A Crown of Swords
[Image:WoT07 ACrownOfSwordsAlternate.jpg|right|thumb|A Crown of Swords was the first Wheel of Time book for which the cover of the first paperback edition, shown here, did not use the same art as the hardcover edition.]
A Crown of Swords is a fantasy novel by American author Robert Jordan, the seventh book of The Wheel of Time. It was published by Tor Books and released on May 15, 1996. A Crown of Swords consists of a prologue and 41 chapters.
Plot summary
A Crown of Swords has three primary plotlines:- Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, prepares to attack the Forsaken Sammael in Illian while enjoying life with his friend Min Farshaw and attempting to quell the rebellion by nobles in Cairhien, during which Padan Fain severely injures him. After recovering, Rand, accompanied by Asha'man, defeats Sammael in Shadar Logoth, where Sammael is destroyed by Mashadar. Rand then takes the crown of Illian: formerly the Laurel Crown, but now called the 'Crown of Swords'.
- Egwene al'Vere and Siuan Sanche attempt to manipulate the Aes Sedai in Salidar against Elaida's Aes Sedai in the White Tower. Investigating Myrelle Berengari, Egwene exploits the transfer of Lan Mandragoran's Warder bond from Moiraine to Myrelle, to force Myrelle and Nisao to swear fealty to her.
- In the city of Ebou Dar in Altara, Elayne Trakand, Nynaeve al'Meara, Aviendha, and Mat Cauthon search for a ter'angreal, the Bowl of the Winds, to break the unnatural heat brought by the Dark One's manipulation of climate. They find it and enlist the help of the Kin and the Atha'an Miere. They also confront a Gholam. Mat is left behind and caught in the fighting as the Seanchan invade Ebou Dar.
Reception
Andy Butcher reviewed A Crown of Swords for Arcane magazine, rating it a 7 out of 10 overall, and stated that "The story has lost the sense of urgency and tension that made the first three so readable, and Jordan falls into the trap of spending too much time on unimportant details and minor sideplots. A Crown of Swords is still a cut above a lot of fantasy, but the pace needs to be picked up. It would probably help if Jordan set himself a goal by disclosing just how many books there will be in the series - at the moment you get the distinct impression that it could run forever, becoming more meandering and aimless as time goes by."Reviews
- Review by Henri Lœvenbruck, Alain Névant, and Mydia Passevant in Ozone #3, Août/Octobre 96
- Review by Carolyn Cushman in Locus, #429 October 1996
- Review by Jim Seidman in SF Site, November 1997,
- Review by Joe Sherry in ''2024 Hugo Voter Packet''