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Book Review of The Shadow Rising (The Wheel of Time, Bk 4)

The Shadow Rising (The Wheel of Time, Bk 4)
reviewed on + 22 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3


Having declared himself the Dragon Reborn, Rand al'Thorspacing correct must proceed to fulfill the prophecy that he will protect the world from the return of the Dark One. Jordan's hefty addition to his massive series begins very much in medias res as an unknown danger threatens the city of Tar Valon, home of the powerful, nunlike Aes Sedai. In a whirlwind of uncertainty stirred up by the conflicting motivations of such groups as the Whitecloaks, the Darkfriends and Trollocs (among an abundance of others), Rand travels to the city of Rhuidean in the Aiel Waste for answers. (synopsis by Reed Business Information, Inc.)

I have to admit that I never finished this book, and this is the one that made me abandon the series. (Not a great way to try to sell the merits of this book, but I want to be honest.)

The 1st book, Eye of the World, was decent, while the follow up, The Great Hunt, made me want to read more. So I delved into the 3rd book, The Dragon Reborn. I could hardly wait to read this, the 4th book in the series.

It started out well enough, but, alas, it degenerated into characters displaying annoying tics. One of the worst ones was a female with a long braid down her back (see, I've even blocked out her name, it was so bad to me) pulls on it whenever she got angry or upset. And she seemed upset at every man that crossed her path, save one. I read about 1/3 of the book before giving up.

I hope this book and the others in the series finds a good home/good homes, as these are just collecting dust at home. What a shame.