The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan

Being the Eighth Post of my Project Reread...
After my feelings on the previous part of my Project Reread I headed into reading The Dragon Reborn with mixed feelings. On one hand I was excited to continue reading The Wheel of Time (although a little less so due to the recent announcement that the final book will be split into 3 parts, so it doesn't look like we will be getting the conclusion of the story as soon as I was hoping). On the other hand, thanks in no small part to my recent experience rereading The Return of the King, I wasn't really looking forward to discovering another favorite series somehow having difficulty living up to my expectations. Thankfully, after this reread, The Wheel of Time is still holding strong with George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire on my favorite fantasy series list.

Many fans will tell you that The Dragon Reborn is the best book of the whole series... I am not willing to go there for many reasons, but after reading the first three books, I can honestly say The Dragon Reborn is the best of the series thus far. It continues the story and expands the world Robert Jordan setup in the first two books... it also represents the beginning of an evolution of sorts which occurs within the series as it moves beyond what might be considered simple, albeit well written and developed, fantasy.

For a quick moment let's go back in time and image my experience with the book the first go-around... here was the just published third book of a series - certainly this was to be the conclusion of the story, right? I do remember thinking just that - this was back in the age before the proliferation of fan sites and I, in my pre-madness years, was paying little attention to such things besides what books were available on the store shelves. But then you get into the book and quickly realize that this is not your average fantasy trilogy - there is much more to come.

Upon rereading The Dragon Reborn I was impressed by the fact that, while much of the book follows the tried and true quest format of the previous two books, all the little side diversions serve a purpose in the story - I can think of many books I have read where the quests seem to be adventure for adventure’s sake...not so with The Dragon Reborn (as well as The Eye of the World and The Great Hunt). Where another book is just giving the characters a challenge to overcome, Robert Jordan moves the story forward and sets up things to come, not only for later revelations and plot points within the current book, but for further on into the series as well. This is something that is present in all three of the first books, but goes almost unnoticed as you are immersed in the world and story - and something that this reread has made a bit more evident to me.

Was it worth a reread? Yes, The Dragon Reborn, even after several reads now, still has the ability to provoke a sense of wonder and desire to spend more time within Robert Jordan’s world learning its details and nuances. In some aspects, this is the book where the series gets more interesting.
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Collector’s note - while the first edition of The Dragon Reborn is, I believe, a very collectible book, it is also where the series begins its downward price decrease... a first of the next book, The Shadow Rising, still goes for a good chunk of change, but after that (bestsellerdom sets in for Robert Jordan), The Fires of Heaven and beyond, the price drops to the point where anyone can afford one. As a side note, it will be interesting to watch the prices of the first books of The Wheel of Time as the last book(s) is released - I am guessing there will be a spike come late fall/early winter, so if you are thinking about investing in some Robert Jordan First Editions, I’d say buy now or in a couple of years once the possible hype of the series finishing dies down (this, of course, is all pure speculation on my part).
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Up next on my Project Reread - I think I will be taking a short break and reading some other books before jumping back into my Project Reread with The Shadow Rising. With the announcement that The Memory of Light will be split into 3 books, my desire to get through my reread by the release of the final book has been as stretched as the release schedule for it.