After the fifth book, “hardly any story development” is the last thing you could say about this one. It is packed with action, character interaction and important scenes. The one thing that is missing is a distinct story: the scenes begin at one point and end at another, but only Jordan's monumental frame (“it was a beginning” ... “the world was changed forever”) gives any sense of closure. There are threads begun that just aren't mentioned any more, and, of course, the main story of the next book already begins here. As in the last book, there is an air of laziness, of unwillingness to follow any structure. Instead, there are still endless internal monologues about men and women, characters not trusting each other (because of lacking knowledge as often as for good reasons) and long-winded descriptions of cultural differences. So while this was a lot of fun to read, the feeling remains that Jordan has long lost control of his saga and is adding plot points purely by instinct.