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I enjoy watching the Star Wars trilogy. Taken as a complete entity, I think it is a magnificent piece of film-making. That being said, there are certainly some segments that I find to be slower than others. This is not to imply in any way that the series is not spectacular - it is merely a statement of fact. I feel the exact same way about Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. While the entire adventure is truly remarkable and some of the best fantasy I have read, his seventh book, A Crown of Swords, falls considerably short of some of the previous efforts. It offers occasional character development and some interesting plot twists, but, in the end, it suffers a very horrible disease: nothing happens.

Rand al'Thor is free of the clutches of Aes Sedai, or so he believes. Since Perrin Aybara and the men of the Black Tower thwarted an attempt to kidnap him, Rand is determined to make sure that all Aes Sedai kneel at his feet. He will not be bullied by the White Tower or by the emissaries from the rebel band in Salidar. For the Forsaken Sammael is roaming Illian, and Rand cannot afford to take him lightly. The Final Battle is approaching, and he must rid the world of the Forsaken if he is to defeat the Dark One.

In the secluded woods of Altara, Egwene al'Vere is preparing to lead her forces northward. She has no intention of letting Elaida, the usurper sitting in the White Tower, hold power longer than absolutely necessary. On her way, though, she encounters an old friend, one she sends to Ebou Dar to assist Nynaeve and Elayne. Those two new sisters are still searching for the ancient Bowl of Winds, an angreal they must find in order to save the world from oppressive heat. Of course, they have no idea what sort of evil lurks in the streets of Ebou Dar, and even Mat Cauthon may not be enough to save them.

A Crown of Swords is enjoyable for its continued development of characters we have come to love over the course of six books, although it is clearly a step back after a run of three action-packed books. Rand al'Thor may begin this novel as the ruler he is prophesized to be, but he regresses before the end of the tale. Mat continues to show signs of the military genius he is said to be, but he seems to serve Jordan in more of a comic relief mode, which is truly a shame. And Perrin pulls yet another of his famous disappearing acts, a trend he first began after the fourth installment. Only the return of a vanished hero and some interesting developments involving a people from across the ocean manage to add spark to this effort. Read on, though, for one never knows where the next adventure may be...

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(Reviewed 1/19/00.)