[22-1:left]Robert Jordan has performed in his usual brilliant manner. The release of his latest book last month had me waiting breathless at the bookstore the day it arrived. Not able to contain my enthusiasm, I sat down and read the entire book in a day and a half, much to the chagrin of my professors. I must say that the book was worth missing a few classes.

Jordan's characters continue to delight me more with every book. Path of Daggers recreates Egwene as a truly amazing personality and set her up to be a real power within the world. Her struggling with impatience and her deft handling of the Aes Sedai, the army, and the nobility of Andor develop her into a force to be reckoned with.

Rand continues to walk the razor's edge between sanity and lunacy with the readers themselves unable at times to distinguish between the two states of being. That tension, in my opinion, is one of the traits that make Jordan a truly masterful storyteller. In addition, Rand is handed one of his first real set backs in this volume.

The one irritating aspect of Path of Daggers is the total absence of Matrim Cauthon. In the previous book, Mat became one of my favorite characters and now an entire book with no mention of him at all, not even a clue as to what happened to him. ACK!

Regarding the plot, two important events took place in the new book. First, Rand and his followers engaged the Seanchan directly for the first time since the second book. So once again the trans-oceanic war is joined and the outcome still in doubt. Second, Egwene actually begins the siege on Tar Valon toward the end of the book. It will be interesting to see how that conflict resolves itself. The way things are going for Elaida, she might just welcome the invasion.

Overall, I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Jordan continues to climb in my esteem as a wonderful author. I just hope that I don't have to wait another two bloody years for the next book in the series!