The Fires of Heaven is the follow-up to The Shadow Rising, one of the lynchpin books in Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series. While The Rise of Heaven focuses on two main storylines, it intertwines a few others into the overall tale. The book has plenty of action and story advancement, and it is a worthy follow-up to its predecessor.
The main plot in The Fires of Heaven involves Rand, now known far and wide as the messianic Dragon Reborn, and his legions of Aiel warriors chasing after the Shaido Aiel. These particular Aiel chose not to follow Rand after he revealed himself as the Car’a’carn, the chief of chiefs, in the previous book. The Shaido have shed the honor they carried as Aiel by laying waste to innocents on their way to the city of Cairhein.
Rand builds up his forces, which include Aiel, Tariens, and Cairheinian. A huge battle occurs just outside the walls of Cairhein, with the Dragon Reborn routing the Shaido, who flee the battlefield.
Mat Cauthon, Rand’s childhood friend and fellow ta’veren, finally breaks free of the pull that often tugs on those in Rand’s orbit. He flees Cairhein to find his own peace of mind but is drawn into a battle and ends up saving a force of Tariens and Cairheinians. Throughout the battle, Mat leads these men to victory after victory against overwhelming odds. He becomes a legend in his own right to the men he saves. He is now irrevocably tied to the Dragon Reborn.
The other major plot involves Nyaeve’s and Elayne’s journey out of the wartorn city of Tarabon. They are rudderless until they find out the White Tower has been torn asunder thanks to a coup from within, which we saw play out in The Shadow Rising. To escape the Whitecloacks in Amadicia, they join a circus and act in the show. Elayne, Thom Merrilin, and Julin embrace the adventure, but Nynaeve does not.
The two Accepted discover where the Aes Sedai who’ve left the Tower have fled. While with the circus, they get trapped in the country of Ghealdon. Nyneave makes deals with Galad, Elayne’s half-brother, now a Whitecloak; and the Prophet of the Dragon, who turns out to be Masema, one of the Sheinarian soldiers who went with Rand, Mat, and Perrin in search of the Horn of Valere in The Great Hunt, the second book in the series. He was also at Falme, where he witnessed Rand dueling Ishamael in the skies above the city. He has become a fanatical preacher who preaches that the Dragon is reborn.
Both men, philosophical enemies, try to help the Accepted and their party escape. In the end, Elayne, Nynaeve, Thom, Julin, Uno, and his men escape Ghealdon along with numerous refugees on a riverboat. Like Masema, Uno is a Sheinarian, but he and his men aren’t fanatics like the Prophet.
Points of View in The Fires of Heaven
Nearly 60 percent of this book is told from the points of view of Rand and Nynaeve, just under 30 percent each. Egwene, Elyane, and Mat make up another 20 percent, leaving the remaining 20 percent to be split among the points of view of 15 other characters.
With Rand, readers get more insight into the Aiel and their relationship with their Car’a’carn. We also see Rand’s reluctance to put women in danger, despite the Aiel Maidens of the Spear being fierce and deadly warriors and Aes Sedai having their own ways of protecting themselves. We often see this trait in Mat and Perrin throughout the story as well, and assume it is due to their country upbringing in the Two Rivers. Of course, none of the women they try to protect want or need their protection, leading to misunderstandings, some of which can be humorous.
Nynaeve’s and Elayne’s points of view obviously tell the story of their journey and all of the adventures they experience before finding their way to the village of Salidar, where many Aes Sedai have fled following the coup in The Shadow Rising.
Brigitte and Moghedien
When Mat blew the Horn of Valere at the Battle of Falme and called the heroes of legend to fight for Rand in The Great Hunt, one of the legends, Brigitte, found herself in Tel’aran’rhoid, the World of Dreams. She would wait there until the Wheel spat her out into the real world as an infant. She befriends Elayne and Nynaeve during their trips into the World of Dreams despite not being supposed to interact with people while she’s there.
In The Shadow Rising, Nynaeve dueled with the Forsaken sorceress Moghedien, even capturing her briefly. The Forsaken is searching for her to get revenge. Moghedien tracks down Nynaeve in the World of Dreams and captures her. While trying to save Nynaeve, Brigitte is ripped from the pattern and the sanctuary of Tel’aran’rhoid, and she appears in the real world as herself. She is badly hurt, and Elayne, not knowing of another way to save Brigitte, bonds her as a warder, which members of the Accepted aren’t allowed to do.
For a time, though, Nynaeve seemed to have escaped the Forsaken’s revenge as she enters the protection of Salidar. However, Moghedien disguises herself as a refugee and traveled to Salidar with Nyneave and Elayne. She attacks Nyneave during a visit to the World of Dreams, but Nyneave once again captures Moghedien and maintains that control after awakening.
Moiraine and Lanfear
Moiraine has pestered Rand since as long as they've known each other, filling his head with what she thinks he needs to know. Neither Rand nor the reader knows that while in the ruined city of Rhuidean, Moiraine was given a vision of her future, and she knows she will not be around to see Rand to the Last Battle.
Rand is preparing to go to Caemlyn to address the Forsaken sorcerer Rhavin, but he’s drawn to the banks of the river outside Cairhein. His Forsaken admirer Lanfear learns Rand has been unfaithful to her and attacks Egwene and Aviendha, not knowing which woman was involved. Rand fights back to protect both women, but during their battle, Moiraine leaps at the Forsaken, and in the course of their fighting, both fall through the twisted doorway an’greal Moiraine had brought from Rhuidean.
Lan’s bond is immediately broken, so he knows Moiraine is dead. To protect her warder from her death, Moiraine passed her bond onto Myrelle, a Green Aes Sedai far away in Salidar. Lan has no choice but to leave immediately to follow the pull of his new bond.
As soon as Rand knows Aviendha and Egwene will live, he leaves for Caemlyn.
Rahvin and Caemlyn
For most of the book, Rand's attention is focused on the Shaido and Cairhein. Once that battle is won, he can turn toward Caemlyn in Andor. Rumor has it that Lord Gaebril, really the Forsaken Rhavin in disguise, has killed Queen Morgase and taken the Lion Throne for himself.
Rand travels with an army of Aiel to Caemlyn, where Rhavin is waiting to ambush him. Again, Rand is pulled into a duel with a member of the Forsaken. Rhavin sends a blast at Rand as soon as he arrives, killing Mat, Aviendha, Asmodean, and some Maidens of the Spear. Enraged, the Dragon Reborn chases Ravin through the palace, eventually killing him with forbidden balefire. This dreadful weapon erases time; the bigger the blast of balefire, the further back time is erased. The result is that Mat and Aviendha are not dead, but Rhavin is. Asmodean, Rand's Forsaken teacher, disappears.
Rand takes over Caemlyn and Andor, but only to save it for Elayne, the daughter heir. Of course, he does not know that Queen Morgase is not dead. She escaped the web of compulsion Rhavin had thrown over her while he was taking over her kingdom and is in hiding.
The Fires of Heaven ends with Rand in control of Tear, Cairhein, and Andor, with nearly all the Aiel following him. Elaida, the Amirlyn Seat in the White Tower, is trying to figure out how to bring him to heel, and the Aes Sedai from Salidar are deciding if they should offer to support the Dragon Reborn and what that support might look like. Rhavin and Lanfear are gone, and Moghedian is captured. The table is set for the sixth book, Lord of Chaos.
Other The Wheel of Time book reviews:
- The Eye of the World
- The Great Hunt
- The Dragon Reborn
- The Shadow Rising
- The Fires of Heaven
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