The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose above the Aryth Ocean. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning.

Winter's Heart is Book Nine in Robert Jordan's epic Wheel of Time fantasy series. And epic it is. The series consists of ten volumes of about 700 pages each (plus a thinner prequel that I have not read) and is still unfinished. Unlike some other expansive fantasy works, these books are not just loosely connected episodes but all parts of the same grand story. That does not mean that Jordan does not make new things up as he goes along, I am sure he does, but those would be just details and minor subplots, whereas the overall story ark that spans everything must have been sketched from the very beginning. In fact, I remember reading an interview somewhere where Jordan admitted to having the final chapter already fleshed out, but was unsure how long it would take him to get there.

What this means is that all these prophecies and puzzle pieces slowly fall into place one after the other, which is fascinating to follow if you fancy fantasy epics at all, and it makes you want to pick up the next part of the series immediately after finishing one book. The problem here, of course, is that it takes Jordan about two years to write it, which is more than enough time to forget the finer points about all the many characters, places, plot lines, countries, cultures, and even words that have been created and continue to be relevant in this ever-growing world (and let me tell you, the included glossary is useless). So, while I bought Winter's Heart about three years ago, it has been shelved until I finally had the courage to get into it again this time (my third attempt). Because of the long break, there are many things I could not completely understand anymore, but at least I can go on reading two more volumes without intermission: I got Book Ten from the Shibuya public library yesterday and Book Eleven (the penultimate !) will be released next month. After that another possibly long wait for the final instalment. Time to start over again from Book One ?

Update: There are many reviews on Amazon that are very negative about the slow pace of the story in the later books, and they definitely have a point. Nothing much happens in Winter's Heart outside of the last chapter. But on the whole, this is a great series, and let us hope the conclusion lives up to the exposition.