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For those out there who wish a clear reading of this book, they may be forewarned that spoilers may be ahead.

The Shadow Rising is an awkward and somewhat tough book to read as its pacing is not up to the one set in the Great Hunt, but its strength lies in the development of the characters of the series and the progression towards their destinies. Thankfully unlike the Dragon Reborn, Jordan handles this volume’s cut scenes and shifts in points-of-view much better, giving time to most of the vital characters that have been introduced to readers. We get to see all their strife and conflicts, without the sidestepping of the major characters as in the Dragon Reborn.

I enjoyed the homecoming of Perrin, who seems to be building into a tragic figure with his family’s destruction and hard-pressed wedding to Faile. I enjoyed seeing the character of Mat strain under trying to stay away from his destiny and struggle to be steadfast to his childhood friend. The sojourn to Tanchico by Nynaeve and Elayne, their success there, gives hope to those who may be destined for much pain and suffering.

Even the minor characters reappear throughout the book and give a helping hand to the various major characters in their respective areas. The boat pilot from the Great Hunt returns to again help the female Initiates of the Aes Sedai (here, Nynaeve and Elayne). Even the thief-taker, that caused so much grief in the Dragon Reborn, tags along to help. Its somewhat confusion to keep track of the several characters that Jordan is attempting to weave into this tale, but it adds some depth that might otherwise be lacking in other series that developed this length.

I still have issues with Jordan’s having his female characters crossing their arms, Jordan finally seems to rid us of the underlining with that description, though he does sneak that line of thought back in—pages later—while describing where the dream ter’angreal and Lan’s ring hangs.

The novel moves in a slow procession to its conclusion—a battle between Forsaken and ta’veren (Asmodean and Rand). With the battle’s conclusion, Rand now has a mentor to control saidin. Its not a bad place to end the book, we have a glimmer of hope that the characters will learn their place and control their abilities as to not loose the Dark One and destroy the rest of the world with it.

All in all, Jordan has done a good job with character balance, and overall plot drive, and hopefully this novel’s trends continue with the others in the series.

The Shadow Rising
The Shadow Rising Capsule Review by Alex deMorris on 02/11/02 Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty) Jordan's fourth book in the Wheel of Time, while slower in pacing than some other volumes in the series, progresses much better with character and development that the other books would have been aided with. Product: The Shadow Rising Author: Robert Jordan Category: Novel Company/Publisher: Tor Fantasy/Tom Doherty Line: Wheel of Time Cost: 7.99 Page count: 1008 Year published: 1992 ISBN: 0-812-51373-8 SKU: Comp copy?: no Capsule Review by Alex deMorris on 02/11/02 Genre tags: Fantasy	For those out there who wish a clear reading of this book, they may be forewarned that spoilers may be ahead. The Shadow Rising is an awkward and somewhat tough book to read as its pacing is not up to the one set in the Great Hunt, but its strength lies in the development of the characters of the series and the progression towards their destinies. Thankfully unlike the Dragon Reborn, Jordan handles this volume’s cut scenes and shifts in points-of-view much better, giving time to most of the vital characters that have been introduced to readers. We get to see all their strife and conflicts, without the sidestepping of the major characters as in the Dragon Reborn. I enjoyed the homecoming of Perrin, who seems to be building into a tragic figure with his family’s destruction and hard-pressed wedding to Faile. I enjoyed seeing the character of Mat strain under trying to stay away from his destiny and struggle to be steadfast to his childhood friend. The sojourn to Tanchico by Nynaeve and Elayne, their success there, gives hope to those who may be destined for much pain and suffering. Even the minor characters reappear throughout the book and give a helping hand to the various major characters in their respective areas. The boat pilot from the Great Hunt returns to again help the female Initiates of the Aes Sedai (here, Nynaeve and Elayne). Even the thief-taker, that caused so much grief in the Dragon Reborn, tags along to help. Its somewhat confusion to keep track of the several characters that Jordan is attempting to weave into this tale, but it adds some depth that might otherwise be lacking in other series that developed this length. I still have issues with Jordan’s having his female characters crossing their arms, Jordan finally seems to rid us of the underlining with that description, though he does sneak that line of thought back in—pages later—while describing where the dream ter’angreal and Lan’s ring hangs. The novel moves in a slow procession to its conclusion—a battle between Forsaken and ta’veren (Asmodean and Rand). With the battle’s conclusion, Rand now has a mentor to control saidin. Its not a bad place to end the book, we have a glimmer of hope that the characters will learn their place and control their abilities as to not loose the Dark One and destroy the rest of the world with it. All in all, Jordan has done a good job with character balance, and overall plot drive, and hopefully this novel’s trends continue with the others in the series.