In the seventh volume of Jordan's preeminent high-fantasy saga, The Wheel of Time, intrigue and counterintrigue continue to roil. Unlike the fantasy series of Andre Norton (Witch World), Terry Brooks (Shannara), and Marion Zimmer Bradley (Darkover), unlike even Anne McCaffrey's beloved sf series, Dragonriders of Pern, all of which are multivolume but multigenerational in characters, Jordan's has readers follow the fortunes of the same five people who left their village as teenagers to play out their roles on the grand, world-saving stage. Throughout the saga, the characters (minor as well as major), the world, and the source of powers have remained remarkably rich and consistent--no mean feat, given that the books range in length from a paltry 576 to this book's bountiful 720 pages. As in the previous volumes, the focus switches among the various main characters as they carry out their parts of the quest to defeat the Dark One. Elayne, Aviendha, and Mat approach the bowl ter'angreal that is needed to stanch the endless heat wave; Egwene starts putting together a band of women able to channel; and Rand, the reluctant Dragon Reborn, comes further into his powers and faces a deadly foe. Amid all the Sturm und Drang, however, is a finely tuned comic strain that both leavens the story and adds to its development.

Book One: The Eye of the World
Book Two: The Great Hunt
Book Three: The Dragon Reborn
Book Four: The Shadow Rising
Book Five: The Fires of Heaven
Book Six: Lord of Chaos
Book Seven: A Crown of Swords
Book Eight: The Path of Daggers
Book Nine: Winter's Heart
Book Ten: Crossroads of Twilight

ROBERT JORDAN (1948-2007) is best known for his internationally bestselling epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time®, which has sold over 40 million copies in North America and is currently being adapted for the screen. A native of Charleston, Jordan graduated from The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, with a degree in physics. He served two tours in Vietnam with the U.S. Army and received multiple decorations for his service. --This text refers to the mass_market edition.