A Review: The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan
The wheel of time continues to turn in the 3rd installment of Robert Jordan’s legendary series, The Dragon Reborn. Many fantasy series would be wrapping up at this point, but with the gift of hindsight, we know that there are still eleven books to follow. So how does Jordan keep us hooked?
In this installment, Perrin and Moiraine continue on their mission to catch Rand as he heads to the Stone of Tear to discover once and for all if he is truly he who comes with the dawn while the three Aei Sedai in training, Nynaeve, Egwene, and Elayne, are given the task of unveiling the secret plots of the Black Ajah. Meanwhile, Mat dances with dice as he’s chased by mysterious forces.
Like The Great Hunt, the adventures at the White Tower were the first to captivate my attention. The constant power struggle between Nynaeve and Egwene is fascinating to me, and for a great while, I felt as though the novel had a strong Harry Potter vibe. Between the magical boarding school and sleuthing to uncover dark secrets, I couldn’t help but draw a comparison. But that quickly changed as the novel progressed, and the plot takes the reader elsewhere.
While Rand—the leading man himself—barely makes an appearance in the novel, his two best friends Perrin and Mat do. I enjoyed Perrin’s story, but it’s really Mat’s story that shined for me because we finally get to see his special place in the pattern emerge and see him struggle with being the rogue he’d like to be and the hero he’s called to be.
Additionally, we finally get a more fleshed-out portrait of the Aiel. Their mysterious culture is possibly the best bit of worldbuilding in the novel, even more than the darkhounds, Callandor, and a ter'angreal that provides the user access to Tel'aran'rhiod. Well, maybe not as interesting as the sleepweaver, but I love a properly developed culture, and Jordan delivers that with this small glimpse into the Aiel way.
The primary feature and flaw of this novel is that it is composed primarily of sidequests and “side characters” while Rand’s journey is more or less off-stage. If you love the other characters and don’t enjoy Rand, this might be your favorite book so far. But if you need a strong plot to drive the narrative, I’m afraid that The Dragon Reborn actually lacks a lot of narrative drive necessary to drive many books onward. It’s a risk Jordan took, and the reward is definitely a splitting point for the audience.
Ultimately, The Dragon Reborn is the end of The Wheel of Time’s first phase. At this point, we have our first real taste of how the narrative can sprawl and stall, and if you are comfortable with this style of braid-tugging adventure, the forthcoming novels will certainly continue to keep you hooked.
Robert Jordan’s stories were a big inspiration for me when writing my own series, The Continua Chronicles.
If you like The Wheel of Time, you’ll definitely want to check out my stories.
And your first adventure is free!
