The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan Review

The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan
Series: The Wheel of Time #5
Date Published: February 16, 2010 (first published 1993)
Publisher: Tor Books
Language: English
Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy
ISBN: 142996037X
Format: ebook

In this sequel to the phenomenal New York Times bestseller The Shadow Rising, Robert Jordan again plunges us into his extraordinarily rich, totally unforgettable world:

...Into the forbidden city of Rhuidean, where Rand al'Thor, now the Dragon Reborn, must conceal his present endeavor from all about him, even Egwene and Moiraine.

...Into the Amyrlin's study in the White Tower, where the Amyrlin, Elaida do Avriny a'Roihan, is weaving new plans.

...Into the luxurious hidden chamber where the Forsaken Rahvin is meeting with three of his fellows to ensure their ultimate victory over the Dragon.

...Into the Queen's court in Caemlyn, where Morgase is curiously in thrall to the handsome Lord Gaebril.

For once the dragon walks the land, the fires of heaven fall where they will, until all men's lives are ablaze.

And in Shayol Ghul, the Dark One stirs...

Review

Only in this book did I finally see the complexity of the world-building. I was smacked in the head with its brilliantness. The world is as close to definite, nothing short of perfect in building a fantastical world. Everything has its use and the resolution for problems presented tangible from the elements already laid out since the beginning of the series.

Like I said in my review of the previous book, I'll focus on the romantic (or the lack thereof) aspect of the story so far in the series.

It is definitely in this book that I could say that the love story is the thing I like least in the series. My ship sunk so damn bad! Furthermore, I almost could say that it's cemented that I no longer like the major characters. I'm almost disgusted by them for some trivial reasons. I'd rather have Rand end up with Lanfear if only the latter isn't evil. On the other hand, I waited for it to finally happen because I know it will come down to it eventually. And... it finally did. I'm so broken. Ugh!

Women are not inherently capable of sharing her man with another woman (I've read in some studies) although she can share bed with multiple men. As a woman myself, I don't like the idea of sharing my man with another. If my first sentence in this paragraph is startling, I don't think it's as startling as the fact that women are bisexual in nature although they won't readily engage with bisexuality. There's a Stanford study about how women no matter how straight get aroused with watching another woman naked even in a picture. Anyhow, I'm stalling... I can't come to grips with the notion that Rand must be shared with three women. If only the author could just settle with a single woman, I wouldn't mind having my ship sunk.

Rand can be a lecher for all he wants (much like Mat) but I can't stand the idea that three women can have his heart. Can't he just have set up his heart for just one woman? He can share his bed with women so long as his hear belongs to only one.

Moving on...

It's funny how some Aeil could not face the truth that they once followed the Way of the Leaf before they had a falling out that made the now-known Aeil as fierce warriors and the other the Tuatha'an or Lost Ones. They couldn't grasp being of the same descent as the Lost Ones that they threw down their spears before Rand's assembly and yet in the end, has gone to the Lost Ones and asked to be taken in after running from the bleakness. Stupid and yet so funny, tripping over such irony.

What was subtly shocking to me was what Moiraine experienced inside the ter'angreal (the three rings) in Rhuidean. If you remember what Nynaeve and Egwene experienced in the three-ring ter'angreal to become an accepted, in the third entry, each had to face "what could be" or a future possibility. What happened there didn't happen in real life but whatever happened there, they actually experienced.

...in the rings it was something she would or could have considered in the future.

In a possibility of the future, that quotation above is an implication of Moiraine offering herself to share Rand's bed.

The rings had told her that that would be disaster... It was a measure of her growing desperation, no doubt, and in the rings she had seen that it would bring ruination on everything.

I. JUST. COULDN'T... wrap my head around the notion that Moiraine actually experienced having sex with Rand inside the ter'angreal. I don't know about the other readers but that's what I understood. Or perhaps I'm just dirty-minded.

Anyway...

Perhaps the funniest thing that happened in this book is Masema, the Prophet of the Dragon, his character is a strong jab at particular religions. He's nuts!