Book Review: Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan

Lord of Chaos is the 6th book in The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. I revisited my re-read after watching a bit of the new season on Amazon. I'll probably get through a full re-read, but taking my time since I already know the story. Here's the Goodreads blurb:

On the slopes of Shayol Ghul, the Myrddraal swords are forged, and the sky is not the sky of this world ...

In Salidar the White Tower in exile prepares an embassy to Caemlyn, where Rand Al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, holds the throne -- and where an unexpected visitor may change the world ...

In Emond's Field, Perrin Goldeneyes, Lord of the Two Rivers, feels the pull of ta'veren to ta'veren and prepares to march ...

Morgase of Caemlyn finds a most unexpected, and quite unwelcome, ally ...

And south lies Illian, where Sammael holds sway ...

Read on for my spoiler-free review, though spoilers for the prior books are fair game.

Overall Impression

This was a good book, but not my favorite in the series. A lot of it feels like set up for subsequent books rather than resolved here. Probably the biggest aspects are some of the discoveries and events in Salidar, which are sure to shake the world. A lot of the characters had some romantic sub-plots as well, but again a lot of tension waiting to be released. It feels very much a middle book in a larger series.

Plot

The story starts a little after the events of the prior book, The Fires of Heaven. Rand controls Caemlyn after defeating the Forsaken Rahvin. Moirane is gone after dealing with Lanfear and Moghedien is captured by Nynaeve. With all these victories against the Forsaken, there is some sort of plot brewing among the forces of the Dark One. While we never see the full extent, chaos appears to be the goal and indeed the various remaining Forsaken and their agents seem keen in doing just that.

There are some cool developments in this book, particular with regards to Salidar and the rebel Aes Sedai and with Rand and his establishment of several schools, both for saidin and for general learning. There is a lot hinted or promised to come in later stories.

Characters

We enjoy the same cast of characters we've come to expect and nearly all of them have some point of view chapters here. Mat is a general under Rand and seems well set in his story. Perrin is leading folks from the Two Rivers, but struggles in some aspects with his wife Faile. The romantic struggles are a big part of this book, with Rand struggling with his feeling for Aviendha, Min, Elayne and them with him, even if they are far away. Egwene likewise struggles with Gawyn, but in her case it actually feels like it moves forward- a testament to how important communication is in healthy relationships.

Setting / World Building

The setting is much the same as before, though a bit of it is spent on the larger political ramifications of Rand's conquests. He controls several kingdoms now and it seems like is poised to unite the world. However, multiple forces have thoughts on that, from the Borderlands to the White Tower to the Children of Light to lands still under chaos from the Seanchan attacks. Whether or not Rand will be blocked by ordinary forces or the Forsaken is very much in question as he continues marshalling his troops.

One of the cool things I found in this book are the schools that Rand establishes. Without spoiling much, one concerns men who can channel, which serves as the stepping stone for re-establishing male "Aes Sedai", even if the taint on saidin is still present. The other is more general and has people tinkering on farming tools and implements. There is something that looks like a prototype steam engine and it makes it feel like we may see some advances in general technology, independent of the One Power.

Final Thoughts

Overall this was a decent book. It's not the best in the series and very much feels like a middle book, but it had it's moments. There is a lot brewing behind the scenes as the Dark One's forces regroup and revise their strategy after Rand's return from the Aiel Waste. The stage is slowly being set for some explosive confrontations in books to come.