Let’s rank all 14 books in The Wheel of Time series
By John Fallon
21 years ago today, the Path of Daggers, book 8 of The Wheel of Time, was released.
— Dragonmount.com (@dragonmount) October 20, 2019
Thread! (And a note about that upside down yin-yang on the flag)
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13. The Path of Daggers, Book 8 of The Wheel of Time
Sometimes The Wheel of Time series seems to move in fits and starts, and The Path of Daggers is another book that feels unbalanced. There are subplots of interest here, such as Elayne’s claim and taking on the Bowl of the Winds, but all character development for Egwene seemed to be put on pause while Mat is sidelined.
Fortunately, some parts stand out more than the rest. The massive battle scenes are entertaining, and make up for the slower pace at the beginning of the book. There is a welcome growth in the relationship between Elayne, Nynaeve, and Aviendah, but other than that there isn’t much going on, and by the end of the book things don’t seem to have progressed at all.
Most Wheel of Time books build up to a seismic event at the end, and Path of Daggers is no different. However, this time the conclusion of Rand’s arc is messy in an unsatisfying way. At this point in the series, Rand has become rather an enigmatic character, and it might be disappointing to see so little of him. Looking at the big picture, Path of Daggers could be accused of starting a trend where subplots get in the way of the main story moving forward.