Crossroads of Twilight, the tenth installment of Robert Jordan’s classic series The Wheel of Time, moves the timeline inexorably forward, even if by baby steps in some areas.
This is the last of the middle books of the 14-volume series before the pace ratchets up for the home stretch. Some call these slower-paced books the Slog, while others consider them important vehicles for story development vehicles. Regardless of which side of that argument you are on, we’ve come to the end of this stretch.
Points of view in Crossroads of Twilight
It's nice to return to Egwene’s plot arc after it was absent from the last book. Jordan tries to make up for lost time, devoting more than 20 percent of the book to her point of view, according to A Wheel of Time Wiki. In all, 67 percent is told from the points of view of Egwene, Matt, Perrin, and Elayne, while the remaining 33 percent is divided between 17 other characters.
Winter’s Heart ended with cleansing saidin, the male of half of the One Power, of the taint that had lain upon it for millennia. Much of this book, especially the first half, deals with events happening simultaneously and the reactions of women who can channel to the amounts of saidar that were used in the process. No one knows what's happening.
After that big climax, Rand al’Thor gets very little attention in this book, as he goes back into hiding, this time in northern Tear. Only 2.2 percent of the story is told from his point of view, with two short check-ins late in the book.
Escape from Ebou Dar
Mat is fully immersed in his big plot arc in Crossroads of Twilight. He has escaped Ebou Dar, rescued three Aes Sedai, and accidentally kidnapped the Daughter of the Nine Moons, his foretold wife-to-be.
Tuon, the aforementioned Daughter of the Nine Moons, is a Seanchan princess. He has said out loud three times that she was to be his wife, and he is just now finding out what that means.
By happenstance, Mat uses the same circus to cover his escape as Nynaeve and Elayne used to escape Tanchico several books ago. It's proving to be a great place to hide from Seachan searching for Tuon.
Mat knows he is supposed to marry Tuon, but he is as baffled by her as he is by most intelligent women throughout the series. He doesn’t have any notion about what her feelings are toward him, but he does know she’s had opportunity to escape and hasn’t.
Perrin and the Shaido
Perrin’s mission to save Faile, Alliandre, and Morgase has stalled. The Shaido Aiel have taken over a walled town and have settled in. There are thousands of them and he has no idea of how to rescue his wife.
Perrin is also trying to deal with Masema, the self-titled Prophet of the Dragon. The fanatic killer has him outnumbered, but still proclaims himself an ally. Perrin knows it is only a matter of time before Masema will try something dastardly, and he needs to be ready.
Perrin also has to figure out his supply issue. He’s trying to feed a small army in the dead of winter, in a land already stripped by the Shaido. A visit to a nearby town leaves everyone on edge, as something suspicious is happening there.
Perrin is juggling a lot, and this particular plot is filled with suspense and anticipation. It should come to a boiling point very soon.
Egwene vs the White Tower
After ignoring one of the most intriguing plots in the series for a book and a half, Jordan finally returns to Egwene and her attempt to oust Elaida and reunite the White Tower. The Amirlyn for the Aes Sedai outside the Tower has wrested control by invoking war powers, but her position remains precarious.
It has been determined by Egwene’s Hall of Sitters that Aes Sedai must bond with Asha’man to fight the Forsaken, though the sisters are unaware that other sisters have already done this. To add to her headaches, sisters are dying in her camp, killed by the male half of the One Power, making Aes Sedai even more wary about the possibility of bonding with the Asha’man.
The book ends with a big cliffhanger for Egwene as she is captured by the White Tower. Most of the story arcs are getting intense, and this one is no different.
The one storyline that continues to plod along is Elayne’s bid to gian the Lion Throne of Andor. For whatever reason, Jordan dragged this plot out way longer than necessary.
Within the White Tower, the search for Black Ajah sisters has always been an interesting, though kept mostly to book prologues. Probably because it doesn’t directly involve a primary character, this plotline has been kept tight, but it deserves more attention. It will eventually merge with Egwene’s plot and is a key moment for the overall tale.
Crossroads of Twilight is faster-paced than the previous two or three books, probably due to less time spent in Andor with Elayne. The intensity is already building toward the resolution of the individual stories and the overall ending, which is now within sight.
The Wheel of Time book club:
- Book 1: The Eye of the World
- Book 2: The Great Hunt
- Book 3: The Dragon Reborn
- Book 4: The Shadow Rising
- Book 5: The Fires of Heaven
- Book 6: Lord of Chaos
- Book 7: A Crown of Swords
- Book 8: The Path of Daggers
- Book 9: Winter's Heart
- Book 10: Crossroads of Twilight
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