The Shadow Rising

The Shadow Rising is a fantasy novel by American author Robert Jordan, the fourth book in his series The Wheel of Time. It was published by Tor Books and released on September 15, 1992. The unabridged audio book is read by Michael Kramer and Kate Reading.

The Shadow Rising
Original cover of The Shadow Rising, featuring Rand, Mat, and Egwene in the Aiel Waste
AuthorRobert Jordan
Cover artistDarrell K. Sweet
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SeriesThe Wheel of Time
GenreFantasy
PublisherTor Books (U.S.)
Publication date
September 15, 1992
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages1,007 (U.S. paperback edition) &
704 (U.S. hardback edition)
ISBN0-312-85431-5 (US hardback edition)
OCLC150103003
813/.54 20
LC ClassPS3560.O7617 S48 1992
Preceded byThe Dragon Reborn 
Followed byThe Fires of Heaven 

At 393,823 words, The Shadow Rising is the longest book of The Wheel of Time although it has fewer pages than Lord of Chaos. The Shadow Rising consists of 58 chapters. It is the first book in the main sequence of The Wheel of Time not to contain a prologue.

Plot summary

Rand al'Thor has just claimed the crystal sword Callandor to prove himself the Dragon Reborn. He is approached by Lanfear, who tells him of the Forsaken's plans. However, the fortress known as the Stone of Tear is stormed by Trollocs and Fades, sent by another Forsaken (Sammael), while a third, Semirhage, sends her followers into the Stone, to oppose Sammael's forces. In defense, Rand uses Callandor to create a lightning storm killing all the Trollocs and Fades.

Rand then decides that he must travel to the Aiel Waste, to be acknowledged as the Aiel's prophecised leader. Before leaving, Rand, Mat Cauthon, and Moiraine Damodred visit a ter'angreal that lets them talk to a mysterious snakelike race called the Aiefinn, who seemingly know the answer to any question. Mat learns from them that he must go to Rhuidean or die and also that he is destined to marry someone called "the Daughter of the Nine Moons". Egwene al'Vere and the Aiel Aviendha are also summoned to the Aiel Waste, Egwene to learn Dreamwalking and Aviendha to become a Wise One. Thus, Rand, Mat, Moiraine, Egwene, and Aviendha all travel to the Aiel Waste.

Other characters in the Stone of Tear also learn that they must travel elsewhere. Perrin Aybara hears of trouble in The Two Rivers, his native region, and returns thereto, accompanied by Faile Bashere. Elayne Trakand, Nynaeve al'Meara, and Thom Merrilin depart to Tarabon to hunt the Black Ajah. Finally, Min Farshaw arrives in Tar Valon to report to the Amyrlin Siuan Sanche. Thus, The Shadow Rising follows four groups of characters in four plotlines.

Aiel Waste

Rand teleports Mat, Egwene, Moiraine, and the Aiel at the Stone of Tear to the Aiel Waste, where Taardad and Shaido Aiel are waiting for them. Moiraine, Aviendha , Mat, and Rand enter Rhuidean, a legendary forbidden city of the waste. All three enter ter'angreal in Rhuidean. Rand there relives portions of the lives of his paternal ancestors, before and after the Breaking, and learns that the Aiel once shunned violence and served Aes Sedai, whereof some, adhering to pacifism, live on as Tinkers, while others known as the 'Jenn Aiel', carried a large collection of angreal, sa'angreal, and ter'angreal to Rhuidean. Rand emerges with dragon markings on both arms; thus proving himself the Car'a'carn: the 'Chief of Chiefs' of the Aiel.

Mat enters a ter'angreal similar to the one he entered in Tear, seeking answers to the questions he asked of the 'Aelfinn' of his previous visit; but encounters the Foxlike 'Eelfinn', who bargain for gifts instead of answering questions. Not knowing this, Mat accidentally requests several gifts from them: fluency in the Old Tongue and the memories of his own ancestors, a spear called an ashandarei, and a medallion ter'angreal that protects against the One Power. Rand finds Mat hanged from the Tree of Life as the price for these gifts; but revives Mat, who thereafter wears a black scarf to hide the resulting scars. Moiraine, having visited the three-hooped ter'angreal used by the Wise Ones, gains some knowledge of the future.

The Wise Ones assign Aviendha the task of teaching Rand Aiel customs as they travel to Cold Rocks Hold; they are later accompanied by merchants who are in fact darkfriends and Forsaken in disguise. At Al'cair Dal, both Rand al'Thor and Couladin of the Shaido Aiel declare themselves the messiah 'He Who Comes With the Dawn'. Rand reveals the secret history of the Aiel in the Age of Legends to prove his claim; whereupon an uproar breaks out among the Aiel, and, to avert violence, Rand uses the One Power to bring a rainstorm to the Aiel Waste.

The Forsaken Asmodean uses the fighting between the Aiel as a distraction to seek out the ter'angreal access keys to the Choedan Kal, the most powerful sa'angreal ever created. Rand chases Asmodean to Rhuidean, where both grab the access key at the same time. The dramatic increase in power lets Rand sever Asmodean's link to the Dark One, marking Asmodean as a traitor to the rest of the Forsaken. Lanfear then limits Asmodean's access to the One Power and forces him to teach Rand to channel, which he agrees to as he has no other choice. When Rand returns to Al'cair Dal, he finds that most of the Aiel have acknowledged him as the Car'a'carn.

The Two Rivers

Padan Fain drives the Children of the Light to the Two Rivers in order to get revenge on Rand. Slayer, a mysterious and powerful agent of the Shadow, is sent to kill Fain with large numbers of Trollocs, which threaten the village as well. Perrin returns to find this conflict and discovers with horror that the Trollocs have killed his family. To fight the Trollocs, Perrin finds several new allies, including Verin Mathwin and Alanna Mosvani, Aes Sedai searching for potential pupils, and the Tinker Aram, who surprisingly abandons his people's pacifism to help.

With the help of Tam al'Thor (Rand's adoptive father) and Abell Cauthon (Mat's father), Perrin teaches the people of the Two Rivers to fight. Perrin leads the Two Rivers against the Trollocs, and earns the nicknames 'Lord Perrin' and 'Perrin Goldeneyes' for his help. Before the final victory, Perrin marries Faile and then asks her to go to Caemlyn to ask Queen Morgase to send soldiers to help fight. The Children of the Light, led by Dain Bornhald, demand Perrin's arrest to try him for the murders of other whitecloaks previously, and Perrin agrees to give himself up, if the Children will help the Two Rivers when the Trollocs attack.

Slayer is killing wolves in Tel'aran'rhiod, but he is attacked and defeated by Perrin, so he retreats. Without his leadership, the Trollocs are defeated by the Two Rivers forces. However, the Children of the Light didn't follow Perrin's agreement and did nothing during the attack, so Perrin and the townspeople force the Children to leave. With his plans ruined, Fain departs for the White Tower.

Tanchico in Tarabon

Nynaeve and Elayne, along with Thom Merrilin and Juilin Sandar, are taken to Tanchico by the Sea Folk, who are revealed to have their own set of prophecies about Rand. In Tanchico, they meet Bayle Domon and the Seanchan Egeanin and encounter Moghedien and the Black Ajah. They discover that the enemy's goal is a male a'dam, held in the private collection of the Panarch Amathera, which they plan to use to control Rand. Nynaeve and Elayne save Amathera from the Black Ajah and take the a'dam and a seal on the Dark One's prison from her palace. At this moment, Moghedien attacks them and personally duels Nynaeve, finding that they are roughly equal in power. Nynaeve defeats Moghedien and shields her, but the Black Ajah cause a distraction with a balefire-creating ter'angreal, letting Moghedien escape. Finally, they send Domon and Egeanin to destroy the a'dam.

White Tower

Min continues to report to the Amyrlin and tries to avoid suspicion by taking the guise of Elmindreda, a giddy, empty-headed woman. However, she finds herself caught in a coup: Elaida and her supporters depose Siuan and Leane Sharif, her Keeper of the Chronicles, for secretly aiding Rand. Siuan and Leane are both 'Stilled' (their ability to channel the One Power removed) and Elaida becomes the next Amyrlin. Min frees Siuan and Leane, and all three are assisted in escape by Gawyn Trakand. In departure, they acquire Logain Ablar, a former False Dragon who has been "Gentled" (the male equivalent of 'Stilling). After convincing Logain to help them, the four leave in search of safety.

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