Towers of Midnight (Wheel of Time, #13; A Memory of Light, #2)

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Towers of Midnight (Wheel of Time #13)

by Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson (Goodreads Author)

4.4 of 5 stars 4.40 · rating details · 41,028 ratings · 1,510 reviews

The Last Battle has started. The seals on the Dark One’s prison are crumbling. The Pattern itself is unraveling, and the armies of the Shadow have begun to boil out of the Blight.

The sun has begun to set upon the Third Age.

Perrin Aybara is now hunted by specters from his past: Whitecloaks, a slayer of wolves, and the responsibilities of leadership. All the while, an unseen...more

Hardcover, 864 pages

Published November 2nd 2010 by Tor Books (first published 2010)

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Dec 18, 2010 The Crimson Fucker rated it 4 of 5 stars

Do you know about Naruto filler episodes??? They were so horrible that they manage to make me hate a show I actually liked a lot! They grab awesome characters that I loved and put em in retarded situations that had nothing to do with the actual original plot of the show! That got me mad! Mad to the point that I decided to stop watching it… you know maybe that won’t reach anybody here! I mean! I think I have like 1 friend on my friend list who knows what a filler episode is! Maybe I should explai...more Do you know about Naruto filler episodes??? They were so horrible that they manage to make me hate a show I actually liked a lot! They grab awesome characters that I loved and put em in retarded situations that had nothing to do with the actual original plot of the show! That got me mad! Mad to the point that I decided to stop watching it… you know maybe that won’t reach anybody here! I mean! I think I have like 1 friend on my friend list who knows what a filler episode is! Maybe I should explain in terms that most of my friends here will understand! Let’s see… think about that cool GR friend you have that used to write awesome fun reviews! But after a while started to write stuff just to get the votes… yes this is a better way to express what I think I’m trying to say here! Like you can see some of the awesomeness that person used to have but it’s so diluted in to crap that is written just to get a vote that it’s sort of pathetic? But the stuff you used to love is there! You can almost touch it!!! and you start hating it! cuz wtf!? Well if you can relate to that one! That’s how I feel about this book! Some of the stuff that made me fall in love with Jordan’s world are ALMOST there! Like Matt being actually funny, and some good fast paced battle scenes… but then fillers! And more fillers! And more fillers! If this book was 300 pages long I’d love it! but it’s not…. So I can’t love it!!!

Still! There are a lot of good things that can be said! Cuz I seriously love how Matt is funny again! Wait I think I mention that before! But also the closing is good!!! A lot of useless characters are dying or getting closure to their stories that is both corny and yet satisfying! And they go back where they belong! There is also the fact of Rand’s Transformation! Unlike let’s say Superman who is all goody goody for no damn reason and tends to be annoying…. I think you can actually understand why rand is doing “good” now and I must admit I find myself pleased with his actions… still! It’s one step closer to the end… and it looks like it’s finally going to end! FOR REAL! It’s been almost 10 years for me (I know it’s 20 for other fans) and I think we deserve this! But I truly hope the next one don’t have fillers!!! I HATE EM!!!! I HATE EM WITH ALL MY HEART!!!(less)

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Nov 29, 2010 Lori (Hellian) rated it 4 of 5 stars

I dreamt I got a serpent ring. Ya think I'm reading this incessantly? You'd be right!

Finished - Seattle had a severe cold front with snow so I had the opportunity to just settle in with this book, which was perfect. Look, admittedly I'm a fangirl of this series, yet how many years has it been since the first? A long long time. As everyone knows the last several books were all over the place, too many characters - instead of focusing on what we had, Jordan just added yet more characters until eve...more I dreamt I got a serpent ring. Ya think I'm reading this incessantly? You'd be right!

Finished - Seattle had a severe cold front with snow so I had the opportunity to just settle in with this book, which was perfect. Look, admittedly I'm a fangirl of this series, yet how many years has it been since the first? A long long time. As everyone knows the last several books were all over the place, too many characters - instead of focusing on what we had, Jordan just added yet more characters until even I gave up, me - an obsessive reader who likes to know who/what I'm reading and will double back constantly in books to make sure I'm on track. Even all the Red Aes Sedai was beyond me. Too many, with not enough importance. And then with the long waits between books, sometimes I'd go through half before I'd start remembering who the major players were! Cause there are just so many! I did remember the Major Major ones of course. And also, Rand's little harem of 3 who loved him was like a teenage wet dream.

Yet, even in those books where I name called Jordan a cash cow, this world was one I wanted to delve into with no interruptions. One of the most spectacular worlds created.

Thank god for Sanderson, that's all I can say. He has done a tremendous service to all us fans - not only are we finally getting the end, he's done a phenomenal job doing it! I'm enjoying these more than the last several by Jordan!

My biggest quibble with The Gathering Storm was that Sanderson hadn't captured Mat, and he's come a lot closer this time.

And I just love what he's done with Rand, who I was actively disliking before Sanderson picked up the reins. Well to give Jordan credit, we had to see his dark side so now that he's embracing the light, he's both powerful and extremely compassionate. Human again.

I've got a few quibbles of course. Through most of the book, ToM is tight, focused, mainly concentrating on Mat and Perrin. Towards the end we stray off to others. For instance, suddenly Aviendha appears in her own story, segregated from the rest. A beautiful section, to be sure, and crucial but jarring at the beginning due to it coming out of nowhere. Sanderson has to do this to bring everything together for the Final Finale. Due next year. WHIMPER I WANT NOW.

So Bravo Sanderson.(less)

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Nov 29, 2010 Danielle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-read, fantasy

Tor is apparently refusing to issue this as an ebook. Guess I'll have to see. I like the series, but I won't read large paper novels anymore. I simply don't have the space or the wrist strength for it.

11/20 - Found the hardback in a used book store. Bought it, will sell it again when I'm done, then buy the ebook in a couple years (maybe). Tor will NOT have my money twice (and maybe not at all), and I don't want to support the hardback format. It's so difficult to hold and transport, so it sits o...more

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Nov 18, 2010 Isk rated it 2 of 5 stars

Oh god, half of this book must have been devoted to Perrin. Even wishy-washier than ever.
What was up with the ending? Totally random and failed attempt to do something exciting.
Nothing happens in this book. I never really understood when people said that about Jordan before, but it's quite obvious in this one.

The last one by Sanderson was awesome. This one is pure drivel.

The way Egwene defeated Mesaana was pathetic. She barely tried.

The way everyone except Nynaeve and kinda Perrin assumes Rand's...more

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Nov 10, 2010 Ryan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Narrative structure is taught in middle school and refreshed in high school. So surely it would safe to assume that it's standard stuff.

Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action.

I'm sure someone's about to correct me.

Before you do, I'll note that when I was a kid, there were five parts of plot. Most textbooks that I come across now list four. And different names and charts are used in different textbooks.

What controls all of this? Tension. Excitement. Suspense? How about conflict? Someti...more

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Nov 10, 2011 Carrie (Care) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2010, ebooks, favorites, audiobooks, read-in-2011

The Towers of Midnight is a completely different beast than The Gathering Storm. In the 13th instalment of The Wheel of Time series we have a much lighter tone (at times), which surprised me. I think it was needed though after the shadow cast over the last few books. The shadow is still there, but we have a bit of a reprieve from the madness, decay, and darkness that has spread over the world. It seems like the calm before the storm. And this coming storm could be the storm to end it all.

We get...more

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Nov 09, 2010 Julie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, hard-cover

No matter how long I've been reading these books (now over 20 years) they hold my attention. I can't wait until the last book comes out and I can read the whole series again and completely. This book combines all the storylines into one. There isn't the usual seperation of storylines. Some of the books just would focus on certain characters, now they are all coming together for the Last Battle. There isn't much on the Seachan but I expect that they will be tied up in the last book as well. I'm s...more

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Jun 06, 2011 Duffy Pratt rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

If feels like a different series now. The pace is moving at least three times as fast as the later Jordan books. And that's being charitable. Let's face it. There's a about one hundred pages of Crossroads of Twilight where the sum total of the action was that Elayne took a bath. There are seemingly endless stretches where Jordan would devote a page or two to an Aes Sedai raising an eyebrow -- or worse, almost raising an eyebrow.

On top of that, the emotional range of the characters has expanded g...more If feels like a different series now. The pace is moving at least three times as fast as the later Jordan books. And that's being charitable. Let's face it. There's a about one hundred pages of Crossroads of Twilight where the sum total of the action was that Elayne took a bath. There are seemingly endless stretches where Jordan would devote a page or two to an Aes Sedai raising an eyebrow -- or worse, almost raising an eyebrow.

On top of that, the emotional range of the characters has expanded greatly. It seemed for about 5 books that the characters experienced a range of emotions varying from seething anger to fury. On top of that, we might get a helping of scorn or condescension, but the rest of the emotional palette was pretty much absent. And now it has returned -- and not just for Rand.

And the biggest news is that the major characters have finally stopped their never-ending state of denial. Instead of simply denying what they have become, Perrin, Mat and Rand are now starting to embrace it. Although I like this shift, it doesn't seem as organic as it should, and I think that largely results from the radical speeding up of the glacial pace of the earlier books. Because these changes happen so fast, they seem a bit forced to me. And they also leave me wondering how cool the series might have been if Jordan had focused on bringing about these changes, instead of either ignoring the issue or having the characters cling to their states of denial.

The last thing that's bothering me about this series as a whole is how generally safe everything appears to be We started out with 5 young villagers leaving their home in a hurry because it was attacked by monsters. They get led by a witch, her bodyguard, and then a minstrel. Later on they run into a gentle giant, a prince and princess, a half brother of theirs, and the Queen. All these people are hunted by unimaginably powerful evil wizards who have been locked up for centuries, and are really pissed off after having had a really sucky millennium. And after maybe 10,000 pages, all of these characters are still thriving.

MINOR SPOILER AHEAD: On top of that, the book has now fully descended into the Red Shirt of Death syndrome. Moraine says three people have to go into the tower to rescue her: Mat, Thom and one other who she does not know. From miles and miles away, you can see it was bad news for the third guy. I was actually a bit surprised that Sanderson didn't dress him in a nice form fitting red shirt in a nod to Star Trek.

One final criticism of the series as a whole. A central idea of the series is that Rand Mat and Perrin are ta'varen. That means that the Pattern (fate?) weaves itself strongly around these three. At the outset I thought this was a pretty cool idea. More and more, it seems like it simply allows the writers to be lazy by having characters do things that are stupid and out of character. Thus, someone does something convenient for a plot resolution but its something that that person would never do in a million years, and there is no drama leading up to the decision. Then someone else says "ta'varen." And that's supposed to explain it all. (less)

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Nov 15, 2010 Dawn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2010, fantasy, own-read, read-in-2013

I finished this a couple days ago, but had to take a breather from it before I came and wrote my review. This was for two reasons: (1) If I had written it right away, I would have never been able to do it without spoilers (and I hate putting spoilers in reviews); and (2) If I had written it right away, it would probably have been at least half as long as the book itself.

But let's keep this short. I mean what really can I say? This is a review to the 13th book in the series. If you've read 1 - 12...more

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Jul 16, 2011 Steven Taylor rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: scifi-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I finished the latest WoT book the other day, an exercise that, in many ways, feels like an obligation or, at least, the literary manifestation of "in for a penny, in for a pound." In other words, I have read all the others and I want to know how it ends. However, I have felt for some time like the books are an ongoing prologue filled with meetings that suggest what is going to happen without well, actually happening.

(From here be warned: spoilers).

To wit: what would seem to be a major scene tak...more

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Jun 14, 2011 Gregory added it

Shelves: fiction, fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Pardon my geeking out but none of my friends read this series so I have no one to talk to about it so I’m gunna spew my thoughts to Goodreads and we’ll just see what happens won’t we?

First, details: “Towers of Midnight” is book #13 in the Wheel of Time series begun by Robert Jordan. After his death in 2007, Jordan’s wife picked Brandon Sanderson to complete the series from Jordan’s notes. I started this series in middle school and finished “ToM” last night.

Things I luvd: um, the assassination at...more Pardon my geeking out but none of my friends read this series so I have no one to talk to about it so I’m gunna spew my thoughts to Goodreads and we’ll just see what happens won’t we?

First, details: “Towers of Midnight” is book #13 in the Wheel of Time series begun by Robert Jordan. After his death in 2007, Jordan’s wife picked Brandon Sanderson to complete the series from Jordan’s notes. I started this series in middle school and finished “ToM” last night.

Things I luvd: um, the assassination attempt on Egwene, duh! That scene was CRAZY. I’ve always loved Egwene, think she’s my favsies of the main girls (Eg, Elayne, Nynaeve but AAHH that’s hard to write cuz I really do love all three. Seriously, despite how fucking sexist this book series iz, the number of strong-ass women fighting 4 whut dey beli3ve in is incredibly high. Work, ladies) and I bawled my eyes out in “The Gathering Storm” when she led her tiny army of novices and Accepted down the hall of the Tower to fight the Seanchan. Like, fuh real? You gone ask girls who are like 12 years old to link with you and channel more Power than they had done ever known they could? Because if they don’t they will be captured and enslaved? WORK. But yeah, Egwene’s kickin’ it as Amyrlin but DANGER Mesaana’s lurking in her midst plus she’s dealing with boy drama thanks to Gawyn wanting to protect her and generally oversteppin his bounds. Me like, child you are a confused lil prince ain’t you? Your girlfriend is the AMYRLIN SEAT can you let her do her job? But he got there just in the nick of time and saved her life.

Kudos to Sanderson for writing one of the most heart-pounding fight scenes this series has ever seen. I’m all for Nynaeve channeling at near-goddess level or whatever, but it got a bit tiresome to read, like, “oh, one of the girls has reached a new threshold of Power and is weaving more threads than ever before” over and over. You can increase a character’s power as much as you like, but we need to see something other than the standard bonds of Air + shield to stay interested. The assassination attempt was genius because it happened in Tel'aran'rhiod, the World of Dreams where anything you imagine can be real. This let Sanderson really crack the whip as author, pushing Egwene and Perrin to do things we’ve never seen and that the physics of channeling would normally be too bulky to allow. The whole dreamspike plotline really pleased me in this book.

Meanwhile Elayne’s off being the new Queen of Andor and we finally see her growing into her own as a character. For most of the series it’s felt like she’s played second fiddle to Egwene (Amyrlin, Dreamer) and Nynaeve (super powerful), but now we see her engaging in some high intrigue, manipulating Cairhien nobles left and right and developing new technology to defend her kingdom. Got kinda sick of the whole pregnancy-messes-up-your-magic thing, but like I said, sexist shit like that is par for the course in Randland. Elayne’s Talent with crafting ter’angreal is pretty baddass however and I love that she upturns the gender stereotype of women showing less proficiency in Earth. See? You win some, you lose some.

Rand continues to be the least interesting of the main characters, despite being the series’ protagonist, and Mat continues to enrage me. He’s the most outright misogynistic of the guys, and the one who seems to resent his fate the most. I wanna smack everyone in the WoT series who ever complains about how scary their life has become, how much they want to go back to the Two Rivers and marry and settle down like everyone else did in their old life. SHUT UP! You are a HERO DESTINED TO SAVE THE WORLD. You HAVE MAGIC! Why would you complain about that? Seriously, it’s one of the hugest flaws in the series. Can we have one main character who actually enjoys his or her life and WANTS to be here? STFU Mat and quit your belly aching (although oops sorry you lost your eye cuz that legitimately sucks).

Last point, MOIRAINE IS BACK. Lovvvved the scene in the Tower of Genji when Tom and Mat find her floating naked in a column of boiling steam with her hair flying up. Her like, zzzzzt. At first I was pissed that she suffered such a decrease in Power but then I was like, no, you know what? Same thing happened to Siuan, same thing happened to Leane, Verin’s dead, Elaida’s captured. The old guard is effectively deactivated. The previous batch of powerful female channelers have been moved aside to make room for our girls to take the stage. With Moiraine's fate no longer unknown, Eg, El, Ny, and Aviendha are officially the most powerful of the good guys (plus Cadsuane questionmark questionmark questionmark). Sad to see Moiraine’s star dimmed, but this had to happen. Also whatever she has that sick bracelet that makes her more powerful than she was to start with so blah why am I sad for her? Also yay Tom&Moiraine4lyf.

ANYWAY, going insane waiting for Marh 2012 for da final installment. Tru this has been the longest relationship of my life. Also, shiiiiiiit Caemlyn’s under attack but no one knows. Also, Aviendha’s vision of the future look CRAY. Also, Lan remains one of the sexist characters in the series I hope he doesn't die charging into that mass of Trollocs. Sanderson gave us some great cliffhangers to chew on for a year I WONDER WHAT WILL HAPPEN.(less)

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Feb 05, 2011 Mary-Ann rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I am biased having an emotional investment in the majority of the characters and the world. The experience of reading this was one of reuniting. Old Characters, and places, were like old friends and nostalgia for familiar places. I found myself going "Awwwww" as chapters brought back Characters to the forefront of my mind.

I found the pacing perfect for my taste, perhaps because I went in knowing that this was the set-phase. Prep phase, I was not expecting epic battle or epic victory. Prior attac...more I am biased having an emotional investment in the majority of the characters and the world. The experience of reading this was one of reuniting. Old Characters, and places, were like old friends and nostalgia for familiar places. I found myself going "Awwwww" as chapters brought back Characters to the forefront of my mind.

I found the pacing perfect for my taste, perhaps because I went in knowing that this was the set-phase. Prep phase, I was not expecting epic battle or epic victory. Prior attachment to certain ideas and characters probably kept some of the scenes from feeling drawn out to me. I admit to being frustrated with Perrin and wanting to bop him over the head with his Ax saying "You might not like it but your a leader buddy now suck it up and just DO IT". That said I'm not frustrated with the writers or the story. It was a necessary struggle. Just as in the 'past' Rand has had to struggle with his demons and grow and mature. Perrin's journey to accepting himself and his role in the world was a major focus of this novel.

This was a theme, Lan Mandragoran, Gawyn Trakand, Galad Damodred all struggled with the same.

The feeling of inevitable doom was also prevalent, and has me , wishing and hoping and planning and dreaming of ways that this can not be the end. My heart ached, tears almost in my eyes for the visions that Aviendha saw in Rheudian. And I wanted to kick Mat repeatedly for ignoring Verin's letter. I did not know what it contained but the continual mention of it made it obvious of its importance (especially considering what we learned of Verin previously... dark-friend-with-a-heart-of-gold).

Likewise, Rands dream of Lanfear, Mierin, Selene, before I even got to that part, I was hoping, I was needing her to 'come back'. That scene, it plays into my hopes, my dreams. Will Lanfear be reborn, reforged but this time redeem herself against the shadow. I can only hope and dream, that that scene is a foreshadowing of things to come. I have been hoping for such since she and moraine fell through into the land of the Snakes and Foxes.

So much more but I'll leave you with this, I will be very glad when I finally get to read the last installment of this saga. I already know however that I will also be very very sad that it's over .

(less)

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Nov 23, 2010 Bill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, highly-reccomend

I started reading the Wheel of Time series in 1989. Twenty-one years ago and, yet, I stick with it. Some people would think I am a glutton for punishment however, books like "Towers of Midnight" serve as a reward for my patience.

Sanderson took over the writing duties for the series in the previous book, "The Gathering Storm" and he took a while to get comfortable with each of the characters which is why I felt the second half of that book was much better than the first. Fortunately he continued...more I started reading the Wheel of Time series in 1989. Twenty-one years ago and, yet, I stick with it. Some people would think I am a glutton for punishment however, books like "Towers of Midnight" serve as a reward for my patience.

Sanderson took over the writing duties for the series in the previous book, "The Gathering Storm" and he took a while to get comfortable with each of the characters which is why I felt the second half of that book was much better than the first. Fortunately he continued to improve as he wrote "Towers of Midnight" and, I think, at this point he has hit a great stride.

It took until the 12th book of the series for me to start like Nyneave; I think Sanderson's take on her is sufficiently different as to make her a more believable character. While Jordan was penning the series many of the women just seemed so depressingly disgusted with everything any man did that it became offputting to read. I can remember Jordan saying that the women in his books were written as he has experienced women and, if that is true, then I am sorry for his experiences. The Nyneave that came forward in "The Gathering Storm" is still a strong and confident character she just doesn't feel the need to treat all men like they are shit anymore. It's refreshing. In fact, she even is willing to admit that Rand doesn't constantly have his head firmly up his ass all the time now. Granted, emotionally Rand was pretty crazy for a bit but that should be expected considering all of the turmoil he is going through. However, some of the people he dealt with such as Cadsuane and Nyneave could have shown a touch of empathy considering Rand is probably in his early 20's and is being asked to not only overcome his own inner demons but also to gather the worlds forces and, while he's at it, prepare to face off against the most powerful and evil force the world has ever or will ever know - the dark one himself.

In "Towers of Midnight" Rand, thanks in no small part to Nyneave's improved demeanor, Rand completes a metamorphosis that began in "The Gathering Storm." Now, Nyneave has the unenviable task of convincing and converting every other Aes Sedai she meets so that they might trust Rand to not be a completely wool-headed farm boy. It won't be easy especially considering that Egwene still thinks she knows everything (even though she too is only in her early 20's) and Elaine hasn't learned any humility at all yet and still refuses to learn pretty much anything from any of her experiences.

Fortunately, we see little of Elayne or Egwene in this book. Instead, the majority of the tale is focused on Perrin and, to a lesser extent, Mat. In fact it felt like nearly 60% of the story revolved around Perrin. While he isn't my favorite character I am very glad his story arc finally moved forward a significant amount. Perrin, much like Rand, goes through a personal metamorphosis that is not only long overdue but much needed. An additional plus is that Faile isn't completely unreasonable in every one of her interactions with Perrin again. In fact, she shows a bit of empathy for his situation which is refreshing to say the least.

Mat and Thom finally make their move toward the Tower of Gengji but not before facing a dark nemesis that has been trailing them for quite a while. Overall I didn't really feel like Mat, as a person, changed much however he does finish up a story thread that has been dangling loose since back in the Great Hunt (book 2!) so it was great to reach that milestone. The best news about Mat in this book is that Sanderson is finally starting to get comfortable with his wise cracking personality. Mat's still missing a lot of his "zing" but he is much better in this iteration than he was in "The Gathering Storm" where he had become sort of a petulant child.

Towers of Midnight does an admirable job of pulling a wide variety of story lines forward and setting the stage for the last battle while at the same time another new dilemma is revealed that Rand and Aviendha are going to have to resolve. Further, the division within the Black Tower is more fully explored but no apparent progress is made toward resolving it. I imagine that will be something Rand has to face early on in "A Memory of Light." Honestly, at this point, I'm not entirely convince the series can really be finished in the next book but, supposedly, it will be. Sanderson has a herculean task on his hands but if he continues on as he has I think he is up to it. I certainly hope so because I am not sure I can keep reading until year 25!(less)

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Aug 19, 2011 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

****** Prelude to the actual review and doesn't need to be read before the body of the review ********* :

I'm about a third of the way through this book and I've got to say that while there are some wonderful moments, Sanderson is carrying on Jordan's tradition of beating a subject or plot point not only to death but till it falls apart and starts to stink!

I am heartily sick to death of Perrin's self flagellation and flat refusal to accept ANY reality...after 10,000 pages don't you think we can...more

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Jan 10, 2013 terpkristin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, 2010, audiobook, dead-tree, 2013, kindle, re-read

Original Review
I'm still processing how I feel about this book. On the one hand, it was very Perrin-centric, and he's probably one of my least favorite characters. On the other, some things I've been looking forward to happened in this book and were pretty freaking good.

Either way, this was another great job by Sanderson, rejuvenating the series that Jordan left behind, and I'm eagerly anticipating the final tome.

2013 Re-read
I decided to re-read The Gathering Storm and this one before the rel...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Blodeuedd Finland rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

30.12.2012
First just let me say how much I hate the Seanchan, and they are not even the bad guys, well ok they are bad, but not THE bad guys. Here we get insight into what might happen if the world comes out ok after the last battle. And I will only say that I hope everyone last Seanchan ends up in a Trollock pot and get eaten. There is no hope for this world and the Seanchan is so ruthless in that their way is the only way.

Yup hating the Seanchan.

Find myself understanding *coughs* sort of, Gala...more

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Nov 09, 2010 Chad rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Wheel of Time has been my constant companion through life since I was about 13 years old. I can still remember the sense of wonder the first book brought me way back when. I have read, and re-read the series countless times, growing up with my favorite characters, Rand, Perrin, Mat, Egwene, Nynaeve, Faile, Gaul, and so many more. The series had lots of ups and downs, and waiting years between each book was sometimes difficult, especially as storylines became so fragmented little action was p...more

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Apr 25, 2011 Peter Krol rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

If I knew 13 years ago what I know now, I probably would never have begun reading the Wheel of Time series.

It's really fun. It has some terrific ideas. I can't wait to see how it's going to end. I'm committed.

But that's the problem. I don't really have much more motivation to read the series anymore beyond the fact that I'm committed to it.

This book was fun. Some exciting things happened that we've been waiting for for a long time. But it took 500 pages before I felt like the pace of the story w...more

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Jan 16, 2011 Servius Heiner rated it 4 of 5 stars

Don't send the mob to my house but... I think it was best for Jordan to go off and die before finishing this series. The series as a whole started off great, but somewhere around book five it went stagnant. Part of the problem was Jordan was dragging his feet the second problem was there was no character maturing. All the main characters continued to act like they did in the start of the series.

Sanderson turns this around with a flare of despair. The characters mature and the story line moves f...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Stewart rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I started this book expecting to read (finally) about Mat and the Tower of Ghenjai. I didn't expect it to take 800 pages before Sanderson finally got around to telling that tale. In fact, by the mid-700s, I was starting to wonder if it hadn't gotten shuttled to the next book. I also didn't expect about 75% of this book to take place before the end of the previous novel. While it's possible that this was a better order to structure the novels in, and while the occasional back-and-forth is a well-...more

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Feb 27, 2012 Maciel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Este libro fue espectacular. Casi no tengo palabras. Hay tantos momentos para recordar:
1.- Rand en Maradon destruyendo decenas de miles de trollocs y myrdralls él solito.
2.- La gran valentía e inteligencia de lord Ituralde.
3.- La conversación en la Torre Blanca entre Rand y Egwene. (Ojala en el proximo libro Rand plante en su sitio a Egwene,que se cree la salvadora del mundo. ¡Ni que fuera Taveren! Sé que tiene su importancia, pero a veces parece que se atribuye demasiada...
4.- El rescate de Mor...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Denae rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: re-read-potential, read-in-2011, challenge-1010-by-2020, read-multiple-times, read-in-2013, re-read-in-2013

Completionist tendencies here, remember? ;) It was good mindless fun.

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Nov 14, 2012 Eric Allen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Towers of Midnight
Book 13 of The Wheel of Time
By Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

A Wheel of Time Retrospective by Eric Allen

Just a mere year after the release of The Gathering Storm Wheel of Time fans were treated to the next book. We hadn't seen a yearly release for over a decade, and many of us, myself included, felt rather spoiled by it. Brandon Sanderson seemed to have worked on this project day and night to get it completed for us. Which is especially impressive, considering he also publ...more

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Apr 18, 2011 Paul Schulzetenberg rated it 5 of 5 stars

There's no question now, after this second book, that Brandon Sanderson has fully taken Robert Jordan's style and done what Jordan himself was having great trouble doing: progressing the story, and yes, even wrapping it up. And this climax is fulfilling all the promise that the series has had during its best moments. Finally, we get the denouement that we've been waiting for. Characters are finally coming into their own, and showing real growth rather than the stale stubbornness that was becomin...more

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Apr 02, 2011 William rated it 4 of 5 stars

“The Gathering Storm”, the first “Wheel of Time” to be released after Robert Jordan’s death, was a surprisingly good entry in the series and probably the best Wheel of Time book for at least a decade, so I was looking forward to “Towers of Midnight”. I wouldn’t say it was quite as good and it had a few more flaws, but overall I still thought it was a good read and I thought Brandon Sanderson did a good job of finishing Jordan’s work. A lot of long-standing plot threads are resolved in preparatio...more

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Apr 07, 2011 Christy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction

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

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Jan 10, 2011 Alex rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: crappy-fantasy

So, first up: You know if you're going to read this book or not, because it's number 13 in a series. If you someone managed to get through books 8-11, which were the serious low point in the series, then you're going to read #13. So it doesn't really matter whether I review it or not. But I'm going to, because I'm going to.

So Jordan left ~150 plot threads to be tied up in the "last book" of the series, which this is the second part of, because Jordan never wanted to end it. I guess. The real pro...more

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Jan 06, 2011 Andrew Gaulke rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is something of a puzzle. It shouldn't work. Book thirteen of a series that we were promised would defiantly, absolutely, have number 12 as it's last. Then the author died, and now it's going to be 14 (I am assured, 14, defiantly, absolutely, the last). There seems like there should be something wrong here.

So, thoughts. It has some typographical errors, which is entirely excusable. It has some minor continuity errors, which is possibly pardonable. It has no discernible structure as a narra...more This is something of a puzzle. It shouldn't work. Book thirteen of a series that we were promised would defiantly, absolutely, have number 12 as it's last. Then the author died, and now it's going to be 14 (I am assured, 14, defiantly, absolutely, the last). There seems like there should be something wrong here.

So, thoughts. It has some typographical errors, which is entirely excusable. It has some minor continuity errors, which is possibly pardonable. It has no discernible structure as a narrative, which is, as usual, ugly. But i'm content with it's ugliness. If anything, it should be uglier. The great strength of a series of, so far, 13 books of around six hundred pages each is that it has the space for the sprawling mess of reality. It is, in a way, almost a shame to see it slowly (very slowly) being brought to a conclusion. I liked that this world was big. I liked that it had unique and invented children's games. I like it less when those children's games turn out to be vast plot points. The thing I fear most From the conclusion of an epic story is that I will find that the answers are less satisfying than the questions. Or worse, that at the end, no questions remain at all. The great strength of Tolkein was his ability to know when to have every eliment worked out to it's finest detail, like his languages, and when to let something stay magical, like Beorn. I fear that by the end of the next book every detail of the world will come to be relevant. I don't want this, nor do I want it explained.

In terms of the writing styles there are moment when you know you are reading one author or the other, sentence length, I find, is the most striking difference, but the crucial split between the new books and the old is this; that the old were essentially light, in both senses. The new have a heaviness to them, and a gloom. I personally cannot help but feel this has added something to the texture of the words, and as we head into the final battle, I think it might give a depth to the emotion that is needed.

On the end, I think Sanderson has added more (though still insufficient) focus to the narrative of the new books. This was the prime lack of the later Jordan novels, which had begun to seem as though he had just kept writing and handed over what ever he had when his editors calls became so frequent the next one started before the current one had finished.

Four stars for being a continued adventure of a world I love, for being written with talented words which, though sometimes muddy, are able to invest the reader in the characters, world and story. (less)

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Sep 07, 2011 Oroboros72 rated it 5 of 5 stars

OK, love the Wheel of Time.
This book is no exception. In fact it might be my favorite so far.
There is no sense in summarizing it for someone who hasn't read the rest of the series, so I am going to take it for granted that anyone reading this has read at least some of the wheel of time books.
The best thing about this book, besides a number of much-anticipated story arcs finding completion, is that it caused me to really start liking some characters that have so far been on my 'dislike' list o...more OK, love the Wheel of Time.
This book is no exception. In fact it might be my favorite so far.
There is no sense in summarizing it for someone who hasn't read the rest of the series, so I am going to take it for granted that anyone reading this has read at least some of the wheel of time books.
The best thing about this book, besides a number of much-anticipated story arcs finding completion, is that it caused me to really start liking some characters that have so far been on my 'dislike' list or at least on my 'non-favorite' list.
The three most prominent here are Gawyn, Nyneave, and Galad.
During the last book (the gathering storm), Gawyn was just so behind in his information. He thought Rand was evil and that he had killed his mom and wanted to kill him...ugh. but yeah in this book, Min's viewing of Gawyn saving Egwene with her head on the chopping block completely comes true. He fights off three of the top assassins in the universe all at the same time while protecting Eqwene who is asleep fighting her own battle in the dream world. basically he shows his totally badass side. He gathers some information (like that his mom is not dead), and so catches up with the rest of the characters. and He basically agrees to do whatever Eqwene needs him to do.
Nyneave. Although a very common favorite, I found her to be completely obnoxious in the early books. She was bossy, had a ridiculous temper, was petty with Elayne and Mat, and over-reacted to everything. She was on my 'absolutely not a favorite' list. I started to waver in Book 9 when she helps cleanse Saidin. Her awesome move on Lan in book 11 was pretty sweet too. However in this book she has a subtle (not obvious like Perrin's) delepment into maturity. She still does awesome stuff like heal Madness out of nowhere, and delve into Rand's brain, but what impressed me the most was her quick understanding of Eqwene's situation and her willingness to accept her authority. She didn't even put up a fight.
And Galad. He is of course the easiest to have on a 'dislike' list. His ridiculous morality puts every 'normal' person to shame and his lack of leniency on any topic for any reason makes him too judgmental to be likable. However, he has quite a character development in this book, where he actually starts to 'think'. It's great to see him uncomfortable with grey areas in ethics and to start questioning his strict view on right and wrong. And while he hasn't found a place on my 'favorite' list, like Gawyn and Nyneave have, he's not really on the 'dislike' list either. (less)

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Nov 27, 2010 Paul rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, fantasy

This book covers maybe three weeks at most in the lives of the characters, however, it encompasses quite a few events, many of which are key to the Last Battle.

I finished it in only three days. Now I've got to wait another year for Memory of Light! Blood an' bloody ashes!

Anywho, I am glad to say that B. Sanderson has really researched the time period from which RJ derived the settings for this series. He delves into and describes the processes of blacksmithing, fletching, leatherworking, coopera...more

1 like · like · see review

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Fantasy Book Club...: The TOWERS of MIDNIGHT - Finished SPOILERS	3	22	May 14, 2013 10:37pm
Fantasy Book Club...: The TOWERS of MIDNIGHT - Chapters 46 through And After SPOILERS	3	21	May 14, 2013 10:00pm
Fantasy Book Club...: The TOWERS of MIDNIGHT - Chapters 31 through 45 SPOILERS	2	21	Apr 20, 2013 12:34am
Fantasy Book Club...: The TOWERS of MIDNIGHT - Chapters 15 through 30 SPOILERS	4	19	Apr 16, 2013 06:15am
Fantasy Book Club...: The TOWERS of MIDNIGHT - Distinctions through Chapter 14 SPOILERS	6	26	Apr 12, 2013 12:23pm
Fantasy Book Club...: The TOWERS of MIDNIGHT - Planning to Read? First Impressions? NO SPOILERS	2	17	Apr 03, 2013 08:32pm

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About Robert Jordan

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

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...more Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

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 the Distinguished Flying Cross with bronze oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star with "V" and bronze oak leaf cluster, and two Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses with palm. After returning from Vietnam he attended The Citadel where he received an undergraduate degree in physics. After graduating he was employed by the United States Navy as a nuclear engineer. He began writing in 1977. He was a history buff and enjoyed hunting, fishing, sailing, poker, chess, pool, and pipe collecting.

He described himself as a "High Church" Episcopalian and received communion more than once a week.[7] He lived with his wife Harriet McDougal, who works as a book editor (currently with Tor Books; she was also Jordan's editor) in a house built in 1797.

Responding to queries on the similarity of some of the concepts in his Wheel of Time books with Freemasonry concepts, Jordan admitted that he was a Freemason. However, "like his father and grandfather," he preferred not to advertise, possibly because of the negative propaganda against Freemasonry. In his own words, "no man in this country should feel in danger because of his beliefs."

On March 23, 2006, Jordan disclosed in a statement that he had been diagnosed with cardiac amyloidosis, and that with treatment, his median life expectancy was four years, though he said he intended to beat the statistics. He later posted on his Dragonmount blog to encourage his fans not to worry about him and that he intended to have a long and fully creative life.

He began chemotherapy treatment at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in early April 2006. Jordan was enrolled in a study using the drug Revlimid just approved for multiple myeloma but not yet tested on primary amyloidosis.

Jordan died at approximately 2:45 p.m. EDT on September 16, 2007, and a funeral service was held for him on Wednesday, September 19, 2007. Jordan was cremated and his ashes buried in the churchyard of St. James Church in Goose Creek, outside Charleston.
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Books by Robert Jordan

The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time, #1)

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

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Quotes from Towers of Midnight

“So long as we do not depend on the facts entirely, incomplete knowledge is better than complete ignorance.
--Egwene al'Vere” — 6 people liked it

“When change comes, you can scream and try to force things to stay the same. But you'll usually end up getting trampled. However, if you can direct the changes, they can serve you Just as the Power serves us, but only after we surrender to it” — 6 people liked it

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Towers of Midnight (Wheel of Time #13)

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