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Title: Path of Daggers
Series:
The Wheel of Time #8
Author: Robert Jordan
Rating:
4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages:
562
Words: 228.5K
From Tarvalon.net &
authored by Toral Delvar
The
four rulers of the Borderlands form a pact for unknown purposes and
take a huge army south. Verin uses what she knows of Compulsion on
Aes Sedai prisoners to encourage them to swear fealty to Rand.
Moridin demonstrates his insanity. Hanlon visits Mili Skane and sees
Carridin killed. Mili also has Falion captured, and claims to have
another Aes Sedai.
Nynaeve
warns one of the Tower embassy about the Black Ajah and Moghedien,
but is not taken seriously. The girls leave Ebou Dar with the other
Aes Sedai, the Knitting Circle and twenty Windfinders, leaving Mat
behind to look for Olver. After moving through the gateway, Aviendha
sees Moridin, so she unweaves it. This is something the Aes Sedai, as
well as Moridin himself, thought impossible. Elayne, Aviendha and
Nynaeve look for angreal amongst the things found with the Bowl. They
are told of Martine Janata, the last Aes Sedai to study ter'angreal,
who was burned out twenty five years previously, despite being
careful.
The
group arrives at the retreat run by the Kin, where the sight of Aes
Sedai faces causes panic. Alise manages to calm everyone down. They
continue searching through the things found with the Bowl while
waiting to see if anyone is strong enough to join the circle. They
find three angreal.
The
girls, along with the most powerful memebers of the Kin and the
Windfinders, use the Bowl, with the circle led by one of the
Windfinders. The Bowl unexpectadly draws saidin. It also causes the
Power to behave strangely. The Windfinders try to keep the Bowl and
one of the angreal, but Alise puts a stop to it.
The
use of the Bowl has exhausted them all, but they have to flee when
the Seanchan attack. Elayne makes the gateway to Travel and tries to
unweave it as Aviendha did, but fails, and it explodes, destroying
everything around it. Aviendha and Elayne decide to adopt each other
as first-sisters.
One
of the Kin is revealed as a novice who ran away seventy years
previously, and another admits to running away almost three hundred
years before. Adeleas and Ispan are both murdered, apparently by
someone they trust. Elayne takes the palace and sits in front of the
Lion Throne. She meets Dyelin, who says she will support Elayne's
claim to the throne. Elayne amuses her by telling her of her plans
for Rand.
Sevanna
uses an Oath Rod on Galina to make her swear to obey her, Therava,
and the rest of the Wise Ones. The Wise Ones tell Sevanna she is no
longer in control of them.
In
Ghealdan, Perrin sends Berelain to meet Alliandre. He rescues Morgase
and her party, who are traveling under false names. Faile takes them
into her service after Morgase learns of Perrin’s connection to the
Dragon Reborn. Perrin again encounters Elyas, who advises him on
living with a Saldaean.
Berelain
returns with Alliandre, who swears fealty to Perrin and grants him
all her lands and titles. He tells her she can rule for him as his
faithful vassal. Perrin goes to meet Masema and instructs him to
gather his people and go meet Rand. Masema is obviously mad. Faile is
captured by the Shaido, but Berelain escapes.
Graendal
is visited by Moghedien and a girl called Cyndane, who is stronger
than Graendal in the Power. They tell her to go see Moridin. They
turn off the lights, and, believing it a trap, she drops a web of
Compulsion on them. She is forced to free them by Shaidar Haran.
In
the Tower, the Aes Sedai deny the possibility that damane could
exist. Alviarin continues to use the fiasco of Rand’s kidnapping to
make Elaida give bad orders. She makes Elaida accept penance. Mesaana
teaches Alviarin Traveling. The Ajahs are barely speaking to one
another. Seaine and Pevara use the Oath Rod to force Aes Sedai they
believe may have told a lie into obeying them. They discover rebel
agents spreading rumors of Logain and the Red Ajah. They are
interrupted by a group of Sitters, one from each Ajah. All but one of
these swears on the Oath Rod that they are not a Darkfriend. The
last, (Talene Minly), refuses, thus exposing herself as Black Ajah.
Logain
leads a group of Asha'man to capture one of the parties of Aes Sedai
who were intending to destroy the Black Tower. He bonds Toveine in
something that resembles a Warder bond. One of the other Asha'man
states Taim will not be pleased. Logain says he thinks Taim would
rather he was dead.
Egwene
has a dream. She learns an army of Murandians and Andorans plan to
stop rebel Aes Sedai moving through Andor. She arranges to meet them.
Lelaine and Romanda both demand that they be given control over
negotiations with the nobles. Siuan believes she sees a pattern in
the Sitters ages - they are too young. Sheriam is beaten by someone
using the Power. Egwene uses the meeting to make public announcements
that the Hall cannot overrule, such that women of any age will be
allowed to become Aes Sedai and that the army is to wait a month
where they are. She talks to Talmanes, who says he can feel Mat
needing him and he wants to stay. He is going to try and help King
Roedran unify the country. Aran'gar kills two of Egwene’s maids.
Egwene horrifies Siuan by revealing she wants to free Aes Sedai of
the Three Oaths.
Egwene
calls a meeting of the Hall and convinces them to declare war on
Elaida, which gives her total control over anything involving the
war. They wait a month, and then Travel to Tar Valon to begin the
siege.
Sorilea
and Cadsuane agree to cooperate with regards to Rand. Sorilea teaches
Cadsuane Traveling. Torval tells Rand of deserters and insanity
amongst the Asha'man. Narishma is sent to fetch Callandor. Rand takes
some Asha'man to fight the Seanchan. Rand is attacked by Illianers.
Two of the noblewomen with him appear to be discussing whether or not
to kill him.
Suroth
has Liandrin as a slave and another Aes Sedai as damane. Rand
captures damane and sul'dam. They proceed to a spot outside of Ebou
Dar, where saidin is difficult to handle, and damane become ill.
Bashere suggests retreat as they are heavily outnumbered by the
Seanchan. Rand draws Callandor, but is unable to control it and
Bashere is forced to stop him. Adley is killed. Rand and the Seanchan
both withdraw.
Rand
returns to Cairhien, where Dobraine is in charge. Merana and Rafela
reveal the details of the Sea Folk bargain, which is not to Rand’s
liking. He calms down when Merana reminds him everything was going in
his favor until he left. Three Maidens give Rand a beating. Rand asks
Cadsuane to be his advisor in Illian. She demands an apology for his
rude behavior. She tells him Callandor is dangerous and shouldn't be
used. He gets upset when he learns that Elayne tore his banners down.
Sorilea brings five of the prisoner Aes Sedai, Elza, Nesune, Sarene,
Beldeine and Erian, who swear fealty to Rand. Min sees visions around
them, including one that they will serve him in their own way,
Sorilea included.
He
leaves the throne room just before it is destroyed. He sees Dashiva,
Gedwyn and Rochaid in the ruins. They attack him. He survives the
attack and they leave. Morr goes mad and Rand is forced to poison
him. Rand tells Min that they are leaving.
You can tell this was one of the shortest Wheel of Time books, not
only because of the page count of the book but because the synopis by
good ol' Delvar isn't 7 pages long. It's only 3 ;-)
This was the first Wheel of Time book I read back in the 90's that I
had had to wait for. I hadn't gotten into the series until Crown
of Swords was released and I have to admit, I am extremely
thankful for that. My recollections of this are of it being wicked
slow and nothing happening.
How wrong I was. This ranks right up there with the first book in my
opinion. Part of it is it is the shortest book and so Jordan HAD to
make stuff happen. The Bowl of Winds fixing the weather? I had
completely forgotten how that changed things everywhere so radically
and so quickly. Going from an oppressive summer to a wicked bad
winter in the space of a week or three? It definitely made things
tough for the characters.
Jordan also pretty much shut Nynaeve up for the entire book and
everything was better for it. While it didn't happen in Sanderson's
ending, I'm beginning to wonder if Jordan was setting up Nynaeve to
become one of the new Forsaken. Why else would he make her such a
horrible person and on the same level, in terms of characteristics,
as the other Forsaken? It would have explained a lot.
At this point the number of story threads is out of control. While I
enjoyed the book, there is just too much going on and Jordan
continues to introduce yet new threads. He's like a kid with a brand
new glitter gun and is putting glitter on EVERYTHING whether it
should have it or not.
Path of Daggers was originally published in '98 and I read it
upon publication and then again in 2000 and again in 2011. Each time
it has been a very different read and that says more about me
changing over the years than it does about the book.
★★★★☆
