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The Dragon Reborn

The Dragon Reborn

Book Three of 'The Wheel of Time'
Epic FantasyFantasy
Pages
624
Published
1991
Language
English

Synopsis

Proclaimed the Dragon Reborn after wielding a power out of legend, Rand al'Thor runs from the title and the prophecies that bind it, driven by dreams toward the great fortress of Tear and the crystal sword Callandor that only the true Dragon can draw. He is, strikingly, almost absent from his own story: the journey belongs to those who chase him. Perrin wrestles with a deepening bond to wolves, Mat, freed at last from the dagger that was killing him, gambles his way across the world, and Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne hunt members of a hidden circle of darkness within the White Tower itself. As all their paths converge on Tear, prophecy hardens into fact. The third volume of The Wheel of Time uses an unusual structure, keeping its prophesied hero at a distance while the people around him carry the narrative. It deepens the world's central conflict and pays off a long sequence of prophecies with one of the series' early defining moments.

Prose complexity
7/10

Vibe

DarkTenseAdventurousMysterious
QuestChosen OneReluctant HeroMultiple POVs

Genres

Epic Fantasy Fantasy High Fantasy

About the author

R
Robert Jordan

Born in Charleston, South Carolina, James Oliver Rigney Jr. (1948-2007) wrote under the pen name Robert Jordan and became best known for the epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time. He served two tours as a U.S. Army helicopter gunner in Vietnam, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Bronze Star, then took a degree in physics from The Citadel and worked as a nuclear engineer for the Navy. A fall and a long convalescence in the late 1970s turned him toward writing full time. Before fantasy...

Characters

Rand al'ThorProtagonist

Fleeing the title thrust upon him, Rand is drawn by dreams toward Tear, present in the book mostly as the force everyone else pursues.

Perrin AybaraProtagonist

Carries much of the narrative as he struggles to accept his bond with wolves while following Moiraine after Rand.

Matrim CauthonSupporting

Freed from the tainted dagger, Mat recovers his strength and his reckless luck, breaking out on his own path.

Egwene al'VereSupporting

At the White Tower, she joins the dangerous hunt for the hidden Black Ajah.

Nynaeve al'MearaSupporting

Channels her fierce will into tracking down traitors within the Tower.

All characters in The Dragon Reborn

Frequently asked questions

  • Why is Rand barely in his own book?

    Despite being the title character, Rand has only a handful of viewpoint chapters. Jordan deliberately keeps him at a distance, telling the story through the friends and allies racing to reach him, so the Dragon Reborn becomes the storm everyone else is pulled toward.

  • What is Callandor and why does it matter?

    Callandor is a crystal sword, sometimes called the sword that is not a sword, held in the fortress known as the Stone of Tear. Prophecy says only the Dragon Reborn can take it, so claiming it becomes public and undeniable proof of who Rand is.

  • Why is this book sometimes listed under the wrong title?

    In some catalogs this volume was recorded under the series name, The Wheel of Time, rather than its actual title, The Dragon Reborn. It is the third main book, first published in 1991.

  • Is The Dragon Reborn where the series gets good?

    Many readers point to this book as the moment the series finds its footing, with tighter plotting and a strong convergence at Tear. Its unconventional, hero-at-a-distance structure is divisive but widely admired.

  • What is the Stone of Tear?

    The Stone is an ancient and supposedly impregnable fortress in the city of Tear that holds Callandor. Prophecy holds that the Stone will never fall until the Dragon's coming, which makes its fate a linchpin of the book.

  • How does the sword-in-the-stone myth connect to this book?

    Callandor drawn from the Stone of Tear deliberately echoes the Arthurian sword in the stone, part of Jordan's pattern of half-hidden legend. The name itself recalls Caladbolg, an Irish mythic sword linguistically tied to the roots of the name Excalibur.

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