Robert Jordan was born in 1948 in Charleston. He was a graduate of the Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, with a degree in physics, and served 2 tours in Vietnam. His hobbies included hunting, fishing, sailing, poker, chess, pool and pipe collecting. He died in September 2007.
While the armies of Rand al'Thor, a farm boy cast by destiny into the world-changing role of the Dragon Reborn, continue their progress toward the Last Battle against the forces of the Dark One, other powers seek to exert control over the reluctant hero. Panoramic in concept, yet always focusing on the individuals whose actions make up the unfolding drama, the complex interweaving of plots and counterplots continues to gain momentum. Jordan's talent for sustaining the difficult combination of suspense and resolution, so necessary in a multivolume series such as this one (which includes The Fires of Heaven, LJ 11/15/93), is nothing short of remarkable. Libraries should anticipate considerable demand for this title.
While Jordan's prose is sometimes bloated, he rises above his Tolkien-influenced contemporaries (Brooks, Eddings, et al.) with his skill at narrative pacing and his ability to create fully realized characters (though his treatment of sexuality will appeal primarily to adolescents). In this sixth volume in the immensely popular The Wheel of Time series (The Fires of Heaven), Rand al'Thor consolidates his power base and attempts to come to a rapprochement with the Aes Sedai, the female mystics who channel the One Power and whose schism lends tension to his meetings with them. The schism has unexpected consequences for three young women: determined Egwene al' Vere, precocious Elayne Trakand and braid-tugging Nynaeve al'Meara. Centering upon that trio's exploits and discoveries, and on Rand's further adventures, this volume offers several major turns of events while laying the groundwork for future intrigues. It may be be several more volumes before Rand al'Thor confronts the Dark One in Tarmon Gai'don (``the last battle''), yet, as Jordan demonstrates here, he's likely to keep his fans interested throughout the long and winding journey. 250,000 first printing; major ad/promo; author tour. (Nov.)
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