The Shadow Rising

Book Four of The Wheel of Time

By: Robert Jordan

Narrated by: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer

Length: 41 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's Summary

The Wheel of Time is now an original series on Prime Video, starring Rosamund Pike as Moiraine!

In The Shadow Rising, the fourth novel in Robert Jordan’s number one New York Times best-selling epic fantasy series, The Wheel of Time®, Rand al’Thor now wields the sword Callandor. He is both the Champion of Light and the Dragon Reborn. Now, he seeks answers to another prophecy that lies with the warrior people known as the Aiel to put him on the path of learning how to wield the One Power.

Accompanied by Moiraine Damodred, Rand arrives at the Aiel Waste and is granted permission by the Wise Ones to enter the sacred city of Rhuidean. After passing through a doorframe ter'angreal, Moiraine gains foresight while the Aiel await Rand's return, either with both arms marked by dragon symbols, validating his identity as He Who Comes With the Dawn, the Chief of Chiefs of all the Aiel - or to never emerge at all.

Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time® has captivated millions of readers around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters. The last six books in series were all instant number one New York Times bestsellers, and The Eye of the World was named one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read.

The Wheel of Time®
New Spring: The Novel
#1 The Eye of the World
#2 The Great Hunt
#3 The Dragon Reborn
#4 The Shadow Rising
#5 The Fires of Heaven
#6 Lord of Chaos
#7 A Crown of Swords
#8 The Path of Daggers
#9 Winter's Heart
#10 Crossroads of Twilight
#11 Knife of Dreams

By Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
#12 The Gathering Storm
#13 Towers of Midnight
#14 A Memory of Light

By Robert Jordan and Teresa Patterson
The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

By Robert Jordan, Harriet McDougal, Alan Romanczuk, and Maria Simons
The Wheel of Time Companion

By Robert Jordan and Amy Romanczuk
Patterns of the Wheel: Coloring Art Based on Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

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©1992 Robert Jordan (P)1997 Books on Tape

Critic Reviews

"Jordan's multivolume epic continues to live up to its high ambitions. Complex plotting, an array of strong characters, lavish detail, and a panoramic scope make this series a feast for fantasy aficionados." (Library Journal)

"The fourth volume of the most ambitious American fantasy saga continues to suggest that The Wheel of Time will also be the finest." (Booklist) 

The BEST of the Wheel of Time

Great development of Perrin and a decent amount of Mat, this novel stands out as the most emotional and most ecstatic novel in the series. This turn in the series is the most engaging and enjoyable. I have listened to it 4 times now and each time experience a tightening in my throat when...well better not spoil it. You will not regret this one!

Best Book So Far

Now totally addicted to the pattern that Jordan has woven, I have to admit this last installment was by far my favorite. YES, critics of Jordan are right in that he can describe every detail in the most mundane scenes...and YES, his characters are a bit one dimensional in their personas...BUT with a story this complex I have to admit I appreciate characters that I know won't change on me from chapter to chapter or book to book. What I think most critics miss is that this book is about the storyline and the pattern, not just about the characters that play within it.

This past week I learned that Jordon has died and that he didn't finish his last book in the series (and rumor has it the last installment is a mammoth!). I am committed to finishing this out and seeing Rand through as the Dragon reborn, finding out what Lord Perin Golden Eyes does, and discover what's up with Matt and his flair for luck and history. 4 books down, 8 more to go!

PLEASE PROGRESS

The lack of real progress in this story is driving me crazy. I'm going to have to give it up cause I just can't sit through another 41 hours of boring lack of progress.

I'm still listening...

I am struggling with continuing this series. The overall concept is intriguing but the writing is difficult sometimes. Things happen to characters that after four books we still have no explanation for, the girls are airheads at the best of times, oh Rand this and oh Rand that and all of the sudden he and Egwayne have no feelings for each other with no lead up, Elaine writes two letters that we have no insight into, Minh is supposed to be street savvy yet she sounds like an idiot when it comes to the opposite sex and someone please shoot me when Nineavh speaks. She's mean and grouchy and how are we supposed to like her or how do the others like her? Anyways I'm still listening because it is entertaining but im hoping Mr. Jordan connects the dots and smartens up the characters in the rest of the books.

Good at first, then...Meh

I stopped reading the series after this book. The tragedy of this series is that the world, the back-history, and magic system are exquisitely developed, but the plot is repetetive and the characters are hollow. The pattern of the plot (no spoiler) is a less-than-brilliant move by (insert character), which leads to an emergency, which is resolved at the last second in a maddeningly convenient manner (usually either an unlooked-for rescue or a new manifestation of magic). The characters are fantasy stereotypes. However, the books are very suspenseful, and these are common issues in all but the best fantasy. All might be forgiven except for the sheer unnecessary length of the series. There are at least two major plot lines that a good editor would have axed altogether to bring focus to a badly meandering story arc and cut the size down a bit. I would recommend this series only to die-hard fantasy aficionados who will appreciate what was done well and forgive what was done poorly.

Better than its predecessors

I have been lukewarm at best about most of the series so far, as Jordan's penchant for exhaustive repetition is nothing short of maddening, but in this book he manages to drop it (along with the omnipresent adolescent angst that manages to overshadow every significant event by burying it under a mountain of triviality) long enough to achieve a few moments with some genuine emotional resonance. To avoid posting any spoilers, I will refrain from specifics, but the most poignant are the moments of history that Rand views, and they succeed where so many other efforts by Jordan fail because he--probably unintentionally--drops his usual writing devices and gets out of the way to simply narrate the events for us. The contrast between this part and most of the rest of the series is really amazing, and shows just how strongly we can feel the emotions of the moment without having to have it spelled out repeatedly for us both before and afterward. It's unfortunate that Jordan seems to trust the intelligence of his readers so little.

So kudos to the author for some really great moments in this book (there are one or two more, but I cannot describe them without giving things away). I wish there were more like them throughout the rest of the series.

Slow and sometimes boring

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Repetitious. I wish the author would just get on and tell the story. Sometimes he picked up the pace and it was interesting. At other times he just retold what I had heard in the previous book. Pointless and boring. And the characters are mulishly stubborn and argumentative. .

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Keep it going...stop retelling

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Still do not like the voice of the female narrator - she makes the female characters sound shrewish and graceless...the author seems to think this equates to strength. They are mostly just plain unlikeable.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No

Any additional comments?

I have an ongoing love - hate relationship with this series. I will listen to the bitter end.

Excellent Book

I believe this is one of the best in the series. I can't wait for the Fires of Heaven to come out. I really pray it is the unabridged version!

In depth plot and storyline but whats with the constant and petty quarreling?!

I truly love the wheel of Time series universe created by Robert Jordan. For years I have both read listen to these books the only drawback is the petty war of the sexes immature nearly constant quarreling between the primary characters.

Its quite incongruous when comparing the lifetimes of literally earth shattering import these beings represent to the high school level judgmental pithiness and childish banter they display towards each other.

Rand and Perrin seem to be the only ones evolving into capable characters matching their reality.

Already deep into Book 4 and seriously these characters should have grown out of this by now. if it doesn’t stop soon I don’t think I can continue listening. Its beyond annoying and destroys the otherworldly fantasy element i so enjoy

lances say

Through out the Wheel of Time different threads of each part continue to get more and more intriguing. The changes/challenges each character undergoe never fail to leave you wanting more.

Narrators not up to the task

The narrators do not have the depth or range required to do the variety of accents required. Particularly the female narrator. Her attempts to do Seanchan slur were terrible. A British narrator could have managed the variety of accents better. She can barely get beyond an American accent. She also couldn't effectively differentiate between young and old. Which is annoying as I'm engrossed in the story so have to carry on listening.

Where do we go from Here?

So Rand has taken Callandor. Forsaken are falling, and Lanfear has staked a claim on Lews Therin in his sheppard costume of this age. In book 3 we were introduced to Aiel, and suddenly they are a key component to Rand's victory at Tear and at what cost? Rand must find answers, and although Tear outlaws channeling and anything to do with channelling, oddly it is their store of angreal that provides answers (albeit cryptic for now), and Mat Cauthon starts to come into his own here too.
Had book 1's journey been written with such focus and intent as this book, it would easily have been five stars and a brilliant novel in its own right. The story is clearly, firmly lodged in Jordan's mind and one can't help but imagine him over a computer or typewriter furiously churning out this brilliant continuation as it develops in his mind.
This book answers such questions as Who is Rand? What do the Aiel have to do with anything? Who are the forsaken, really? What roles do Mat and Perrin play in Rand's journey? And on Kate Redding's side, Nynaeve al'Meara, Elaine Trakand, and Egwene al'Vere really start to develop as they head to Tanchico opening up the world to the reader from the Aiel waste in the east right across to the west, in search of the black sisters that Siuan Sanche set them to hunt.
Just for the history presented in this book alone as exposition makes it 5 stars! Brilliant in every way, and the beginning of the development of Mat as a battle leader is handled beautifully!

cuts in the audio lower performance quality

Often the audio paused more than as expected between sentences where we should here the continuation of the story. this seems to be due to the cut and edition of difference recordings. I noticed this for the first time in book 3, but in this one this issue seems more frequent and it decreases the performance quality m

differing pronunciations

only thing that frustrates me in this audiobook is the narrators not pronouncing names and places the same, it makes me unsure how it should actually be said.

Brilliant!

liked book one, tolerated book 2, enjoyed book 3 (especially the crescendo at the end) and loved book 4. this book will keep you hooked from beginning to end with twists and turns you don't expect, characters growing and changing, plots thickening. Bloody brilliant!

Beautiful

My life has changed so much over the year I have read this series not so much the things that are in my life but my outlook on it. With a heavy heart I finish the last book and can confidently say with a tear in my eye this is the best book series I have read in my thousands of hours of reading and listening to them this is the first and likely the last book series that has made me cry at the end and if you are apprehensive about reading a 14 book series I can tell you now that you will not regret it at the end a phenomenal story all the way through with a pair of incredible readers makes these books my favourite of all time.

Most Awkward Moment

Just chapter 8 with Rand and Elyane it was so awkward all I heard was I’m fond of you for like minute it was so funny and awkward generally a good scene in showing the emotions of the characters.

Brilliant

I've read this series before , enjoying the retelling because off eye condition, excellent

Thank god

Thank got its finished far to long winded. Really didn't need to last as long as it did. Will I read the next book possibly not as this 1 has dragged on for an age

Michael Kramer is awesome

The story build is pretty slow on this one but it is expected considering the events of the previous book. Its interesting how things starting to unfold. Michael Kramer did an amazing job.