The Dragon Reborn (The Wheel of Time, Book 3) Mass Market Paperback – October 15, 1992

The Dragon Reborn is my favorite book in this series so far. A few reasons for that are I’m pretty comfortable in this world now and can focus on the story more than all the parts, places and lore. The other reason is the character are becoming more developed and while at time I want to box their ears for fighting against their destiny/power/specialness so much instead of embracing it and just going with it.Shorter review for me than normal since there are a bazillion reviews on this series. But the run down is…..Rand - Still trying to save those around him and a little lost as to what to do with himself. Also he is struggling a bit with the madness. Is he mad or is the dark one just taunting him and making him think he is starting to go mad….idk the jury is still out on that. He is on a quest to retrieve a sword that is not a sword and so even though most of his journey is shone third person a quest for a magical sword is rarely dull.Perrin - Stubborn two rivers folk. He is a wolf brother but fighting against it. (see totally want to box his ears because it is so cool and I want him to explore it) But we find out why it might be dangerous as well. Perrin meet a girl and damn if she doesn’t have him on his toes not knowing what to think. Let the games begin :P “No questions, remember? And my name is Perrin, Zarine. Not ‘big man,’ or ‘blacksmith,’ or anything else. Perrin. Perrin Aybara.” “And mine is Faile, shaggy-hair.” With something close to a snarl, he booted Stepper after the others. Zarine had to throw her arms around his waist to keep from being tossed over the dun’s crupper. He thought she was laughing.Mat - Well Mat has been my least favorite in prior books but he has grown a bit on me in this one. Now that he isn’t slightly crazy and paranoid he is a more likeable fellow even if he is totally oblivious to the danger surrounding him and figuring out why it is there. The Wool Headed Ox has no idea that all the trouble he has been getting into might have something to do with the Dark One or some of the forsaken. Ignorance is bliss I guess. Still he has some really interesting things going on with his new found luck and is he perhaps channeling a little bit of a king from the past…..hmmm time will tell. He is definitely a lot more interesting now.Mat also gets the best fight scene in this book and I totally loved how he was able to take down Elayne’s brothers with a quarterstaff. Mat is a man not to be underestimated anymore. “During his lifetime, Jearom fought over ten thousand times, in battle and single combat. He was defeated once. By a farmer with a quarterstaff! Remember that. Remember what you just saw.” He lowered his eyes to Galad, and lowered his voice as well. “If you cannot get up by now, lad, it is finished.”Nynaeve, Egwene and Elayne - These three did practically everything together in this so it is hard to separate them. Even though I got a little tired of Egwene always fighting stubbornly with Nynaeve over EVERYTHING the rest of their story arc is really interesting. Egwene’s accepted test was almost as harsh as Nynaeve’s. Also I enjoyed it as they learn more about what they can do with the one power and go on a quest to find the Black Ajah. What is revealed about the Black Ajah in this book is scary to say the least.Best New Culture - The Aiel…yes yes I know that we got a glimpse of them in the last book. But, in this one we get a better understanding of them as their culture is fleshed out. It also seems they have some prophecies of their own about the Dragon Reborn and those were some of the most interesting by far. Plus they are badass fighters. As if he had all the time in the world, Gaul calmly lifted a dark cloth from his shoulders and wrapped it around his head, finishing with a thick black veil that hid his face except for his eyes. “Do you like to dance, Perrin Aybara?” he asked. With that, he darted away from the cage. Straight at the oncoming Whitecloaks.And he totally kicked ass. But the thing I love about the Aiel is not just that the men are great fighters but also the women. They are all like ninja’s sneaking around and rarely being seen. They are masters of fighting, camouflage and stealth. Plus it seems like they might be Rand’s people and learning more about his true origins was one of the best highlights of this book for me.Everything Else - There really is a lot going on with:- some forsaken on the lose- the Black Ajah plotting- Rand’s dreams permeating those around him and the weird side effects it is causing- Loial stepping into the role of a fighter as well as an Ogier of just knowledge- Min and some of her predictions- Moraine trying to control the situation and kinda failing at it- Another prophecy coming to completion- And FINALLY maybe FINALLY Rand will accept that he IS the Dragon Reborn and not try to deny his fate or destiny any longer.There is definitely a lot to enjoy in this installment even if again it takes a little time to get really rolling. But overall this world and the overall plot arc is growing on me.

This writer has fulfilled my craving for details, drama, heart thumping intrigue, and, most importantly, no lose ends or unfinished story lines... looking forward to the next book in the series.

I ran across these when the show came out, so I immediately que’d it for later and found the books and holy crap, I’m so giddy! I LOVE a good series and Jordan’s writing is sublime. I wasn’t sure what he was going to do with Mat, but this whole book endeared me to his character—maybe more than the rest! And I love every character!The last chapter especially, was so good. Starting the fourth book now!

The third book in The Wheel of Time series moves at a much faster pace than the previous volumes. Which isn't to say it moves quickly, mind you, but the main characters are firmly established and so is plot. The Wheel of Time still moves at a languid pace, however, with Rand al'Thor nowhere near close to fulfilling his destiny. Robert Jordan manages the feat of making you feel like you're moving forward, however, and that's all I require from this volume of the story. The book begins with Rand al'Thor having assembled an army of followers after defeating Baal'zamon over the skies above the Seanchan last volume. Heroes of legend joined him in battle and he announced to the world he was, in fact, the Dragon Reborn. Progress since then has been limited with Rand mostly sitting around his camp, struggling to deal with his madness. As a male channeler, he is doomed to insanity and there's nothing he can do about that. Well, nothing except decide to leave. In what is the least enjoyable part of the book, Rand decides to abandon his army and just go off somewhere else to do anything else. Thus, Perrin and Moraine are forced to track him down for an extended part of the book. I'm not a fan of this plotline since Rand is almost incoherent during the entirety of it, trapped in his tormented visions and self-pity. The other parts of the book make up for it. The best part of The Dragon Reborn deals with Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne dealing with their induction into the Aes Sedai. The Aes Sedai are the most powerful political movers and shakers in the land but are torn by infighting. On one hand, they have the Amyrlin Seat working covertly to support the Dragon Reborn while the majority of them believe it is their duty to prevent the Dragon from taking over the world. On the other, you have the Black Ajah which serves the Dark One and could be any member of the organization but our heroines. There's some genuinely strong passages during the Aes Sedai portions of the book like Egwene's trials to become one of the Accepted. These hint at likely story points in the future and also give her some serious character development. As bad as her trauma at the Seanchans' hands were last volume, it is nothing to what she suffers forging herself into someone capable of redeeming the Aes Sedai. We also get a lot more insight into the Aiel race who are noted for being the people who birthed Rand al'Thor as well as being fanatically loyal to him. Unfortunately, they are not Robert Jordan's best creation being little more than fantasy-ized version of Dune's Fremen. I'm not saying that he got the idea from them and they don't have their own character after awhile but the similarities were distracting. The big change in the book is the redemption of the character Mat. For two books, Mat has been nothing but an enormous load on the group. This is mostly due to the influence of a cursed dagger but it made me hate him to a ludicrous level and hope for his conversion to the Dark Side so Rand could kill him. Instead, the book managed to turn the character around completely and make him quite likable. I was also a fan of new character Faile, who is a hunter of the (already found) Horn of Valere. The fact she's desperate to find it only for the heroes to not reveal her quest is in vain is as much a part of her enjoyment as her saucy personality. I do think she's a bit too harsh on Perrin but being a fan of anime, I get that she's just a woman who doesn't know how to speak to people without berating them. In conclusion, The Dragon Reborn is a book which shows Robert Jordan settling into his role as a master storyteller. We don't need as much explanation as we did in previous volumes and this plays into his strengths. There's perhaps too many characters and too much foreshadowing (almost to the point of telegraphing) but more than enough for me to say this is my favorite book in the series thus far.10/10

Simply outstanding writing. I have never been so drawn into a story. I was skeptical at first about not having enough Rand POV’s but totally worth it. It makes his moments that much sweeter.

The Dragon Reborn improves things in every way. The character arcs continue beautifully, but mat especially shines in this one for reasons that should be clear to anyone who's read the first two books.The climax is up to Jordan's usual epic standards, and the journey and new characters are just very enjoyable.This is a step up in every way, and yet it pales in comparison to what is to come.

This series of books are for new WOT readers. The plastic on the cover peels after use. This is a 5 star review based on contents alone. If you are a fan either buy a hardcover, or find original covers.So another Wheel of Time book! I knew this would be hard to summarise but I have gathered my favourite points and tried to be as detailed as possible. I will let you know when the spoiler-free part is done. If you think the world was big already, this book adds another tonne of stuff. It is genuinely amazing how all of it joins together into one big picture and I cannot even begin to think how Brandon Sanderson and Robert Jordon satisfyingly finished such an expansive universe. Although this book is called The Dragon Reborn, I will say it isn’t heavily focused on Rand. This book however heavily develops the side characters. Matrim Cauthon, Nyaneve, Egwene, Perrin and Morraine in particular are characters that develop a lot throughout the book. I know Mat is one of the favourite characters, many who have read only the first two books don’t understand why. However, there are plenty of moments with Mat in this book where I smiled or even laughed out loud. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is questioning to continue the series.Now I am going into spoilers!Tel’aran’rhiod- Amazing addition to Egwene’s character and also interesting the concept of dreamers. Egwene’s dream test similar to Nyaneve’s in the great hunt was awesome. In fact, I think this is a foreshadowing of many things to come, particularly the third dream. The ter’angreal Egwene was given to visit that world was an amazing addition. The dream world was an interesting addition especially with the unusual ways that it works. Egwene somehow found a way to bring real-life consequences to the Black Ajah in this book, which was a good use of the new power she wields. It also leaves us with the mystery of how it links with the wolf dreams. I look forward to seeing further use of this in later instalments.Callandor- Rand didn’t use it for a lot in the book, but it was clearly really powerful. Literally has the power to level cities. So I most definitely look forward to its future use.Black Ajah- Liandrin and the other members of the Black Ajah were a threat, particularly to these three newly accepted Aes Sedai. I think some people may have found the Egwene parts slow, I simply didn’t. I found all of this REALLY interesting. However, the Black Ajah wasn’t really in a lot of the book. So I look forward to seeing more of them in later books.Matrim Cauthon- From the moment he is cured, his character flourishes. I love how he questions how far his tether of luck will take him. How he irritates everyone around him and gets away scot-free. He is a cheeky, extremely likeable character. It is such a relief that we finally get to experience him in all his glory now. His relationship with Thom Merrilin was particularly fun in this book. Thom was the serious mature character, as Mat made trouble everywhere he went.Balefire- A really interesting power to add. It isn’t clear why it is forbidden, however, it is ridiculously powerful. I liked how Nyaneve used it without even realizing what she did. It also says a lot about Morraines character that she learned to use it despite it being a forbidden power. It is used three times in the book altogether and it was described so well.Perrin and Faile/Zarine/Falcon- This to me personally was the slowest part of the book. These two are paired somehow and it is really interesting to see. However, not a lot actually happens with them in the book. It is more the arc of Perrin coming to accept her as a partner.Greymen/Darkhounds or Shadowbrothers- AN AMAZING ADDITION TO THE SHADOWSPAWN. Darkhounds were more cannon fodder to the book, despite being a force to be reckoned with. They are definitely less so than Trollocs, but they are still that nonetheless. The Greymen are terrifying and can appear in the most random of places. They are such an interesting addition to the world that it feels wrong to include them in that cannon fodder category.Forsaken: Be’lal, Ishamael, Lanfear, Sammael- The forsaken begin to take roles of Lords and rulers in this book. Sammael as a ruler of Illian, Be’lal as a lord of tear. Also, Lanfear is an ongoing threat throughout the book. Her meeting with Mat was interesting. It is interesting how she entices the selfish desires of the men. However, there wasn’t a lot of Lanfear in the book.Ishamael! I really hope that wasn’t actually Ishamael! One of the most powerful forsaken, killed with complete ease by Rand at the end of the book. An incarnation of Shai’tan himself. I don’t want to believe they have killed him off in book three, I just somehow think it's true. I was disappointed with that.Padan Fain- WHERE WAS HE? I missed this guy so much! It didn’t make the story any less bad… I just wanted more Padan Fain!Conclusion- This is a really strong book in the series. I think it is the best out of the original three in terms of it’s sheer engagement factor. However, all of these books are 5 star rated to me so far. I am genuinely so excited to see what happens next! The world is getting bigger every second in all of this and I want it!

I've used the word "journey" rather than filler because there is good world building and a lot of character building in this book. But this does not feel like a book where Jordan intended to tell a complete tale. It feels more like he wanted to introduce us to more cultures, lands, towns, peoples and then in the last 200/150 pages he wanted to wrap it up so started making it really interesting. I'm not keen on the whole "ooh I've killed Ba'alzamon" "ooooh no you haven't" thing that's happened three times now. These happen with little reason either.However, I like Jordan's writing style and its very immersive.

Brilliant story line but totally ruined by extremely excessive padding , I am at this moment wading through book seven, there are whole chapters of totally unnecessary boring dross, the story so far could easily have been told in one book and there are several more to come.I will not be buying any more of this series

This my favourite book of the series so far, simply because of what it means to the series. Rand al'Thor sets out on a quest to retrieve Callandor and thus prove to the world he is the true Dragon Reborn. It is also the first book to really deal with what it means to be ta'veren. The story follows Mat and Perrin on separate trails to Rand, but each lead to the same location in different ways, each pulling others along. It is obvious Jordan has thought about this interesting concept and fully explores it here.Throughout the book, though, the strongest ta'veren, main character and eponymous hero, Rand, does not appear much. I believe this is a good idea. The book is all about Rand and how he may affect the world, but by not having him there, he appears more alien and you end up feeling you've lost a friend in the same way Mat and Perrin have. It's a fantastic strategy. What it also does, is give the other characters time to shine. For the first time in the series, we get to see through the eyes of Mat, and find out he is quite honourable in his own way (if maybe a little selfish about it). Perrin gets an interesting story and finds another wolfbrother which makes him question his future with his ability.Special mention has to go to one particular chapter though. 'The Hammer' may seem out of place at first, but in this chapter, occurring just before the climax, everything slows down as Perrin works at a forge for a day. Jordan goes off about the workings of the smithy and the intricacies in working with iron in great detail. He describes what Perrin is doing and why he's doing it. Perrin eventually forgets his troubles for a few hours; and for a few pages, so do we. It makes us feel for the life he's left behind and may never go back to.This book doesn't end with an epic battle like the previous one, though there is fighting, but somehow it seems more epic due to fulfilment of many prophecies,The Dragon IS reborn!P.S. I do need to say this edition has a ton of errors in it, so many, that I would feel right in saying it has not been proofread. Most of the errors can be understood, though some are more difficult, often 'stern' is written as 'stem' and many other words where 'rn' is replaced by 'm' and vice versa. 'Ilyena' was once written as 'hyena' and it took me a while to realise what was meant then. But then there are others which I can't explain away. Occasionally some words were preceded by something completely random like the number 0. It could have let the reading down a bit, but these are things that are easily fixed if the editors can see their way to doing it.

I love the WoT series for its breath of story, for showing us that "heroes" as well as "villains" have flaws, for the grandeur and majesty of the story, for the 'grown up' writing and the sheer scale of the plot. Book Three gives us just as much action and adventure, a lot of it female centric, yet also adds more back story for the characters as we realise how ordinary that aren't.