Planned as the penultimate book in the series, this was the last novel to be completed by the Author before his death - the next book was planned to be written by another author, using Jordan's notes as a guide, but that ran so long it was split in to 3. This does not bode well, especially considering how fracturehd the story has become - with 7 major plot threads, each based around different characters, all happening in different places at the same time, plus lesser threads featuring other characters, there are several jarring jumps, and far too often, things come to a head in several threads, at the same time, with little to no apparent connection, almost as if events are being co-ordinated. 3 books and a prequel to go, and I'll be glad to put it behind me.