The Shadow Rising (The Wheel of Time #4) by Robert Jordan

The Dragon has been reborn, but the Shadow is equally growing in power. Nynaeve and Elayne go to Tanchico to hunt for Black Sisters, with Nynaeve encountering and dueling one of the Forsaken, Moghedien, in the process. Perrin Aybara has to grow into his new identity as Wolfbrother

Once again, I’m struck by just how brilliant this series is!

The Dragon has been reborn, but the Shadow is equally growing in power. Nynaeve and Elayne go to Tanchico to hunt for Black Sisters, with Nynaeve encountering and dueling one of the Forsaken, Moghedien, in the process. Perrin Aybara has to grow into his new identity as Wolfbrother, learning to manage his newfound powers and his eventual wife, Faille. Rand al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn, goes to the Aiel Waste to fulfill a prophecy that will end with him shattering the strange Aiel people…

The sheer scope of the book and the series is staggering. It goes beyond the sweet storylines. The level of realism achieved by this series is unrivaled in fantasy writing. Everything is in shockingly brilliant detail, even down to the peculiar customs of the various peoples and cities in the story.

The characters are just too good. It’s an all-star cast, set to rival even the characters in A Song of Ice and Fire. Each character is carefully developed, much like a master sculptor creating a masterpiece. Robert Jordan did not just write a story, he created a unique world, one I would love to have visited if it was real.

If writing could be classified along the lines of physical art, I would say this series is the height of artistic realism.

I’m greatly enjoying re-reading this series! Listening to the audiobook version was a different experience, quite interesting.