the books of the wheel of time classified
by: preston simmons | Written: Oct 13, 2021
there are no beginnings or endings in the wheel of time. but it was a start.
*warning: this post will contain some spoilers for the series*
You are reading: Wheel of time books ranked
robert jordan’s wheel of time (finished by brandon sanderson) is possibly one of the best epic fantasy series ever written. The series is an excellent introduction to the fantasy genre as a whole, and will be adapted for television by Amazon soon.
The new show will bring new fans to the series who will want to start reading the books. is a massive series with 14 books, including a prequel.
inevitably, with such a large number of books, some will be better than others. Furthermore, before the release of book 12, Robert Jordan, the creator of the series, passed away. Brandon Sanderson, the author of the Cosmere books, took over and finished the Wheel of Time with the last three books.
Because of the number of books and the change of authors, questions arise: which books about the wheel of time are the best? are they the worst books in the brandon sanderson series? does sanderson improve jordan’s writing? is the first half of the wheel of time better than the second half?
let’s find out!
here is the classification of the wheel of time books!
related: cosmere books classified!
Want to test your wheel of time knowledge? Take the wheel of time trivia quiz and see how much you know about the series! Do you think you can get a perfect score?
*final warning: this post will contain some spoilers for the series*
#15 – twilight crossroads (book 10)
In position 15 of the wheel of time is the crossroads of twilight. this is by far the weakest book in the series. one of the biggest criticisms of the series is that there is a “slog”. if there is a slog, this is the book that epitomizes it.
In short, nothing significant happens at all. plotlines drag, a certain character becomes even more annoying due to their “babies” and, most importantly, little to no rand. Of all the books on the list, this is the one you want to finish as quickly as possible.
#14 – heart of winter (book 9)
At number 14 of the wheel of time is winter’s heart, book 9 in the series. Unlike Crossroads of Twilight, Winter’s Heart has one of the best endings in the entire series. unfortunately, it takes 34 uninteresting story chapters to get there. the biggest problem is that nothing too interesting happens in the chapters leading up to the end.
The prologue, however, is one of the most emotionally gripping moments in the series, but again, between the prologue and the climax, the book drags.
Overall, this is where most fans think the hard work begins, and I agree.
#13 – new spring (prequel novel)
In 13th place on the Wheel of Time book list is New Spring, the prequel novel. honestly, the rest of the books on the list are great entries from here on out. The Heart of Winter and The Crossroads of Twilight are not bad books; they just aren’t as memorable as the rest of the series. New Spring, like the last two books on the list, isn’t all that memorable either. nothing extraordinary happens, and there are no new revelations about any of the characters. therefore, it cannot be considered one of the best books in the series.
nevertheless, new spring is a good book. It does a great job of giving us more insight into Moiraine, Lan, and Siuan and their pasts, as well as giving us another look at the White Tower before the Dragon Reborn rocked the world. If you love Moiraine, you will love this book. i love moiraine so i thought the book was great (but short). Unfortunately, it wasn’t as important as any of the other books in the series (including Winter’s Heart and Crossroads of Twilight).
is a well-written diversion from the main plot that ultimately serves no purpose other than building characters.
#12 – the way of daggers (book 8)
At number 12 on the Wheel of Time book list is The Way of Daggers, Book 8 in the series. this one has one of the best openings of any book in the series, with the girls fixing the weather with the bowl of winds, pictured above on the cover.
also, this book shows the consequences of rand using his powers to the fullest. It’s one of the lowest points for him mentally in the series, and Jordan excellently portrays his psychological decline.
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Unfortunately, like the other novels on the list so far, the ending of this book feels like a setup for future plotlines rather than having an epic conclusion of its own. furthermore, the book ends abruptly, leaving the reader feeling disappointed.
#11 – a crown of swords (book 7)
Number 11 in the Wheel of Time book rankings is A Crown of Swords, Book 7 in the series. this book has one of my favorite subplots in the series; mat, nynaeve and elayne in ebou dar and their search for the bowl of the winds.
Up to this point, mat hasn’t had much interaction with the main girls of the series since the third book because he’s been too busy dealing with their problems. for him, he’s changed so much between books 3 and 7 that seeing his interactions with them here was fantastic.
Unfortunately, its plot also consists of one of the most controversial moments of the entire series which will most likely leave a terrible taste in your mouth after reading it. because they are in mat’s point of view, the events are presented with humor, although what is happening is unsettling.
other than that, egwene and rand’s chapters are nice but unspectacular.
#10 – eye of the world (book 1)
Coming in at number 10 in the Wheel of Time book rankings is The One That Started It All, The Eye of the World, book one in the series. Of all the entries in the series, this book is the most unique. you can tell that robert jordan was inspired by other novels like lord of the rings and other classics when you read it.
eotw follows the structure of a very familiar hero’s journey and, to a degree, feels more young adult than pure adult fantasy. The Eye of the World feels like a prologue to the series while, in a way, it also feels like his own stand-alone book. it’s almost as if robert jordan wrote it in such a way that if the publishers didn’t approve wheel of time as a complete series, the eye of the world would still function as a single piece.
#9 – the dragon reborn (book 3)
Number 9 in the Wheel of Time book rankings is The Dragon Reborn, Book 3 in the series. there were so many nice scenes in this book that i loved, but they all belonged to mat cauthon.
In the previous two books, mat was never my favorite character. he was annoying, petty, selfish, and generally the weakest link in the group (all explained and necessary to the plot). Little did he know how much he would come to love Mat throughout the series, and in Dragon Reborn, that’s where it all began.
The highlights of the book were Mat’s fight with Gawyn and Galad, Mat’s rescue from Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne, and Rand’s battle with Ishamael at the Stone of Tears.
#8 – the great hunt (book 2)
The next book ranked in the Wheel of Time is The Great Hunt, Book 2 in the series. I mentioned earlier how I felt that the eye of the world felt more like a prologue to the series. the big hunt is where i would say the wheel of time becomes more of an epic fantasy than a young adult, marking the real start of the series.
Many amazing characters are developed in this book, but egwene’s is excellent. this book shapes her for the rest of the series and makes her one of the most compelling characters to read about.
The climax of this book is also possibly one of the best in the entire series.
#7 – knife of dreams (book 11)
Number 7 on the ranked list of Wheel of Time books is Knife of Dreams, the 11th book in the series. This is Robert Jordan’s last published book before he died, but because of this book, he set the story perfectly for Brandon Sanderson.
In this book, many plots from various books conclude in a satisfying way. Perrin finally puts the failed rescue arc behind her, Elayne ends her claim to the throne, Mat and Tuon’s romance is put on hold for more important things, and Loial gets married.
but the best part of this book belongs to nynaeve. his journey to the borderlands and bringing the people together is one of the highlights of the entire series.
#6 – the coming storm (book 12)
Next on the list of classified Wheel of Time books is The Gathering Storm, book 12 in the series. First, The Gathering Storm is notable in that it is the first book written by Brandon Sanderson in the series.
When sanderson replaced jordan, fans were wary because jordan had a particular writing style that would be difficult to emulate. Fans were also concerned that Sanderson tried too hard to sound like Jordan in his prose and ultimately failed.
they were also afraid that sanderson would take the series in a direction that jordan would never have taken. Fortunately, Sanderson not only calmed the concerns of most fans, but also achieved what seemed impossible; he improved the series.
The Gathering Storm contains so many memorable moments in the series that deserve recognition. i loved rand’s mental breakdown and her subsequent rebirth. egwene’s confrontation with elaida and her return to the rebels to reveal the dark friends in the camp rekindled my love for egwene. who could forget that verin reveal bombshell?
so many unforgettable moments in one book, and brandon sanderson proved that the series was in good hands.
#5 – the towers of midnight (book 13)
Number 5 on the ranked list of the Wheel of Time books is Towers of Midnight, the 13th book in the series. the towers of midnight is a fantastic book and in my opinion the funniest book in the series.
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perrin and mat were the highlights of this book by far. In this book, Perrin has probably the third most memorable line in the entire series, earning Perrin his nickname “It’s just a tissue” Aybara. Not to mention, Perrin forged one of the coolest hammers ever, proving that he’s more than “just a blacksmith” once and for all.
mat and his amazing tower rescue is probably one of the best moments in the entire series and solidifies why he’s my second favorite character in the wheel of time.
#4 – the fires of heaven (book 5)
Next on the list of classified books of the wheel of time is the fires of heaven, book 5 in the series. this book is excellent because of the development of mat and rand as characters.
for rand, in the earlier books (not so much in the rising shadow), he had been very hesitant to be a true leader of men as the dragon reborn. but here, he has finally fully assumed his role and does what must be done. not only that, but he also becomes wise and listens to moraine for once. It only took five books, but it fulfills some of the potential Moiraine sees in it.
for example, this is where it gets awesome. forms the band of the red hand, uses the memories of him to become the best general of the time and shows how amazing he is in combat. he also begins to claim that he “isn’t a fucking hero”, but goes to great lengths to prove otherwise.
Lastly, Moraine’s battle with lanfear also deserves a mention. she showed how amazing a moiraine woman she was and how terrifying lanfear could be.
The only negative about this book was the Valan Luca moments.
#3 – lord of chaos (book 6)
Next on the list of classified wheel of time books is the lord of chaos, book 6 in the series. There are so many highlights in this book that it’s hard to know where to start.
first, i loved the rand fights in this book. this is what i consider to be rand’s second lowest point in the entire series, right behind almost killing his father in book 12. when rand is captured by the red ajah, he is mentally destroyed. jordan writes masterfully about his struggle with his identity, the anguish he feels and everything he goes through. and then what he leads into is arguably one of the biggest battles in all of fantasy; Dumay is fine.
During the Pit of Dumai, two of my favorite quotes from the series are said and I’ll probably never forget: “asha’men kill” and “kneel, or you’ll be knelt.”
This book cemented the series as one of my all-time favorites, but it’s still not what I’d consider the best.
#2 – the rising shadow (book 4)
In number 2 of the wheel of time books is the rising shadow, book 4 of the series. this book really introduces us to one of the most incredible groups of people in fantasy; the aiel
the aiel are such a unique group of people that they somehow remind me of the fantasy version of freman from dune. but in reality, there is much more to them than just that. Their culture, way of thinking and customs are very different from what Robert Jordan had previously shown us compared to other groups of people in the books. Learning about them through Rand’s visions was one of the best non-battles in the series, which alone makes it worthy of second place on the list. however, there is more.
perrin returning to the emond field after so long was something that I was very excited to see happen. The battle there is the third best fight in the series and one of the most emotional moments in Perrin’s history.
oh, and mat gets his hat along with some souvenirs.
#1 – a memory of light (book 14)
Finally, at number 1 in the wheel of time book rankings is a memory of light, book 14 in the series. what an epic and heartbreaking masterpiece of a book. Brandon Sanderson somehow not only managed to perfectly wrap up this epic of a series, he somehow managed to write the best book ever in the process.
The highlights of the book are basically the entire book, but I’ll try to mention the parts that make this one of the most remarkable pieces of fiction in all of fantasy.
let’s start with the giant of the chapter known as the last stand. Just for reference, that single chapter is longer than the entirety of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. it’s a monumental achievement in writing, and it not only meets the 13-book backlog the series gave it, but surpasses it. each character is given their time to shine in some way. every point of view during the battle is compelling. you honestly couldn’t have asked for anything better. this is hands down the best battle in the series and possibly one of the best battles in all of fantasy.
Now, let’s talk about Rand’s epic conclusion against the dark. everything had led up to that moment, and it was fulfilled. how things were going to end had been hinted at throughout the series, yet when it finally happened and how it did happen, it took me by surprise. It really was a fitting ending to the overall story.
Without a doubt, a memory of light deserves the number one spot on the list.
the wheel of time is one of the best fantasy series of all time, filled with some of the most memorable moments, lovable characters and fascinating cultures. the series is an achievement in fantasy and literature as a whole. Amazon has big shoes to fill in adapting the series for TV, but if they don’t stray too far from the source material, the show is sure to be one of the best fantasy shows to air.
hope you enjoyed my ranking of wheel of time books. if you want to start the series yourself, check out the best reading order to do so.
if you want to buy all the books at once (because every fantasy lover should have this series in their collection), you can find them all here!
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