Review: The Fires Of Heaven (Book Five in The Wheel of Time Series) by Robert Jordan

 

Rand and the Aiel armies move through the Spine of the World, following close in the bloody trail of the false He Who Comes with the Dawn, Couladin.  

The world is already in turmoil and civil war, and the never before seen Aiel armies of thousands strike terror in the hearts of those they pass.

The city of Cairhien, already rocked by civil war, is now surrounded by Couladin's armies, who are surrounded by the Aiel army of the Dragon Reborn. How to drive them away from the city? Mat, who keeps wanting to run away, has been experiencing memories not his own of brilliant tactics that he uses to help free Cairhien.

In Caemlyn, Queen Morgase is literally under the spell of Lord Gaebril.  On his behalf she has exiled all of her allies in the city, and has been cruel about it.  She's the puppet of Gaebril, who is actually one of the Forsaken, Rahvin.  Two of her loyal retainers help Morgase fight free of the mental fog she's been in, and they make a daring escape from the city.

Siuan, former Amyrlin Seat, her former Keeper Leane, and Min are on the run with Logain, the False Dragon who was gentled.   They are betrayed by Logain who accidentally burns the barn they've spent the night in and he steals a coin purse from the farmer whose land they're on. Logain escapes, but the three women are brought to trial.  They swear an oath to work to repay the debt owed, though they're innocent themselves.  Led by Siuan, they've no intention of staying at the estate of Gareth Byrne, and will escape at the first opportunity.  They're headed to a secret city where Aes Sedai who fled Tar Valon now reside.

The Children of the Light are everywhere throughout the land.  Elayne's half brother Galad has become one of the Children. When he comes upon Elayne in a small city, he's determined to get her home again.

Elayne, Nynaeve, Thom Merrilin, Juilin and the  great heroine Birgitte travel with a menagerie show, trying to remain hidden from The Children and Galad.  Elayne does a high wire act and Nynaeve is the target for Birgitte's arrows in a thrilling act.

Everyone is on the move in this novel, trying to get someplace or just trying to escape.  It's constant peril for everyone. Action packed, yet the characters become even more defined as they try to do the right thing and stay alive.

Moon Knight: The Friendly Type

 

In The Friendly Type, Marc is in Egypt, trying to get to the location of Ammit's Tomb before Harrow does.

We find that the Marc version of Moon Knight is kind of a jerk. Even worse, there may be a third personality who is something of a vicious killer.  We don't see that version, just the bodies left behind.

Layla, Marc's wife, does a spectacular job of working with both the Marc and Stephen personalities, and calling out which is needed in a given situation. Who could be that adaptable? It almost seems to me that she likes Stephen better. Not only is he kind, but his knowledge of ancient Egypt matches her own.

In an effort to locate Ammit's tomb, Khonshu turns back the night sky so the stars match the day Ammit was buried. Layla's computer program can help match the coordinates from their former position. 

Khonshu knows this will bring down the other old gods upon him, but he wants Harrow stopped.

When the gods convene and accuse Khonshu (Marc the avatar of Khonshu is confronted by the avatars of the others), they bring in Harrow as a witness. Harrow tells them Marc is an individual who is very ill, possessed of multiple personalities. As Khonshu's former avatar, he knows well how cruel and manipulative Khonshu is.  Harrow is slitheringly compelling, and the gods take his counsel and turn Khonshu into a small stone stature.

 

Now it's up to Marc, Layla and Stephen to stop Harrow and Ammit.

I thought the episode would just be giving Marc screen time so we knew his character as well as Stephen's, and it does that, but the ongoing nature of Moon Knight's split personality, with both aspects having useful skills presents an interesting problem. Is there a way to share the body and work together?

Review: The Shadow Rising (Wheel of Time #4) by Robert Jordan

 

Coming in at 680 pages, The Shadow Rising put a big dent in my April reading.  These books are so worth it though.  I wasn't going to order more in the series till I had winnowed down my TBR pile, but they're irresistible, and I now have Fires of Heaven and Lord of Chaos in hand. 

Rand now rules from the Stone of Tear. He tries to mete out justice and encourages the nobles to be fair to farmers and any who are struggling.

Moiraine is convinced time is short and that Rand must make a move, and he says he has one planned, but he will tell no one what it is.  He has a very good reason for keeping his next moves secret.

At Tar Valon, Min, the girl who sees glimpses of the future, sees disaster coming to the Tower.  She tries to warn the Amyrlin Seat, but all comes tumbling down anyway.

With the Children of the Light moving on Two Rivers, home to all of our beloved characters, Perrin feels he has to go and try to defend his home. Time is of the essence and he takes a company of men through a Waygate with Loial's help.  

Mat, attempting to get answers, uses an ancient device that reveals strange, somehow hungry beings who advise him to go to the shrouded city of Rhuidean in the Aiel Wastes.

Egwene travels to the Aiel wastes to learn Dreamwalking  from the wise women there.

Nynaeve and Elayne travel to Tanchico, following the Black Ajah and attempting to stop them finding something they will use against Rand.

 I just love the storytelling, the writing, the characters.

Review: The Dragon Reborn (Wheel of Time #3) by Robert Jordan

 

Rumors of the Dragon Reborn's battle at Falme are everywhere. Young men who vaguely look like Rand are being captured or killed.

Meanwhile, Rand, Moraine, Lan and Perrin wait out the chaos in a hidden canyon.  One night Trollocs attack, and Rand is unable to help with the fight at all. Disgusted, he leaves, alone, determined to make his way to Tear and the Heart of Stone. There his destiny will be fulfilled, if he really is the Dragon. Somehow he still isn't sure.

 Perrin struggles to deal with his affinity with the wolves.  Part of him wants to forget his humanity and run with them, part of him fears and loathes losing himself.  He also gains a follower of sorts.

Mat, cured by the Aes Sedai of the poisonous effects of the dagger he's carried too long, is desperate to leave Tar Valon and take to the road.

Egwene, Nynaeve and Elayne continue to develop their powers, training now as Accepted.  

Within the Tower, though, the foundations of all the Aes Sedai stand for are threatened by the Black Ajah who have risen among them.  Though thirteen left the Tower, they stole artifacts and murdered some of their sisters. 

Soon everyone seems to be heading downriver towards Tear.  Another great adventure in this series.

Review: War Storm (Red Queen #4) by Victoria Aveyard

 

It's all out war in the fourth and final volume of the Red Queen series.

Cal is ready to be king, as he was born and raised to be.  Backed by various noble houses who were betrayed by his mad brother Maven, and by his powerful aunt Anabel, he feels he can win the war and restore the kingdom.

He also has a tenuous but key alliance with the Scarlet Guard.  They're essential to his successful plans.

What Cal doesn't understand, but Mare does, is that the Scarlet Guard may help defeat the forces of Maven and the Lakelanders, but they have no plans to allow Cal or anyone else to take the throne. The Scarlet Guard's plan is to make the world over in the image of distant Montfort. 

Montfort which is a democracy of sorts, operating much like a military outpost of the old, forgotten United States of America.

Let the blood flow, Silver and Red alike.

War Storm is a fitting finale to the Red Queen series.

The Eye of the World: Wheel of Time #1 by Robert Jordan

 

 If you're in the mood for an epic adventure, you've come to the right place. It begins in a quiet, out of the way village, as the best adventures do.  

It's a festival day tomorrow, and thrillingly, there will be a gleeman at this year's festival.  He tells stories, sings songs, and plays the harp and flute.  There is also a rumor of fireworks.

In a year when spring doesn't seem as if it will ever come, these diversions are exceptional. 

There are also two strangers in town.  They might be an Aes Sedai and her Warder. Unheard of here as well.

The peddler Padan Fain brings news of the outside world.  War wages to the south.  The standard of The Dragon has been raised, and men are choosing sides.  The Mayor and his council want to hear nothing of this today.

We meet Mat, a prankster.  Perrin, the apprentice to the town blacksmith. Rand, a sheepherder like his father.  Nynaeve, the local Wisdom, or healer.  Egwene, daughter of the Mayor who wishes to learn the healing arts.

Amid the excitement of the upcoming festival, Rand, Mat, Perrin, and some other young men of the town have seen a Black Rider watching them from the woods.  He says nothing, just observes.

Rand's father, as one of the council, hears this and decides to spend the night back at home.  Rand is disappointed, but they return to the farm.  Before they can settle in for the night, the door is burst open and trollocs enter. Rand's father tells him to run, while Tam grabs his sword and fights the creatures.  Rand and Tam escape to the woods.  Rand goes back in for supplies, but one of the trollocs isn't dead, and he says a Fade wants to talk to Rand.

It takes Rand all night to carry his father on an improvised stretcher through the woods, avoiding the roads, desperate to get help for his father. 

Reaching town finally, it has been attacked as well, with several homes burned.  Many were injured.  Only the presence of the Aes Sedai and her Warder saved it from being worse.

Moiraine, the Aes Sedai, tells Rand, Perrin and Mat they must follow her to avoid more attacks on the village.  Egwene, seeking adventure and the chance to learn from the Aes Sedai grabs a horse and joins the group.  The gleeman, Thom Merrilin, also decides to leave town and travel with the companions.

So begins a perilous journey, hundreds of miles through towns and farmsteads and dead cities.  The Fades and trollocs seem to be always just a bit behind, and the Darkfriends, those who want to see the return of the Dark One, seem to be everywhere.

Nynaeve catches up to the group in a city, and wants them returned home.  They've already been through too much by then to turn back even if they wanted to.

They become separated, as companions do, with Rand, Mat and Thom Merrilin trying to get east together.  Egwene and Perrin keep company with a man who runs with wolves and a group of Tinkers. Moiraine, Lan and Nynaeve travel uncomfortably in each others company.

You feel every step of the journey with these characters. You think about your dinner being cold water from a creek when you're lucky. These common folk are just the companions to keep by your side in an extraordinary world.

I loved this book, and highly recommend it.

Wheel of Time: Blood Calls Blood

 

Sooner than I would have guessed, Mat and Rand make it to Tar Valon.  I'm still reading the book Eye of the World basically side by side with the TV series, and there, nobody has reached Tar Valon yet.  Rand and Matt still have money enough for an inn in the city.  They're not in a hurry to meet up with Moiraine. Mat is sliding more deeply into paranoia under the influence of the Ruby dagger. Rand, out exploring, meets an Ogier ( a very large, slow speaking ogre like creature) named Loial.

Separately, Moiraine, Lan and Nynaeve also arrive.  They are bound to the ceremony which says goodbye to fallen Aes Sedai Kerene.  Her Warder Stepin's sorrow and inability to cope with the loss of his companion leads to tragedy. 

Egwene and Perrin, who have had a largely pleasant journey with the Tinkers, are stopped within sight of Tar Valon by the Children of the Light, and are tortured by Eamon Valda, who burnt at the stake the Aes Sedai he'd captured in an earlier episode.  Egwene does indeed have a small connection to the One Power, and under the duress of seeing Perrin's back sliced open, she produces a small fireball.  Eamon laughs at it, but she also managed to send one to free Perrin. 

At the same time, Perrin's affinity with the wolves comes to fruition as one leaps in to attack Eamon who Egwene has just stabbed in the neck.  Egwene and Perrin make their way out of the camp as more wolves attack the Children of Light.

The Tinkers, those gentle wandering souls tried to hide and protect Perrin and Egwene by linking arms to stop the Children of Light.  It looked like they took a beating, but hopefully none died and we will see them again.

The King's Cage: Red Queen #3 by Victoria Aveyard

 

In alternating chapters, Mare talks about her confinement and torture at the hands of King Maven, while Cameron, one of the newblood recruits tells the ongoing story of the Scarlet Guard's attempt to overthrow the Silvers.

Mare is as always a captivating character.  She is honest, brave, and indomitable despite months of captivity and public degradation. Even so, I had a hard time with these chapters, and thought it was hard to read.  Would she ever get out of this?  It seemed impossible.

Cameron, the newblood recruit, is not so likeable.  She's angry and resentful at being pulled, forcibly, she feels, into the Scarlet Guard.  Her only desire is to find her brother, who was sent to the front.

The characters we've come to care about, Cal, Farley, Kilorn and Julian are all viewed by Cameron with some level of suspicion or dislike.  I'd rather Cal, Farley or Kilorn had been given the narration.

Luckily, about halfway through the book relief comes in the form of a royal wedding.  Maven has secured a "peace" with long sworn enemies and is marrying a princess of the Lakelanders. His intended, Iris, is a spectacular, larger than life woman who does as she must, marrying Maven who is at least borderline mad.

Amid the pageantry of the wedding, the Scarlet Guard strikes, rescuing Mare and sending Maven and his new bride running.

With the capital city temporarily without a king, Cal's aunt, his mother's sister, begins a campaign to put Cal on the throne.  There are Silver families who suffered under Maven, and some of them may back Cal as king.

The first half of the book is tough, the second half is thrilling battles and new alliances that will either unite or destroy the kingdom.

The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik

 

It's E'ls graduating year, and things aren't off to a good start.  She shares homeroom with a group of freshman. Worse yet, as the school year unwinds, she begins to feel protective of them.  Nobody needs that.

The deadly school kills hundreds of kids a year.  Helping someone else could mean you die.

El has an alliance with several people she is astonished to call friends. There's no room for anyone else in the mad, desperate dash towards graduating and making it out of the school alive.

Somehow, once these kids have gotten in under her careful guard, El begins to ponder if she can save everyone.  All of the graduating class.  All of the kids in the school.

Once the idea takes hold of her, she balances survival, schoolwork and a master plan that will require every student to help get themselves, their allies, their rivals and their enemies out the front door.

This second novel of the Scholomance trilogy manages to be as terrifying as ever, but it's also emotional. The kids all have a desperate and foolish task ahead.

If they do make it out, how will they be received in their homes and communities?  What effect on their whole world if this essential part of society does not function to save their children from certain death on the outside?  

For once, the Scholomance itself has a say in things. 

I can't wait for book three.

https://www.naominovik.com/

Glass Sword: Red Queen #2 by Victoria Aveyard

 

 Having just barely escaped from the Arena, Mare, her brother, Prince Cal and the remaining members of the Scarlet Guard flee the new king.

It wasn't enough to force Cal to behead his own father, Maven wants death and more from his brother and "the little lightning girl".

Luckily The Scarlet Guard has its own secret base.  Filled with soldiers and refugees, it's also a cache of stolen weaponry, equipment and aircraft.

While Mare wants to find the "newbloods" from the secret list she has, those with Red and Silver Blood and stronger than both, the local leader of the Scarlet Guard doesn't trust any of these people. Including Mare and her brother Shade.  

He'd as soon lock them up or use them as bargaining chips to make gains in the rebellion against the Silvers.

Another escape, with Mare and a ragtag contingent of the Scarlet Guard on the road to find the newbloods before king Maven and his mother can kill them or twist them into something awful.

Can they rescue the talented newbloods in time and build their own small, powerful army?  Who really leads them? Should it be Mare? Does she want to lead?

Can they outrun an insane king and his powerful, mind controlling mother?

Non-stop action, divided loyalties, the constant fear of capture or betrayal keeps the story moving.  Great characters keep the reader hoping there can be a future without war.

My Review of Red Queen, first in the series  https://merlynperilous.wordpress.com/2021/08/24/red-queen-by-victoria-aveyard/