After several sluggish books that introduced new plot lines without resolving any, book 11 of the Wheel of Time series, Knife of Dreams, is a refreshing change.
That’s right; stuff actually happens in this book: a deadly swordfight, two very quick weddings, a rescue, a couple of abductions and battles, a fight for a crown, a fateful letter, loss of limbs—all crammed into about 750 pages.
Don’t get too excited though; while several plot points are tied up, the book still drags in some areas. Elayne’s plotline is, well, boring to those who couldn’t care less about politics, even though we get to see Elayne in her element as future queen of Andor. The crowning ceremony is still a few books away, but at least she finally succeeds in securing the throne, something she has been trying to do for almost the entire series.
Perrin finally makes some headway in Faile’s rescue attempt, while Faile also makes plans for her own escape. Of course, the best-laid plans seldom turn out as expected, but husband and wife are reunited eventually after suffering through books of Perrin’s pain.
Both Elayne and Perrin show true signs of great leadership, but Elayne’s is slightly overshadowed by her reckless behavior and roller coaster moods, and Perrin spends too much time missing his precious wife to experience any character growth.
Mat eventually leaves Valan Luca’s circus and is soon reunited with the Band of the Red Hand. Mat and Tuon’s flirting games eventually turn to love—though neither would admit it—and Tuon completes the marriage ceremony before returning to Ebou Dar. (The other lightning-quick wedding was Loail’s, by the way). Mat shines when he is back with the Band—even though he hates battles—and his prowess is further reinforced through multiple outside character observations.
Egwene is still staging her rebellion against Elaida as a captive in the White Tower, but not much has come of that as of yet. However, Egwene reaches her most awe-inspiring level yet because of how she handles her captivity, so the fact that her plotline hasn't progressed as much as the others isn't so frustrating.
With all these loose strings being tied up, it can only mean one thing: the end is near, the Last Battle is upon us. It is actually going to happen.
Though Robert Jordan wasn’t able to finish this series because of his untimely death in 2007, he went out strong with Knife of Dreams.
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