The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan

The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Read my thoughts from my 2009 reading here.

The Shadow Rising has a lot of spreading plot lines. The cast is on the move and there is more character development for everyone. Still the pace keeps up, as much as it can with all of the relationships that need to happen and with all of the conversations that need to take place. I liked learning about the Aiel, and find their cultural uniqueness to be both creative and intriguing.

What do I want to know now? What is to the east of the Waste? And across the Aryth Ocean? If the whole world is at stake, and we are aware of those other lands, they have to be brought into the story at some point. Perhaps the Seanchan will resolve one of those. ..

Who is the most annoying character? Nynaeve. She is so whiny and obnoxious. I understand that characters need room to grow. Especially this early in a series of this scope, but enough already. I'm ready for her to grow up. She is like that exasperating teenager that you want to grow up and move out, even though you still love them and want to see them succeed...

This book is still a solid 4 stars for me. Due to previous readings, and the reputation of this series as being slow and boring, I didn't know if I would still be handing out 4 stars at this point. I'm pleasantly surprised.