As you can see, "The Wheel of Time" is a colossal fantasy series. Each volume is over 600 pages long (except the prequel New Spring), the details are vastly complex, & the characters are many. And it's addictive, at least sometimes. It's really hard to understand what's going on if you read the fifth volume or the seven volume first, so you'd have to start way back in the beginning with The Eye of the World. I started reading this series back in 2003, and continued on with the story ever since. Being the first volume in the series to exceed over 900 pages, The Shadow Rising is considered one of the more important and enticing volumes, and I tend to agree. It contains important background information from some of the major characters, and it reveals more about the world that the late Robert Jordan had created. Some of the details are fuller, and the characters are more carefully thought out. We also get to see some stronger character development from some of the characters (and that's a strong point since Crossroads of Twilight didn't have ANY).

Picking up where the third volume has left off, Rand al'Thor has discovered in the country of Tear that he is the Dragon Reborn. And now he, along with his friends, must go to the Aiel Waste and see to the Aiel (People of the Dragon). Meanwhile, Perrin Aybara, a friend of Rand, decides to go to The Two Rivers to defend his home against Trollocs and Whitecloaks (Children of the Light). With the help of Faile (his female friend) and Loial (his Ogier companion), he travels West, away from Tear. In the Two Rivers, Perrin leads the people against the Trollocs while building an uneasy truce with the Whitecloak Dain Bornhald, who believes that Perrin has killed his father and now wants him arrest and held as a Darkfriend. But it doesn't stop there! Nynaeve and Elyne travel to the dangerous city of Tanchico to stop members of the Black Ajah and bring them to the White Tower (in Tar Valon) for justice. Thom the gleeman, Juilin the thief-catcher, and Bayle Domon the sea captain assist them during their journey. In Tar Valon, Min is disguised Elmindreda to avoid being questioned by Elaida, who is starting to see some connection between her and Amyrlin Seat.

I did have a few problems with this book. Some characters had a very 2-dimensional tendency (such as Ordeith and Couladin), while others felt very forced when it came to their personalities (such as Nynaeve and Aviendha). Aviendha was especially annoying as she kept taunting Rand about Elayne, whom he loves. The Trollocs were written as if they were only distractions. They could've been given at least a more believable appearance, instead of being seen as mindless maniacs who are looking for nothing but human flesh. As seen in the earlier books, we see the continuing romance between Nynaeve and Lan. I don't see how this really works. It's as if Jordan was compelled to add just one more subplot to a few add more pages to the story. I didn't really see any connection between them. The minimal amount of foreshadowing must've ruined it for me. I also didn't see any connection between Rand and Elayne. So he's the Dragon Reborn. Does that directly make him your future husband? Yet another problem I had with this book was something from the writing itself. I've seen the words "seem" and "seemed" many times here, and it got irritating when I was in the second half of the book.

But alas, the good outweighs the bad. Jordan's writing continues to amaze me. I have never seen so many details since Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Information about the Aiel and the Black Ajah is made interesting. I especially found the Aiel a very compelling race of people; they sound like they're from the Middle East and Northern Africa. And what can I say about their sense of humor? They humor is twisted! And let's not forget about the cast of characters. Each are highly distinctive, and are unforgettable. Rand al'Thor, Egwene al'Vere, Mat Cauthon, Moiraine Damodred, Siuan Sanche, Loial, Rhuarc, Dain Bornhald, and Egeanin are just a few of the many that really stand out. Some may be annoying at times (Nynaeve and Luc, for instance), but at least they're given a good purpose.

This year and last year, I started to reread the entire "Wheel of Time" series. After a second reading, I've come to admire this series much more (though I have no idea how I'll feel about Crossroads of Twilight when I reread that one). The Great Hunt and The Shadow Rising are just two of my favorites. I'm hoping to finish the eleventh volume (Knife of Dreams) by this November, when the next volume (written by Brandon Sanderson) is being sold in bookstores.

Grade: A-

Just the 3 first of the serie are somehow worth the reading. Following the readers review I bought straight the 9 first books. What a mistake. the Game of Thrones or even Sword of truth series are far better than the Wheel of time serie. It is as if Robert Jordan is paid by the line like the french writers from the 19th century, Balzac, Flaubert etc...
So far I have finished 1 to 7. From the 4th (till 7th) they just are impossible to finish. Like chewing branflakes forever and being unable to swallow it.
I really regret I went further the third.

Do not make my mistake unless slow rythm and low level action is what you seek.
Robert Jordan has also the gift for beginning threads of stories with no intention of closing them, creating new characters without really caring to give them substance, depth or real influence on the plot.

My recommendation: read the 3 first ones, and then taste the 4th, if you have the patience and like it carry on. If not don't hope it'll get better and you'll get some action or anything ...stop right there.
Same with the 5th etc...
Don't buy them all at once like me.
This a real never ending story, not even close to that, and it just gets slower and slower with more and more characters...
I hate it, but may be you won't.
My bet ? you will.

This book still haunts me. My original impression at the end was that
this was my least favorite of the series. The Great Hunt and The
Dragon Reborn left me thirsting for action, and this book delivers
some action, but it is well-spaced and well-intentioned, unlike that
in The Dragon Reborn, which was all over the place. The Shadow Rising
is, on the other hand, a big, long plodding epic with great twists and
turns, and great glimpses into the workings of the world where it
takes place. This is a very emotional book: many of the characters
have their worlds turned right upside down and things are very
different at the end than they are at the beginning.

For specifics, Rand sees right into the Age of Legends in one very
powerful set of scenes, and it was not what I expected at all. Mat's
whole outlook on life changes in a set of scenes that are not very
WoT-esque at all, and some critical changes in the White Tower change
the tone of the story forever (even though this only occupies a few
pages, it is critical to the story).

Furthermore, we see the intricacies of Aiel culture quite thoroughly,
which is very interesting. It turns out, of course, that the Aiel,
their origins and their peculiar culture are critical to understanding
the themes of the story. Perrin returns to the Two Rivers and
everything there changes, in a place that seems like it would never
change (another great theme).

I have to recommend this book: I found certain passages so moving that
I have marked them in my copy and re-read them several times before
finishing the book (and afterward). The title is appropriate: this is
a dark book where the outlook at the end is rather bleak for all the
characters, and the world has changed dramatically. It's reminiscent
of The Empire Strikes Back in that respect.

I read through books 1-3 very quickly but found this installment to be a drudgery. This is not Jordan at his best. The story got bogged down with too many details like page after page after page of walking through the desert. By this time in the story there seem to be too many characters to keep up with for me. Coupled with the news that Mr. Jordan passed away before completing the series made me put the book down before I finished it. I don't plan to read book 5.

I would like to offer my condolences to the family of Robert Jordan. May God comfort you in your loss.

With the Shadow Rising, Jordan's narrative takes a turn away from mainly adventure mode, and starts mixing in a lot of political intrigue. It's not too bad in this book, but it definitely becomes a problem in later books. The trip to Rhuidean produces numerous repercussions down the road, and the historical backstory is quite interesting and adds good depth. However, it was in this book that Faile really grated on me, and I can't help but cringe every time I see her name in subsequent books. This is also the last book where all plot lines complete the mission they set out to do within the same book. Overall, a good read and relatively tight narrative.