make it so easy to take. Just saying. Upon the completion of the obligatory opening fight scene, Rand, Mat, and Egwene are off to the Aiel Waste to meet with the Wise Ones and hopefully raise an army while Perrin returns to Emonds Field to confront the Whitecloacks who've taken up residence there. Nynaeve /Elayne meanwhile travel to Tanchico to find the Black Ajah while Min- what little we see of her- returns to Tar Valon to help the Amyrlin Seat hunt down traitors in her midst.As I said, this book starts out like all of Jordan’s previous ones, but as page after endless page goes by (yeah, these books are way too long) the story started getting better. The further from Tear the characters traveled the better the story got. One of my all-time favorite moments in all the series takes place when Rand travels to a ruined city in the Waste and discovers the shocking truth behind the Aiel. Not since Nynaeve went through the Ter'Angreal in Tar Valon to become accepted has such an awe inspiring moment occurred (a true feat considering how long these books are). It’s truly amazing some of the backstory that went into this series. That chapter alone would earn this book at least a three even if the rest was nothing but Nynaeve tugging her braid. Not even Egwene manages to ruin it. She does make her usual annoying comments here and there, but Mat and Rand have grown accustomed to ignoring her. Good for them.Though Rand has always been the main character/Jesus figure in the series I've never really liked him. He's always come off to me as a leaf blowing about aimlessly with no real idea where he wants to go or how he would get there. People, circumstances, and simple madness tug him about and he goes along with it. TSR is the first book where he becomes a leader in his own right and starts take the story into his own hands. He even stops listening to the female characters, which in all honesty he should have done somewhere near the beginning of book two. Character growth isn't Jordan's strong suit, but at last he's decided to try.Perrins story, meanwhile, is easily my favorite. Even though it starts out pretty rough with his girlfriend Faile (the only female character I actually like) trying her best to make me unlike her, but once they get back to Emonds Field all her transgressions were quickly forgiven and I was treated to the best story arch of the entire series thus far. Trollocs and Whitecloacks infest The Two Rivers and it is up to Perrin and his merry band of plucky farm folk to fight them off. It’s a crime that we had to wait four books for an honest to God battle but we’ve finally gotten it, and it is glorious. OK, maybe the First Battle if Emonds Field wasn’t so great, but the skirmishes that proceeded it, and the siege that followed, were all grade A stuff. Not only that, but we finally see a worthwhile romantic relationship develop between the ONLY likeable-dare I say loveable- female character, Fail, and her hairy blacksmith Perrin. I cannot tell you how happy I am to have a female character I actually like. Before Fail came along I cringed every time a female in this series open her mouth. Now I only cringe when a female who isn’t Fail opens her mouth. PROGRESS.On a side note, TSR is the first book in the series to acknowledge that sex exists, and that it’s something young people might want to do. With each other. This isn’t A Song of Ice and Fire; there are few nude scenes and no sex scenes, but it really helps mature the series to at least admit sex is a thing. I half suspected people reproduced via cuddling.And then we get to the Tanchico subplot. There is a cancer in this series, a cancer eating away at its very soul. A disease that if not cut out will forever ruin any enjoyment this series might give me. I’m speaking of course about. Nynaeve, Nynaeve, Nynaeve, why is this woman still a main character? Why is she still hanging around, infecting good story lines with her crap? I swear if I have to listen to her whine and complain about how mull headed men are, or tug on her braid, or act out in that arrogant way she does, I’m going to start skipping over every chapter she appears in. I’m serious, I’m that sick of this woman. I’d take Joffery from Song of Ice and Fire over Nynaeve. That's how much I hate her. Wheelers, for the love of God, please tell me Jordan kills this woman off . I might have liked the Tanchico plot if not for her,even Elayne didn’t bother me TOO much. But my God people, did Jordan hate women or was he really just that out of touch?SPOILERBut for all the Nynaeve hate I’ve expressed, even I have to admit this book ended with a bang. From Perrins heroic last stand in the Second Battle of Emonds Field, to Rand outsmarting Lanfear, and even Nynaeve’s extremely epic magic battle with one of the Forsaken, its, dare I say, even better than the ending to book two. Hell, even Min, who only appears for a few brief chapters (well, at least what could be considered brief for a Wheel of Time book) has some really amazing moments that had me on the edge of my seat. The ending is what really gets this book a five star rating for me.In conclusion, I’m happy to see Wheel of Time finally, in my mind, drag itself out of mediocrity and become something truly great. The series as a whole may be less than stellar, but this book is amazing. Let’s hope the follow up, The Fires of Heaven, can live up to this one.

The Shadow Rising, my favorite in Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time, is a stunning fourth book. Rand’s raw journey as the Dragon Reborn, Perrin’s heroic stand, and Egwene’s magical growth shine in a richly crafted world. Vivid prose, taut pacing, and gripping twists blend action, politics, and lore, making this epic fantasy a masterpiece.

The book talks about the different types of power, political, magical and personal. The characters struggle with their destinies and choices they make. The bonds between characters are tested again as they face challenges significant to loyalty. The ongoing battle between good and evil is a central theme.

Absolutely loved this book! I haven’t finished the series yet but this is my favorite one that I’ve read so far.

The Stone of Tear has fallen. Ishamael has been defeated by Rand. Be'lal has been balefired out of existence by Moraine. The Dragon has been reborn. So ended the previous book. Rand rules Tear but all across the world nations are at war and people are on the move. Now Rand must somehow learn to channel while all around him the Forsaken plot his downfall and others merely plot his death so the way things were can return.In The Shadow Rising, the protagonists of the series all find themselves in Tear for a brief interlude before they once again disperse. This seems to be one of the ways Jordan liked to write. Every so often the protagonists would come together before going off in small groups to different parts of the world. It made the narrative coherent for small bits of the book, but the dispersal mechanism allowed Jordan to explore his world building more. Not that I am complaining. The descriptions are informative, if overly verbose. Seriously, his editor should have done a better job. Still, the section on Tear is pretty good stuff. Trollocs. Battles. Kissing in corners. Not too many descriptions of dress materials. Lanfear makes an appearance and there is a lot of diplomatic maneuvering.Now Rand, Mat, Egwene, Moraine, and the Aiel head to Rhuidean via the portal stones. Rhuidean where Rand means to bind the Aiel to himself by proving that he is He Who Comes With the Dawn. Rhuidean where Mat must go or he will surely die. Rhuidean where Egwene will go to find answers from the Wise Ones about how she can become a dreamwalker. And Rhuidean where Moiraine will do what she must to ensure that Rand stays alive to face the Dark One. The parts of the book that take place in the Aiel Waste are some of my favorite of the entire series. In particular, Rand going through the ter'angreal that shows him his ancestors' past all the way to the boring of the hole during the Age of the Legends and the beginning of the Collapse. Those two chapters are probably my favorite of the entire series and the reason I give this book five stars. It is also here in the Aiel Waste that we learn about the customs and history of the Aiel. And what an interesting people, especially given the past. Here it is where we see Aviendha again (you met her in The Dragon Reborn). She is one of the new protagonists added to the series. Just be happy that there is really only one main protagonist added to the series here.I've purposely left out what happens to Mat and Egwene in the Waste because honestly, their plot lines are really not that important or that interesting. As per usual since The Great Hunt, Lanfear stalks Rand's dreams, wants him as her own, and plots to get him to be hers. New antagonists are introduced and the climax of the book occurs in Rhuidean against a Forsaken. And a chora tree gets hurt. Sadness.There are two other sections to the book. One finds us following Elayne, Nynaeve and Thom as they journey to Tanchico hunting for the Black Ajah. Forsaken in this plot line too - Moghedian. What does that mean to you? Nothing yet.The other plot line follows Perrin, Loial, and Faile in the Two Rivers where they journey to protect Perrin's home from Trollocs, Whitecloaks, and worse. It is here that Perrin transforms into one of the stronger leaders of the series. It is also here that Faile becomes even more annoying. How is that even possible when she was so annoying in The Dragon Reborn? You've been warned. Again.Oh and I suppose there is one tiny other section of note concerning Min, The White Tower and the Aes Sedai there. I suppose its important. ;)I've been keeping track of the sniffs in the book because Jordan has his women sniff way too much. Jordan does a lot of things way too much. For this book,Faile - IIIIINynaeve - IIIII IIEgwene - IIJorin - IMoiraine - IMarin al'Vere - IAdine - IBair - IMelaine - IILiandrin - IJeaine - IElayne - IILeane - IIRendra - ILanfear - IAnd for the four books so far,Nynaeve - IIIII IIIII IIIII IMoiraine - IIIII IIElayne - IIIII IIEgwene - IIIII IFaile - IIIIILeane - IIIIMin - IIElaida - IILiandrin - IILaras, Mistress of the Kitchens - IICook at Inn - IIMelaine - IIFemales in Crowd - IWoman in Fal Dara - ISuian Sanche (the Amyrlin) - ISelene - ISuroth - IBornhold - IWomen of Emonds Field - IVerin - ITavern Wenches at the Woman of Tanchico Inn - IAludra - IAilhuin - IJorin - IMarin al'Vere - IAdine - IBair - IJeaine - IRendra - ILooks like Nynaeve is clearly winning. I don't know if any of the others will overtake her.

Loved rands arc. Looking forward to the next book. Great continued character building. Blossoming of relationships. My favorite book so far. On to book 5.

I can hardly wait to get the next book. The story gets better and better as each chapter unfolds and the story deepens.