A Crown of Swords (The Wheel of Time #7)

Author: Robert Jordan

Rating: 2/5

Too long and pointless to summarise.

Spoilers ahead.

Detailed Summary

Elaida sends Red sisters to the Black Tower to gentle the Asha’man. Alviarin is in the Black Ajah and learns to Travel. Sevanna and other Wise Ones who can channel attack Rand but are defeated. They summon Caddar. Galina Sedai is captured. Caddar gives them the Oath Rod. Morgase asks Niall Pedron to help her take back Andor. He learns of Seanchan attacking and is murdered. Valda takes over and rapes Morgase(?). Morgase is taken by the Seanchan and presented to Suroth. Rand hands over control of the Aes Sedai to the Wise Ones. They return to Cairhien where Colavaere has taken the throne. Rand strips her of her titles and sends her to a farm where she commits suicide. Rand learns of Aes Sedai in Cairhien. Rand is accused of being mad by Cadsuane Sedai. Min and Rand confess their love for each other. Perrin and Rand pretend to fight over the Aes Sedai prisoners so that Rand can send Perrin away though he’s actually going to Ghealdan. Rand meets the Sea Folk where his being ta’veren puts everything in his favour. He goes to Caemlyn and meets Caraline Damodred who’s opposing him. They have Aes Sedai with them. Rand and Toram, Caraline’s cousin, duel with practice swords but are stopped by a fog attacking the camp. Rand uses balefire. Padan Fain stabs him with the dagger from Shadar Logoth. Samitsu, an Asha’man partially Heals him. Rand wakes up a few days later and is healed by the other Aes Sedai. He Travels to Bashere and his men and attacks Illian. They set off Sammael’s traps and Rand chases Sammael to Shadar Logoth where he sees an Aiel maiden who had sacrificed herself for him (Liah). A man helps Rand defeat Trollocs and Rand goes to the Waygate and uses balefire. Sammael disappears. Rand is crowned King of the Council of Nine in Illian.

Meanwhile, Moghedien is taken by Shadar Haran. Egwene struggles to control the Aes Sedai in Salidar but she and Siuan manipulate them into marching to the White Tower. Nicola tries to blackmail Egwene about pretending to be Aes Sedai but this backfires. Egwene tells Amys et al. that she’s the Amrylin. Theodrin and Faolain swear fealty to Egwene. Halima Heals Egwene’s headaches. Egwene learns of Lan in the camp and sends him to find Nynaeve. Elayne and Nynaeve along with Mat and company go to the Sea Folk to find the Bowl. Mat and Birgitte get along and reveal their secrets (Birgitte being the original, Mat and his memories). Mat meets Tylin who really takes a liking to him and has lots of sex with him. Elayne and Nynaeve are taken to the Kin, women thrown out of the Tower. Nynaeve is attacked by Moghedien but she surrenders to the Power. Lan rescues her too and they get married. They all go to the Kin and together find the Bowl. Mat saves Elayne from a gholam. They return to the palace and Mat uses his ta’veren skills to get the Sea Folk to follow Elayne and Nynaeve’s orders. Mat goes to find Olver and is trapped beneath a wall.

Plot and Pacing

Argh, this book had so little happening in it that it could have been EASILY condensed into three hundred pages. That’s what really annoys me about this series! If someone had just bothered to edit Jordan’s work, I wouldn’t feel such animosity towards his writing! I don’t mind that not much happens in this book. What I mind is that it was dragged out for seven hundred fucking pages. I don’t fully understand what the hell is happening with the Seanchan or the Sea Folk. I get that everyone has their own story of the Dragon Reborn, their own version of events that is. And different titles and stuff but I don’t understand what exactly the bargain was between the Sea Folk and Rand, and then with the other Sea Folk with Mat. Also, Nynaeve’s moment of surrendering to the power wasn’t as badass as I remember it being and that really bothered me. I think I might have mixed up scenes from different books. It was pretty cool that she finally got to marry Lan though he’s still quite hollow from Moiraine’s death. I have a feeling she’s going to come back–Moiraine. I vaguely remember Min mentioning that Moiraine was the only exception to her viewings coming true.

Speaking of Min, my GOD her relationship with Rand is so weird. Why is it that the second someone falls for Rand, they lose all their personality? I want the old Min back! Even Perrin was getting on my nerves. Him and Faile both! Mat was the only character I truly liked from this book. Well, him and Birgitte. However, I felt very uncomfortable reading Mat’s sex scenes with Tylin. She essentially raped him. He breaks down crying quite a few times in the book and begs her to stop but she just keeps going! And it’s SO messed up! And then all that is flipped on its head when Mat says that next time they meet, he’ll do the chasing. Matrim Cauthon, what the HELL is your position on consent???

Elayne and Nynaeve trying to be all mysterious with Mat also got on my nerves. So many of the plot points could have been fixed if everyone just TALKED. Fucking hell. I get that everyone is suspicious of one another but Mat, Elayne and Nynaeve were clearly on the same side (though Elayne didn’t want to return to Caemlyn just quite yet). I wished they could just sort things out civilly. But nope. It takes the two women like three hundred pages to apologise to Mat for treating him like an idiot.

At this point, I’m just so tired of Wheel of Time. I can’t wait to finish this series.

Characters

I felt that all the characters were REALLY dumbed down. For instance, Perrin and his keen sense of smell. He can smell that this faux-Aiel character near the start of the book smells jealous of Min. And Perrin just goes, “Oh, what is she feeling? Women are soooooooo confusing!” Like, dude, you literally just STATED she smelled jealous! It doesn’t get more complicated than that! What’s there to question? And Faile becoming jealous at the smallest things really got on my nerves.

Oh and ALL the women are just obsessed with clothes now? Nynaeve spends about a page thinking about cream dresses showing cleavage or something along those lines when there are more pressing things to think about. And then she goes, “Thinking about dresses is soooo comforting!” I swear I rolled my eyes so hard I could hear them rattling in their sockets. There’s also the recurring theme of women being greater than men which I thought was quite funny near the start of the series but now is getting a bit on my nerves. One sex doesn’t need to be superior to the other. Why can’t we all just be equal?

The only characters I liked, as mentioned, were Birgitte and Mat. I really want to see their relationship fleshed out. Their banter was so wonderful and it was nice that Mat saw Birgitte as a pal.

Writing Style

Nuff said. I think I’ve waxed on long enough about how infuriating Jordan’s writing is.

And what’s this? Another casually signed copy of the book?