Best book in the series

[TheDecline01]

Hi, that is my first topic ever, which is of no interest. I've tried searching for a similar subject, but nothing came up (which is kinda surprising, maybe it already exists, in that case, All Apologies).

 

I am wondering what is the best book in the series so far for you guys.

 

I know, WoT is 1 story that shoudln't be divided, but it is and each book has its own main storyline and even style (no talking of Brandon here).

 

Af for me, my answer in the middle of a re-read (end of book 4) would be book 4. There are so many events happening, such moving scenes (The Dedicated is wonderful) and the first time a female Forsaken is matched one on one. Plus, Perrin actually IS interesting (even though a bit childish in his relationship with Faile... I guess it's common place for WoT characters)!!! I forgot that at the time, he was my fave wonderboy.

 

That's enough for me, even though I remember very fondly of the books 4-5-6 streak, before a certain... stagnation in the story.

 

How about you?

[michael1941]

i think books 11 and 12 are the best since alot of things are getting done and the pace of the books are faster

[Rootbeer]

I think my favorite are The Dragon Reborn and Lord of Chaos.

I also liked The Fires of Heaven very much since it is one of only two books where it shows Mat actually doing what he does best, war. Hopefully, that would change with the next volume. Though I doubt it. It'll probably be Finn-centric!

[yoniy0]

Well, TSR, for sure, but right up there with it is TGH.

(BTW if second places are allowed, I'll choose KoD)

[talligan]

I think book 7 might be my favourite thus far,

[jemron]

TSR is my favorite.  SOO much happens in that book.  From the introduction of the bubbles of evil, to all of the awesomeness that is Rhuidean and Aiel history, to the return to the Two Rivers (this is the only book, IMO, where Perrin is my favorite character), to Mat's journey through the red door frames.  The epic battle between Rand and Asmodean at the end, the discover of Birgitte in the World of Dreams, the introduction of Slayer.  SO.  MUCH.  WIN.

[Cirin]

Indeed, I agree with The Shadow Rising being a great book.  I recently looked at it again, and forgot how many cool things actually happened in that book - the Aelfinn and Eelfinn (both in that book), Rhuidean (Rand going through the columns is one of my favorite scenes in the whole series - I always liked seeing the history traced back like that), the scenes in Two Rivers, etc.

 

I also really like Crown of Swords... I know some people found the whole Bowl of Winds things to be a big sidetrip, but that book really gave a lot of development to Mat, not as a general, but as a man.  Like the scene where he's talking to Birgitte, and she remarks that they've been speaking the Old Tongue the whole time, and he would change accents while doing it.  Lots of little things like that where he really starts to accept his fate... to a degree. ;-)  Since Mat's my favorite, though, that's not really all that surprising that I like books he features prominently in.  Fires of Heaven was a good one too.  Ah, Mat... such a good pairing to put him and Thom Merrilin, two of the best, together like that... okay, done gushing now.

[deviant728]

I have to go with the Great Hunt. Even though I must have read it at least 10 times now, I still get goosebumps during the scene where Rand and co are staring at the horn in Mat's hands. Plus, I like how dark that book seemed to me; it felt more captivating, the Shadow was more convincingly evil, and the tone left me feeling like there was no hope. It will always be the top for me.

[Axon]

Best book:

 

1. Fires of Heaven. 

 

Best Chapter:

 

1. Prologue, Eye of the World.

 

[jemron]

I have to go with the Great Hunt. Even though I must have read it at least 10 times now, I still get goosebumps during the scene where Rand and co are staring at the horn in Mat's hands. Plus, I like how dark that book seemed to me; it felt more captivating, the Shadow was more convincingly evil, and the tone left me feeling like there was no hope. It will always be the top for me.

 

I also really like this book.  I'm currently re-reading it, and what has stuck out to me this time is that RJ really did have a plan all along for Rand eventually gaining access to the True Power.  There is a lot of foreshadowing about that when Ishamael (still posing as the Dark One) comes to Rand while he's in the Mirror Portal world, and tries to temp him to say something like, "I am yours Great Lord" or something.  Very cool.

 

I also agree that this book felt surprisingly dark and hopeless, but in a great way, and the payoff in the end when Mat blows the Horn is truly an epic moment with a great triumph of the Light over the Shadow, which still gives me goosebumps as well.

[Morsker]

TGH and TGS are the only ones I never skipped pages in. I could never choose between the two though.

[farthammer]

Great Hunt probably.  For a follow up book it still had lots of new things happening, and I think more than any book since it still stands well as a single book versus trying to package chunks of a very long story line together in a way that seems to have a beginning and end.

[TheDecline01]

TGH's great, but I always had a feeling that it still gets some bits of LOTR left, with the whole "Let's run after something, separate and then come back together at the end". The WoT world was still building up IMO.

This finally disappears after TGR I think.

[TheAngryDruid]

Shadow Rising for me. Then tFoH, LoC, and EoTW.

 

Kind of like the first six the best by a significant margin. Stuff was still happening in those books, and characters weren't absent for entire books (at least in terms of the Two Rivers folk).

 

 

[TheBeerPatriot]

Great Hunt for me.  In addition to the dark foreboding that ran throughout the book (as others have already mentioned), there are some really powerful emotional scenes.  The reader can clearly feel Egwene's desperation and anger while being leashed.  Nynaeve's pronouncement of judgement to Renna was a really formative development for her character.  The most powerful scene for me was the redemption of Ingtar-just an incredible scene!

 

I can see where Shadow Rising would be a favorite for others, but I felt that book bogged down a bit in the Aiel Waste.  Don't get me wrong, overall I do like TSR.  But I would put TFoH and EotW ahead of it.

[Abschalten]

I have waffled back and forth on the topic, but I honestly have to say that The Gathering Storm, thus far, is my favorite.  I think the book is unmatched not just in terms of content and plot, but in serious character development (though this may be a byproduct of focusing on a handful of characters to the exclusion of other main characters as well.)

 

I think that tGS has the most apocalyptic, foreboding, ominous feeling out of all the books. I recall thinking that CoT, for all its faults, really started introducing a scary "Oh man Tarmon Gaidon really IS coming" vibe into the story. I think that feeling is magnified ten-fold in tGS.

 

The book rocks simply for the intensity of The Last that Could Be Done and the excellent denoument of Veins of Gold. And speaking of VoG, I consider that scene to be a metaphor for that entire book. Dreary, ominous, unnatural, oppressive overcast skies, and right at the very end a ray of light.  And the price paid in pain and blood for that ray of light was very high.

 

I mean look at the utter sacrifices the main characters had to make, and HAVE made all the way up to the end of that book.  Yeah I hear the criticism that the Good Guys get off light, but nobody has had a free ride. They have paid dearly to get where they have -- Rand and Egwene especially. (And Verin, too... let's not forget her.)

[Barid Bel Medar]

I like all of the books, so i will point out what part of the book I liked best in each of them.

 

EotW: IN my re-reads, remembering how they all were (especially Rand) when they were innocent children. Makes me sad to see how much they have sacrificed.

 

tGH: With most posts here, the sense of hopelessness. I remember feeling so overwhelmed with hope when Ishamael thinks Rand blew the horn and we find out that the "Dark One" Doesnt know everything.

 

tDR: Rand finally accepts his destiny and begins to channel. I liked Moiraine in this book especiialy. Mat's first(?) POV!

 

tSR: A great book, return to TR. History of Aiel. Eelfinn-Aelfinn!!!!!

 

FoH: Loved how Asmodean taught Rand and was (slowly) beginning to come ot the forces of light. Birgitte ripped out. Moiraine becomes the greatest character then the doorway :(

 

LoC: Black Tower (enough said), LTT intro,  healing of stilling. Egwene Amyrlin. the Box! Dumai Wells.

 

CoS: Sammael gets owned. Darlin/Caraline. Cadsuane. Gholam/ Mat being awesome. Bowl of Winds find.

 

PoD: Taint beggining to own saidin channelers. Altara battles. Ashaman attack. A Cup of Sleep.

 

WH: The Cleansing. Mat/Tuon. Far Madding events. Bonding.

 

CoT: Mat and Tuon "courting". Cuendillar making/evolution of the Rebel tower. Logain stuff. Egwene Capture.

 

KoD: Prince of Ravens. Semirhage. Algarin's mannor battle. Malden. Egwene in the tower. Andorian Unification. Lan's march.

 

tGS: Rand becomming hardcore and BF everything. Mat in Hinderstap/Verin. Verin/Egwene. Tower Reunification. Tam and Rand/ Tam owning Cadsuane.Veins of Gold. 

[scott_swampy]

For me EotW. got me hook. Got most people hooked  i think. But tSR is a close second. Follow by TGS, if only for veins of gold and Verin. not saying they are the only good bits, just my fav.