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“For the world has grown full of peril. And in all lands, love is now mingled with grief.”

This line is from the fantasy epic Lord of the Rings movie, but it beautifully portrays the sense of urgency and import in the third entry of Robert Jordan’s magnum opus, the Wheel of Time series.

None of the heroes in The Dragon Reborn are safe and all must find strength to fulfill their destiny lest the world enter a dark age from which there will be no escape.

Brace yourself for aftershocks with this one. This world’s culture and geography will rock you. Spoilers galore.

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Reign of Books Podcast is a discussion of our current reads and includes spoilers galore. Check out Book Talks in menu for short spoilercast on the book.

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The price of admission is well worth it, with the book showing us not only a compelling, frightening world but packing it with a brutal realism depicting how its inhabitants are forced to survive (as individuals and as a society). Jemisin masterfully holds back details of this world, letting us experience the story with the characters as events unfold and letting the consequences of their actions slowly sink in. This happens in deeply personal ways and makes the story feel more than mere fantasy. I reeled from the trauma that each of the three lead female characters experienced and marveled at their determination to continue on. The women’s stories pack an emotional weight that becomes the center of the narrative and takes hold quickly.

Welcome to REIGNfall, our weekly series on book topics where we talk fiction and ponder the world of storytelling.

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More REIGNfall

Reign of Books Podcast is a discussion of our current reads and includes spoilers galore. Check out Book Talks in menu for short spoilercast on the book.

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The Earth breaks frequently, and with devastating effect. Earthquakes, volcano eruptions and tsunamis all conspire to erase any trace of human society, and, incidentally, the species itself. The skeletons of forgotten civilizations (“deadciv” ruins) that litter the landscape are a testament to the endless war the Earth wages on us. Thus the scene is set for the Fifth Season, named so for the cataclysmic events in the book.