content: I believe this book had only one purpose -- to be a seg-way into the next. But where is the next? This novel lacks the exciting conclusion that I've come to expect. It ended so "wide open" that a reader can't help being frustrated. I hope that Mr. Jordan is alive and well, and will soon give us the novel that is two years coming. His novels have been a source of great enjoyment for me and I miss having a new one to read.