Editing Winter's Heart

{{Short description|2000 novel by Robert Jordan}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox book | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Novels or Wikipedia:WikiProject_Books -->
| name         = Winter's Heart
| orig title   =
| translator   =
| image        = WoT09 WintersHeart.jpg
| caption      = Original cover of ''Winter's Heart'', showing [[Perrin Aybara]] leading Annoura, Balwer and Gaul
| author       = [[Robert Jordan]]
| cover_artist = 
| country      = United States
| language     = English
| series       = [[The Wheel of Time]]
| genre        = [[Fantasy literature|Fantasy]]
| publisher    = [[Tor Books]] (U.S.) & <br/>[[Orbit]] (UK)
| release_date = November 7, 2000
| media_type   = Print ([[Hardcover|Hardback]] & [[Paperback]])
| pages        = 781 (U.S. paperback edition) & <br/>668 (U.S. hardback edition) & <br/>640  (UK hardback edition)
| isbn =  0-312-86425-6 |isbn_note= (U.S. hardback edition) <br/>& {{ISBN|1-85723-984-9}} (UK hardback edition)
| dewey= 813/.54 21
| congress= PS3560.O7617 W55 2000
| oclc= 45066106
| preceded_by  = [[The Path of Daggers]]
| followed_by  = [[Crossroads of Twilight]]
}}

'''''Winter's Heart''''' is a [[fantasy literature|fantasy]] novel by American author [[Robert Jordan]], the ninth book of his series ''[[The Wheel of Time|Wheel of Time]]''. It was published by [[Tor Books]] and released on November 7, 2000. Upon its release, it immediately rose to the #1 position on the ''[[New York Times]]'' hardcover fiction [[New York Times bestseller list|bestseller list]], making it the second ''Wheel of Time'' book to reach the #1 position on that list. It remained on the list for the next two months. ''Winter's Heart'' consists of a [[prologue]] and 35 [[chapter (books)|chapter]]s.

The book's title is a reference to the increasing coldness of [[Rand al'Thor]]'s personality and to the return of [[winter]] following the reversal in the previous book, ''[[The Path of Daggers]]'', of the unnatural heat caused by the [[Dark One (The Wheel of Time)|Dark One]]'s manipulation of the [[climate]].

''Winter's Heart'' was the first ''Wheel of Time'' book for which the prologue, entitled "Snow", was first sold as an [[ebook]] in advance of the physical release of the book. "Snow" was released by the Scribner [[imprint (trade name)|imprint]] of [[Simon & Schuster]] in September 2000, two months before the publication of ''Winter's Heart''.

==Plot summary==
Many of the events of ''Winter's Heart'' take place simultaneously with the events of the next book, ''[[Crossroads of Twilight]]''. [[Perrin Aybara]] and his followers pursue the Shaido [[Aiel]] who [[kidnap]]ped his wife, [[Faile Bashere]], while [[Elayne Trakand]] attempts to suppress rebellious nobles.

[[Mat Cauthon]] is trapped in the city of [[Ebou Dar]] in [[Altara]], under [[Seanchan]] occupation. His escape is disrupted by a Seanchan noblewoman named [[Tuon Athaem Kore Paendrag|Tuon]], the heir to the Seanchan [[Crystal Throne]]; and Mat, having heard a prophecy of his own marriage to the [[Daughter of the Nine Moons]], referring to Tuon herself, kidnaps her during his and his men's escape from the city.

[[Rand al'Thor]] is appointed a [[Warder (The Wheel of Time)|Warder]] by [[Elayne Trakand]], [[Aviendha]], and [[Min Farshaw]]; and later kills most of the [[Asha'man]] traitors in [[Places in the Wheel of Time series#Far Madding|Far Madding]]. Lan also kills Toram Riatin in a duel. Caught by guards, Rand is imprisoned for a short time but is set free by [[Cadsuane]] and the other Aes Sedai. Rand and [[Nynaeve al'Meara]] Travel to [[Shadar Logoth]]. There, defended by [[Cadsuane Melaidhrin]]'s [[Aes Sedai]] and loyal [[Asha'man]] against the [[Forsaken (The Wheel of Time)|Forsaken]], Rand and Nynaeve use the Choedan Kal, two giant ''[[sa'angreal]]'', to cleanse ''[[saidin]]'' of the [[Dark One (The Wheel of Time)|Dark One]]'s influence. In the process, Shadar Logoth, the access key to the female Choedan Kal, and the female Choedan Kal itself are destroyed.

==Release details==
*2000, U.S., Tor Books ({{ISBN|0-312-86425-6}}), Pub date November 7, 2000, hardcover (First edition)
*2000, UK, Orbit ({{ISBN|1-85723-984-9}}), Pub date November 9, 2000, hardcover
*2001, U.S., Tor Books ({{ISBN|0-312-87775-7}}), Pub date February ?, 2001, hardcover
*2001, UK, Orbit ({{ISBN|1-84149-071-7}}), Pub date November 1, 2001, paperback
*2002, U.S., Tor Books ({{ISBN|0-8125-7558-X}}), Pub date January ?, 2002, paperback
*2003, U.S., Rebound by Sagebrush ({{ISBN|0-613-61150-0}}), Pub date July ?, 2003, hardcover (Library binding)

==Critical reception==
For the ''[[Centre Daily Times]]'', Jacob W. Michaels noted that, by this book, the series is "beginning to drag" due to the complexity of the story and the number of main characters. Despite entire chapters dedicated to backstory, one of the primary characters, rebel leader Egwene, is almost entirely ignored and separated from the plot, which Michaels complained was an ongoing trend of at least one overlooked character in each book in the series. He did say that the final scene of the book, which changed and recontextualized much of the prior works, was worth its entry in the series, but only for those already invested from reading the rest of the books.<ref>{{cite news |last=Michaels |first=Jacob W. |date=November 26, 2000 |title='Time' stands still in series' latest |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/centre-daily-times-time-stands-still-i/149296735/ |work=[[Centre Daily Times]] |pages=3C, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/centre-daily-times-time-stands-still-i/149296756/ 4C] |access-date=June 14, 2024 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote|The Wheel of Time}}
* [https://dragonmount.com/Books/Winters_Heart/ Concise summary of Winter's Heart from http://www.dragonmount.com/]
* [https://library.tarvalon.net/index.php?title=Winter%27s_Heart:_Plot_Summary Longer summary from https://tarvalon.net/]
* [http://www.encyclopaedia-wot.org/books/wh/index.html More detailed summaries of each chapter from http://www.encyclopaedia-wot.org]
* [http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/nonfiction/wintersheart.htm Review at http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/]
* [http://literaturo.org/HARLOW-Don/Esperanto/Literaturo/Recenzoj/winters_heart.html Review in both English and Esperanto]

{{The Wheel of Time}}

[[Category:2000 American novels]]
[[Category:2000 fantasy novels]]
[[Category:The Wheel of Time books]]
[[Category:Novels by Robert Jordan]]
[[Category:Tor Books books]]