The Fires of Heaven: Book Five of 'the Wheel of Time'

4.5 stars. This is the 5th book in the Wheel of Time series, and about 1.5 years have passed since the villagers of the Two Rivers left their home with the Aes Sedai Moiraine and her Warder Lan. Since the ending of The Shadow Rising, about 2 months have passed and it is now late summer in the Wheel of Time world. The Shadow Rising ended with Rand uniting half the Aiel clans and capturing the Forsaken Amosdean for a teacher so he can learn how to control saidin, the male half of the True Source. This book is told mainly from Rand, Egwene, and Nynaeve & Elayne's viewpoints. There are also some sections told from the perspective of the former leader of the Aes Sedai, Siuan Sanche and her comrades, including another former Aes Sedai, Leane, that was her second-in-command, a man that could channel, and Min (another character, while not given as much page time in the series, does play a somewhat significant role). For those who enjoy reading about Perrin, he does not make an appearance in this book. I thought The Fires of Heaven moved along at a quicker pace than even the previous book. Nynaeve & Elayne encounter dangers from one of the female Forsaken, Moghedien, who is stalking them in the dream-world and the waking world at the same time. While Nynaeve & Elayne struggle to keep hidden from Moghedien and find the rebel Aes Sedai hiding from the White Tower and their new Amrylin, Elaida, Rand is facing just as many dangers and struggles trying to stay one step ahead of all the Forsaken trying to bring him down, in addition to chasing the Aiel clan that refused to follow him. What I liked about this book was how everything moved along faster, there always seemed to be something interesting or new occurring. Whether it was learning more about the World of Dreams, the new enemy of the Seanchan, the Forsaken, etc. I also liked how you get more insight and knowledge about the mysterious Forsaken, especially Amosdean and Moghedien. Up until this book (and a portion of the last book), there wasn't much information given about the Forsaken. All that was given was the Forsaken were the 13 most powerful Aes Sedai of the Age of Legends that turned their backs on the Light and swore new oaths to the Dark One. But in this book, you get snippets of the Forsaken and what they are planning. There was one big annoyance I had with this book, and that was with one particular character, Egwene. Her character personality wasn't so annoying in the previous books, but it seems that in this book she has gone beyond annoying for me to the point I wished I could put my hands through the pages and literally strangle her for her hypocritical and arrogant ways. Not to spoil, but knowing what is in store for this character, I can see why Jordan had decided to tweak her personality and have her change in this fashion as it becomes apparent later in the series when she becomes something more. It got very annoying to see Egwene sniff and glare at Ran

I actually was already a big fan of the book series, but these audio versions are extremly well done also, with very good narration and quality. Much better than most audiobooks I have tried in the past. Most importantly they are unabridged, which is very important with a story this complex. I was extremely happy with this product.

The Fires of Heaven is the first glimpse of what will plague the later novels. I had problems reading the first 500 pages, but after that the novel was great, even the parts concerning Nynaeve and Elayne. However, the first 500 pages probably took me four times as long to read as the last 480. They were slow and contained almost no action. I actually caught myself rereading sentences because I could not understood what they meant. But even the beginning was really too bad, just not as good as the second half, and the second half more than made up for the beginning.What happens. Rand chases Coudalin into Cairhien. Mat is becoming a great general. Rand's Aiel fight the Shaido. Moraine fights Lanfear. Nynaeve fights Moghedian. Rand fights Rahvin. Who wins? The final two hundred pages are jammed packed with action and excitement. But the best part of the novel is that Faile is only mentioned once. She is without a doubt the worst character ever created. This next line is for anyone who has read the novel already.Looking at the copyright date on the cover, it has been ten years since Jordan killed Moraine and probably twelve since Egwene's dream of Thom pulling a blue crystal out of fire. It's been ten years. When is something going to happen here. Anyway, this is still a great novel.

The fifth book of the Wheel of Time Series, compells you to read on like those before it. Despite suffering from the same ailment as book 4 (The Shadow Rising), that is too much detail, The Fires of Heaven finally gives Moiraine a place in your heart, finally unwraps any built up dislike, and truly lets you see her as a real woman. The Forsaken (or Chosen as they call themselves) play an even larger role in this episode, revealing not only how much Rand has matured but also how far he has to go.The lack of any presence of Perrin only assures me that he has a larger role in future novels in this series, and the few brief glimpses of Emond's Field in Tel'aran'rhiod give you a glimpse and expectation of what's to come.I regret that I feel at times "Where is this going? When does the end come?", all I need do is remind myself of the struggles of the people in the World that Jordan has so intricately constructed. The characters come alive as never before. Like real poeple, the depths of their personalities vary, but all are worth considering. If nothing else I can honestly say that when reading this and other books in the wheel of time, I do not read words on a page, but rather gaze about me and see the amazing and fantastic events unfold around me. I am always by the end of every installment, more than willing to read the next if only to visit with those who seem friends near and dear to me.

I am rereading the series for the umpteenth time, in anticipation of reading "The Path of Daggers." I just finished TFOH. It seems each book in the series is better than its predecessor. Unlike Knight Michaels, who writes nearby, I found a lot of character growth in the book. And, I don't see what he means by his comment about "...murdering characters...." In TFOH, we see a lot of Rand. He emerges as a complex person. He seems somehow to fully understand that almost everybody wants to kill him or to use him for their own purposes, whether or not it helps the cause. He's the only one who has a holistic view about the nature of the conflict. He hardens himself like iron, using and commanding whole nations against his own nature. And yet, three pretty girls can put him through agonies of uncertainty and self-doubting.Prior to this book, we knew little about Elayne. Sure, she's a spoiled brat. She's also delightfully spunky and adventurous, and she too is learning how to deal with smart, energetic people like Thom Merrilin in a way that will help her become a ruler. Nynaeve has a ton of conflicts gnawing at her - her relationship with Lan, her feelings about Aes Sedai and Moiraine, being challenged by Egwene, etc. The stable, quiet world in which she lived for 25 years has been replaced by a maelstrom of currents, and she's having a hard time coping. But, she's tough as nails and fierce as a tigress, and she's a heavyweight with the One Power. The scenes with her and Moghedien in the Royal Palace are absolutely riveting.Mat continues his march to becoming my own favorite character. He would take the easy way out in every situation, but The Wheel won't let him. He is a reluctant hero at best. We see his powers growing in stages, and at each stage he surprises with his capability. Rand sees it too, and tests it and exploits it as he can. The scenes in the battle with the Shaido are gripping.As far as the general relations between men and women - hey, that's pretty much on target. That's why that other book about Mars and Venus was an all-time best seller. Let me introduce you to my half-dozen sisters-in-law sometime. They make Aes Sedai look like Brownies. They even sniff at stupid men just as do Jordan's women; and we men employ that same look that Thom and Juilin use when being put upon by Nynaeve or any others. Anyway, by the time this book is ended, all sorts of momentous and exciting things have happened. It's a delightful and essential building block in this epic series. Finally, keep in mind two things. First, only about two years have passed since Rand and gang, who except for Nynaeve were all teenagers, were routed out of the Two Rivers at the start of the series. The character changes they show seem reasonable to me. Second, those who suppose that Jordan is dragging this out to extort more money out of us: think a minute. Think about placing yourself behind a typewriter 8