Robert Jordan's "The Dragon Reborn" continues the adventures of the heroes of "The Wheel of Time" series. As in the first two books, volume three has the characters split up and travel across the world Jordan has created.
It was not a well-kept secret, but the previous book ended with an astral projection of Rand al'Thor's battle with Ba'alzamon Now virtually everyone in this world knows that Rand is The Dragon Reborn - the powerful male mystic, who is destined to change the world in a way that will either save or destory it; and he will likely be driven mad by the power he wields.
Rand sets out on a quest to find his destiny. Moiraine, Lan, Loial, and Perrin depart soon after to search for him. Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne move forward with their training to become full sisters of the mystical female Aes Sedai order; then go searching for the Black Ajah Liandran, who betrayed the Aes Sedai. Perrin wrestles with his growing connection with wolves, while Mat is finally cured of the evil that infected him when he stole a cursed blade.
In the end, the major players converge in the province of Tear and Rand again fights the dark lord Ba'alzamon, believing again this is the final battle between the two.
Oddly, the title of this book refers to Rand; we hear far less of him in these pages than of his companions. This worked, as the reader gets more development of the other characters - particularly Mat and Perrin. All these quests, characters, and subplots can confuse the reader. Fortunately, in this novel, Jordan stays longer with each group and place, allowing the reader to gain a comfort level with the plot thread he is exploring.
The Wheel of Time is a marathon and not a sprint and it is best to keep this in mind as Jordan builds his world and his characters. We learn more about his characters as they learn more about themselves.