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A Memory of Light

(The Wheel of Time #14)

Robert Jordan,

Brandon Sanderson (Goodreads Author)

4.51 · Rating details · 93,675 ratings · 5,404 reviews

Now in development for TV!

Since 1990, when Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time® burst on the world with its first book, The Eye of the World, readers have been anticipating the final scenes of this extraordinary saga, which has sold over forty million copies in over thirty languages.

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fad ...more

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Hardcover, First, 909 pages

Published January 8th 2013 by Tor Books

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Aug 07, 2012 Eric Allen rated it it was amazing

A Memory of Light
Book 14 of the Wheel of Time
By Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

A Review by Eric Allen

"The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose in the Mountains of Mist. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of ...more

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Feb 01, 2017 Robin (Bridge Four) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017-reads, 4-5-stars, awesome-audio, bb-b-2017, beware-the-bermuda-love-triangle, buddy-read, fantastic-fantasy, kick-ass-heroines, super-sidekicks

Well here we are and it is finally over. It has been so long and yet not long enough.

description

₪₪₪My Wheel of time journey lasted:₪₪₪

14 months - with my great friends at BB&B
There were 11308 pages
Over 4 Million Words
A staggering 19 days, 5 hours and 25 minutes of amazing audio
With 147 Unique PoVs and 1379 total PoVs
And a staggering cast of over 2200 characters

The world building is immense and I’m not sure anyone does that better than Robert Jordan did. Although I believe that Sanderson might give hi ...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Omar rated it it was amazing

I started reading this series when I was 11.

Today, at 23, I managed to get a copy off my friend a day early. I got it just after work, and I've had a few hours to myself. It's midnight, and I haven't stopped reading. I'm sure I'll have to blog about the immensity of this series, and what it's meant to me, once I'm done, but for now, I just wanted to give a quick, spoiler-free update: this book is essentially a 900 page battle sequence involving dozens of characters, and spanning an entire world. ...more

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Jan 05, 2019 Em Lost In Books rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: massive-tomes, 2010-19, 2019, 5-star

Utterly exhausted, emotionally drained and cried rivers by the time I read the last page. Loved it and will definitely reread it.

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Feb 22, 2012 seak marked it as to-read

Why I believe 2012 is actually the end...

I'll apologize up front, this may be a little insensitive, but it's all in the name of entertainment so that makes everything okay. At least that's what the television show, Family Guy, tells me.

You may have heard that according to the Mayans' (among others) long count calendar, 2012 is the end date - more specifically December 21, 2012. Many have interpreted this to mean that this is the end of the world that's been predicted. I never put much weight on ...more

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Feb 17, 2016 Markus rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016, fantasy, wheel-of-time, the-ending-is-too-good

"Like the unfettered dawn shall he blind us, and burn us, yet shall the Dragon Reborn confront the Shadow at the Last Battle, and his blood shall give us the Light. Let tears flow, O ye people of the world. Weep for your salvation!"

In the depths of the Blight, the armies of the Dark One are marshalling their power. In the Westlands, Rand al’Thor and his allies are preparing for the coming storm. The Last Battle looms above all, and the Dragon Reborn prepares to face the full strength of Shai’tan "Like the unfettered dawn shall he blind us, and burn us, yet shall the Dragon Reborn confront the Shadow at the Last Battle, and his blood shall give us the Light. Let tears flow, O ye people of the world. Weep for your salvation!"

In the depths of the Blight, the armies of the Dark One are marshalling their power. In the Westlands, Rand al’Thor and his allies are preparing for the coming storm. The Last Battle looms above all, and the Dragon Reborn prepares to face the full strength of Shai’tan and defeat the Shadow one last time…

I must admit something that might come as a shock to most of you: When I finished A Memory of Light, it was probably my least favourite Wheel of Time book. And that is not simply because the series ends here, or because I was unhappy with how things turned out (though I was). It was for a variety of reasons.

Now, I had written two long paragraphs where I heavily criticised the book for those reasons. Partly because I now disagree with myself, and partly because I choose to ignore the book’s flaws, those paragraphs have now mysteriously disappeared, never to be seen again. Suffice it to say that the book could have finished off in a better way, but that what we have is satisfying enough.

And of course, this is Wheel of Time. I don’t really care about what I didn’t like. I want to talk about what I loved instead.

So why was this a satisfying conclusion? There are seven reasons for that, four or which are scenes or details in the book. The fifth is the best title of any fantasy book ever. The sixth is the fact that this is a Wheel of Time book and despite some minor disappointment, this is the ending to my favourite fantasy series of all time. The seventh is the fact that this is another of those books that I just love more and more for each moment that passes after having finished it.

As for those four scenes, one is Rand’s gathering of all the factions and nations of the world early in the book, simply because of the arrival of one single very important character. The other three are in the epilogue. And the epilogue, the only chapter in the book to be written single-handedly by Robert Jordan, is the crowning glory of A Memory of Light and one of the best chapters in the whole series. It contains arguably the most emotional scene in the series. It contains an absodamnlutely perfect ending paragraph which makes you think “But of course it ends like that!” And after said paragraph, it contains a repetition of my favourite non-Tolkien fantasy quote. I am eternally grateful to Jordan for using that quote to end the series, and I will also use it to end my last Wheel of Time review…

And it came to pass in those days, as it had come before and would come again, that the Dark lay heavy on the land and weighed down the hearts of men, and the green things failed, and hope died. And men cried out to the Creator, saying, O Light of the Heavens, Light of the World, let the Promised One be born of the mountain, according to the prophecies, as he was in ages past and will be in ages to come. Let the Prince of the Morning sing to the land that green things will grow and the valleys give forth lambs. Let the arm of the Lord of the Dawn shelter us from the Dark, and the great sword of justice defend us. Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time.

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...more

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Feb 18, 2017 Eon ♒Windrunner♒ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The final Wheel of Time book is a superb ending to a series that, without a doubt, is one of the greatest written accomplishments in the genre. While the series is not without some issues, Robert Jordan with some help from Brandon Sanderson has cemented his legacy with this epic that will endure through the ages and has given me endless hours of reading enjoyment and will do so again in the future. Thank you, Mr Jordan.

The wind rose high and free, to soar in an open sky with no clouds. It passed

...more

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Feb 17, 2017 Gavin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

It is difficult to know what to say about this final Wheel of Time book. It really was one of the very best instalments of the whole series. The story was exciting and engaging from start to finish. A lot ton cool stuff happened and it was packed with a number of shocking and emotional moments. My overall opinion is that this was a good way to conclude the series. That said, I was not delighted by the way a small number of key story arcs were concluded and that has left me with a tiny feeling of ...more

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Jan 05, 2012 Eric Edstrom rated it it was amazing

I was criticized for giving this five stars before it came out :) Which I suppose I can understand since it slightly affects the average score.

Well, I've read it now and Sanderson did not disappoint. I loved the final volume of this super-epic, even though getting to the end was bittersweet.

To review this book is to review the entire series. The bottom line is that while it has some low points (Crossroads of Twilight), even those have some pretty neat moments. I always cheered when I heard the b ...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Mitch Mills rated it did not like it

I’d like to start off this review by saying that my one star-ing of this book is NOT simply a bashing on Sanderson. I have many problems with this book and they fall at the feet of both Sanderson and Jordan.

I have been an avid reader of the Wheel of Time novels for the last decade--as a thirteen year old I fell in love with the books. At the time Jordan was still writing what would be his last books, and I reveled in them. I am by no means an avid defender of Jordan’s writing, particularly his ...more

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Sep 18, 2012 Sharon rated it it was amazing

Detailed breakdown of feelings to follow. I'm going to need a couple of days to sort myself out.

20 minutes later I'm still crying.

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Feb 28, 2013 Brian rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy

I really wanted to give this book five stars, and if I had stopped reading about halfway through, I might have. As I went on, though, some little things that I had glossed over as I devoured the book started to weigh heavier and heavier on me, and in the end, I can't give it more than 2 stars.

On ~~Taimandred~~Demandred: (view spoiler) ...more

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Jun 26, 2012 Natasha rated it it was amazing

Shelves: the-wheel-of-time, epic-fantasy

No matter how long this series took to come to an end I have loved it since the first book when I picked it up in 1996. I have read it countless times and also have listened to the audio versions as well. Some may find that it took way too long, but in my case it really didn't bother me I enjoyed waiting for each book to come and anticipating about what was going to happen. I loved the details in the books, and have never really found another author who could write like Mr. Jordan, although Mr.
No matter how long this series took to come to an end I have loved it since the first book when I picked it up in 1996. I have read it countless times and also have listened to the audio versions as well. Some may find that it took way too long, but in my case it really didn't bother me I enjoyed waiting for each book to come and anticipating about what was going to happen. I loved the details in the books, and have never really found another author who could write like Mr. Jordan, although Mr. Sanderson is doing an exceptional job. I can't wait for the end, but I can also say that I will be sad that this is the end.

January 22, 2012 UPDATED REVIEW AFTER READING A MEMORY OF LIGHT!!!!!
While I was reading A Memory of Light I felt I really didn't want this series to end. I felt like they should or could continue on. I mean there are some many things they could write about all of this. As I reached the end of the book, something inside of me changed and all I have to say is WOW!!! This was a perfect ending to a perfect and well written series. It ended with so much feeling and emotion. Rand Al'Thore you are the best!!!!!!!!! Egwene I love you Wow.... I knew that you were strong but Wow I hadn't envisioned it to be like that!!!! Mat Cauthon.... I Have to say you were just awesome in the Last Battle really and truley Awesome!!!! Perrin, Perrin, Perrin... for me you have been my least favourite charachter during this whole series, but let me tell you that you are no longer..... you killed it this time and I am truley in awe of you. To all the rest you all had amazing roles such as the Aiel, Aes Sedai, the band, the dragonsworn.... Wow!!! The battles were awesome.... Oh I must not forget Logain, he came a long way during the series and at the end my heart felt for him. I loved seeing all the people giving him thanks for what he did. Androl Kicked ass big time and I loved the determination he had. Where was he during the whole series. Lan you were totally awesome as well and when you took care of buisness (people who read the book with understand) that was just amazing you are badass!!! Thank you so much Robert Jordan for writting this series it has been a beacon of light in my life and thank you Brandon Sanderson for contiuing this series in and exceptional way.

...more

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Mar 31, 2014 Kaya rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-stars

"I did not come here to win," Lan whispered, smiling. "I came here to kill you. Death is lighter than a feather."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyspI...

This is what I kept listening on repeat through the chapter "The Last Battle". I was blown away by the whole book. It was more brutal and heartbreaking than I have expected. I honestly didn't think that Jordan will have the guts to kill so many important characters. Two deaths especially crushed me. A lot of astonishing twists were in the ga ...more

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Oct 01, 2012 Evgeny rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

Ladies and gentlemen, this is it: the conclusion of the biggest fantasy epic to-date. Does it justify reading the series? Yes, but I need to mention that nothing can live up to the huge buildup of the series, but this novel comes pretty darn close.

I used to complain about the way Brandon Sanderson handled the series in the previous two books, but this time I really do not have anything to complain about. I can see several reasons for this. It might be that Robert Jordan left the most detailed no Ladies and gentlemen, this is it: the conclusion of the biggest fantasy epic to-date. Does it justify reading the series? Yes, but I need to mention that nothing can live up to the huge buildup of the series, but this novel comes pretty darn close.

I used to complain about the way Brandon Sanderson handled the series in the previous two books, but this time I really do not have anything to complain about. I can see several reasons for this. It might be that Robert Jordan left the most detailed notes related to the conclusion - after all, the epilog was written entirely by him. It also probably that Brandon Sanderson finally became comfortable writing the series. The last factor I can think of: the weakest part of Sanderson's writing were the characters; in case of this book there is no character development - thirteen previous books should be enough for this, but there is a lot of action: something Sanderson is very good at writing. I suspect all of the above is true.

I mentioned action. The whole book is a prelude to The Last Battle and the Battle itself. The best word to describe the latter would be "epic". In terms of epicness it beats the crap out of everything I read, which made me wish to see how Robert Jordan would handle this as big battles was one of his strengths (Dumai's Wells come to mind). The actual military action for this single one takes up around one fourth of the whole book which makes around 200 pages. You can really feel this is the last battle: both sides do not hold back and there is no retreat as the whole world is at stake. Major people die on both sides, including quite a few I did not expect.

I also think I need to clarify something. I criticized Brandon Sanderson a lot for his handling of the series. I need to express my gratitude to him for finishing it. He mentioned that his major task was to show how the series would end and he succeed admirably at this.

As a conclusion: is the series worth the read? Yes, very much so. I do not have a single sliver of regret for having done this. I feel like something is missing from my life, something which was with me since the year 1993. I also feel like seeing off my dear friends forever: they are all good people with their uniqueness and annoyances.

This review is a copy/paste of my BookLikes one: http://gene.booklikes.com/post/860138... ...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Alastair McDermott rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

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

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Aug 26, 2015 Kaitlin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: my-sff-faves

* Initial Thoughts *

This book... It's the LAST one in Wheel of Time, such a crazy long and epic series in all manner of ways that I can hardly believe I made it to the end. This one in particular had some fabulous quotes and moments within its pages and I read about 600pgs of it today which is ridiculous and crazy but very awesome. I think I need to sleep a bit on my thoughts and what I want to write as my full and final review so I'll probably come back to this tomorrow and add my actual 'revie * Initial Thoughts *

This book... It's the LAST one in Wheel of Time, such a crazy long and epic series in all manner of ways that I can hardly believe I made it to the end. This one in particular had some fabulous quotes and moments within its pages and I read about 600pgs of it today which is ridiculous and crazy but very awesome. I think I need to sleep a bit on my thoughts and what I want to write as my full and final review so I'll probably come back to this tomorrow and add my actual 'review' but my Initial Thoughts are that it was a fairly perfect ending of course :)

* Actual Review *

Okay so I've now had a few days to process all of the thoughts I had surrounding this book and I have decided that this is certainly my favourite book from the whole Wheel of Time series. I think everything that Jordan ever envisioned and set up gets fully resolved and confronted within this 1,000+pg monster, and even though it's a long book everything works and feels balanced.

This whole book is 'The Last Battle' which is something we've been working ou way towards for many of the previous books. Whilst the last two Sanderson books I gave 5*s to this is most definitely some very fine work on his part in oder to systematically address any and everything whilst also keeping the reader engaged and entertained throughout. There was honestly not a dull moment in this book or a section where I felt it needed to be cut down, everything was exciting.

Of course we focus on many of our major characters throughout this book and we see not only the return of some characters we've not seen for a while, but also introductions of many new threats and coordinated attacks which our major characters and their followers need to face.
I found the whole of the 'Last Battle' chapter (chap 37 which is over 200pgs long) to be highly intense and, considering it's SUCH an epic long battle fought on so many fronts, entirely readable! This is certainly something for Sanderson to be proud of because I'm often resistant to read battle heavy books and yet he managed to keep me hooked into the action throughout.

Of course where there is battle there must be sacrifice and sadness and this book addressed both of those things very well by showing many of the main characters in tricky situations both physically and emotionally and even magically. I found myself totally absorbed in what was happening to who and who's plan was what and everything connected so well together that it all worked.

The monsters and bad guys of the story definitely didn't shy away from making an appearance in this book and we had some pretty scary close calls and some tragic moments which I won't soon forget. As a lovely balance to this we also had some very whimsical, magical and touching moments which will equally hold a place in my heart for a long time.

I have to say that if you have made it to the final book in this great series and you've been enjoying them as you go then this one is one to just sit back and enjoy. It's got something of everything I have enjoyed about the series and there's never a moment where I was bored. I read over 600 pages of this book in one day and spent a solid amount of time just being hooked into the story so it's one I can say with certainty deserves a 5*s from me. Bloody brilliant, well done to Sanderson and Jordan for planning such an epic finale! ...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Edward Champa rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Wheel of Time Fans, High Fantasy Fans

Shelves: fantasy

Overall, I was very satisfied with "A Memory of Light", Sanderson's final installment to Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Having grown up with these characters, spending hundreds of hours investing myself within their storylines, watching them transcend from naive village youths into the 'movers and shakers' of a richly detailed and fully conceived world, to finally see their destined paths collide among the chaos and bloodshed of Tarmon Gai'don was breathtaking, heartbreaking, gratifying. Overall, I was very satisfied with "A Memory of Light", Sanderson's final installment to Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Having grown up with these characters, spending hundreds of hours investing myself within their storylines, watching them transcend from naive village youths into the 'movers and shakers' of a richly detailed and fully conceived world, to finally see their destined paths collide among the chaos and bloodshed of Tarmon Gai'don was breathtaking, heartbreaking, gratifying. This was a somber journey, as I knew with every passing page that I was finishing a 23-year adventure unlike any other.

Many will speak of the differences of style between Jordan and Sanderson, and even though the narrative inconsistencies in diction are more prevalent in areas than others, I still found myself amazed that Sanderson was able to take thousands of pages of material, with over dozens of distinct characters and plotlines, and masterfully bring to close Jordan's legendary tale while maintaining an overall sense of familiarity.

That there is some ambiguity in the final chapters is fitting, I find on reflection, because life itself rarely finds closure in all concerns.

++Spoilers++

"A Memory of Light" is an exhausting read, not so much due to length, which is considerable nonetheless (weighing in at over 900 pages, it's a massive tome), but because you are witnessing multiple battlefronts towards the beginning of the story, which later converge into the Last Battle; Sanderson relishes writing these scenes, and is quite adept with his descriptions of what is happening, allowing you to easily visualize the larger context. PoVs change consistently, and this transforms the war into many 'snapshots', speeding along the narrative. The overall effect is well done.

The many ways Sanderson plays with the concepts of gateways was one of my favorite aspects of this novel. Implementing them as viewpoints above battlefields from which you can gaze down through to witness the movements of troops, using them to create a lava funnel of death, or simply to brew tea was exciting to read about.

Sanderson doesn't change the core mechanics of Jordan's magic system but expounds upon it in interesting ways. Creating a weave the opposite of Balefire, using Mask of Mirrors to lure enemies into elaborate traps, or using the regenerating villagers of a small town to 'return from the dead' at a critical point during a major campaign - these elements, along with many others, give fresh perspectives to Jordan's world.

Prophecies that fans have been waiting to see fulfilled finally come to light, and in ways you least expect. Logain's glory, in particular.

This isn't to say that I found everything perfect, to my tastes. I felt Fain/Mordeth's storyline was too inconsequential for all its buildup over multiple entries to the series. I'm not particularly a fan of Fain/Mordeth, but it felt rushed. However, it's a small qualm, and didn't truly detract from my reading experience.

Bittersweet was the way I felt as I finished the last chapter. For all the braid-tugs, sniffs, arm-under-breasts and many other quirks of Jordan's prose, the Wheel of Time has been a major influence on my life and a story which has stood apart from the usual fantasy fare. Even though the industry is moving into 'darker, deeper, more complex and thoughtful' fantasy, where the lines are blurred, there are no young farmboys who become heroes nor dark lords seeking utter destruction, sometimes you want the archetypes. And the Wheel of Time is the epitome of High Fantasy.

And "A Memory of Light" its swan song. ...more

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Jun 12, 2014 TS Chan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: physical-owned

Seeing quite a few of my Goodreads buddies finishing this series together and posting their reviews made me feel that I should at least pen some parting words. I've read this series back in the days when I wasn't inclined to write reviews, which I found take practice and inspiration.

The Wheel of Time was quite a mixed experience for me overall. There were books which were great, some which were good and a few which were just passable. Then there are those that I've decided to skip entirely (i.e ...more

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Mar 11, 2017 Maria Dimitrova rated it it was amazing

Shelves: br-bbb, br-bbb-2017, buddy-reads, fantasy, favorites, wheel-of-time

Fifteen books, thousands of pages and year and three months after my friends and I embarked on this epic journey it is finally over. I'm both sad and elated and suffering one of the greatest book hangovers I have even experienced. I can't let go of this world. It feels wrong that there is no more of it. So I turned to browsing the incredible wealth of art inspired by it. Like this piece:

Tarmon Gai'don

So much happened that it's hard to summarise and I won't even try. I'll just highlight some things. And since ...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Mike (the Paladin) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

At last we are here, the final installment in the EPIC Wheel of Time. I reserved this at the library so when it came in I rented a towmotor and went down to my local branch. Having used the towmotor to load the book into a truck and then unload it when I got home I got down to business.

It's all here folks. For those of you who have loved every second of reading, every comma, exclamation point, colon and semicolon of this massive undertaking you will lose nothing in this volume. AND for those of At last we are here, the final installment in the EPIC Wheel of Time. I reserved this at the library so when it came in I rented a towmotor and went down to my local branch. Having used the towmotor to load the book into a truck and then unload it when I got home I got down to business.

It's all here folks. For those of you who have loved every second of reading, every comma, exclamation point, colon and semicolon of this massive undertaking you will lose nothing in this volume. AND for those of you like me who mourn the excessive verbiage and repetitive story telling that turned one of the potentially best fantasy series of all time into an overblown soap-opera...it's all here also.

As I started...and for a long time after I started this book I was sure that the highest rating I'd be able to give it would be a 3 and that it possibly could force me into a 2. With the continuation of all the things that so annoyed me, the same events recounted ad nauseum, the constant, ridicules, never ending battle of the sexes (the use of the name wool-head) I did a lot of sighing and rolling my eyes. (view spoiler). I hung on. I will say this, Brandon Sanderson seems to have been "channeling" Robert Jordan. For the first (3/4) three quarters to four fifths (4/5) of this book there is an unimaginable amount of waffle. I skipped and skimmed but be careful to take a line from J.K.Rowling, "There was some important stuff hidden in the waffle." Unfortunately it's well buried.

That being said, the last quarter to a fifth of the book begins to recapture the magic of the first 5 or 6 volumes. Yes at the first I loved this series. I was one of those who praised it, who said "don't miss these books". What happened after the 6th or so volume I have speculated on before. I have no idea. It went from one of the best told most well crafted fantasy tales I've ever read to a rambling Frankensteinian monstrosity of a soap opera crawling along at a glacial pace. Through 14 enormous volumes (if you don't count the prequel New Spring). There are approximately 4,056,130 words to it (here I accept the total from Wikipedia, I didn't count) it slowly ground down it's fans to a hard core of you who love every letter. I sold all my own copies and read the last several out of the library. One 800+ page tome actually dropped back and covered events from the previous book... But the last fourth of this novel suddenly jumps back to the wonder of the first volumes. The end of the series is satisfying, well thought out and told in a fast moving tightly controlled way all the various threads (and there are now so many) pulled together.

I'll say a couple of things below under a spoiler warning but on the whole I can strongly recommend this one, especially if you have followed it all the way through and for you who love every punctuation mark I'd think you'd love this. So, I can't go 5 (the first part of the volume is still slow moving, over done and repetitive ) I can go 4. Recommended.

(view spoiler)

I do still wish that the family would take the entire series and turn it over to a great editor (or a group of great editors) and cut out all the "waffle" from every volume. I say again, this could have been one of the all time great achievements in fantasy and literature and of any genre. I will always mourn what might have been. If I ever reread the series I may reread the first 5 or 6 and then jump to this one to tie it up. (view spoiler) It might be worth that. You know, the events in the books didn't take as long to transpire as the writing and publishing of the series took. 1990 to 2013, 23 years in the making.

And as I noted elsewhere I don't suppose there's any guarantee that we won't see more prequels and sequels and side quests and......***** This supposedly changed since I originally read this as it has been announced there won't be sequels****(again)I am told that "unless minds are changed" the family has said there will be no sequels. I'm of course as always in wait and see mode.*****updated.

Oh well, enjoy. 4 stars and a recommended read, when you have time. ...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Rob rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: wheel-of-time, favorites, read-2013, fantasy, epic-fantasy, own, author-male, audio-book, read-2017

Executive Summary: How do you end a book series that has spanned 15 volumes (including the prequel), nearly 12,000 pages and over 4 million words, where the author died before finishing? Quite well in my opinion. I loved this book start to finish, and feel rewarded for sticking with it through some of the middle books.

Audiobook: Michael Kramer and Kate Reading are fantastic again. They've made my reread quite enjoyable.

Full Review

The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memorie ...more

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Nov 18, 2016 Manveer rated it it was amazing

Shelves: owned, favorites, 2016-reads, high-fantasy, sanderson

FUCK.
IT'S OVER.
AND I'M SPEECHLESS.

I'll go cry in a corner now.

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Jan 15, 2016 Sarah rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own-kindle, buddy-read, favorites, read-in-2017

I still can't quite believe that the epic Wheel of Time series is actually over! 15 books (don't forget the prologue!), 12,097 pages and over a year of reading (I read one book a month with a group of friends) and it's done. I actually put off reading A Memory of Light because I didn't want to reach the end but I'm so glad it went out on a high note. This series is absolutely huge and I was nervous about making the commitment to it last year but I have really enjoyed the journey that Robert Jord I still can't quite believe that the epic Wheel of Time series is actually over! 15 books (don't forget the prologue!), 12,097 pages and over a year of reading (I read one book a month with a group of friends) and it's done. I actually put off reading A Memory of Light because I didn't want to reach the end but I'm so glad it went out on a high note. This series is absolutely huge and I was nervous about making the commitment to it last year but I have really enjoyed the journey that Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson have taken us on, and I can see why this is considered a classic.

I'm running out of words to use in praise of this series, just go back and read any of my other 14 reviews and it'll quickly become clear how much I've loved this world though. The characters have alternated between infuriating and amazing but the world is just so huge and detailed that it was very easy to get lost in. There have been a lot of highs and lows along the way but that is only to be expected in something so huge and the last four books have probably been my favourites in the whole series.

I'm not really going to say too much about the final instalment other than to confirm that it was a worthy addition to the series. There is just so much going on in this book, so many different plot threads that all needed to be tied together, so many characters who needed to get their final moments of glory, enemies to be destroyed and friendships to be celebrated. There were moments that I celebrated and others that broke my heart but overall I couldn't have been more happy with the ending. Is it perfect? Probably not but it came pretty close and overall this is a series I think every fantasy fan should read. I'm sad to say goodbye to these characters and if I'm honest I'm a little disappointed we didn't get an epilogue to show how our favourites are doing a few years down the line but I think we were given just enough that we can use our imagination for the rest.

I'm sad that Robert Jordan didn't get the chance to finish his epic masterpiece but I'm thankful that Brandon Sanderson was able to do such a brilliant job of the final few books and I'm glad fans weren't left with a million unanswered questions.

_________________

Buddy read with Buddies, Books & Baubles starting 1st February 2017

(I actually put of starting this for so long that I missed the group read entirely LOL) ...more

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Oct 06, 2011 Jessie (Ageless Pages Reviews) rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, shame-shelf, owned-copy, worst-covers, 2013-reads, series-completed, super-sized-story

I'm still not sure how many of those stars are for sheer nostalgia - at least one? - but this was a hell of a wrap up for a 12 year journey. I started reading these books when I was 13, I am 25 now, and I can say there were times when I didn't see this ever ending. Through its ups (books 1-6), its downs (8-11), its not-bad-but-could-be-better (7, 12) this has remained a big force in my fantasy reading. Forgive me for this pun, but there will be a void where The Wheel of Time once stood.

Favorite ...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Julio Genao rated it it was amazing

I feel... many things. I wasn't sure I'd get to read the end of a tale this long. There were setbacks—Jordan passing, and troubles in my own life—but I did. I made it, and so did this story.

I feel satisfaction. I feel weariness. I feel... gratitude.

So much gratitude.

Thank you, Mr. Jordan. Thank you, Mr. Sanderson.

Thank you for 20 years of wonder. Of joy. Of humor. Of hope.

Thank you.

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Sep 24, 2016 Shobhit Sharad rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: brandon-sanderson, robert-jordan, fantasy

A journey of more than three million words ends. Too overwhelmed to say anything.

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May 29, 2012 Josh rated it liked it

Shelves: high-fantasy, fantasy

The Wheel turns and ages pass. Some called this one the 3rd Age, but it may have been an Age from long ago or one yet to come. This wasn't the ending, for there are no endings on the Wheel of Time, but it is an ending.

(Sorry, couldn't help it)

But the review of the last book of such a sprawling epic deserves a bit more than the usual liked it/didn't like it and diving into the whys & wherefores immediately.

This really isn't an easy book to review. It's bloody book 14 (or 15 if you count the p The Wheel turns and ages pass. Some called this one the 3rd Age, but it may have been an Age from long ago or one yet to come. This wasn't the ending, for there are no endings on the Wheel of Time, but it is an ending.

(Sorry, couldn't help it)

But the review of the last book of such a sprawling epic deserves a bit more than the usual liked it/didn't like it and diving into the whys & wherefores immediately.

This really isn't an easy book to review. It's bloody book 14 (or 15 if you count the prequel, which started as a short story and grew beyond it) of a story that began in 1990 and the author died before completing it. 23 years later, we get the long awaited final volume, and it really is the end of the story.

So here are my questions:
1. is it satisfying as a chapter in the saga?
2. is it a good book in its own right?
3. does it bring the series to a close in a rewarding fashion?

1. It certainly feels like one. It has a lot of the same merits and flaws of the earlier books: there's definitely bloated filler. There's a lot of very cool intertwined plots reaching resolution. The characters are still people you root for, and the whole thing is appropriately epic in scale. There are some inconsistencies from previous books that is frustrating; one character undergoes another personality shift that seems out of place (in this case I suspect it may be the result of what may have been written by Jordan before his death and what was written by Sanderson to knit it all together. Considering the work was edited by Jordan's widow I'm guessing his words were rarely touched). A critical plot point is achieved by means that are seemingly contradicted by established abilities from earlier volumes, and even if possible the occurrence in at least one case shows a shocking lack of preparedness and planning on behalf of at least one character that would certainly know better.

2. This is a harder question, as it's nigh-impossible to separate it from the rest of the saga at this point. (someone who picked it up would be completely baffled and probably deeply bored) So you have to set a little of that aside when evaluating this one. But there are some definite problems. two critical character behave in ways that are simply not credible at this point; their opposition to Rand is a misguided attempt to ratchet up the conflict and heighten suspense, but by doing it with people that have been shown to be both intelligent and generally wise makes the whole thing ring hollow. Another character's destiny is finally realized...by throwing 4 other heroes essentially under the bus, at least 1 making an unbelievable mistake/oversight, leading to the entirely predictable next step. Considering what's gone before, leaving this character out of it at the start is fairly absurd. So it's not a great book. Too many frustrating things, but they are balanced out by the poignant moments, laugh out loud funny lines, and actually earned triumphs.

3. This is the toughest one of all. Closing out a series that's been going on for 23 years over this many books in a way that even a majority of the readers will find emotionally satisfying is incredibly hard. You also have to balance a logical evolution from where the books have built vs avoiding being utterly predictable. Who lives & who dies is one of those challenges: it's not badly done, I think, but several characters deserved a greater resolution to their story considering how much time we spent with them. Of the 10 or 12 major characters only a handful really get a wrap-up that feels satisfying (and several of them have to be presumed not seen). There's also a couple of resolutions to on-going mysteries that are solved by Rand/Min...off screen, which has never happened before. There's always at least been a hat-tip to the reader that the character has figured something out, even if they haven't clued us in as to their thinking. That'd be ok for smaller things, but for something that's been hanging over the series for half a dozen books or more? On the other hand, a number of other things are handled incredibly well, especially the final confrontation with the Dark One. More than anything else, that one felt earned and proper.

So where do we finally end? Appropriately, right about where most of the series lies. It's often brilliant, incredibly ambitious, often bloated and lazy, epic in scope but sometimes poorly managed, creative as hell, and a fully realized world. the attention to detail and care for creation of legends makes this far better than such bloated plotting would normally be. (seriously, having your wife as editor might not be a great plan, and it's more obvious that once an author reaches a certain point the publisher isn;t going to put the hammer down no matter how badly something needs a hardcore pruning. George R. R. Martin are your ears burning? They should be.) Jordan does do a rather impressive job in taking his core characters through their heroic evolution in interesting ways and building them into unique individuals who all played critical parts in the story without them turning into sidekicks or getting undeserved wins or credit. Jordan uses the pattern/thread metaphors liberally (and honestly he does it in ways that make sense for the world he's built, not as lazy writing or for cheap points) but a painting makes a better analogy for how his earliest, core group fits for this story: one character may be the brightest, most liberally used color, but they all are important to whole and the whole doesn't make sense or work without all of them blended into the final picture.

Man, I'm getting as long-winded as Jordan/Sanderson!

There's a lot to like here, but more frustrations than I'd like to see in the capstone, which is why I can't go any higher (although I do still wish for 1/2 stars here 3 1/2 is closer to where I am than 3). The earlier books were ones that I went back to fairly often (books 1, 3-6, & 11 with books 1 & 4 being especially good. book 4 is my personal favorite, I think) but as things drew out longer and longer the books have less and less to draw you back to revisit. ...more

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Sep 15, 2017 Nikola Pavlovic rated it it was amazing

14 delova; 23 knjige; 4,410,036 reci! Ovo prema svim merilima EPSKO putovanje je konacno doslo do svog kraja. Od sjaja do ocjaja i obrnuto, tako je izgledao ovaj serijal kada se na kraju sve sabere. Ali kao i u zivotu pamte se samo oni lepi i zanimljivi delovi kojih je moram priznati bilo pregrst. Da je bio nesto kraci i sazetiji u smislu da nije bilo Dzordanovih lutanja i dosadnih delova koje bih okarakterisao kao ciste filere i popunjavanje strana onda bih mogao lagano reci za ovaj serijal da ...more

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Aug 17, 2013 Sally Howes rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourites, read-fantasy, reviewed, owned-read, read-audiobooks

'The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose in the Mountains of Mist. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was A beginning.'

It was, in fact, the beginning of the end. A MEMORY OF LIGHT i 'The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose in the Mountains of Mist. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was A beginning.'

It was, in fact, the beginning of the end. A MEMORY OF LIGHT is the fourteenth and final book of The Wheel of Time. Most who have read the series have travelled its paths for years, walking alongside characters who became dear friends or dire foes. Most who have read the series have devoted substantial amounts of time, effort and emotion to the journey. In enjoying such devotion to their creation, the authors, Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, have accrued an enormous debt that must be repaid in this final book. Was the investment worth it, is the debt repaid? Yes. I swear by the Light and by my hope of salvation and rebirth, the investment was more than worth it, A MEMORY OF LIGHT repays the debt a thousandfold.

And this is where I start to gush ... So often when I read books, I wonder 'How does anyone come up with such an amazing story?' Never has that sentiment assailed me as strongly as it did while I read A MEMORY OF LIGHT. The sheer number of threads that are pulled together in this book to create the pattern of its conclusion is staggering. Being able to pull them all together at all is a feat worthy of awe. But being able to pull them together with so much assured STYLE is a triumph. Every single one of this book's 900-odd pages is packed with action, complexity and poignancy. I laughed, I cried, and by the time I had finished, I was physically weary - I did feel like I had been a participant in the Last Battle. And the ultimate conclusion to the story was everything I could have hoped, everything it needed to be. What more can a reader ask for? Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, I salute you, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the Wheel of Time.

I am not so much a religious person as I am a person who knows what she believes in: I believe in the power of story. I believe in A MEMORY OF LIGHT. ...more

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Fantasy Buddy Reads: A Memory of Light [Apr 15, 2020]	1	8	Jan 10, 2019 11:35AM
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About Robert Jordan

Robert Jordan

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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'Reilly.

Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He served two tours in Vietnam (from 1968 to 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'Reilly.

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. 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. ...more

Other books in the series

The Wheel of Time (1 - 10 of 14 books)

Books by Robert Jordan

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

The Gathering Storm (Wheel of Time, #12)

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Trivia About A Memory of Light...

2 trivia questions

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Quotes from A Memory of Light

“He came like the wind, like the wind touched everything, and like the wind was gone.

-from The Dragon Reborn. By Loial, son of Arent son of Halan, the Fourth Age.” — 155 likes

“Here is your flaw, Shaitan, Lord of the Dark, Lord of Envy, Lord of Nothing, here is why you fail. It was not about me. It’s never been about me.”
It was about a woman, torn and beaten down, cast from her throne and made a puppet. A woman who had crawled when she had to. That woman still fought.
It was about a man that love repeatedly forsook. A man who found relevance in a world that others would have let pass them by. A man who remembered stories and who took fool boys under his wing when the smarter move would have been to keep on walking. That man still fought.
It was about a woman with a secret, a hope for the future. A woman who had hunted the truth before others could. A woman who had given her live, then had it returned. That woman still fought.
It was about a man whose family was taken from him, but who stood tall in his sorrow and protected those he could.
It was about a woman who refused to believe that she could not help, could not heal those who had been harmed.
It was about a hero who insisted with every breath that he was anything but a hero.
It was about a woman who would not bend her back while she was beaten, and who shown with a light for all who watched, including Rand.
It was about them all.
~Rand al Thor” — 143 likes

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