Point of View

The Point of View in LORD OF CHAOS is primarily alternating third-person limited, with occasional breaks into third-person omniscient. The change from one character to another is marked by either a space between passages, or the introduction of a new chapter. This choice does several things. It gives the author freedom to hop from one character to another, offering a wide range of perspectives/worldviews to be presented, and in such a way that the scope is quite broad. This broad scope that encompasses many different characters is characteristic of epic fantasy, and it allows for the development of many intersecting storylines, both external and internal. By confining himself to the thoughts and feelings of one character at a time, Jordan lends the narrative a sense of intimacy, individualism, and immediacy that I believe would be lost in, say, a third-person omniscient point of view. On...