**spoilers contained**

Hello again everyone, and we’re back with book 6 in the series, Lord of Chaos.  Another Before you know it I’ll be all caught up on these reviews and people will be ready to tackle the finale (as a note, at the time of writing, on Brandon Sanderson’s site he lists the first draft of A Memory of Light at 70%, though that is using his projected word count as a marker so it could go over 100%). Book six could easily be known by another name, “The book that ends at Dumai’s Wells.”  If you don’t know what that means then this article isn’t for you as this is more of a recap for folks who read these books a while ago and need refreshing.

The prologue opens in Demandred’s point of view, which is hysterical considering he otherwise doesn’t really exist much in this story line outside of being chatted about and introduces us to Shaidar Haran, the really large Myrddraal who, unlike the members of the DNC actually seems to accomplish sinister things and is fairly unsettling.  The point of view then flashes about to give us an idea of what is happening throughout the world.  Rumors are flying about such as Morgase and Elayne being dead.  Plans are bandied about by different camps to capture Rand because I know exactly what you were thinking: this story needs another kidnapping.  Finally we are re-introduced to a couple of forsaken previously considered perished but now given shiny new bodies.  “I know you got owned by an untrained kid, but I’m going to reward you guys with another shot,” one must imagine the Dark One saying.

After that information dump we get to the book proper, where Rand is hanging out in Caemlyn after clearing it of a Foresaken infestation and Lews Therin urges Rand to further mopiness.  Then he has Mazrim Taim swear allegiance to him.  Jordan had stated multiple times after a few years of hints that Demandred is NOT Taim in disguise, thus fueling the “does Demandred even matter?” sentiment to the series.  Unless Perrin turns out to be Demandred at the end any possible reveal seems pointless.  Rand announces his intention to cleanse Sadin, which starts off a race against the clock for when he’ll accomplish that Herculean task.  The world steps lightly while word that the White Tower is broken spread, and we get some confirmation that Mesaana, a forsaken, has actually infiltrated the White Tower and no one knows for how long (It seems Ishmael might not be the only one to get out early).  Rand even turns his amnesty for male channelers to the start of the Black Tower.

Mat shuffles off with his Band of the Red Hand while Elayne spends her time in the dream world and fretting over Rand.  With all the groups of characters breaking off to fulfill one goal of Rand’s or another we start to get the sense that he really sees battle against the Dark One as a giant game of chess, many of his moves coming to fruition in future books.  Then Alanna, one of the representatives of the White Tower bonds Rand against his will.  This must be mentioned because the women of the White Tower view this action as a kind of rape.  The most perverse part of it is throughout this book her choice to do that breaks her spirit, as both Verin and Rand are able to manipulate her because of it.  We also get some foreshadowing of the eventual breaking of the remaining seals to release the Dark One in order to heal the hole in his prison and there is a hint of the resonance between the taint on Sadin and the evil of Shadar Logoth.

Mat adopts Olver.  I’m almost positive that Olver has some real purpose in the story that I’m missing, but for the most part he’ll just be like a surrogate little brother to Mat who plays Snakes and Foxes.  Egwene meets up with Gawyn and lets him know that his sister is still alive and a short time later we are brought back to Rand (before Egwene can start screwing things up again) and he’s keeping a list of names of the women who have died “for him.”  It doesn’t matter that they’re dying for what he represents, not him, because he’s keeping track.

An interesting break in the story gives us Padan Fain thinking about new powers growing in him, some from the evil of Shadar Logoth and some from the Dark One.  In interviews Jordan commented how Fain is something new and outside the pattern casting him as a role in this story potentially even more pivotal than the Golem-like role he played at the start.  Then Nyneave gives Logain back the ability to channel and she has discovered what she often thought… stilling and gentling could be repaired.  It also confirms what I’ve previously indicated: Nyneave is awesome.

Oh yeah, and Egwene asks to get beaten to make up for some serious mistakes because corporal punishment makes everything better!  Though the level of torture that this progresses to is a bit heavy.  Also, Egwene is made Amyrlin of one of the broken halves of the tower.  Fancy that! Then she’s really rude to Mat who actually didn’t deserve it.  Her new station goes instantly to her head and she tries to manipulate Mat so she can use his army for her own ends.

Min gets back to Rand and we get predictions from other people around.  A few chapters of follow up happen with different characters and then Rand escapes a near conflict with the white tower when WHAM… he gets kidnapped and Min is taken with him.  He’s beaten and kept in a box.  He’s driven well past insane letting Lews Therin have some level of control in the body they seem to share.  Perrin knows things went wrong and is off to the rescue.  As armies descend upon the force that Captured Rand he escapes instantly stilling three women.  He begins a complete takedown of all the Aes Sedai who captured him and follows it up with what is probably the best battle in the entire series, setting Taim to task and ordering him to have the Asha’man slaughter thousands of Shaido, exploding their heads like in gore filled wrath until finally the Shaido broke and ran away.  The term “Asha’man, advance” is forever burnt into our memories.

In a moment of near wrath Rand forced all Aes Sedai present to kneel to him and swear fealty as he casts off some of the last shackles of the boy who was and further stepped into the role of the man he must be.