Binge Project: ‘The Wheel of Time,’ Book 6

Welcome to the Binge Project series! These Binge Projects will feature me reading or watching an entire run of comics, books, TV shows, or other media in rapid order, then writing expansively about the experience. This installment will be a slower process, as I work my way through the lengthy “The Wheel of Time” book series. 

Previously: Book 1 (The Eye of the World), Book 2 (The Great Hunt), Book 3 (The Dragon Reborn), Book 4 (The Shadow Rising), Book 5 (The Fires of Heaven)

And now, The Wheel of Time Book 6: Lord of Chaos.

I’ve made reference to what a long series The Wheel of Time is in every entry of this Binge Project, and there’s a reason for that. After six books, I’m not even halfway through this series; we’ve come so very far, it’s almost hard to believe we have even farther to go. As I’ve made my way through these books, I’ve often found myself wondering: how will Robert Jordan (and Brandon Sanderson) stretch out enough material for 14 books?

Lord of Chaos starts to give some possible answers to that question. Rand was plowing through the Forsaken at a pretty quick pace in the first five books. Balthamel and Aginor went down in Book 1; Be’lal and Ishamael in Book 3; Lanfear (maybe) and Rahvin in Book 5, with Moghedien chained. That’s more than half the Forsaken killed, presumed dead, or neutralized in just five books, and we were set up to expect a resolution to Sammael in Book 6. While the Forsaken aren’t the only foes Rand can face before Tarmon Gai’don, they certainly seem to be the most formidable (and as a reader, the coolest). So Lord of Chaos began walking back ways to extend that threat. I thought there was no way we wouldn’t see a showdown with Sammael in this book, but that entire plan gets distracted and pushed to the back burner, allowing Sammael at least another book (or more?) to survive. Moghedien gets broken out at the end, though she feels a little less threatening after seeing her beaten twice (plus seeing her chained for the entirety of this book). But most important of all was the introduction of the mysterious Osan’gar and Aran’gar, who certainly appear to be Forsaken reborn into new bodies. Which ones are unclear, though both seem to have been men (though Aran’gar is in a female body now) from the saidin references, which would eliminate Lanfear. Rahvin was also eliminated by what Shaidar Haran said, and if Rahvin is out because of baelfire, Be’lal should be, too. That only leaves our first two deaths, Balthamel and Aginor, or Ishamael. Ishamael re-entering would make some sense, but I don’t think it’d be that way; I’m going with Balthamel and Aginor.

In any event, the possible renewed threat of two more Forsaken is another obstacle to help extend the series. The mysterious Shaidar Haran himself is, as well. What’s his deal? He’s obviously not just a Myrddraal. Could the Dark One have put some of himself into a Fade? I’m not sure what’s up there yet. But I was intrigued by a couple oblique references to Tarmon Gai’don not being the end. It could mean just be a reference to the Wheel of Time itself being eternal, but I wonder if there’s any chance that the series doesn’t end with the big showdown between Rand and the Dark One. Given Jordan’s appreciation for Tolkien, the idea of significant fighting after the seeming “big” battle could make sense.

It would also make sense because some things seem like they just can’t go on for eight more books to find a resolution. The increasing heat is hopefully nearing its end, but Rand’s battle for sanity surely can’t go back and forth for that many more books. The end of Lord of Chaos hinted at an impending partnership between Rand and Lews Therin, which should help, but there’s still the Dark One’s taint on saidin with no end in sight. Yet Jordan has proven himself adept at overcoming seemingly big obstacles in the story while always leaving plenty more story ahead.

Nevertheless, Lord of Chaos felt like it was finding ways to extend, or even slow down, the series in other ways, too. Nynaeve had her big healing moment, and she and Elayne were raised to full Aes Sedai, if not in the eyes of some of their sisters. Yet the duo were denied a chance at another big event when the action in Ebou Dar dragged on and the book ended without them discovering the bowl to set the weather right. Tied with that was Mat being taken from his role as the hammer to worry Sammael, and Elayne’s place on the Lion Throne delayed further (as is the reveal of Morgase being still alive). Those were some significant plot points that I hoped and expected more movement on than we got in this book.

Which is not to say that the book was without any big steps. After plenty of hinting, we finally saw Egwene raised to Amyrlin Seat, and the Salidar Aes Sedai begin their march to reclaim the White Tower. Egwene has become a harder woman through her time with the Wise Ones; her apprenticeship with the Aiel was not always that engrossing to me, but she emerged from it a more interesting character. Half a book of watching her learn to manipulate her way into real power after being set up as a figurehead was easily the most interested I’ve been in her character the entire series.

If only other women fared as well in Book 6. After Jordan’s gender problems lessened considerably in The Fires of Heaven, they came roaring back for much of Lord of Chaos. Mat’s interactions with Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne were all painful and genuinely hard to get through; something about him interacting with any of that group brings out the worst in Jordan. Nearly as bad was Faile turning into a jealous witch in the book’s final act. The return of Perrin and Faile was not nearly as enjoyable as I wanted/expected it to be, largely because Jordan fell into the movie executive groupthink that audiences only enjoy watching people fall in love, not be in love. It’s a logical fallacy that made both characters considerably less fun.

But I will concede that Jordan does do “falling in love” pretty well. I’m often not sure why characters are attracted to each other, but I’ll still like watching them come to terms with it. For instance, Rand and Min. I get why Rand would find himself falling for Min — Min is fucking awesome, and the best female character in the series — and why he would be reluctant to admit to himself he’s falling for her, since she’ll be the third woman he’s fallen for, not even counting his initial attraction with Egwene. I don’t really get what Min sees in Rand, especially as he gets more nutso, but I genuinely enjoyed watching them together. I didn’t enjoy Egwene and Gawyn quite as much, but probably because I haven’t seen a single reason to like Gawyn at all. I’m looking forward to Lan returning now that Nynaeve is Aes Sedai; that might be the most promising remaining romance.

Elsewhere, Mazrim Taim proved to be a fantastic new addition to the cast. Surely he has some big secret; even with the benefit of Rand’s strong ta’veren pull, it seems like too big of a coincidence for Taim to suddenly appear twice when Rand is in danger, or for him to be so insanely successful in finding men who can channel. Lews Therin’s hatred of him, and his one-time invocation of Ilyena while ranting about that hatred, made me wonder if Taim could be Ishamael, but I don’t see a way to work that into the timeline, with Taim having been around a while before entering with this book. I’m hopeful Logain meets up with Rand and Taim later, now that he’s cured, because that might add an even more interesting twist to their dynamic.

Which brings us at last to the Battle of Dumai’s Wells. Since Jordan took us away from any Sammael confrontation, it looked fairly late in the book like there was a hole for a big climax to this installment. Knowing that Jordan always ends with something good, I was ready for a surprise but certainly starting to get curious when it’d come. Then came Rand’s kidnapping by the White Tower delegation — which in retrospect, I should have seen coming, but didn’t — and the battle to get him back, a series of events that gave us a wonderfully exciting final 100 pages. So many forces converging at the same place at the same time was reminiscent of the Stone of Tear battle in Book 3, but with far more firepower present this time. The Asha’man are going to a major force, from the wanton destruction we saw near the conclusion, and Rand continues to go only more powerful and more brutal. He’s nearing the point of going from hero to anti-hero, an enjoyable character arc.

As fallible as we’ve already seen Aes Sedai to be, it’s amazing that their kneeling to Rand still gave me chills, but it did. In a book that was largely about setting the stage for longer sustained action, we still ended on big moments with repercussions to come. With Rand’s trust eroding, what will be his relationship with Egwene upon learning she’s Amyrlin? Have we finally seen the last of the Shaido? I assume Sevanna has more in her, with that mysterious cube, but I wouldn’t mind seeing the rest of that group going away. And of course, what the hell is the Dark One’s plan that Demandred has in motion?

Plenty more goodness to come. Almost halfway there.

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NEXT TIME: A Crown of Swords, Book 7 of The Wheel of Time