The Shadow Rising
Robert Jordan
1006 pages
published in 1993

The Shadow Rising is the fourth book in Jordan's Wheel of Time series. In my view it's the point where the series really started to balloon. For a start it's some 300 pages longer than the previous installment, but the plot as well gets bigger and more complicated. The most common criticism of the Wheel of Time (apart from those who, perhaps unfairly, reject it out of hand as sub-Tolkien crap) is that the story stopped progressing halfway through the series; the seeds for this are sown here. In many ways this is the watershed in the series, between what Jordan started with, a fairly linear story in the Tolkienesque mold and what it ended up being, perhaps the most complex fantasy series ever written weaving half a dozen separate storylines together into an almost coherent whole. This is the first book in the series in which the various plotlines do not come together neatly at the end of the book, nor are intended to.

But this is not the sole reason as to why this is a watershed in the series. The character of the series also changes, from being largely a quest based story to one of a more political nature. Rand al'Thor has declared himself the Dragon Reborn, drawn the sword that's not a sword and the unfallen fortress has fallen. From now on he has a nation and a army behind him, he has revealed himself to the world and the stakes have gotten that much higher. From now on he can no longer led himself be lead, he has to lead himself. And while his friends may still be his friends, their interests and his may no longer completely match...

The story begins in Tear, with for once all the principal players, Rand, Mat, Perrin and Faile, Egwene, Nynaeve and Elayne, together on the same stage. But not for long, as Perrin hears rumours of the Whitecloaks coming to the Two Rivers; he knows they've come looking for him, for killing two of their number and he intends to deliver himself to them. He hopes to keep Faile out of this, to spare her the hurt, but it is not to be. Once back home Perrin realises more is going on than just Whitecloaks looking for him and circumstances force him to become a leader of men.

Mat on the other hand wants to leave as well, but he finds that he cannots; every time he thinks of leaving, something distracts him, as it seems Rand may still have need of him. Mat's still plagued with the loss of his memories during the time he was consumed by the dagger from Shadar Logoth, and looking for a way to get his memories back may yet be fatal to him...

Nynaeve and Elayne still need to hunt down the rest of the Black Ajah, a task they were set in the previous volume, but Egwene knows her destiny lies elsewhere for the moment, in the Aiel Wastes, to learn how to become a dreamwalker. Unknown to her, Rand has also decided that's where his destiny lies, as he has to convince a proud, ancient and tough people that he is the long awaited leader that will unite them, almost destroy them yet in the end be their only hope for salvation when the Last Battle comes.

This is one of my favourite volumes of the series, together with The Dragon Reborn and The Fires of Heaven. Here, Rand finally graps his destiny but has not yet become the caricature of the later volumes. The plot moves quickly, again unlike later volumes and as always the chapters following Mat are pure fun. This is also a volume in which Perrin shines, with the story of his return to the Two Rivers and reluctantly becoming a leader there at times touching, especially the last stance against the Trollocs, which in its death or glory pathos is worthy of a David Gemmel.

Yes, some of the developments here are on the ridiculous side, the Aiel being the biggest example. Here we have a desert people, lacking horses or swords, yet supposed to be the best fighters in the world, able to defeat all other (Medievaloid) armies in the world, and existing in such numbers that they can field tens of thousands, even hundred of thousands of warriors where everybody else thinks a big army is one with a couple of thousand men? Ridiculous.

But fun. And that's what matters.

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