Hi frens, how are you doing? Been enjoying life as much as possible? Yes, no, kinda? I hope you have.
On my end, it’s been kinda. I caught the flu, so I’ve been slow and drowsy. My spirit animal lately has been Slowpoke 🤧 . Before the boogeyman of runny noses got me, I’d been busy writing and illustrating some entries about the Archons in the Gnostic Gospels and the traditions around the autumnal equinox. So yeah, I’ve been busy!
🥳 But not as busy as my frens in Randland. Those folks are living like twenty‑somethings on their Erasmus year: traveling everywhere, meeting new people, and trying to figure themselves out. You know, the usual when you have to save the world even though no one asked you to (but you're expected to do so). The Wheel has them spinning up and down, and honestly, it must be exhausting.
They do complain quite a lot, though. Every other chapter it’s, "I don’t want this," or "I’m done, goodbye, I'm going home!" Yet, since this is only book three out of fifteen (counting the prequel, which I’ve already read), they’re clearly in this for the long haul.
I liked The Dragon Reborn, though not as much as the previous ones and that’s partly why I slowed down. Somewhere around chapter forty, though, the story picked up speed... Well, Robert Jordan speed 😅.
Even through all the complaining, I felt like I got to know the characters more deeply. They’re starting to resent Rand and Randland itself, which somehow makes them more three‑dimensional than before. Our heroes (though not by choice) are as stubborn as ever, but who wasn’t in their early twenties? They’re unraveling all these secrets and puzzles and to top it off, they still (sometimes) have doubts on what to do with their own lives. But we as readers get precious glimpses into their inner worlds.
Between mysterious magic, escapes, battles, conspiracies, and dangerous yet whimsical characters, we see more corners of this world and of the villains too. Everything feels richer and more alive.
The book’s title might be The Dragon Reborn, but don’t worry! There’s much more here than meets the eye. The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills, and burn me if it isn’t true.
By the time I finished, my jaw was on the floor. So, hey Jordan boy: you’ve got another good one here!
Have you read The Dragon Reborn? Or is it on your list? I’d love to know your thoughts.
🫖For now, I’ll be here with my warm cup of tea, recovering and thinking about what awaits me in the next one.
See you later, alligator 🐊