Review: The Path of Daggers - Robert Jordan (8 of 14)

Just a quick warning before I start. This review will contain spoilers from the previous books! So if you do not want to know until you have read it I suggest you put off reading this for a little bit.

With Sammael finally defeated Rand al'Thor is made King of Illian, awarded the Laurel Crown which he renames the Crown of Swords. Now he must turn his attention west to the invading Seanchan. With his armies and the Asha'man he moves to turn back their invasion, but how far can he trust the men in black coats? Nynaeve Al'Meara, Elayne Trakand and Aviendha have the Bowl of the Winds but with the Seanchan invasion hot on their heals can they use it to break the Dark One's hold on the worlds weather? Perrin Aybara is sent to bring Masema Dagar, the Prophet of the Dragon, to heel but can he lead the mighty who choose to follow him, and will the Shaido yet hinder his plans? Egwene al'Vere works to gain control over the rebel Aes Sedai before she leads the assault on Tar Valon and the White Tower itself.

The Path of Daggers is the eighth book in Robert Jordan's fourteen book fantasy series The Wheel of Time. This book stands out above the previous ones as it was the first one to to rise, immediately upon release, to the number one position on the New York Times Bestsellers list, remaining on the list for two months. It is also the shortest book of the main series consisting of a prologue and thirty one chapters. The books title is a reference to a Seanchan saying: 'On the heights, the paths and paved with daggers.' The book is also noted for the absence of Mat Cauthon, much as Perrin Aybara was absent from the fifth book, The Fires of Heaven. This is my opinion is a great shame as Mat Cauthon in the last book was just setting out by himself, creating a great deal of the humour in the book. The book takes the series back to its best especially through Rand's story line where several major events lead him to go in a different direction at the end to what we have seen before. The darker element of the book comes in from Perrin's story line, with distrustful atmosphere's and tensions created by the different groups of people he is forced to work with.

Back on track after a couple of books that slowed the pace for the story-line, compared to the previous books. The plots are event-filled and thoroughly captivating, keeping your attention throughout and never giving any clue as to what will happen next. The only blip is the absence of Mat Cauthon, but other than that it thoroughly deserves its New York Times Bestseller number one slot!

The Path of Daggers on Goodreads

Ashley