Ranking The Wheel of Time's Villains

Top 10 Wheel of Time Bad Guys

(Spoilers for the fourteen Wheel of Time books are below, do not read if you do not want the series spoiled).

To complement our ranking of the Wheel of Time heroes we have decided to rank the villains as well.  Like the heroes, the Wheel of Time villains are flawed, and in some cases they are fairly incompetent, making readers wonder why they should ever fear them and the heroes safety.

There are some villains where that is not the case and they have readers questioning whether or not they will be able to defeat the heroes.  Some villains are partially competent, meaning there are some books where the villain appears to be competent, but in later installments the villain turns out to be an idiot.

Besides being ranked for competence, the villains are also being ranked for what they contributed to the story in terms of interesting storylines.  It’s positive villain qualities minus negative villain qualities and that’s how this list was compiled.

 

Honorable Mentions

Before beginning the top ten list, here are some honorable mentions that didn’t quite make the ranking.  These characters are:

• Sammael
• Rahvin
• Aginor
• Be’lal
• Mesaana

(Artwork below was done by John Seamus Gallagher).

The Wheel of Time's Worst Characters

Top 5 Least Favorite Wheel of Time Characters

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(Spoilers below for all fourteen of the Wheel of Time books).

It’s no secret that the characters in Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series were flawed. Despite the flaws, as a reader, it was possible to overcome these character quirks and find a place in your heart to love them, if not at least like them on some level.

But then there were the characters that were unbearable.  Characters that made you think why? Characters that defied all logic by having their story extended into something pointless.  Something that was near impossible to read, yet you only suffered through it to get to the characters you did like.

Posting negative articles isn’t a common practice on this blog, but occasionally we like to stir the pot.  Here are the five characters from the Wheel of Time that couldn’t be tolerated.

(Artwork below was done by John Seamus Gallagher)

Ranking The Wheel of Time's Heroes

Top 10 Wheel of Time Good Guys

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(Below are spoilers for all fourteen Wheel of Time books, do not read if you do not want the series spoiled).

The characters of the Wheel of Time are seriously flawed, even the best Jordan characters do things that readers don’t like.  However, for all these moments where the characters make readers want to claw their eyes out, they also have great moments where readers want to root and cheer for them.  Below is a ranking of the best characters that should be considered the heroes of this series.

Determining how these characters rank is based off of how significant their contributions to the plot were, how well they interacted with the other characters, how many great likeable moments the character had, and how many terrible cringe worthy moments the character had.  Like the ranking of the books that we did, the significance of good character moments minus the significance of bad character moments is the simplest way to judge the Wheel of Time heroes.

(Artwork below was done by John Seamus Gallagher)

What's The Best Wheel of Time Book?

Ranking the Fourteen Books in the Wheel of Time Series

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(Spoilers for the fourteen Wheel of Time books are below…. you have been warned).

It may be fair to call the Wheel of Time series one long book, but the fact remains that it was published in fourteen different volumes.  Which single volume of the series is best?  That is what this article is about: a ranking of the fourteen books that make up the Wheel of Time (prequel not included).

Although this is an opinion article, ranking the individual books was largely based off of subtracting the flaws from the strengths.

It’s no secret to the people who have started reading this series, that the books themselves are flawed… and in some cases they are very flawed.  Despite issues with character development and dialogue, the Wheel of Time still features one of the best fantasy worlds that’s been created.  For better or worse, the Wheel of Time is here to stay, so here is our ranking of the individual books in the series.

The Best Wheel of Time Quotes

Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson’s Best Quotes from The Wheel of Time

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(Spoilers may be included in some of the quotes below, do not read if you do not want to potentially see spoilers for all fourteen Wheel of Time books).

Great writing has the ability to tattoo itself into a reader’s brain, enter the flow of a person’s blood, become a part of the essence of who they are.  Prose that is expertly crafted can gut a reader’s insides providing the most powerful moments in a story.

A great book can leave behind many memories for readers, memories that can last a lifetime.

Average writing is forgotten, but great writing lives forever in the recesses of a person’s mind.

The Wheel of Time is a series that is not without its flaws, but it did provide readers with many great instances of writing.  Looking back through the series there were some finely crafted scenes, dialogues, descriptions, and other great scenes in prose that were captured by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson.

I’ve put together a collection of some of my favorite and most striking quotes and scenes from The Wheel of Time.  With the series recently completed these were the moments that I found that I would never forget in this series.

Is the Wheel of Time Worth Your Time?

Should You Read The Wheel of Time?

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(There are plot overviews but no major spoilers for The Wheel of Time below).

Reading a book is a time consuming process.  When a person reads an enjoyable book, most people can ultimately say it was worth the time.  However, when a book turns out to be a complete piece of crap, then you never get your lost time back.  As far as first world problems go, there isn’t much more I can say that I hate than reading a shitty book, let alone a shitty series of books.

The fantasy genre is known for its larger than life plots and scenarios, and it’s also know for bringing that larger than life aspect to its page count, too.  Deciding to read a lengthy series has some serious implications in a person’s free time, hence this article is focused on helping people to decide if Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series is worth reading.

Below you will find the numbers behind The Wheel of Time’s notorious length, a plot overview of the entire series, and some analysis on the strengths and weaknesses of Jordan’s writing.

A Memory of Light Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: The Wheel of Time Book Fourteen
Pages: 1,168

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(Spoilers for the previous thirteen Wheel of Time books are below).

It all comes down to this.  A Memory of Light. The final installment to a fantasy series where the word epic is a description that just doesn’t do it justice.

To answer some quick questions…. Is the final battle worth the build up of the previous thirteen books? Yes.  Do all of the plot threads reach satisfying conclusions? Mostly.  Does A Memory of Light provide many moments of catharsis that would be expected of a final installment to a series? Certainly.

Brandon Sanderson delivers his best installment of the series in the Wheel of Time finale.  A Memory of Light is very good, but it is still a flawed work.  Despite the flaws it is easily one of the five best books in this series.  Sanderson’s final turn of the wheel is one that will leave a powerful impact on readers, while providing a satisfying conclusion to a series that helped transform the fantasy genre.

Towers of Midnight Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: The Wheel of Time Book Thirteen
Pages: 1,240

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(Spoilers for the previous twelve Wheel of Time Books are below).

Overlapping with the previous book, The Gathering Storm, Towers of Midnight largely focuses on catching readers up with Mat, Perrin, and Elayne who were either absent or in a reduced role in the previous book.  Being the penultimate book to a long series like the Wheel of Time, Towers of Midnight also leaves readers with a number of looming cliff hangers in the final chapters and epilogue.

In his second Wheel of Time book, Brandon Sanderson continues to justify his position as the rightful author in completing this series for Robert Jordan.  However, despite being a strong book, Towers of Midnight isn’t able to match the thematic depth and emotional intensity that could be found in The Gathering Storm.

The Gathering Storm Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: The Wheel of Time Book Twelve
Pages: 1,090

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(Spoilers for the previous eleven Wheel of Time books are below).

In 2007 a few years after the release of Knife of Dreams, author Robert Jordan passed away leaving the Wheel of Time series incomplete.  Jordan’s wife and long time editor Harriet McDougal chose Brandon Sanderson to complete the series shortly after his passing.  Robert Jordan left very detailed notes with his wife so that the Wheel of Time could be completely as accurately and as closely as possible to his original vision for the series.

In the forward to The Gathering Storm, Brandon Sanderson writes a very humble letter to fans of the Wheel of Time series, acknowledging Jordan’s abilities as a writer and concluding that no one could have written these final three books better than Jordan.  From the forward it is clear that Sanderson is a big fan of the series, and he promises to uphold Jordan’s artistic vision while writing the story in his own way.

With some big shoes to fill, Brandon Sanderson proves he is the next best possible person to finish the Wheel of Time series other than Robert Jordan.  In what includes the darkest scenes yet seen in this series, The Gathering Storm moves at an exciting pace, preparing the characters and readers for the Last Battle.

Knife of Dreams Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Robert Jordan
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: The Wheel of Time Book Eleven
Pages: 860

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(Spoilers for the previous ten Wheel of Time books are below).

A sense of darkness and sadness pervades the overall tone of Knife of Dreams.  It’s not just the fact the book has as dark a tone as the Shadow Rising and The Fires of Heaven (two of the darkest books in the series), but it’s also the knowledge of the fact that this was the last completed book in the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan.

After a very disappointing tenth book, Robert Jordan redeems the series with this book and brings it back up to par.  All the plot lines that stood still in Crossroads of Twilight finally move forwards in Knife of Dreams, and the end result is a book that’s fun and exciting to read again.

Book eleven, doesn’t have one of Jordan’s flashiest endings, because the book is more about preparing the final plot threads for Tarmon Gai’don.  Despite this, there is still plenty of action continuously happening throughout the entire book.  Additional character development and some newly introduced plot threads that have a good deal of promise also add to the story, making this one of the stronger books in the series.

Crossroads of Twilight Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Robert Jordan
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: The Wheel of Time Book Ten
Pages: 846

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(Spoilers for the nine previous Wheel of Time books are below).

The Wheel of Time turns and the ages…. can’t really seem to move the plot forward.  The tenth installment in the Wheel of Time is near a complete disaster due to the fact that almost nothing happens.  The first 500 pages of this 800 page book mostly consists of reactions from all the major characters to the events that occur in the final chapter of Winter’s Heart.

The final 300 pages don’t even build to a significant conclusion, which was the great thing nearly every previous Wheel of Time book has done.  I begin to wonder why this book was even written?  It could have easily been shortened, or some other creative solution could have saved readers from this book, but alas that never happened.

I can easily say up until this point, Crossroads of Twilight is by far the weakest book in the Wheel of Time.

Winter's Heart Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Robert Jordan
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: The Wheel of Time Book Nine
Pages: 860

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(Spoilers for the eight previous Wheel of Time books are below).

Winter’s Heart is a title with a double meaning.  The surface level meaning refers to the winter weather that was created by the Bowl of Winds in order to combat the Dark One’s taint on the weather.  The deeper meaning of the title refers to the growing coldness of many of the characters in leading positions.

Winter’s Heart begins with a lot of emotionally centered scenes in the first third of the book, the second third of the book is where the book begins to suffer a bit and drag through extended side stories, but the final third of the book produces one of Jordan’s stronger endings in any of the individual Wheel of Time books.

After two significantly weaker books in the series, Winter’s Heart re-elevates Jordan’s story to the higher level of storytelling fans of the books grew accustomed to at the beginning of the series.

The Path of Daggers Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Robert Jordan
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: The Wheel of Time Book Eight
Pages: 685

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(Spoilers for the seven previous books in the Wheel of Time are below).

When The Path of Daggers was released in 1998 it became the first book in Jordan’s Wheel of Time series to reach number one on the New York Times Bestseller list, more significantly it became one of the first adult fantasy novels to reach number one.

The shortest book in Jordan’s series, excluding the prequel, The Path of Daggers fixes some of the pacing issues that were a problem in the previous book.  The ending in this book doesn’t feel rushed, like the ending in A Crown of Swords.  However, the conclusion to The Path of Daggers is very anti-climatic, and the continued drawing out of the Bowl of Winds storyline is starting to become cumbersome.

In a manner similar to the way Perrin went missing in The Fires of Heaven, Mat Cauthon goes missing in this installment of the Wheel of Time.  His fate after presumably being left in Ebou Dar remains uncertain, but the light-hearted moments he brought to the series were missed in this book, especially now that most of the characters have become more serious and cold-hearted.  The Path of Daggers doesn’t bring too much more to Jordan’s series than the previous book did.  It’s still entertaining but it lacks the impact earlier books in the series had.

A Crown of Swords Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Robert Jordan
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: The Wheel of Time Book Seven
Pages: 880

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(Spoilers for the previous six books in the Wheel of Time are below).

A Crown of Swords is notably shorter than the three books that precede it in The Wheel of Time, but it still comes in at over 800 pages.  Unfortunately not a lot happens in this book, especially in Rand’s storyline where he spends the vast majority of the book attempting to correct everything that went wrong after he was captured in Lord of Chaos.

It would appear at some point in this book Jordan realized this and rushed out an ending where something finally does happen in Rand’s story arc.  Unfortunately this ending, besides feeling rushed, loses all of the suspension and impact it could have had, were it not forced down readers throats.

Lord of Chaos Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Robert Jordan
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: The Wheel of Time Book Six
Pages: 1,012

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(Spoilers for the previous five books in the Wheel of Time are below).

After the previous two books in the Wheel of Time showcase Rand’s growing ability to scheme and learn how to use saidin, Lord of Chaos appears to go the opposite direction and focus on his vulnerabilities.   Vulnerability combined with the fulfillment of some of the long expected plot events help elevate this book and make it one of the stronger books in the series.

Lord of Chaos primarily focuses on two large conflicts: Rand al’Thor and his armies vs the Forsaken and their armies, and the White Tower vs the Rebel Aes Sedai.  The former conflict occupies the first half of the book while the latter conflict starts to occupy the second half of the book.

Lord of Chaos is a good book, but it is not as strong as Fires of Heaven.  It certainly has a more difficult time matching some of the more emotional aspects of the previous book.  Regardless, the sixth book in The Wheel of Time still delivers an exciting and engaging story, it’s just not as strong as Fires of Heaven.

The Fires of Heaven Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Robert Jordan
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: The Wheel of Time Book Five
Pages: 989

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(Spoilers for the previous four books in the Wheel of Time are below).

After the conclusion of The Shadow Rising, which threw a stick into Robert Jordan’s wheel (a good stick mind you), expectations for the fifth book were high.  For the first half of The Fires of Heaven, the pace of the story feels like that of the previous book, but then it picks up the pace drastically, racing towards an exciting conclusion.

The Fires of Heaven puts on a great display of what great epic fantasy can be all about: large battles, new magical discoveries, and new threats to the major characters are taken to new heights in Jordan’s series.

Even the absence of Perrin Ayabara and his band of friends does not stop this book from being great. An interesting note: this is the first book in the series not to feature everyone from the Two Rivers.  Although Perrin’s absence is disappointing, especially if Perrin is your favorite character, Jordan manages to see the story through to his strongest ending to any individual book of the series, thus far.

The Shadow Rising Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Robert Jordan
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: The Wheel of Time Book Four
Pages: 1,006

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(Spoilers below for the previous three Wheel of Time books).

The Shadow Rising is the longest book in the Wheel of Time series, by word count.  It is also the first book, that plot wise, starts to feel differently from the previous three books in the Wheel of Time series.  Jordan manages to change the plot and spread the narration of the story out to many different characters again, like he did in The Great Hunt.

Unlike The Great Hunt and The Dragon Reborn, The Shadow Rising doesn’t primarily focus on Rand trying to find a new magical object.  Instead his journey to master saidin, and his effort to prevent himself from going insane takes over as the central conflict, which is a lot more interesting than searching for magical devices.

While the heroes move in separate directions again, new and more ominous signs of evil begin to emerge and each of the separate plot threads must rise to meet these new challenges.  The Shadow Rising uses Jordan’s storytelling formula from the previous book, but the plot structure and ending are different.  Changes are made and the story benefits greatly in what has been one of the strongest books in the Wheel of Time thus far.

The Dragon Reborn Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Robert Jordan
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: The Wheel of Time Book Three
Pages: 701

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(Spoilers for the previous two Wheel of Time books are below).

The Dragon Reborn is Robert Jordan’s third book in the Wheel of Time Series.  Unlike the previous book, The Great Hunt, The Dragon Reborn reduces its number of narrators and instead focuses on developing its group of characters more, rather than expanding on the world and cultures that are a part of the series.

Significant changes start to occur to the major characters, especially Rand and Egwene, after both characters were subjected to brutal or prophetic experiences.  The Dragon Reborn has all of the elements to make this work except for the fact that he recycles the plot from the Great Hunt into the Dragon Reborn.

This book had a lot of promise, and still turned out great, but it could have been better had the plot not been recycled.  Regardless it’s still and excellent installment in the series.

The Great Hunt Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Robert Jordan
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: The Wheel of Time Book Two
Pages: 705

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(Spoilers for The Eye of the World are below).

Robert Jordan’s epic continues to grow in magnitude and size in this sequel to Eye of the World.  The Great Hunt is a book that looks to expand upon the cultures and customs that were previously introduced.  Jordan expands his story by having his characters continue to travel frequently and by giving more narration time to other characters besides Rand al’Thor.

The result leads to a more emotional story than Eye of the World as there is now more added depth to other characters.  Since a lot of the groundwork was laid in the previous book, The Great Hunt doesn’t have to wait too long before it picks up the pace.  The quicker pace is sustained through most of the book, making it a lot more exciting.

Eye of the World Book Review

by The Wanderer

Author: Robert Jordan
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Series: The Wheel of Time Book One
Pages: 814

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“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.”

With these words the first chapter of Robert Jordan’s epic Wheel of Time series begins.  A fantasy series so long and large it has come to symbolically redefine what people thought the word epic could mean in the fantasy genre.

It is a series that is nearly four times longer than the seven books that make up the Harry Potter series, with one prequel book, and fourteen other books, The Wheel of Time can keep a reader occupied for quite some time.

The Eye of World is a classic hero vs villain fantasy story.  A poor shepherd and his friends get caught in the coming conflict with a dark and powerful villain.  The ordinary farmers learn that they are more than just ordinary, which leads begins to lead them on a path to learn and develop skill sets that will be needed to fight evil.

Despite being a more traditional styled fantasy series, Jordan still manages to bring intrigue and suspense to his story, along with very detailed descriptions of a great new fantasy world.  The Eye of the World is the beginning of a series that promises to be fulfilling.