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The Dragon Reborn is a book of chases. Moiraine, Lan, Perrin, and Loial chase Rand; Egwene, Elayne, and Nynaeve chase the Black Ajah; Mat and Thom chase the girls. Of course, they all happen to meet at the same place (Tear), which is the last time in the series that all the plot threads come together at the end. Like The Great Hunt, TDR is more action-oriented than the other books, with some memorable scenes, but not a lot really happens. Compared to the next book, The Shadow Rising, TDR is a literary hors d'oeuvre, whetting our appetites for the meaty offerings to come.
One of the pleasures of TDR comes from finally meeting a few Aiel (and as it happens, some pretty important Aiel at that). The girls meet Aviendha and Rhuarc, Perrin meets Gaul, and Mat nearly dances with a Maiden or two. We saw just enough of the Aiel to make us curious. Perrin also meets his falcon, Zarine Bashere, a character that tends to inspire some remarkably passionate reactions - you either love her or hate her, but either way, you have to feel a bit sorry for Perrin, who never knew what hit him.
As well, we got another glimpse of the White Tower, along with some real head-scratchers. Repeat readers will find many aspects of particular Aes Sedai behaviour questionable at best. Verin's reluctance to give Egwene Corianin Nedeal's notes on Dreaming; Sheriam's curious appearance and calm demeanour after Nynaeve and Egwene discover the Gray Man (actually, Sheriam exhibits quite a lot of odd behaviour in this book, which could be a setup for what we learn about her situation in Path of Daggers); and finally, the Amyrlin's mind-boggling decision to let the three girls go unaccompanied to Tear to hunt Black Ajah. I've turned that over in my head a million times, and I still cannot see the logic in it. I realize Jordan needed the girls in Tear, but if these three girls have the greatest potential since the Breaking, why the Light would the Amyrlin let them go without an escort? They were nearly killed by the frickin' Black Ajah! All right, I'll let this go for now...
Well, let's begin breaking down The Dragon Reborn:
Plotting - In TDR, we had two plot threads which expanded into three, but unlike the other two books, Jordan seemed less interested in the traditional chase journey, and focused more on the girls and Mat. All three threads met in Tear, but not until the battle of the Stone, which could have been written with a bit more clarity (can anyone tell me how the Aiel got in there? Rand? Moiraine and Lan?).
Characterization - Finally, we get a book that isn't all about Rand. Instead, Jordan works on expanding the characterization of Perrin, Mat, Egwene, Elayne, and Nynaeve. Mat and Egwene, in particular, receive the most attention. In Mat's case, this is a welcome development, as his character wasn't really developed much in the first two books, but with scenes like his quarterstaff battle against the Trakand boys and the tough slog through the Tairen mud, Mat becomes a true three-dimensional personality. ...As well as the most likable.
Pacing - An obvious pattern has emerged by now: slow beginning, a splitting of the plot threads, and a slow buildup to a grand finale, with a couple of false climaxes along the way to keep the reader interested. Jordan would alter this pattern in future books, but it serves him well in TDR. He maintains a certain amount of suspense with confidence and ease; I quite liked the timing of Mat and the girls arriving in Tear.
Best Scene - Man, this is tough. I'm going to go with Mat's remarkable two-on-one battle against Gawyn and Galad. Before this scene, we really didn't have any idea what Mat (and his luck) was capable of, but Mat's ability with the staff hints at the Old Blood running strong in young Cauthon. Runner-up: Mat and Juilin freeing the girls from the Stone's dungeon. Mat's reaction was priceless.
Best Quote - For a moment the Amyrlin seemed to consider, perhaps what to say, perhaps whether to say anything. "For a time," she said finally, "I believe the past and the present were one. He was there, and he was here, and he knew who we were. He commanded us to release him." She paused again. "'I am a free man, Aes Sedai. I am no Aes Sedai meat.' That is what he said."
Most Screen Time - I think you could probably call it a fairly even split between Perrin, Mat, and Egwene, with the final nod to Mat. Jordan worked hard to build up their characters, obviously in anticipation of future books (Perrin carries half of The Shadow Rising, for example).
Overall - The Dragon Reborn has many little treasures between its covers to keep a reader interested, and the book is worth the price just for Mat's adventures, let alone the rest of the plot. Still, it was clear that Jordan had exhausted this pattern of plot threads, and was ready to try something more complex. 4 out of 5 angreals.
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