Customer Reviews
Better focus makes for a better book eight - By: Jimternet, 23 Jan 2010 
A seventy day gap between the previous novel & this one seems to have been a little too long as I have lost track of who several characters are & what others are up to. In a way I pity those readers who have been reading these books as they were published - they do suffer from a lack of catch up at the beginning, instead assuming that you have put one book down the same moment that you pick up the next.
This book starts well, then ducks down a little toward the end, before jumping back up again at it's conclusion. For the most part the storyline comesin chunks, with a section the length of any normal paperback focussing on just one character's story before moving on to the next, which makes the book feel more structured than one that flits around. Toward the end though it switches back to flitting for a while as the various threads are tied up, which while necessary feels a little awkward.
The main focus of this novel is back to Rand I felt, but with equal parts dedicated to Elayne & Egwenein the first half & to a lesser extent Perrin. Several coincidences occur that are just about believable as the characters pretty much continue with what they were doing before, with the added bonus of a Seanchan attack. I still think of Rand as the main character despite the rather large ensemble cast & so was glad to be backin his head for significant portions of this book.
I am disappointed with the characterization of Nynaevein this one though - despite only a day having passed from the previous novel she has undergone something of a paradigm shift overnight & barely says a word. Mat is also completely absent again which is irritating as we're left completelyin suspense. There were only a few passages that irritated me. One big reveal was made far to easily, then another. The aforementioned coincidence was deal with well, but there was an occurrence near the end where the reader was left to infer what had happenedin the narrative, but the glossary at the end gave it away completely. I recommend not reading the glossaries - they contain spoilers but none of the information you need about what has happenedin the earlier books.
There's no pleasing some people - By: R. Brownsword, 09 Nov 2006 What amazes me more each time I read a new review for these books is how dead set against the later 5 books some readers seem to be. Robert Jordan has never made a secret of the fact that he keeps many threads running simultaneously. One of his great skills is developing consequences of his character's actions. Too many writers describe world shattering events then carry on as if little has happened. Jordan's magic comes from the ripplesin 'the pattern' created by his three main characters.
I want to see multiple threads & more importantly see them interract - Matt & Thom, Aviendha & Elayne, Rand & Cadsuane. The 'Lace of Ages' would be pretty damn boring if there were only 3 threads as suggested by some reviewers. The last four books have contained grand events described convincingly. If you don't like politics, if you don't like hidden agenda's & intrigue, if you don't like descriptions of fantastic cultures & spiraling madness then don't read Jordan. The first seven books set the stakes & the latter books deal with the game play. Too many people like the excitement of the first few movesin a game of stones then grow tired when the board loses it's 'neat & tidy' appearance.
I suggest those reviewers that complain endlessly about descriptions (and expect each chapter to end with one of the forsaken dead) put down these books & pick up a Harry Potter instead. (A great book but lacking the tremendous depth & intrigue of the Wheel of Time). It's like hearing people complain about a climb up Everest by saying it was too cold & the view was better from base camp!
Disappointment, thy name is The Path of Daggers - By: Josie Wells, 31 Aug 2006 
What has happened to this series?! The first 6 books were great, setting higher standards for the genre. So without a doubt this has to be the biggest disappointment EVER of the series. It takes 5 chapters to get to a farm & get up a hill!!! Whenever an action scene materialises (which is rare), its always about weaving the flows of the one power or something thats completely irrelevant about someones clothing or how that asha'man was looking at me funny. And what is the constant obsession with Perrin & Faile's feelings towards each other? The progressin this book is non-existent. Instead of actually interesting stuff we're given dull feelings, details about clothing & the mind numbingly boring shaido! WE GET IT ALREADY, THEY HAVE NO HONOUR! Only buy this book if you want to complete this series.
Thoroughly disappointing - By: A. Whitehead, 10 Mar 2004 The Path of Daggers was originally publishedin October 1998 & was released two & a half years after the previous volume (which had ended on a cliffhanger), the longest gap between booksin the series at that time. As a result, expectations for this book were high. When the book finally arrived, people were taken aback by its slimness (at least compared to other booksin the series) & its failure to address that cliffhanger from the prior volume. Reviews of the book were negative & even today some fans continue to cite this as the weakest bookin the series (although the majority agree that that honour goes to the tenth book). For a series that had almost been immune to criticism up to this point, this book marked a serious turning point for the worse.
The book opensin the aftermath of eventsin A Crown of Swords. Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, has been proclaimed King of Illian after killing the Forsaken Sammael. His satisfaction is short-lived, however. The Seanchan have returnedin great force &in a blitzkrieg campaign lasting several weeks have swept through the south-west of the continent, conquering the kingdom of Tarabon & capturing the cities of Amador & Ebou Dar (the capitals of Amadicia & Altara, respectively)in rapid succession. Already fearing they might march on Illian next, Rand concocts a plan to bottle them upin Ebou Dar, but is unaware that there are thosein his own ranks who are preparing to move against him.
Meanwhile,in Ghealdan Perrin makes contact with Queen Alliandre as part of his mission to track down & neutralise the increasingly insane & dangerous 'Prophet of the Dragon', Masema. At the same time, the leaders of the Borderlands have led a vast host southwards for an unknown reason. Nynaeve, Elayne & their loose & fractious alliance of Sea Folk Windfinders, Aes Sedai & Kin have recovered the Bowl of Winds from Ebou Dar & now have to use it to restore normal weather to the world, unaware of the consequences of their actions. Andin the White Tower Elaida walks a fine line as she is blackmailed by Alviarin into doing things that will shatter the sisterhood, whilst her secret agents continue their hunt for the Black Ajah.
A plot summary of Path of Daggers sounds exciting, & the news that the book features a significant military showdown between Rand & the Seanchan should be impressive. However, The Path of Daggers is beset by numerous problems that prevent it from being fully enjoyable. First off, the level of fillerin this book is much worse than any previous volume. There are several chapters where characters are riding along arguing with one another, or discussing the plot, or making it clear how much they hate one another. These points are slammed home again & again by Robert Jordan for no clear purpose. The battles between Rand & the Seanchan are intriguing & the messy ending to the engagement is an important momentin the series, but it comes far too latein the book. Perrin's story proceeds at an absolute crawl & he barely has any screen-timein the book, whilst Mat has none. Jordan's point that Mat is recovering from his wounds & thus isn't doing anything interestingin the story at this moment is well-taken, but at the same time the ambiguity of Mat's fatein the prior volume was part of what made the book's ending powerful & interesting. It being completely ignored for four & a half years until Book 9 was annoying. However, re-reading the series now this isn't so much of a problem.
Up until The Path of Daggers, the structural & writing problems with the series could to some extent be ignored because the story was still compelling & the reader was encouraged to read on no matter what. However, at this point & through the next two books these problems start to actually interfere with the readability of the books. The pace slows to a crawl & events that would have been coveredin a few chaptersin previous books now span entire novels. For some reason Jordan ignored the basic writing maxim that as you build up to a series finale you have to increase the pace & intensity of events, & as a result the series becomes somewhat more difficult to read in-depth from this point on.
The Path of Daggers (**½) doesn't suffer from quite so many problems as it did on first release, but it still represents a significant failurein both writing & editing that makes it a shadow of the book it could have been. The book is availablein the UK from Orbit &in the USA from Tor.
Praise - By: , 19 Sep 2001 
Before embarking on the Wheel of Time, i read a few reviews here & otherwise of the 9 books. Of them all this got the harshest responses. While agree that ACoS wasn't on a par with the highly regarded EotW - LoC, I found PoD fast paced & interesting, with some cracking scenes. (I wont say what for risk of spoilers...) Allin all, don't let other ppl sway you if you've come this far...
