The Dragon Reborn: Book Three of 'The Wheel of Time' (Wheel of Time, 3)

The Wheel of Time Series is one of the most well-known fantasy series ever and I have finally gotten around to reading it. I must admit to some trepidation at this point though. Three books into the series, it has not been amazing so far. Don't get me wrong, it has been good and at times very good but it has not reached the heights of the best fantasy series that I've read. This book in particular, was a bit underwhelming and had some significant flaws.The book starts of slow and I mean VERY slow. Basically the whole first half of the book seems like an extended setup for what happens later. The second half of the book picks up and has far better pacing but this was not a particularly engaging novel. There are some very interesting plot developments and the world building continues to be outstanding in this series but, as a standalone book, The Dragon Reborn has issues.For one, we don't really follow Rand's story that much in this book. That, in and of itself, would not be an issue if not for the fact that Rand is still the most important part of the conclusion of the book. So after not really having spent any time with Rand on this important part of his journey, we are all of a sudden (once again) thrust into this confrontation between him and The Dark One at the end. A confrontation that I am beginning to grow tired of, to be honest. There doesn't seem to be any real consequence to these encounters and the author has literally ended 3 straight books with them.Then we have the three Aes Sadai trainees; Egwene, Nynaeve and Elayne. For some reason, the author doesn't seem to be able to actually depict any real training in the use of the One Power. There is a lot of talk about it and the three of them all are in Tar Valon to learn but instead they basically have to watch their backs and cannot trust any of the Aes Sadai at all. They are either fleeing for their lives or being punished and made to wash dishes. There is no training or real explanation of the use of their power. Not for them or for Rand. As such the use of magic becomes like a deus ex machina. It's like an easy button. So far I find the magic system to be very poorly fleshed out.Honestly Mat kind of saves the book. I never really liked his character before but this book offers a lot of character growth for him and he is also a much-needed dose of unpredictability.Honestly, I'm at a bit of a crossroads with this series. I have mostly enjoyed reading it but it hasn't really blown me away. Normally, I would just continue on now that I have read three books already but this is a 14 book series! For me to invest in reading that many books, I need to really love it. I have already purchased books 4 and 5 so I will read those no matter what. If, after I've read them, I feel no more engaged than I am now, that will be the end of the road for me.

Love this series. Sick of every highly rated novel I pick up ending up being a young adult book. Jordan was a master story teller. His style pulls you right into his rich world, and you're pulled along and every which way as the story branches in different directions, then converges again, never losing track, always keeping you engaged. Truly masterfully woven. One thing I love is an author who creates new names that fit his world, as Jordan has done. The naming of the characters fit the regions they hail from in his world. If characters have names I've heard over and over in my own world, it seems to be a blaring indication that the author hasn't much imagination, which usually reflects in an average, shallow story. Jordan is none of that. This book carries the story forward as well as the first and second, and I'm eager to begin devouring the fourth. The story is as strong in each volume as in the first. Highly recommend to serious readers.

The whole series is better the 2nd time around! I saw that Prime had started this as a series for Telly. After the 1st episode I realized it had been too long since I read the actual books, as I was confused as could be. The series for Telly ages the characters up to entice a wider audience base (rated much more adult), hence the head scratching. However, as a juxtaposition, they are editing/rewriting at least the first 2 books now, to appeal to the YA audience, which is great for my son, who isn’t quite old enough for the books or show yet. I really picked up on so much more this time around, and being able to mark up my Kindle version for comparison/reference while keeping by beautifully woven blue bound books with the gorgeous gold leaf in almost pristine condition is quite the bonus.

Began reading this series back in 1995, loved it then. Couldn't get into anything during COVID, do decided to read this again. It is even better than I remember. The first two books really revolve around Rand, and he is ultimately the main character, but in this volume Perrin, Mat, and Egwene begin to take center stage. Perrin and Mat are two of my favorite fictional characters ever. Almost brought to tears when Perrin rescues Faile in the wolf dream and Mat and his luck is just too cool for words. I know this is an intimidating series, 14 books of substantial length and I do remember some of the late middle books dragging and losing me at times, but if you decide to take up the challenge of reading this series, at least after the first 3 books you won't hardly be able to wait to begin the forth. If you like fantasy this highly recommend

I've read the book many times and I'm reading it again in preperation for the final book coming out this Jan, 2013. I think this is another great book in the series. It's even better having read the all of the books that are out so far, because find new forshadowing that I didn't notice before every time I read it. Prophecies, hints, clues and the like that have started being fulfilled and revealed in later books. It's good reading the first time around, but you appreciate the skill in writing it with additional reads.This book is more about character development than a lot of action. That's not to say that there isn't plenty of action in the book, but I feel like it's a turning point for many of the characters. When they begin to start to realize what their roles may be. It's when they can no longer say that they are just simple farm folk who just want to go home and settle down. You're introduced to many plot threads that carry the characters through most of the rest of the series. I highly suggest people read this book after reading the first two and continue on through the rest of the series.

I've used the word "journey" rather than filler because there is good world building and a lot of character building in this book. But this does not feel like a book where Jordan intended to tell a complete tale. It feels more like he wanted to introduce us to more cultures, lands, towns, peoples and then in the last 200/150 pages he wanted to wrap it up so started making it really interesting. I'm not keen on the whole "ooh I've killed Ba'alzamon" "ooooh no you haven't" thing that's happened three times now. These happen with little reason either.However, I like Jordan's writing style and its very immersive.

This series of books are for new WOT readers. The plastic on the cover peels after use. This is a 5 star review based on contents alone. If you are a fan either buy a hardcover, or find original covers.So another Wheel of Time book! I knew this would be hard to summarise but I have gathered my favourite points and tried to be as detailed as possible. I will let you know when the spoiler-free part is done. If you think the world was big already, this book adds another tonne of stuff. It is genuinely amazing how all of it joins together into one big picture and I cannot even begin to think how Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordon satisfyingly finished such an expansive universe. Although this book is called The Dragon Reborn, I will say it isn’t heavily focused on Rand. This book however heavily develops the side characters. Matrim Cauthon, Nyaneve, Egwene, Perrin and Morraine in particular are characters that develop a lot throughout the book. I know Mat is one of the favourite characters, many who have read only the first two books don’t understand why. However, there are plenty of moments with Mat in this book where I smiled or even laughed out loud. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is questioning to continue the series.Now I am going into spoilers!Tel’aran’rhiod- Amazing addition to Egwene’s character and also interesting the concept of dreamers. Egwene’s dream test similar to Nyaneve’s in the great hunt was awesome. In fact, I think this is a foreshadowing of many things to come, particularly the third dream. The ter’angreal Egwene was given to visit that world was an amazing addition. The dream world was an interesting addition especially with the unusual ways that it works. Egwene somehow found a way to bring real-life consequences to the Black Ajah in this book, which was a good use of the new power she wields. It also leaves us with the mystery of how it links with the wolf dreams. I look forward to seeing further use of this in later instalments.Callandor- Rand didn’t use it for a lot in the book, but it was clearly really powerful. Literally has the power to level cities. So I most definitely look forward to its future use.Black Ajah- Liandrin and the other members of the Black Ajah were a threat, particularly to these three newly accepted Aes Sedai. I think some people may have found the Egwene parts slow, I simply didn’t. I found all of this REALLY interesting. However, the Black Ajah wasn’t really in a lot of the book. So I look forward to seeing more of them in later books.Matrim Cauthon- From the moment he is cured, his character flourishes. I love how he questions how far his tether of luck will take him. How he irritates everyone around him and gets away scot-free. He is a cheeky, extremely likeable character. It is such a relief that we finally get to experience him in all his glory now. His relationship with Thom Merrilin was particularly fun in this book. Thom was the serious mature character, as Mat made trouble everywhere he went.Balefire- A really interesting power to add. It isn’t clear why it is forbidden, however, it is ridiculously powerful. I liked how Nyaneve used it without even realizing what she did. It also says a lot about Morraines character that she learned to use it despite it being a forbidden power. It is used three times in the book altogether and it was described so well.Perrin and Faile/Zarine/Falcon- This to me personally was the slowest part of the book. These two are paired somehow and it is really interesting to see. However, not a lot actually happens with them in the book. It is more the arc of Perrin coming to accept her as a partner.Greymen/Darkhounds or Shadowbrothers- AN AMAZING ADDITION TO THE SHADOWSPAWN. Darkhounds were more cannon fodder to the book, despite being a force to be reckoned with. They are definitely less so than Trollocs, but they are still that nonetheless. The Greymen are terrifying and can appear in the most random of places. They are such an interesting addition to the world that it feels wrong to include them in that cannon fodder category.Forsaken: Be’lal, Ishamael, Lanfear, Sammael- The forsaken begin to take roles of Lords and rulers in this book. Sammael as a ruler of Illian, Be’lal as a lord of tear. Also, Lanfear is an ongoing threat throughout the book. Her meeting with Mat was interesting. It is interesting how she entices the selfish desires of the men. However, there wasn’t a lot of Lanfear in the book.Ishamael! I really hope that wasn’t actually Ishamael! One of the most powerful forsaken, killed with complete ease by Rand at the end of the book. An incarnation of Shai’tan himself. I don’t want to believe they have killed him off in book three, I just somehow think it's true. I was disappointed with that.Padan Fain- WHERE WAS HE? I missed this guy so much! It didn’t make the story any less bad… I just wanted more Padan Fain!Conclusion- This is a really strong book in the series. I think it is the best out of the original three in terms of it’s sheer engagement factor. However, all of these books are 5 star rated to me so far. I am genuinely so excited to see what happens next! The world is getting bigger every second in all of this and I want it!

Brilliant story line but totally ruined by extremely excessive padding , I am at this moment wading through book seven, there are whole chapters of totally unnecessary boring dross, the story so far could easily have been told in one book and there are several more to come.I will not be buying any more of this series

This is the 3rd in the Wheel of time series. I chose this after loving reading the first two books.The story is gripping and more complexities continue to unfold. I love the way the characters develop and I have become very attached to many of them. These books have everything I love in fantasy stories and are not predictable.I think these books would appeal to teenagers and upwards, those who love fantasy. It won't be long before I start book 4.

This my favourite book of the series so far, simply because of what it means to the series. Rand al'Thor sets out on a quest to retrieve Callandor and thus prove to the world he is the true Dragon Reborn. It is also the first book to really deal with what it means to be ta'veren. The story follows Mat and Perrin on separate trails to Rand, but each lead to the same location in different ways, each pulling others along. It is obvious Jordan has thought about this interesting concept and fully explores it here.Throughout the book, though, the strongest ta'veren, main character and eponymous hero, Rand, does not appear much. I believe this is a good idea. The book is all about Rand and how he may affect the world, but by not having him there, he appears more alien and you end up feeling you've lost a friend in the same way Mat and Perrin have. It's a fantastic strategy. What it also does, is give the other characters time to shine. For the first time in the series, we get to see through the eyes of Mat, and find out he is quite honourable in his own way (if maybe a little selfish about it). Perrin gets an interesting story and finds another wolfbrother which makes him question his future with his ability.Special mention has to go to one particular chapter though. 'The Hammer' may seem out of place at first, but in this chapter, occurring just before the climax, everything slows down as Perrin works at a forge for a day. Jordan goes off about the workings of the smithy and the intricacies in working with iron in great detail. He describes what Perrin is doing and why he's doing it. Perrin eventually forgets his troubles for a few hours; and for a few pages, so do we. It makes us feel for the life he's left behind and may never go back to.This book doesn't end with an epic battle like the previous one, though there is fighting, but somehow it seems more epic due to fulfilment of many prophecies,The Dragon IS reborn!P.S. I do need to say this edition has a ton of errors in it, so many, that I would feel right in saying it has not been proofread. Most of the errors can be understood, though some are more difficult, often 'stern' is written as 'stem' and many other words where 'rn' is replaced by 'm' and vice versa. 'Ilyena' was once written as 'hyena' and it took me a while to realise what was meant then. But then there are others which I can't explain away. Occasionally some words were preceded by something completely random like the number 0. It could have let the reading down a bit, but these are things that are easily fixed if the editors can see their way to doing it.