Let’s rank all 14 books in The Wheel of Time series

12. Winter’s Heart, Book 9 of The Wheel of Time

Winter’s Heart has enough great moments to help push the reader through some of the meandering middle and witness one of the biggest accomplishments for our main character so far. It’s also satisfying to see beloved characters come together once again, as Nynaeve and Lan join Rand and Min on a life-or-death mission.

What brings this book down is the side story between Perrin and Faile, which struggles to build as much excitement as the rest of the book. The big reason Winter’s Heart pushes ahead of Path of Daggers is because of its powerful conclusion, a moment that drastically effects the magic system in this world.

If you’re an avid fan, you might have suspected these three books to be at the bottom of the rankings, yet I don’t think they’re written poorly. These books are essential to moving the pieces into place for the final stretch. The thrill isn’t on par with what we expect from this series, but a re-read will certainly improve your appreciation for them.

As you can see above, it sounds like Rafe Judkins, the showrunner for Amazon’s Wheel of Time show, knows about these books’ reputations and may be doing some strategic cutting when it comes time to adapt them. As good as they are, this is a solid idea.