The Gathering Storm (Wheel of Time, #12; A Memory of Light, #1)

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The Gathering Storm (Wheel of Time #12)

by Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson (Goodreads Author)

4.35 · rating details · 14,580 ratings · 1,147 reviews

Tarmon Gai’don, the Last Battle, looms. And mankind is not ready.

The final volume of the Wheel of Time, A Memory of Light, was partially written by Robert Jordan before his untimely passing in 2007. Brandon Sanderson, New York Times bestselling author of the Mistborn books, was chosen by Jordan’s editor---his wife, Harriet McDougal---to complete the final book. The sc

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Hardcover, 783 pages

Published October 27th 2009 by Tor Books (first published January 1st 2009)

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Mar 13, 2010

Jon rated it

Shelves: epic-fantasy, fiction, fantasy, signed, read-in-my-40s

While I've read, and liked, nearly everything published (non-YA) by Sanderson, I started reading The Gathering Storm with a chip on my shoulder. And the Prologue disappointed me a bit. It just didn't feel right. The more I read, however, the better I felt. By the end of the novel, I honestly couldn't tell you what parts were authored by Jordan and which were authored by Sanderson.

Since this is the twelfth book of the Wheel of Time series, I'm going to avoid any kind of plot sy...more

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Dec 07, 2009

Lori rated it

WARNING: THERE ARE MAJOR SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS SO SKIP IF YOU HAVEN"T READ THE BOOK!!!!!

I said I wasn't interested. I said I wouldn't bother reading this until the whole series was done. But with all the great reviews, and also having really liked Sanderson's other work, I went back on my word as soon as I saw this at Costco! On top of that, I'm even ignoring some books I've been dying to read that I have on hand, notably Kingsolver's new one. I'm such a liar!

...moreWARNING: THERE ARE MAJOR SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS SO SKIP IF YOU HAVEN"T READ THE BOOK!!!!!

I said I wasn't interested. I said I wouldn't bother reading this until the whole series was done. But with all the great reviews, and also having really liked Sanderson's other work, I went back on my word as soon as I saw this at Costco! On top of that, I'm even ignoring some books I've been dying to read that I have on hand, notably Kingsolver's new one. I'm such a liar!

Well, I've finished. I busted my ankle so since I was flat on my back I was able to have quite the marathon in this world.

I am surprised how much I liked it, and alot more than the last books Jordan actually wrote! I felt that we are FINALLY gathering towards a conclusion, and instead of bringing yet more minor and extraneous players into the mix, we now focused only on the more major characters. In the previous books, I couldn't remember who half the characters were, but for this one, even with the looooooong break I needed no reminders at all. Even with my senioritis!

The book was far more focused and back to concentrating on things that are essential. And the wonderful world that Jordan created but misused after the first few books is back!

For all you action buffs who love battles, that is lacking here. There's lots more preparation for military action, but the real battles here are psychological for both Egwene, trapped in the White Tower, and for Rand himself. Finally, we get back in Rand's mind, and for the hero of the story, Jordan was doing his best to make us hate him. Well, no longer. He captures our sympathy, so much so that we may dislike what has happened to his character but we don't blame him at all, in fact we now understand and are very sad. BUT BUT BUT there is actual development here! Which I can't say because that would be a spoiler.

There are not many books that would be so utterly engrossing that would make the hours fly while I was forced into utter inactivity on a couch with my ankle lifted all day long. This book made what would have been a hair-pulling experience into an utterly wonderful weekend. (less)

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Dec 15, 2009

Richard rated it

I first picked up the Wheel of Time series fifteen years ago while a freshman in college. I remember being totally caught up in the series, consumed by the characters and taken in by the world. I looked forward to every page, couldn't decide on my favorite character and couldn't wait for the next book. That changed as the series went on. Wandering plotlines, characters that became so unlikeable that I loathed when they appeared for more than a chapter at a time, and so much of the plot taken...moreI first picked up the Wheel of Time series fifteen years ago while a freshman in college. I remember being totally caught up in the series, consumed by the characters and taken in by the world. I looked forward to every page, couldn't decide on my favorite character and couldn't wait for the next book. That changed as the series went on. Wandering plotlines, characters that became so unlikeable that I loathed when they appeared for more than a chapter at a time, and so much of the plot taken up with unimportant throwaway characters that I felt like I needed a separate book just to keep up with all of the characters. I remember clearly the moment I decided I was done with the series, after an entire book searching for the bowl of winds, only to reach the end of the book and with bowl in hand, the characters... do nothing. It was another half a book before the artifact was finally used. So it wasn't until Robert Jordan died that I went back and picked up the last few books that I hadn't read, in anticipation of Brandon Sanderson's writing the final novel. I was pleased to find that the books resolved some of the issues as they went on, even though, as I picked up the 'last' of the Wheel of Time books I learned it would be the last of three.

The Gathering Storm renewed my love of the Wheel of Time. Sanderson's writing pays homage to Jordan just enough that the book doesn't seem disjointed, but it so many ways it is much better. Rare are the chapters where we follow a character through the minutia of walking from one place to another without the plot moving forward. Chapters told from the point of view of characters not central to the plot were revealing and concise. The plot moves forward at a satisfying pace and resolves many of the plotlines that we have been waiting years for. Even more satisfying is that the characters become likeable again. Even Rand by the end, is one step closer to being a sympathetic character. I totally recommend the Gathering Storm as a book that will renew the faith of Jordan readers like me, who became disenchanted over the years. I'm looking forward to the final two books of the 'A Memory of Light' and in the meantime I will be introducing myself to Sanderson's other books.(less)

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Oct 25, 2011

Mike (the Paladin) rated it

Shelves: fantasy

Okay, I've got to put everything else aside till I read this...it's nearly 800 pages and other people at the library are waiting for me to finish it.

Well at least they finally killed *** ******. Ya, I won't put in a spoiler, not that it would matter that much, but then Sanderson has continued Jordan's established pattern of actually tying up few plot points per volume. That is I suppose why it will (he says) take 2 more of these gargantuan tomes to complete this story.

Ok...moreOkay, I've got to put everything else aside till I read this...it's nearly 800 pages and other people at the library are waiting for me to finish it.

Well at least they finally killed *** ******. Ya, I won't put in a spoiler, not that it would matter that much, but then Sanderson has continued Jordan's established pattern of actually tying up few plot points per volume. That is I suppose why it will (he says) take 2 more of these gargantuan tomes to complete this story.

Okay (I seem to say that a lot), once I got into this my first reaction to the rambling narration was I just don't care anymore. But in a way I do care. The farther I got into this "thing" the more the overpowering feeling of sadness at what could have been overwhelmed me. I can't pick up one of these books without getting angry and frustrated. As has been pointed out before, this was originally planned as a seven (that's 7) book series...somehow it has bloated up to 12 volumes with 2 more to come.

Let me say that the first 6 volumes of this series 9by Robert Jordan) are some of the best writing I have ever come in contact with. This stood to be (I believe) one of the great fantasy series (and possibly great fiction works) of all time. But, for some reason (and all I can do is speculate what it was as the author did not tell us) it was turned into a rambling soap opera. I live in hope that some one in a future generation will take the entire 14 volumes (plus the prequel New Spring) and turn them over to a good editor.

I know some on Mr. Jordan's fans are not happy with me here, I have seen the "5 star ratings" and believe me when I say I'm happy for you. I know that there are those of you who love the repetitive conversations, the accounts of the same events from several different people, the endless and pointless war of the sexes. The plot point where Nynaeve runs to Cadsuane probably thrilled you. And you probably "felt" that "the one she sent" to talk to Rand, and Rand's reaction are "very important". Okay... good. It took long enough to get there and what did we accomplish? Well, Rand ******* again.

Actually I really mean it, I'm glad you are enjoying this.

I'm not.

I believe I've made my opinion of this volume and the series in general plain here. I know that a lot of you will disagree with me and some will point out that the books sell in huge numbers.

The same can be said of Harlequin Romances.

I have always wondered if the fact that the books were all "best sellers" may not have been their downfall. I always wondered (wonder) if "somebody" might not have said to Mr. Jordan, "hey this thing is making tons of money, why wind it up at seven volumes?" Of course as I said, no one can be sure of something like that. All we know is that like Frankenstein's monster this story just keeps stumbling along.

I don't think I'll take the next two out of the library as soon as they're published. If I finish the "series" I may just wait till the last volume is finished and read it then. Maybe I'll even take time to reread the first volumes a second time once the thing is finished. The first ones first 5 or 6) were really good. (less)

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Nov 01, 2010

Carrie (Care) rated it

Shelves: july-09-dec-09, audiobooks, read-in-2010, ebooks, favorites

Wow, I loved this book! This book had a faster pace compared to the previous few books. There was a good amount of loose ends we've been waiting to get wrapped up come to a conclusion. Brandon did an amazing job with this book, and I am even more excited to read the final two volumes. I have to say there were a few times I'd think to myself 'so and so wouldn't say that' or I thought a character was acting out of place (mostly one character, but I bet all of us fans will have this feeling with di...more

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Jul 04, 2009

Foomy marked it as to-read

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'm very hopeful that Sanderson can salvage what remains of this series. Knowing the kind of stuff he is capable of writing, here's what I think might happen.

Rand gets Aviendha pregnant before the last battle.

Elayne, harpy that she is, continues to take stupid risks knowing that Min viewed that her children would be healthy and strong, so Elayne won't die before the children are born. Oops, something kills her right after the children are born, while they are being born...moreI'm very hopeful that Sanderson can salvage what remains of this series. Knowing the kind of stuff he is capable of writing, here's what I think might happen.

Rand gets Aviendha pregnant before the last battle.

Elayne, harpy that she is, continues to take stupid risks knowing that Min viewed that her children would be healthy and strong, so Elayne won't die before the children are born. Oops, something kills her right after the children are born, while they are being born, or just before they are ready to be born so they can be cut out of her corpse. Rand, bonded to her, throws himself into the last battle with reckless abandon, getting himself killed yet somehow saving the world.

Aviendha gives birth to twins and also adopts Elayne's twins, fulfilling Min's viewing ("four of them at once! but something strange..."). I'm really rooting for this to happen, it all fits and it means one of my least favorite women in the series dies.

Lan dies and leaves Nynave a wallowing mass of depression and regret for being so awful (okay this is more of a hope on my part, but maybe Sanderson hates her as much as I do).

World saved, light wins, women left alive are miserable but at least the dark one isn't free.

----------

Here's what I'm hoping will happen, but probably won't.

Cadsuane and Sorleia, having made the vow to teach rand to cry, contrive to manipulate the situation to cause one of his loved ones to die. It happens to be Elayne. He finds out it was Cadsuane's fault, and goes insane (saidin-related or not, doesn't matter) with grief and rage. He joins with Taim, obviously an agent of shadow at this point, and kills the dark one only to take over his rule, ushering in a new era of despair and hopelessness for humanity.

All because aes sedai treated the world like a chessboard, manipulating events because ONLY THEY had enough information, ONLY THEY knew what was right, and ONLY THEY were fit to shape the world. Through their hubris they cause evil to claim the world for untold generations.

Tell me that wouldn't be the perfect ending.(less)

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Dec 09, 2009

Aaron Burke rated it

The Wheel of Time "trilogy" is now on book 12, with two more scheduled. Maybe the series should have been named "The Eternal Derivative." It is the most derivative work in fantasy literature! 40% Dune, 40% Lord of the Rings (LOTR), and 20% Star Wars. The Aes Sedai are clones of Dune's Bene Gesserit. The Aiel are replicas of Dune's Fremen. "Channeling" is simply tapping into the Force. Could the Black Ajah be any more like the Sith? Or the trollocs the...more

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Jul 04, 2009

Alan rated it

Totally love this book. Brandon Sanderson really has what it takes to pick up where Robert Jordan left off.

Oh wait, I haven't read this book yet. Well I'll just leave this review until I feel the need to change it.

Now I have read it and it was better than I had hoped.

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Jan 01, 2010

Jeanne rated it

To be real honest, I actually think this is the best book of the series so far. Brandon Sanderson is a much better writer than Robert Jordan, and mind you I read all 11 books by Jordan so he's not THAT shabby! Harriet (Robert jordan's widow) picked the PERFECT writer to finish the series from Jordan's notes. He grew up with those books and is a huge fan boy of the series so he is ever so mindful to stay within the parameters of the world and the previous books in the series. He's paid a great de...more

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Oct 18, 2010

Andrew rated it

Superior to the last half-dozen Jordan books, Sanderson does The Wheel of Time better than its original author.

Sanderson puts in so many things that Jordan alluded to for effect but never satisfactorily depicted: Aes Sedai politics, characters' scheming and ploys, Rand recalling all the women he killed.

Characters reminisce about their past and other characters Jordan neglected, and refer to how they have changed; their emotions are more real and tangible, and demonstrated...more

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Jan 11, 2011

Malinda rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 11, 2011

Coligne rated it

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Shelves: sfida, dei, mattonazzi, 2011, my, favorite, la, ruota, del, tempo, fantasy, fanucci

Veramente, questo "Presagi di tempesta" - tra l'altro, titolo molto azzeccato, anche se non quanto l'originale (The Gathering Storm)- è sotto il segno del Drago. Infatti qui troviamo Rand, il Drago Rinato, vero protagonista del libro, come non accadeva da un bel po di libri a questa parte (neanche nel 9° ebbe così tanto spazio); e l'unico personaggio in grado di rivaleggiare, per quanto riguarda la bellezza dei capitoli dedicategli, è Egwene.
In effetti Drago Rinato e (ormai quasi defi...moreVeramente, questo "Presagi di tempesta" - tra l'altro, titolo molto azzeccato, anche se non quanto l'originale (The Gathering Storm)- è sotto il segno del Drago. Infatti qui troviamo Rand, il Drago Rinato, vero protagonista del libro, come non accadeva da un bel po di libri a questa parte (neanche nel 9° ebbe così tanto spazio); e l'unico personaggio in grado di rivaleggiare, per quanto riguarda la bellezza dei capitoli dedicategli, è Egwene.
In effetti Drago Rinato e (ormai quasi definitiva) Amyrlin Seat (le due persone più potenti del mondo, a questo punto) si dividono circa 3/4 dei capitoli del libro, e considerati anche i POV dei personaggi che ruotano attorno a loro la quasi totalità del romanzo e dedicata a loro. Giusto una manciata di capitoli dedicati a Perrin e Mat non li riguarda.
Da una parte assistiamo alla discesa agli inferi di Rand, che nel tentativo di "rafforzarsi" in vista di Tarmon Gai'don, diventa sempre più freddo, spietato e crudele. Lui crede che per poter sconfiggere il Tenebroso debba diventare un freddo automa, senza alcuna emozione; anche se, come lui stesso ammette in un toccante discorso con Nynaeve -nel capitolo 33, uno dei più belli dell'intera saga, a mio avviso- questo lo distruggerà. In effetti arriva molto vicino a divenire quello che anelerebbe in più di un occasione nel corso del libro, per poi invece, quasi repentinamente, "redimersi" nelle ultime pagine (in una scena dal forte impatto emotivo, tra l'altro). Dall'altra vediamo Egwene intenta a cercare di resistere alle angherie di Elaida ed a contrastarla, ma al contempo senza frammentare ancor più di quanto siano già, le sorelle. La Torre deve essere integra prima dell'Ultima Battaglia, questa è la convinzione dell'Amyrlin ribelle imprigionata nella Torre Bianca. Sembra un impresa disperata, se non impossibile, ma la nostra ex apprendista sapiente di Eamon's Field dimostra d'essere più forte di quanto potrebbe sembrare, e resiste alle sempre più pesanti punizioni cui viene sottoposta giornalmente. la sua lotta solitaria culmina nell'attacco dei Seanchan alla Torre -da lei stessa predetto- durante il quale Elaida viene catturata e resa damane, ed Egwene riesce quasi a fermare da sola, puer essendo sotto l'effetto della radice Biforcuta (quindi in grado di incanalare pochissimo potere, con l'aiuto di un circolo di novizie -cosa inaudita di per se- l'attacco.
Le ultime pagine del libro vedono Egwene finalmente eletta come Amyrlin Seat di tutte le Aes Sedai. La Torre è di nuovo integra, anche se non sarà mai come prima...
Così si chiude, in modo più che degno, una delle sottotrame aperte da più tempo nel corso della saga (dal 5° libro, se non erro).
Ormai l'unica sottotrama non direttamente collegata a Tarmon Gai'don dovrebbe essere quella del salvataggio di Moiraine, che però, vista la copertina di quel libro, penso si concluderà nel successivo Towers of Midnight. Questo lascerà spazio alla lunga cavalcata verso l'Ultima Battaglia nei prossimi due libri (almeno da parte di Rand).

Quanto dissi per l'undicesimo volume della serie vale ancor di più per questo: Tarmon Gai'don si sta avvicinando. Se nel precedente libro se ne aveva sentore nell'aria, in questo si possono vendere le nubi temporalesche ammassarsi verso Nord. Cosa che, effettivamente, avviene nel corso di tutto il romanzo.

In conclusione posso dire cdi non aver notato minimamente la mano di Brandon Sanderson, e che il libro m'ha emozionato come uno scirtto dal solo Jordan.(less)

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Dec 21, 2011

Erin Rogers rated it

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy, fiction

Oh man do I love this series. The Wheel of Time is a fantasy series of seriously epic proportions (the Gathering Storm being book number 12!) that I began reading in middle school and which holds a very special place in my heart. I think I'm willing to go out on a limb to say that this installment is one of my favorites in the series.

The big discussion surrounding The Gathering Storm regards the passing of the torch to Brandon Sanderson. Robert Jordan, author of the first 11 books, sad...more

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Oct 29, 2011

Andy Gavin rated it

After reading the rather enjoyable The Way of Kings I figured I'd finally return to the latest in the world's longest running Fantasy series, The Wheel of Time, also known to us long time fans as The Wheel of Tedium. Sure the first five or so volumes were amazing, but now at twelve, plus a prequel, and with each clocking in at around 400,000 words it's getting a bit... long. First of all, since it had been five years since I read volume eleven (which was decent, and cost me a good chunk of life ...moreAfter reading the rather enjoyable The Way of Kings I figured I'd finally return to the latest in the world's longest running Fantasy series, The Wheel of Time, also known to us long time fans as The Wheel of Tedium. Sure the first five or so volumes were amazing, but now at twelve, plus a prequel, and with each clocking in at around 400,000 words it's getting a bit... long. First of all, since it had been five years since I read volume eleven (which was decent, and cost me a good chunk of life by motivating me to install World of Warcraft) I had to do a little studying. Even with a partially photographic memory I found that while reading the summaries of books 9-10 online to "bone up" that I couldn't remember even remember reading 10. Well, maybe a little. Anyway, the cast of characters has grown so vast that no one could be expected to follow it without extensive study if any appreciable time has passed between reading (and eleven was released five years ago). But I began. I forced myself through about 200 pages (no movement in the plot) and found I could only care about the tower thread. This major plot thread, the most important one of this volume, involves Egwene in the White Tower. I've always liked the White Tower, as long as I turn off my sexism detector because the way in which Jordan has always written women -- bitchy and he goes to great length to show and tell this point -- grows very tedious. For pages 200-500 I read the Egwene chapters (enjoying them immensely, and skimmed most of the other chapters. Eventually, even this became too much and I had to resort to the WOT wiki to read chapter summaries for all the chapters except for Egwene's and Rand's, and even Rand's were pretty painful. To tell the truth, ever since Rand became the Dragon Reborn and big head honcho he hasn't been that interesting. Being a ridiculously-all-powerful-dude-in-command-of-vast-resources-and-armies leads to scenes that smack of the new Star Wars council or those with Orpheus in the Matrix 2 or 3. If you loved those... read on. Anyway, the Egwene section is a novel in itself, surely over 100,000 words, and is quite good, wrapping up with a big battle at the end. Because I'm a completist, I'll force myself to skim through volumes thirteen and fourteen to finish the epic, but I doubt I'll enjoy it. With all my skimming I was able to "read" the whole thing in one day. It was certainly no worse than any of the recent volumes and I was unable to tell where Jordan left off and Sanderson began, it felt authentically Wheel of Tedious.(less)

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Aug 22, 2011

Suzanne rated it

Rand was certainly the whiniest he's been in this series, but just when reading his chapters started to become a chore, I was plesantly drawn back too his lighter side (it was nice to see the old him poking through, I was missing it). If there was more focus on Rand than I think I wouldn't have been able to carry on through the whole 766 pages, but those heavy pieces were wonderfully interspersed with Egwene and Mat and, to a lesser extent, Aviendha and Nynaeve and Min and Cadsuane.
Several ...more

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Aug 08, 2011

Tony J added it

First, let me say how disappointed I was to hear of Robert Jordan's death... of course, because he had passed, but also because the saga of the Dragon Reborn was so close to being complete. But, reading Brandon Sanderson's interpretation of Jordan's notes, I got excited about the series, all over again. Not only does Sanderson do a commendable job of maintaining the personalities of each character that we'd known over the course of 12 other books, but I had a hard time finding any inconsistenc...more

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Aug 04, 2011

Amanda rated it

When Robert Jordan passed away in 2007 from a rare blood disease, fantasy fans everywhere hung their heads and cried. The genre had lost a modern legend, a man who brought the Tolkien-esque world of The Wheel of Time to life and reinvigorated the epic fantasy genre. Not only was Jordan gone, but his beloved series remained unfinished.

But there was a ray of hope. Jordan kept extensive notes detailing the final volume of his series, A Memory of Light, in hopes that someone would complete...moreWhen Robert Jordan passed away in 2007 from a rare blood disease, fantasy fans everywhere hung their heads and cried. The genre had lost a modern legend, a man who brought the Tolkien-esque world of The Wheel of Time to life and reinvigorated the epic fantasy genre. Not only was Jordan gone, but his beloved series remained unfinished.

But there was a ray of hope. Jordan kept extensive notes detailing the final volume of his series, A Memory of Light, in hopes that someone would complete the series for his fans. After Jordan's death, his wife Harriet and publishing company TOR selected Brandon Sanderson to complete the series. Since A Memory of Light quickly became incredibly massive, the volume was broken up into three books: The Gathering Storm, Towers of Midnight, and A Memory of Light.

Nearly 20 years after the series' first novel, The Eye of the World was released, The Gathering Storm hit shelves - four years after the previous instalment, Knife of Dreams. While fans were hungry for new adventures, many (myself included) were skeptical of Sanderson's involvement. He was handpicked for the job, so surely he was worthy of it - but something in the back of my head warned me that it simply wouldn't be the same without Jordan.

It wasn't - but yet, it still was...

The Gathering Storm, in my opinion, is actually better than the previous three or four Wheel of Time novels. Instead of agonizing filler and focusing on tedious side-plots, The Gathering Storm finally advances the overarching plot in a meaningful way (even though the characters comment far too many times that the Last Battle is coming - it's only been coming for the last five books or so...).

The twelfth instalment of Jordan's popular epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time focuses mostly on rebel Amyrlin Seat Egwene, her captivity in the White Tower, and the plot line involving the battle between two factions of Aes Sedai. While other characters, such as Rand, Matt, and Perrin, make appearances and have some advancement, other plot lines and characters are pretty much left out completely (Elayne, the White Cloaks). I would assume that these plot lines will come into play more in the final two books, but I would have liked to see what was going on with everyone since it's been four years since I last checked in.

While Jordan didn't pen every single word in The Gathering Storm, his spirit is still present in every sentence. As Sanderson explains in his foreword, Jordan left detailed notes about the end of his series and even wrote certain scenes. While Sanderson does an exquisite job of integrating Jordan's already-written scenes and vision with his own scenes and writing style, a long-time, very observant Jordan reader can tell that the style is just a little off from previous books. But if you haven't touch any Wheel of Time books since Knife of Dreams came out in 2005, then it isn't very noticeable.

While some purists will always have trouble with The Gathering Storm and subsequent novels due to Sanderson, he does a wonderful job stepping into Jordan's shoes and helps pump new life into the series.

With the end in sight, I can't wait to pick up Towers of Midnight (2010) and A Memory of Light (2011) and see how everything finally comes together -heck, I've been reading this series for over 10 years. The Wheel of Time is still one of the most epic fantasy series ever written and still keeps me flipping pages. (less)

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Jul 27, 2011

Brandur rated it

The Final Battle is very close and Rand spends most of the book trying to secure nations and mobilizing armies. Semirhage escapes and puts the male a'dam on Rand, who escapes by drawing on the True Power, after the incident he becomes progressively harder, banishing Cadsuane from his sight. He attempts to make peace with the Seanchan but fails.

Verin tells Egwene that she is Black Ajah and gives her a nearly complete list of other members of the Black. The Seanchan attack the White Towe...more

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Jul 26, 2011

Nicholas Barone rated it

An excellent addition to the series. Sanderson has done a great job taking the work left behind by the late Mr. Jordan and filling it out to make this book. Sanderson's writing blends seamlessly into Jordan's - I was unable to distinguish who might have written which part of the book. At the same time, Sanderson's contribution does make this book stand out from earlier volumes. As wonderful as Jordan is at world-building and putting together a great story, i have always felt that his ability...more

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Jul 06, 2011

Matthew rated it

(No spoilers here) This is a biggie. What to say? Are you a fan of Jordan's The Wheel of Time series? If not, then you won't really have a clue what I'm talking about, but if you are - how much have you sat through? Did you give up after book 9? 10? Are you just waiting for the series to be complete before picking the books back up again? This is the 12th entry in the series, which is now (finally) guaranteed to be finished at 14 books. Not in a "I'll believe that when I see it" kind o...more(No spoilers here) This is a biggie. What to say? Are you a fan of Jordan's The Wheel of Time series? If not, then you won't really have a clue what I'm talking about, but if you are - how much have you sat through? Did you give up after book 9? 10? Are you just waiting for the series to be complete before picking the books back up again? This is the 12th entry in the series, which is now (finally) guaranteed to be finished at 14 books. Not in a "I'll believe that when I see it" kind of way, but actually solidly guaranteed.

With Jordan's passing in 2007, the fate of the series was up in the air, until his wife chose another author (Sanderson) to finish the series, armed with copious notes from the man himself, along with hours of dictations and outlines and so on, as well as several chapters and scenes already written.

My thoughts? Well, I had 2 overarching problems with the series as a whole - the first was that it seemed like Jordan kept expanding and expanding with no real sense of how to bring it all to a close, or care. The second was that it seemed like in every single interaction between characters, their own internal agendas and prejudices prevented the exchange of any beneficial information from person A to person B, and much frustration ensued.

This book completely responded to both of those concerns in every conceivable way, and blew me out of the water. First off - I am incredibly happy with the direction of the plot, the actions of the characters, the movement of the general plotlines, and the conclusion. Secondly - between reading the Leigh Butler WoT re-read on Tor.com (I've been meaning to update about that - I'll get to that next week), and this entry in the series, I am increasingly of the mind that Jordan knew exactly what he was doing for every single page of the entire series, knew how big in scope he was making it, and it was deliberate every step of the way. Sure, it made it a tough slog, and it made book 8-10 (or 7-11 for some) really painful to get through (especially waiting 2 years in between each to get so little plot advancement). But, it was a dance of getting the chess pieces into the places they needed to be, and (this is the important part) getting the characters to experience the things they needed to, so they could be ready when they got where they needed to be, so that the series could conclude. And I see that now, in a way I never did in the past. Why was Egwene bothering as an apprenticed wise one? Why did Nynaeve and Elayne waste so much time riding in Valan Luca's circus? Why was Mat stuck being Queen Tylan's toy, and what's going on with Perrin's 3-book lament about rescuing Faile? All of this has been answered for me in the last few weeks, in the most satisfying way.

As for the characters not passing info back and forth - Well, I think this is the one way that Sanderson's writing style breaks with Jordan's. The characters in this book actually have real conversations, and learn a bit from each other, and it advances the plot boatloads. So, on the one-hand, it's jarring because you don;'t expect that in the Wheel of Time. But, on the other hand, it's about friggin time!

If you are a fan that gave up on the series - I tell you this - the pain that was getting through the middle of the series completely pays out in the latest 2 books, more so this one that Knife of Dreams. It's totally worth it. And, if this book by Sanderson is any indication, the last 2 volumes will end the series very powerfully, very strongly, and very satisfactorily.
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Jun 07, 2011

Libbie rated it

Shelves: fantasy

UUUUUUGGGHHHH.

I waited a couple of years after The Gathering Storm came out to read it. I still felt some affection for Egwene and her plight, and I was very slightly curious what would happen to Elayne. The rest of the characters in this series, and there are many of them, I long since wanted to set on fire. Jordan's tortured, irrelevant writing had made getting through these books into the worst kind of chore. I had high hopes that Brandon Sanderson would rescue a plot with poten...more

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May 06, 2011

Sarahlynn Lester rated it

Shelves: i-m-a-geek

I lived in a town with an independent bookstore. If you needed to own a book, The Book Bag was happy to order it for you. I hadn't yet become accustomed to the destination bookstore experience and I well knew the importance of supporting small local businesses over national chain stores. So I'd never visited the new threat in the next town.

But my boyfriend's mother did.

One day she brought home a paperback with a silly cover and dropped it on my lap. "They were giving...more

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May 02, 2011

Peter rated it

Shelves: fantasy

I thought this book was great. However, because the reasons I think so are present in about a million other comments, I thought that I would focus on things that I found a bit awkward about this book.

First, there was a noticeable change in the writing style (obviously). Although it is much needed, there are a few reasons why I did not like this change. I think that Robert Jordan could have written this book much better, although I think that it would be a little harder to read. This ...more

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Apr 06, 2011

Emma rated it

Shelves: epic-fantasy, fantasy, 3-stars-and-a-half

I was skeptical about this book, as many of us were after recent installments, but this has to be the best since, oh, #5 or so. A vast improvement.

Much has been made over the split into three books, but this didn't feel like 1/3 of a book at all--in fact, it felt more complete perhaps than any other book in the series after the first. Plot-wise, things are happening again! Some of the old tension and excitement is back (I don't think this book quite captures the wonder of the early ...moreI was skeptical about this book, as many of us were after recent installments, but this has to be the best since, oh, #5 or so. A vast improvement.

Much has been made over the split into three books, but this didn't feel like 1/3 of a book at all--in fact, it felt more complete perhaps than any other book in the series after the first. Plot-wise, things are happening again! Some of the old tension and excitement is back (I don't think this book quite captures the wonder of the early installments, but then it may be that the changed nature of the story makes such comparisons frivolous), and for the last 150 pages or so it's hard to put down. Really, this is good stuff. Progress is being made throughout, secrets are revealed, events of major import finally occur (not all of them expected).... this is what we've been waiting for.

This is possible because the focus has finally, finally returned to the main characters. Most of the book is devoted to Rand's and Egwene's storylines, although Mat, Nynaeve, Siuan, Gawyn and Aviendha get screen time as well, and Perrin and Tuon a chapter or so each. (As for Galina and her ilk... gone! No time for lengthy tertiary-character rantings now things are moving again.) Which brings me to.... the characters! They've improved. Everybody seems much more human now--they don't obsess over status to the exclusion of all else, they've stopped keeping everything secret for the sake of keeping secrets and arguing for the sake of arguing. The women are showing more individuality and, frankly, realism than they have in a long time, maybe ever. Better yet, the human interactions and relationships portrayed suddenly resemble real human interactions and relationships. So if the character development.... the characters, period.... have disappointed you in the later books of this series, this is quite encouraging. I think I'll actually care about the Last Battle when it comes. Heck, if this author can make me sympathize with Cadsuane (of all people!) when he uses her point-of-view, he can do just about anything, right?

Which brings me to my comments on Sanderson's handling of Jordan's work. I was pleasantly surprised. I read the first two Mistborn books, and while they were entertaining, I think anyone reading The Gathering Storm will be struck by how much Sanderson's writing style has matured since that point. It's not quite Jordan--which, in a lot of places, is good; the conversations are snappier, the characters' thoughts more coherent--but the descriptions aren't as vivid or evocative as they were when Jordan did the writing. On a purely technical level, I'd say Jordan was a better writer, but this book isn't poorly written at all. If I weren't so exacting with ratings, and if some of the early chapters hadn't been rather tedious (Aviendha's POVs are especially dull this time), this book might have gotten 5 stars. (Well, there are a couple other minor issues, such as time moving at a radically different pace in each storyline, such that weeks might pass in Egwene's world only for us to return to Perrin a day after the Shaido battle. And nothing that I tried to look up was in the glossary.) As is, I wholeheartedly recommend it not only to anyone who's stuck with the series so far (you'll read it no matter what anyone says), but to anyone who's read the first few before getting discouraged by the pace and quitting. Skip over the middle books and start back here.

Oh, and the best part? No Elayne, and no skirt-smoothing at all! (less)

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Feb 11, 2011

Bjoernlars rated it

Shelves: fantasy

After I got past the prologue originally written by Robert Jordan and into the actual text written by Brandon Sanderson, at first I was thrown off by the new writing style. I could tell that it was different and it was a bit off putting at first. Fortunately, after a few chapters, the transition between authors was over and I was striding through the new book, completely engrossed. Let’s just say I almost missed a couple of subway stops because of this book.

I do have to say with San...more

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Jan 09, 2011

Ellen rated it

Shelves: fantasy, speculative-fiction, fate

Ok, I knew after I read book 11 that there was going to be no way that Robert Jordan was going to tie all the weaves off in what was supposed to be the last book of the Wheel of Time series. I think that Brandon Sanderson made the right decision when he decided to expand the ending to three books.

Still. I just read 1079 pages and it sounds as though there are about 2000 to go. Have a heart!

One problem with having hundreds (thousands?) of named characters is that the auth...more

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Dec 23, 2010

Chariti King Canny rated it

This series is brilliant. There is just the right balance of fantastical detail and speed of reading. The way the author writes, as I get more and more involved in the story, the more plausible everything seems... the perfect fantasy novel. There are rare moments where he gets a little too tied up in detailing the scene environment, but overall, this is an excellent story.
He does follow the story formula, which probably is what adds to the simplicity and readability of the storyline. Howe...more

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Dec 03, 2010

Mike rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction-fantasy

I'm not going to spend a lot of time talking about the series itself -- for one, because I've said it all a thousand times, but also because I'm holding off on judgement until the end of the series. I've loved every book (though of course to varying degrees), and I still love the series despite the investment in time (and occasional anguish, as we've had the end of the series put off again and again, and then having the author die), but I'm waiting for the ending before I make a judgement.
...moreI'm not going to spend a lot of time talking about the series itself -- for one, because I've said it all a thousand times, but also because I'm holding off on judgement until the end of the series. I've loved every book (though of course to varying degrees), and I still love the series despite the investment in time (and occasional anguish, as we've had the end of the series put off again and again, and then having the author die), but I'm waiting for the ending before I make a judgement.

The two big questions with this book were: can we get the plot moving again, and make headway towards the ending of the series (in two more books); and how will Brandon Sanderson do at writing the Wheel of Time.

To the first question, I give a resounding yes. This novel still suffered from the fact that the world of the Wheel of Time is so huge. One book simply can't do each plot line justice, so Matt and Perrin both appeared but don't do much of great significance. Still, two major plot points were finished (plot points that had been unresolved for multiple books) and there's a definite trajectory towards the final ending. Brandon Sanderson being who he is, some of the climaxes are more inner dialogue rather than action, but it was appropriate and satisfying. The series is starting to pick up pace again, like in the first four or five books of the series, and hopefully that continues and even increases over the last two books.

As for the second question, I actually don't want to get into that. I don't want to get into nit-picking through the novel to find what sounds like it was written by Robert Jordan and what sounds like it was written by Brandon Sanderson. To me, that would take away from the enjoyment of the novel itself. Though I suppose even that is a question of how much Brandon Sanderson managed to keep the voice of the Wheel of Time the same -- and in that regard he succeeded. He managed to write similar enough to Robert Jordan that two chapters into the book all I cared about was the plot and the book. There were some areas I was unsatisfied with, or areas where I felt that Brandon Sanderson's writing style came through (the preface, the handling of Matt's character, and some of the more brooding inner dialogue -- particularly the final scene with Rand), but generally the writing was good enough and similar enough that I didn't even notice the writing. Which is what you want, in the end: an immersive experience in the world of the Wheel of Time.(less)

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Oct 28, 2010

Bill rated it

Writing a review, or especially a synopsis, of this book seems a waste of effort. It's the 12th book in a series where the preceding books average somewhere around 800-1,000 pages. Unless you've been following this long, very popular, anything written about the book is probably lost.

I will say, for anyone who was in a similar situation to myself, that I was pleasantly surprised by this book, even after I had told myself that I would ignore it. Having started the series years ago a...more

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Oct 17, 2010

Lani rated it

This has got to be the WoT book that I read the quickest (it took me only two days to finish it). Maybe it's because Brandon Sanderson has an easier-to-read style as compared to Jordan (I'm not saying he's better - or worse - but there seems to be an easier and lighter flow in the way he writes). Even though there are parts where you can actually see that the book is definitely written differently compared to the other WoT novels, it doesn't make it bad. It's actually interesting, because althou...more

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About Robert Jordan

Robert Jordan was the pen name of James Oliver Rigney, Jr., under which he was best known as the author of the bestselling The Wheel of Time fantasy series. He also wrote under the names Reagan O'Neal and Jackson O'Reily.

Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He served two tours in Vietnam (from 1968 to 1970) with the United States Army as a helicopter gunner. He was awarded th...more

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