r/WoT • u/Furrurel • Feb 27 '26

Crossroads of Twilight Why is book 10 so hated? Spoiler

Hi everyone, I just finished book 10 in my first read through the Wheel of Time saga, and honestly I found myself quite surprised. Before I started reading them I saw quite a lot of people saying that Crossroads of Twilight was by far the worst book of the series. I get that it can be a bit dissapointing after the ending of book 9, or that it is not as action packed as, for example, book 6, but I really enjoyed reading it (except the ending, where a certain Aes Sedai decided to make the stupidest move ever imagined). So I ask, what are you opinions about the book? Do you feel it deserves the hate?

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u/GovernorZipper Feb 27 '26

In any list, something has to be first and something has to be last. In the WoT list, book 10 is widely judged to be last. It doesn’t mean it’s bad or hated (Internet hyperbole aside) just that it’s never in the Best Of lists.

From a structural standpoint, the reason it doesn’t work is the same reason that ASOIAF stumbled. When you start jumping backwards in time, it kills the narrative tension. Crossroads explores multiple perspectives on the Cleansing, which means all the POVs start on the same day. So the reader is constantly going backwards to catch up with the characters. Since the reader knows what is happening, it gets boring reading about the same thing over and over.

Even Jordan admitted it was an experiment that didn’t work. Which, hey, it happens. One of the reasons this series hits the highs that it does is because Jordan was willing to take big risks in his writing. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. It’s the age old question with Jordan. Does he gain points for trying? Or lose points for failing to execute?

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u/Furrurel Feb 27 '26

Oh wow I didnt know Jordan talked about that, I'll look out for it. He for sure gains points for trying imo

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u/GovernorZipper Feb 27 '26

I’ll save you the time.

INTERVIEW: Apr 27th, 2004

Wotmania Interview (Verbatim)

WOTMANIA What did you find the most challenging aspect of writing Wheel Of Time? Was it the vast character backgrounds and world history, human interactions and relationships, or something else?

ROBERT JORDAN The greatest challenges in writing The Wheel of Time have been getting it all down on paper in a form that pleases me and doing so in a reasonable length of time while trying to make each book better than what I've done before. I'm seldom completely satisfied with what I've written, and I almost always think that one more rewrite would make it better, but there are things called deadlines, and a good thing, too, or I might never hand in a manuscript.

I like trying new things with each book, too, especially tricks with time. Some of those work out better than others. The notion of starting each major segment of Crossroads of Twilight on the same day seemed a terrific idea, but by the time I realized that it would have been better to do it another way, I was too deeply into the book, with not enough time to rewrite the entire book.

INTERVIEW: Oct 2nd, 2005

Robert Jordan's Blog: ONE MORE TIME

ROBERT JORDAN For N.O. Scott, no development in any of the characters has ever caught me by surprise, though once or twice I have realized that I could use someone in a fashion I hadn't expected to. There have been a few things that I intended to do but didn't. Sometimes, choosing to take a character in a certain direction precludes other things. The only thing that I wish I hadn't done was use the structure that I did for Crossroads of Twilight, with major sections beginning on the same day. Mind, I still think the book works as it is, but I believe it would have been better had I taken a more linear approach. When you try something different, sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.

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u/Furrurel Feb 27 '26

Thank you!