Lord of Chaos (The Wheel of Time, Book 6) (Wheel of Time, 6)

"Kneel, or you will be knelt."Has there been a more powerful or significant sentence in this series? The seeds of mistrust have been sown in Rand, and we have to wonder if the 'Chaos' in the book's title refers to the events that mistrust engenders, or the maelstrom in the Dragon Reborn's mind. Before that moment, we have rooted for Rand, empathized with him... But now we are more aware than ever of the power he wields, and the delicate balance he struggles to maintain between sanity and insanity.LOC is RJ greatest accomplishment to date, a complex, involving book with a dizzying number of subplots, plot twists, and powerful scenes. Take Egwene's character: she admits things and meets her toh with an Aiel's courage, then uses the world of dreams to get to Salidar, then find out someone wants her for something, then begins to manipulate them with a skill that would make Moiraine proud. Now consider that Egwene was basically a MINOR character in this book, and you can see how detailed LOC really is. RJ stuffs a lot into 700 pages (hardcover) and none of it seems extraneous or indulgent. PLOTTING: So many things happen to advance the main plot that I have to wonder how RJ keeps track of it all. Does he have a big blackboard at home where he diagrams the whole thing, or what? LOC has enough plot threads to weave a sweater with, and he manages to cover everybody important. The opening prologue is an excellent example of RJ getting us up to speed on what minor and major characters are doing, and he does the same thing in the epilogue, too.CHARACTERIZATION: We thought Rand was a hard man before, but after Dumai's Wells...Wow. Talk about your earth-shaking psychological impact. We also see Egwene settling into her role as a forceful, crafty leader, and Perrin as the reluctant hero, while Mat unwittingly becomes a father figure to young Olver. PACING: Despite juggling so many plot threads, RJ never slows the pace, using alternate threads to create an ebb and flow effect. For example, right Rand gets kidnapped, RJ jumps to Ebou Dar to heighten the suspense of the former thread.BEST SCENE: It has to be Dumai's Wells. No scene in the series has been more powerful, or more unforgettable. I can still see the Asha'man exploding the Shaido to bits in my mind. (Try getting that by TV censors!)MOST POV: This is a tough call. It's probably Rand, but I'd have to count chapters to be sure, because Egwene, Min, Elayne, Mat and Perrin all get a lot of attention. Then there's all the minor characters, from Pedron Niall and Morgase to Sammael and Graendal, who get paragraphs and chapters. OVERALL: For better or worse, LOC is the book that all future volumes will be compared with, and I know that sounds unfair, but...Let me put it this way - I just finished reading it, and I could read it again right away. That's how much I loved reading LOC. Sorry for my rambling on, and making the review so long. Hope it helps!

That line basically sums up the feeling of _Lord of Chaos_. This is Rand's book, regardless of what happens to other characters. Perrin and Faile reapper? That's nice. Nynaeve and Elayne have difficulty readjusting to life under Aes Sedai guidance? Oh well. Mat and the Band of the Red Hand plan for war and end up visiting the Aes Sedai? Not that exciting. In fact, only three really important things happen in this book that *don't* happen to Rand: one happens to Nynaeve, one to Egwene, and Mat makes a fateful journey to Ebou Dar. By doing so, we learn that he's really very serious about keeping his word, something that just never seemed like Mat before. So there is character development for the other characters. But Rand is the focus of the attention. Whether he's in Caemlyn or Cairhien, whether he's dealing with Davram Bashere, the most powerful man in Saldaea, or Mazrim Taim, the false Dragon, or various Aes Sedai delegations, Rand's hardening of himself is the focal point of _Lord of Chaos_. Min becomes much more important, since she is the only one that Rand fails to drive away, and so becomes the person he depends on the most, and the only one who can make him see reason. Rand and Lews Therin (in his head) have a few good conversations when Rand has nothing else to do, in what is possibly the biggest bungle the Aes Sedai have made in the series so far. _Lord of Chaos_ is filled with scenes that are emotional and touching, but also with battle (Dumai's Wells is the greatest bloodbath seen in _The Wheel of Time_ so far.. sort of a medieval battle with a few landmines added) and definitely shows the greatest character development for Rand as he goes from a suspicious but still occasionally likable guy into a machine of a man. Although this change is good in _Lord of Chaos_, it gets the better of Jordan in later books as it becomes almost impossible to sympathize with Rand, unlike in the earlier books.

I am an avid reader - I read close to 2-3 books a month. Ever since I laid my hands on the Eye of the World, though, I have been wrapped up in this amazing story. However, I feel that I need to say something about the reviews I have been reading of the Wheel of Time series, and I have to say that some of these reviewers are only in for the "quick fix". I only have one thing to say to them - "If you don't like reading, don't". This is by far one of the most fantastic and imaginative series I have ever read. Robert Jordan is a creative individual who has done an exquisite job of relating his story to the reader. He uses the descriptive voice like no other that I have read. "When something can be described by 10 words, he uses 250". So what? Do you think he enjoys writing these long books? He's trying to paint a picture of this world of his, and it's fascinating. Keeping track of the characters in the book is really not that hard if you pay attention, especially when there's a "glossary" in the back of the book to remind you if you do forget. Savor each page, each word, because it is truly a beautiful story.I have just finished Book 6, and I have to say that this story just gets better and better. Questions are answered, while new ones spring up. Mysteries that are solved only lead to deeper mysteries that you had no idea were there. The compliment of characters gives this series every possible point of view you can get. I started this series only a few months ago, and I have been obsessed by it. The descriptions of Jordan's world are almost at enjoyable to read as the interaction between the characters. Reviewers complain that the series is too long - that's because they must not enjoy reading. Me, I hope this series goes on for a while. I have never truly gotten this much enjoyment from a series of books ever. If you read this series, please have the mind set that this is not something to rush through. Lose yourself in it, get whisked away to the Aiel Waste or to Andor and enjoy the great work of this extremely imaginative author.

While other fantasy-writers always seem eager to tell their story and get it over with, Jordan really puts the story in second place. This saga is one of feeling and emotions of good and evil and of lies and truth. While reading this series you will find yourself in an absurd world that so cunningly written that the thin barrier between reality and fantasy seems to vanish. This book in particular hasn't got much real progress for Rand on his way to the Last Battle; the Forsaken are still roaming the earth and the Dark One is still terrorising the people with an everlasting summer. Still this book doesn't get boring. Jordan invests a lot of energy in deepening out his characters which I think is very important. Most writers can't get to this point, because it uses up a lot of paper. Jordan doesn't seem interested in saving paper, he knows what a good story needs. I can't wait to see Rand win the Last Battle. On the other hand, I would have to find a new hobby, then.

Despues de los problemas que hemos soportado en España para poder leer la serie, ver como un autor frena el relato para contar lo que sucede alrededor del heroe consigue que sigas pendiente no sólo de la historia central sino que siempre esperas noticias de los demás