Crossroads of Twilight (The Wheel of Time) (edição 2003)

Series is definitely getting better. Looking forward to the resolution of all the plot lines, or at least hoping they start to tie in together more. ( )

I love the wheel of time series and I've been reading the series since the 90's and I've reread these books at least 4 times and I always say the whole series is my favorite whenever anybody asks which books I like.

The way Robert Jordan describes his world, he does it in such detail that you can picture it in your mind and I just love his characters he created. He has so many characters that have there own storyline and there own adventures they go on and I love following them. Sometimes I go back and reread individual characters storyline and each reread I discover something new about them because Robert Jordan is so detailed with his characters that sometimes you don't catch everything on the first read.

I would recommend this series to anybody.
( )

If you're looking for a treatise on how clothes affect behavior and viewer perception, the stupidness of political maneuverings, the importance of maintaining a mask of serenity on your face at all times, and the frustrations of being kidnapped or stuck in a circus, look no further--this book has got it all.

The first time I read this book I was so excited to get an Asha'man POV post-cleansing. I wanted to see how Rand and Nynaeve were doing. I was looking forward to Faile being rescued and Mat moving on with his life.

Any normal person would have indulged their readers a bit by giving them at least some of this awesomeness. But Robert Jordan, as I've said before, isn't normal. Instead, we have to get through 500 pages of character after character's reaction to the cleansing, and it's basically the same every time: Aes Sedai/Asha'man freak out, try to run away/try to find a way to get to the beacon of Power, and then it stops and no one even knows what just happened. Typical Wheel of Time uninformedness. By the time we finally catch up to "current" events, I am desensitized to the excitement of it all because I've been locked in Jordan's ramblings for longer than I care to think about.

What really irritates me, though, is that it takes books for the cleansing to fully take its effect on society. You'd think something that big would have drastically changed the world--but no, characters still don't talk to each other, characters still insist on thinking they're better/smarter than everyone else, and the world spins even further out of control. It doesn't give you much confidence in the Light-side warriors.

For some reason though, I have read this book three times. Every read-through I hope to get more out of it and get better at reading between the lines, but the fact is, I can hardly keep my eyes open long enough to read the actual words, let alone pick up on the subtle clues Jordan is giving us. Why can't he just say stuff right out, and in just a couple of words rather than spread across books? Sheesh.

The book wasn't a complete waste, though. I'm finally starting to warm up to the Mat/Tuon thing; I actually kind of like them together now, and their "romance" doesn't seem as forced as it once did. Still sucks that Mat got stuck with a Seanchan noble, but I kind of think the two deserve each other. Egwene had a few more moments of awesome, even though the stupid Aes Sedai are STILL camping out doing nothing. It was quite a relief to end the book with Egwene being captured, because it meant that something might actually happen in the next book, though I was cautiously optimistic the first time. And Perrin finally gets rid of his axe; kind of a disturbing scene, but kind of cool as well.

The best that can be said of the entire book, though, is that we only have to spend about 7 chapters with each character (and Loial is back!) We only have to endure Elayne's boring and torturous succession plot, Perrin's sitting around and doing nothing while he is being torn up inside because of his wife's abduction, that blasted circus, and Egwene's dumb Aes Sedai in smallish chunks before moving on to another equally horrible portion of the book--but at least it's something new, right?

Thank goodness the worst is over. ( )

Almost nothing happens. I have no idea why even this is an actual book. Meaningful events could've been a couple of chapters and that's it. ( )

I think I read this in 2003 when it first came out, but now that I'm reading it I'm honestly not sure. This has to be the least memorable book I've ever read. I read 200 pages of it on Sunday and I already forgot what happened. Oh, wait, I remember. Elayne complained about how uncomfortable it is to be pregnant, rearranged her skirts, and folded her arms under her breasts. Perrin swore that nothing was more important than getting Faile back, while scratching his beard. Mat grew increasingly uncomfortable around the Daughter of the Nine Moons, who he is destined to marry, even though she looks like a bald teenage boy.

Repeat, ad nauseum, for 800 pages.

I was so fed up with this book back when I first read it (I think) that I never read book 11, which I now hear is much better. In any case, I'm going to slog through to book 12, where Sanderson takes over, and hope for the best.