| Title | : | Towers of Midnight (The Wheel of Time, #13) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0765325942 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780765325945 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 863 |
| Publication | : | First published November 2, 2010 |
| Awards | : | David Gemmell Legend Award Best Fantasy Novel (2011), Goodreads Choice Award Fantasy (2010) |
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 foe is slowly pulling a noose tight around his neck. To prevail, he must seek answers in Tel’aran’rhiod and find a way--at long last--to master the wolf within him or lose himself to it forever
Meanwhile, Matrim Cauthon prepares for the most difficult challenge of his life. The creatures beyond the stone gateways--the Aelfinn and the Eelfinn--have confused him, taunted him, and left him hanged, his memory stuffed with bits and pieces of other men’s lives. He had hoped that his last confrontation with them would be the end of it, but the Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills. The time is coming when he will again have to dance with the Snakes and the Foxes, playing a game that cannot be won. The Tower of Ghenjei awaits, and its secrets will reveal the fate of a friend long lost.
This penultimate novel of Robert Jordan’s #1 New York Times bestselling series--the second of three based on materials he left behind when he died in 2007--brings dramatic and compelling developments to many threads in the Pattern. The end draws near.
Dovie’andi se tovya sagain. It’s time to toss the dice.
Towers of Midnight (The Wheel of Time, #13) Reviews
-
The Ta'veren Tavern
A one-act play by Zach
(The Ta'veren Tavern, a passably nice watering hole with very few patrons. The architecture of the room, indeed of reality itself, seems to bend and warp to center on the three young men, RAND, MAT, and PERRIN, sitting at the bar.)
RAND
Well, you two have to at least admit that Towers of Midnight is the most action-packed book in the whole series.
MAT
No question there.
PERRIN
I won't argue the point. You're talking to the guy who spent four consecutive books smelling emotions and shopping for barley. It's certainly nice to kick some ass again. But Rand, you have to admit...
RAND
Quit trying to smell me and spit it out, wolf boy.
PERRIN
Well, it's just that you got a bit... Jesus-y. Don't you think? I mean, blood and ashes, the clouds part wherever you go, the plants beneath your feet grow again, and you're even wearing peasant's clothing!
MAT
Can we stop with the "blood and ashes" and "mother's milk in a cup" already, Perrin? Nobody thinks that counts as fucking swearing. You would think the change in author would have put a stop to that flaming idiocy. Fucking hell, I just did it again. He does have a point, though, Rand.
RAND
Well excuse me for being the savior of all humankind. I'm not the one who decided to make the "Dark One's touch upon the world" and "bubbles of evil" a thing way back in book four. They had to tie up that loose end at some point.
MAT
Take it easy, Messiah.
RAND
Like you're one to talk anyway, Mat! You and your stupid dice rattling in your skull -- that has to be the worst foreshadowing gimmick in the history of literature. Explain to me again how the luckiest man alive gets so anxious every time he hears dice, anyway. And you, Perrin, with your man / beast duality getting crammed down our throats in every paragraph! I had better see a shitload of wolves at the Last Battle or you have some serious explaining to do.
PERRIN
Hey, at least my character has the capacity for interesting growth and introspection! We can't all just climb a mountain named after us and have a mystical revelation.
(Suddenly, the door slams open. EGWENE, NYNAEVE, ELAYNE, AVIENDHA, and MIN enter, trailed by a coterie of MONARCHS AND OTHER MINOR CHARACTERS.)
MAT
Hey, no girls allowed in the Ta'veren Tavern!
RAND
I'm afraid he's right, my loves. Girls don't get to be ta'veren.
NYNAEVE
Rand, you wool-headed goat! The women accomplish at least as much as you men folk do. I healed stilling, for the Light's sake! Even Aes Sedai of the Age of Legends couldn't do that. And have you already forgotten how I helped you cleanse the taint from saidin?
MAT
Tell us again about how you "cleansed the taint," Nynaeve. (High-fives PERRIN.)
EGWENE
She's right, you know. I single-handedly held together the world's entire collection of female channelers and fought off an attack by the Seanchan. And my subplot was the only consistently interesting one during those four or five books where Mat and Perrin were basically killing time or traveling somewhere.
PERRIN
(Finishes his drink.) Tell me about it.
MIN
I'm doing all this historical research and having visions of the light-blasted future all the time, but do I get any credit? No! Aviendha is leading her entire people to the last battle, but does she get to be ta'veren? No!
AVIENDHA
I am one of the most powerful channelers in this Age, Min Farren. You have toh.
EGWENE
Aviendha, can it with the Aiel stuff for once. The point is, we're contributing more to this story than you boys most of the time, and we want recognition for it.
ELAYNE
(Goes wall-eyed, spittle dribbling down her chin.) Min says I'm invincible until I give birth!
EGWENE
... Most of us, at any rate.
RAND
I wish I could help you ladies, I really do. Especially my three beautiful sister-wives.
AVIENDHA
I can't believe I actually call us that.
RAND
Unfortunately, the Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills. It's the Pattern that says you don't get to be ta'veren. My hands, er, hand is tied.
NYNAEVE
What a bunch of addle-brained sheep dung!
MAT
For fuck's sake, just say bullshit.
NYNAEVE
Mat Cauthon, I ought to paddle your backside! Now you listen to me, you three puffed up set pieces. We are not going anywhere until we get membership to this tavern, and that is final.
PERRIN
I think you're forgetting that we basically control fate and everyone's actions.
RAND
Perrin's right. Incidentally, don't all of you have somewhere to be?
WOMEN AND COTERIE OF MONARCHS AND MINOR CHARACTERS
Oh, would you look at the time? We are late for our lessons in translating English cliches into colorful fantasy adages.
SIUAN
It's trickier than swimming with a school of silverpike.
(They leave the Tavern as if drawn out against their will.)
RAND
Works every time. (Toasts MAT and PERRIN.)
PERRIN
Ok, so there are some laughable parts. But at least this series is good again, right?
MAT
Too right. And even better, it's almost fucking over.
RAND
I'll drink to that.
(They finish their drinks. Curtain.) -
Check out my YouTube channel where I show my instant reactions upon finishing reading fantasy books.
A amazing entry into this series that is exciting from start to finish
This is the second book written by Brandon Sanderson in this series, and is perhaps the best Wheel of Time book thus far. This was fast-paced, and with so much buildup for what is undoubtedly going to be a stunning finale to this story, it makes these finals moments all the better.
The main characters are all getting setup to where they are meant to be, Lan has finally got his act together and has fully become the amazing leader that he has been inching towards for a long time now, and a major surprise (that isn't much of a surprise if you are a fan of fantasy books) has finally been revealed. And even though this surprise is no all that surprising, it's great that it finally happened so we can close out this series in an even better fashion.
The second half of this book really explodes with action is an incredible way - and in true Brandon Sanderson form. Robert Jordan had a tendency to spend his 800+ pages setting up a single incredible moment. But Brandon Sanderson has spent his time with this book setting them up so they hit like dominos one after another.
Many questions have finally been answered, and while some new ones have been asked, the answers are almost all here. We are nearly at the end of this epic journey. And though I fear its end, I am nonetheless extremely excited to read it. -
All of these books are like best friends to me
Happy Reading!
Mel 🖤🐾🐺 -
Penultimate book of Wheel of Time, Sanderson took the things several notch up and tied many of the loose ends in a grand way. How can things be any different? After all, Mr. Sanderson is a master of making everything grand and epic. This series has been epic right from the start, so Sanderson giving it the finishing touch was icing on the cake. Talking about the plot will mean giving away spoilers, so I will just ramble about my favorite characters.
This book marks the return of Perrin Aybara as the warrior who has grown so much stronger and confident in his powers. I had lost all my hopes of seeing Perrin to his full potential. We saw only a glimpse of that power of his in Shadow Rising, which book #4, and his story arc has been going downward ever since. All his days started with worrying about Faile and ended with trying to convince her that she's his one and only. Eight books of this, and yeah, it bored me to death. But Sanderson resurrected him for the battle in Tel'aran'rhiod and boy, it was AWESOME! And yes, he had my respect and my faith restored in him by the time I turned the last page of this book.
I didn't like Mat from the very start. When people who have read the series said that Mat was one of their favorite character, I used to think, "What is that I am missing? He don't deserve all that love. He is a coward.". But he has come a long way from the first book. Somewhere after book 5 he started growing on me and he just got better. And here he outshine himself. The things he did in this book, I never thought he was capable of those sacrifices. Let's be honest, he is a selfish man and always put his interests first, so him acting so selflessly stumped me. Oh, and he rescued a beloved character, and I think I fell under his spell a little more.
Third person who mattered in this book was Egwene. From a village girl to one of the fiercest Aes Sedai, her journey was spectacular (yup, I have forgiven her thoughts of where she thought of boxing boys' ears or teaching someone a lesson will change the world). Seriously, she has been the star of the last few books, and this book too was hers in more than one way. She is stubborn but she knows what she's doing. We all make mistakes but learning from them and moving forward not repeating those mistakes is what makes Egwene such a charismatic character.
Excellent writing, and a fast pace made this book a pleasure to read. With such a huge cast and an epic story to tell, I think Sanderson did a fantastic job here. -
*** 5+ ***
A buddy read with my WoT family @ BB&B!!! So close to the end...
This was soooooo good! I am left with no words which I have not used before, to praise this series, world, magic, characters, plot, writing, and pure genius of the author and the series creator! I love it so much!!! Anything I attempt to say would only be useless fan-girling, so I am just going to repeat one thing - to all Fantasy fans, you have to read this series!!! It is the one I consider as the standard all other series have to live up to! But don't listen to me, check it out for yourself!
I wish you all Happy Reading and many wonderful books to come!!! -
Alright, BS! Let’s see whatcha do with the finale 😬
-
Towers of Midnight (The Wheel of Time #13), Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson
The novel is the second part of A Memory of Light, Robert Jordan's projected final book. Because of the amount of material to cover, it was agreed by Jordan's wife, Tor Books and Brandon Sanderson to break the final book into three separate books. All three books are written by Sanderson with the aid of extensive notes left by the late Jordan.
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.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش نسخه انگلیسی: دهم ماه دسامبر سال 2018میلادی
عنوان: برجهای نیمه شب: کتاب سیزدهم از سری چرخ زمان؛ نویسندگان: رابرت جردن؛ براندن ساندرسون؛
کتابهای سری چرخ زمان: «بهار نو (2004میلاد) (به عنوان پیشدرآمد و بیسا سال پیش از رخدادهای نخستین رمان)؛ «چشم جهان (1990میلادی)»؛ «شکار بزرگ (1990میلادی)»؛ «تجلی اژدها (1991میلادی)»؛ «قیام سایهها (1992میلادی)»؛ «شعلههای بهشت (1993میلادی)»؛ «ارباب آشفتگی (1995میلادی)»؛ «تاج شمشیرها (1996میلادی)»؛ «گذرگاه خنجرها (1998میلادی)»؛ «قلب زمستان (2000میلادی)»؛ «چهارراه شامگاهی (2003میلادی)»؛ «چاقوی رؤیا (2005میلادی)»؛ «گرد آمدن طوفان (2009میلادی)»؛ «برجهای نیمه شب (2010میلادی)»؛یادآوری از روشنایی (2012میلادی)»؛
چرخ زمان؛ یک سری رمان خیالپردازی حماسی؛ که توسط نویسنده ی آمریکایی؛ روانشاد «رابرت جردن» نگاشته شده است؛ «چرخ زمان» نخست قرار بود یک مجموعه شش جلدی باشد، اما «جردن» آن را به دوازده کتاب افزایش دادند؛ «جردن» در سال 1984میلادی آغاز به نگارش نخستین کتاب از این سری با نام «چشم جهان» نمودند؛ که آن را در سال 1990میلادی منتشر کردند؛ «جردن» پیش از به پایان رساندن جلد آخر سری، در سال 2007میلادی، به علت بیماری قلبی درگذشتند؛ و در همان سال، همسرش پس از مطالعه ی «زاده مه»، «برندن سندرسون» را، برای تمام کردن سری برگزیدند؛ «سندرسون» با خوانش یادداشتهای «جردن»، به این نتیجه رسید، که یک جلد برای پایان کار سری کافی نیست، و به همسر جردن پیشنهاد داد، که در سه جلد سری «چرخ زمان» را به پایان برساند، که مورد موافقت همسر «جردن» قرار گرفت، و اینگونه بود که سری «چرخ زمان» در نهایت چهارده جلدی شد؛ در این سری، از اسطوره ها، و مکاتب بسیاری مانند «بوداییسم»، «هندوئیسم»، «فرهنگ اروپایی»، «اسطوره شناسی آسیایی و اسلامی» استفاده شده است؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 02/09/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی -
I read this book on a train ride from St. Pancras to Gatwick, and a flight from there to JFK. 1245 pages. In a 1-hour train ride and a 7-hour flight.
It was difficult to read while opening and eating the meals served on the plane, and equally difficult to concentrate while the flight attendant was asking whether I was aware there was a video screen as well (to which I politely replied "Yes, thank you." while really thinking "Go away, I'm reading."), but I prevailed in the end.
Wheel of Time reviews:
#1
The Eye of the World
#2
The Great Hunt
#3
The Dragon Reborn
#4
The Shadow Rising
#5
The Fires of Heaven
#6
Lord of Chaos
#7
A Crown of Swords
#8
The Path of Daggers
#9
Winter's Heart
#10
Crossroads of Twilight
#11
Knife of Dreams
#12
The Gathering Storm
#13
Towers of Midnight
#14
A Memory of Light -
Absolutely brilliant Wheel of Time book and holy crap, I only have one more left.
-
This 14th WoT book was another fun one. It is so easy to get caught up in the happenings of this familiar world and its massive cast of characters really do feel like old friends by this stage!
ToM matched Sanderson's first WoT effort, TGS, in terms of quality. He might do a few things differently from Jordan but the one thing he does deliver is a well paced story that has very few dull spots.
The story itself was engaging and interesting as all our favourite characters got themselves and their followers ready for the Last Battle.
The stars of this instalment were Rand and Nynaeve. Both are developing into characters that are easy to love and respect. You just feel that with this pair the forces of the Light actually stand a fighting chance!
So how did it go for the others. Spoilers ahead!
Mat: I still feel like he is the character that suffers most in the change from Jordan to Sanderson. He is more like a proto-Wayne than the Mat of old. That said, I think I'm getting used to the new Mat's flaws in the same way I got used to the old Mat's flaws. His story arc in this one was pretty interesting. We finally got that rescue mission to the Tower of Ghenjei and it did not disappoint.
Perrin: His story arc was a real mixed bag. It had some really good moments mixed in with some really dull ones. On the plus side this book was massive in terms of character development for Perrin. It finally feels like the guy is becoming someone I could grow to like again.
Egwene: Her story arc was pretty good and she even managed a few impressive achievements in this one. The negative is that she was far more irritating than she has been in the last few books. She is adopting some of that infuriating Aes Sedai arrogance.
Elayne: She was completely ignored by Sanderson in his first WoT book but did feature fairly prominently in this one. Her story arc was pretty interesting with her consolidating her power in Andor and trying to claim the Sun Throne. The downside is that as a character this was by far Elayne's worst book. I feel like Sanderson misread her in much the same way he did with Mat. She was used as a comedy relief character, which did provide some amusing moments, but that was definitely to her detriment.
The stand-out secondary characters were Galad, Berelain, Morgase, and the Asha'man newcomer Androl.
Most annoying/infuriating character of this WoT instalment was a close fight between Gawyn and Lan. Gawyn was his usual idiotic self. I'm not even feeling his romance with Egwene. Which is a pity as I was feeling it in the early books. Now I feel like it is even worse than the equally disturbing Perrin/Faile relationship. What to say about Lan? The guy is the second most depressing fantasy character of all time (Fitz from Hobb's Farseer books ranks first on that list!). He is suicidal and constantly miserable. What did poor Nynaeve do to get stuck with this fool as a husband?
The WoT villains had a weirdly quiet book. Only Greandal seen much action and managed to seem threatening.
Random thoughts:
1. It is weird that Rand's best book since the very early books was one where we did not get any Rand POV's except from a tiny late one in the epilogue!
2. The Wolf Dreams need to go. They have become a bit of a bore.
3. We got two more WoT couples that decided to pair up instantly in this one. Instalove is a real thing in Randland!
4. I think Tuon is actually scarier than the Dark One and the Forsaken combined!
All in all this was another very enjoyable WoT book. I'm just sad we only have one more book to go as I feel like this world still has another 20 books worth of great stories in it!
Rating: 4.5 stars. I'm rounding up to 5 as this was a really easy book to enjoy.
Audio Note: It goes without saying that Krammer and Reading were awesome.
-
January Read With the Fantasy Fanatics of
Since I started this series people have asked me if it was worth it. I mean there are a lot of books and they are all in the 750-1150 page range. This series is no small undertaking an in the middle when I was reading books 7-10 I really wondered if it was worth it. The worldbuilding is fantastic and complex but it really didn’t seem like anything was happening at all. But then we hit books 11, 12 and now 13 and I can say without a doubt that unless book 14 is a complete and utter disaster then YES!!! THIS SERIES IS WORTH IT. -that assumes you are a fantasy fan and not someone who reads thrillers, YA or any other genre mostly. This is not where you tiptoe into fantasy waters to see if you like it.
“If you wish, you may call me Rand Sedai.”
FINALLY and I mean finally we have an awesome Rand. A Rand worthy of the title The Dragon Reborn. I have waited for him so long and now we have someone to really root for in the big battle against The Dark One. I adored Rand in this book he has finally come into his hero role and he is finally a man worth following. I’m just going to ignore that whole in love and bonded to 3 women because let’s face it Min is the only woman really in Rand’s life. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again I really I just think of him as a sperm donor for that lovely lesbian couple that is Elayne and Avienda.
Nynaeve was fantastic yet again in this book. She and Rand working together towards the last battle and all the groundwork she laid for Lan so that he would not go into Malkier alone just makes me almost giddy. We finally get to see a test to gain the shawl from her perspective (If you read New Spring then you saw Moraine’s but this is the first time in the main series). I actually was hoping that Nynaeve told the Aes Sedea to take their shawl and shove it by the end of that. She is fantastic and most of the Aes Sedea really are petty self-absorbed fools, she is so much better than them.“I wonder if,” Nynaeve said, “we sometimes put the White Tower —as an institution— before the people we serve. I wonder if we let it become a goal in itself, instead of a means to help us achieve greater goals.”
“Devotion is important, Nynaeve. The White Tower protects and guides the world.”
“And yet, so many of us do it without families,” Nynaeve said. “Without love, without passion beyond our own particular interests. So even while we try to guide the world, we separate ourselves from it. We risk arrogance, Egwene. We always assume we know best, but risk making ourselves unable to fathom the people we claim to serve.”
And that right there is the biggest problem with the Aes Sedea and the White Tower.
Egwene, well she actually drove me nuts in this one. Apparently I really only like her when she is standing up to injustice and being beaten multiple times a day. Now that she has gained footing in the White Tower and that is over I find she has many of the same problems the other Aes Sedea do. Plus I’m completely pissed at her. She grew up with Rand and at one time thought they would marry each other and she can’t trust him or in him even a little It drives me crazy.
Elayne I’ve never been a big fan of and it is no different in this one. The bloody daughter heir is still just as frustrating. At least she has Birgetta.
But the other great thing that happened is that Matt , Thom and Noal finally made their play against the Snakes and Foxes. I won’t say how it all played out but I was both sad and so very happy by the end of that scenario. Now if Matt could just get his wife on the right team and pointed in the right direction.
There was this odd writing thig that happened in this book. Since the last book didn’t involve Perrin and his arc at all for flow reasons there is a time in this book when Perrin’s story is behind time wise with the PoVs from the other characters. They finally all catch up and I totally get why it was done this way. I couldn’t see another way to do it and keep the same level of intensity to the story. One of my favorite moments was when Matt and Perrin finally met back up again. It has been a long journey since they separated and I loved seeing the two boyhood friends together again if even just for a little while. They are so changed from the boys that left the Two Rivers so long ago.
Overall this was an intense and action packed story. In all of the other books of this series it has been easy to keep the few chapters a day pace so that the book last the entire month. But this was the first time that I couldn’t put the book down and I’d read 10 chapters instead of my allotted 2-3. I feel I will fail miserably in the last book and will not savor it until the end of the month but will instead finish it in less than week as the culmination of this very series comes to an end. I’m both so excited and so sad to get to this point. I’m completely ready for the last battle and at the same time I’m afraid of what will happen and I’m not ready to say goodbye.
-
Wow what a book. So many plot threads get resolved in preparation for the Last Battle. Not as much action as the previous book, but there was a lot of great necessary build-up, and it had several great character moments.
Full RTC
Ratings:-⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ -
Buddy read with the Dragonsworn over at BB&B!
Book with a place in the title for the MacHalo Reading Challenge.
I can't believe this is the second to last book! More than an year has passed since I and a bunch of other people embarked on this epic journey. Along the way we became friends, sharing thoughts, ideas and theories. And now I feel so sad that the end is so near. Part of me wants to hurry up and read the last instalment, to see how it all ends and whether the light will win and who will survive. Because the characters have become so dear to me. And yet, I don't want to ever finish this series. I will miss the characters, the banter, the adventures, the silliness, even the moments when I wanted to strangle the idiots. And even though I can always revisit the world it would never be the same as the first time experiencing it.
As with the previous book the plot is fast paced, with no dull moments. There were a few major points:
A lot happened in this book but there's still a lot that needs to happen before the final showdown of the Last Battle. But our characters are running out of time because Tarmon Gai'don has already began. With only one book left to go and so many unanswered questions I'm extremely excited and more than a bit apprehensive of the end to come. -
****** Prelude to the actual review and doesn't need to be read before the body of the review ********* : originally reviewed Nov.2010. Updated Dec. 2014.
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 please, please stop going over and over and over the same ground! Just give the character a cat o' nine tails and let him actually beat his back bloody and get it over with. When I got into the first section of this repeated crap I considered heaving the book across the room, but as it weighs a ton and might knock out a wall, I desisted. I finally got through that scene and here I am only a bit later and Perrin is whining about "not being a Lord", "not being a leader", "not wanting the Wolf Banner up"...we've been over this a thousand times!
Okay...rant over, for a while, but I really, really, hope this thing pulls itself together and STOPS GOING OVER WHAT'S BEEN COVERED AD NAUSEUM!
**** REVIEW ****
Well, here we go. This is the 13th book in the Wheel of Time, that's book THIRTEEN...not counting New Spring of course as it's book "0" a prequel. If you've read my reviews of the previous volumes you know that I've become quite dissatisfied with this situation. BUT more about that later. If (as I've said) you have read my previous reviews you will recognize that my rating here is actually a step up (from the last few volumes). While still unable to say I truly "like" the book it is a step forward. And about time as unless the ax falls and more volumes are announced (an eventuality that wouldn't actually surprise me) this is the next to the last volume.
First...the good. Mr Sanderson is an excellent writer and it occasionally shows. There are some wonderful moments in this book. I found some passages very moving and what was exceptionally good was that at least a few are moving in more than one way. First they are genuinely emotional scenes and second they move the story along. The advancement of this story has been exceptionally slow up to now. So there were some moments of actual enjoyment for me here.
Second...the neutral. As mentioned Mr. Sanderson is a good writer and he manages to capture the story, the characters, and the types that Mr. Jordan has established. These things will hit different people different ways, some will find a lot of positive others a lot of negative. The idiotic battle of the sexes is still here as are the attitudes of each of the characters and groups. The fatalistic are still fatalistic the annoying are still annoying and so on. You will easily recognize what you may have come to like and dislike in the series. All the customs etc. are still with us...Rand accepts his "'toh" at one point and so on.
Third...the bad. The frustratingly bad things are still here to. The long repetitive passages are still here. The re-re-retelling of the same details from every possible point of view still takes place (an event that happened and was discussed ad nausem 500 hundred pages ago is related to a new group (the Aes Sedai, the Aeil, somebody) and it gets discussed again...maybe another 50 pages, who knows. There are also long pointless conversations, by that I refer to the ones that don't have any effect on the story nor tell us anything new. I know it can be argued that they "reinforce characters and character types" but it's been 10,000 pages, don't you think the character types might have been established by now?
There are those who love these books just the way they are and for you I'm happy. I know a couple of people who agree with you. They would be happy to read what the characters had for each meal, what their clothes were made of, and how they slept each night. To you anything that stretches out the experience is great. But, it doesn't improve the "novel", the overall story. It (in my opinion) has turned this series (from about volume 7
A Crown of Swords on) into a soap-opera. This volume is 864 pages, 328,000 words, in audio about 30 hours of listening. I truly believe that in the hands of a good editor the entire series (including the one to come) could be cut down to from 7 to 10 volumes total, and probably closer to 7.
I loved the first 5 books in this series and feel almost the same about the 6th. I believe that it was on the way to becoming one of the greatest High Fantasy Epics in print, but that fell by the wayside long ago. What happened? Why did the story suddenly become a lumbering crippled behemoth of a soap-opera stumbling forward at a glacial pace? Did someone suddenly realize that each book was a best seller and the more volumes that were in the series the more money would be made? Did the editors suddenly stop editing because the books were so popular that they were no longer allowed to edit the writer? Did the story simply start to wander as all possible details began to work their way in about each character and group's thoughts and actions?
I suppose we'll never know. Some of you will totally disagree with me and "feel" this is wonderful and love every second, every word of it. Others like me will be frustrated and disappointed about what could have been. I'm not kidding when I say I'm happy for you who love the way this series is going. To the rest of us...well it is what it is. The blurb on this book says, "the Last Battle has started", well, not so you'll notice. I do plan to get the last volume from the library when it's published, I want to see how it "comes out". But, I think I'll always mourn what this series might have been.
Might have been, could have been, the old refrain. -
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. -
It's okay.
It's good.
I hated it.
Here is an awesome scene suggestion for the cover art: Perrin enraged, riding headlong into a horde of Trollocs at night with his eyes and his hammer glowing golden, lightning and fire blasting all around him. What we got instead: three dorks going, “What is triangle?” On the plus side, the cover clearly illustrated a key moment from which the title was drawn. It was an important event, one that Mat and company committed to undertake a mere two and a half books ago, which in WoT parlance is practically immediately.
When I started this book, I hoped my irritation at the mess that Jordan left behind would be overcome by Sanderson finally moving affairs forward. The prior book didn’t get me there. I did reach this point, after only 600 pages that emerged from this thought process:No one:
Jorderson: More Gawyn and Galad POV chapters!
Then I flipped back to being irritated after 700 pages, then forward again from page 740 onwards. What a ride! I was finally compelled to look for more info about what material was Jordan’s and what Sanderson had to make out of whole cloth, and per some of Sanderson’s blog posts, it’s almost entirely the latter. At this point, I respect Sanderson for what he accomplished and what his goals were in honouring all that Jordan had put in place, but I’m still aghast at all the plot points and characters and themes that harkened back to the earliest books and made me cry, “Whyyyyyyyyyyy… did Jordan leave all of this in such a mess.” The overarching answer is that, per Sanderson, Jordan was a discovery writer (in modern parlance, a ‘pantser’) which seems to me a piss-poor way to write a massive, complex, multi-narrative epic fantasy series. “Ooh, I’ll just write whatever and see what story comes out on its own, I have vague goals in mind but who knows how or when we’ll get there.” Ugh.
Sanderson did an amazing job in re-reading the series and finding all the gaps, holes, and missing motivations, and addressing all those quite well in these final books. Here’s one: Power Stones. Remember those? Remember how amazing and important they were in book 2 and once in book 4? Haven’t been mentioned again, until Sanderson found a way to make them relevant and remembered in book 13? Wonderful.
When I read this, referring to Perrin thinking about all the time he was focused on rescuing Faile from Malden . . .He found something bothering him. Shouldn’t he have tried something like this [using the wolf dream to scout the city] when Faile was kidnapped? . . . But he’s never tried visiting the place in the wolf dream. Perhaps it would have been useless. But he hadn’t considered the possibility, and that troubled him.
. . . is it wrong to think of this as Sanderson covering for Jordan not having considered this or made it part of the plot of that particular endless multi-book sequence?
Consider the Black Tower. What an intriguing development the institution of the Black Tower was. What great story promise lay there. It was then sorely neglected for most of several books, until Sanderson’s second tome. What little treatment Jordan did give it was frustrating, and I hate how little attention Rand paid to it ever, especially once Logain came to him with basically this conversation:Logain: “I am telling you, Mazrim Taim is secretly one of the Forsaken and is turning the Asha’man to the Dark Side.”
Seriously dude, you can teleport anywhere in the world whenever you want, and you can’t take 15 minutes to check this out? Nope, too busy, I’m sure things are working out fine over there and the most vital component of my forces for the Last Battle will be ready and compliant.
Rand: “Shut up, you’re not my real father!”
This book finally revisited the Black Tower properly to bring it back into the story, but not until well into its second half. I love Androl, he rocks in the Last Battle, but… brand new pivotal character introduced in the last hundred pages of book 13 of 14? It should never have had to come to that.
But finally, FINALLY, I am ever so slightly beyond the point of “reading just to get to the end”. It took a lot of work, but Sanderson managed to salvage the series, do the characters justice, and build positive anticipation for the final book, even though it took way too much time dwelling with Whitecloaks to get to that point.
I turn to a quote from one of Mat’s POV sections to summarize how I felt all too often while reading this book:He found himself smiling as Thom related the details of their escape [from Seanchan-occupied Ebou Dar] and the capture of Tuon, followed by their travels with Master Luca’s menagerie. Drawn from the quiver of a storyteller, the tale sounded a whole lot more impressive than it had been to live.
More impressive than it had been to read, too. -
Rating: Very Good
Genre: Epic Fantasy
This is the 13th book in the Wheel of Time series and is the second book in the trilogy written by Brandon Sanderson. I loved the previous book more than this one. It does not mean that this is bad. It is not at all. The problem in this book is the pacing. The first half felt slow and not much happening while the second half was fast-paced.
When it comes to the characters Perrin Aybara has the maximum POV in this book. In the first half, his parts were very slow, and hardly anything happening. Sometimes he was getting on my nerves and I was running out of patience. However, in the second half, his POV got better. Galad makes a good appearance. I expected a lot bigger situation when Morgase revealed her identity. It was not an epic situation as I thought it would be.
Rand is hardly in this book. I expect in the final book he will get the maximum amount of footage. Egwene’s part was not huge here but quite effective. Finally, there is a resolution between her and Gawyn. Her fight and search for Mesaana were fantastic. Mat and Thom head to the Tower of Ghenjei to rescue Moiraine. YES! She is back! However, this part comes a lot late in the book around the 800th pages.
Aviendha’s parts since the last couple of books have not been that good and her part continued to be not too interesting. Elayne has grown arrogant since she became a queen! I feel she wants everybody dancing to her own tunes! She was not like that before. I noticed the change more in this book. Was that really a goodbye for Lan? :(
I can’t believe the next book is the finale! So for me to finish the whole series I have one final book and a prequel novella and I will be done with The Wheel of Time series! Towers of Midnight could have been a five-star book if not for the slow pace in the first half. The book could have been shorter and more solid. However, it is still a very good book and quite entertaining.
-
Honestly there is so much to unpack here but I greatly, greatly enjoyed this book and based on all the set-up, I cannot wait to close out the series! There were so many great storylines and character moments
I’ll have my spoiler chat video coming soon 😊 -
Shortly before the end, and while the first enemy forces' attacks have already begun, our heroes sort out their last accounts before giving everything to the war against the Dark One. Those who have accepted their leadership role, defeating their doubts, assume their responsibilities and open the way, defying all disagreements. In other cases, it seems that the best way is to understand and accept the help that others want to offer. Nevertheless, it is certain that circumstances require bold, risk-taking decisions that stretch the limits of our hero's luck and bravery. Sometimes this luck is on their side but other times things do not go right.
A book that prepares the reader for the epic last part where the battle of good with evil will be judged. The interest is that this preparation is by no means subdued; on the contrary, the rhythm is overwhelming; the action is continuous, with each chapter offering something in this direction, leading to many exciting moments but also to some of the most moving excerpts of the whole of the series, as through the battle with the dark forces, the most noble emotions are manifested, the willingness to self-sacrifice in the name of duty, friendship, atonement, even love is very strong. These allow our heroes to find that there is no point in any battle if it is only for the sake of battle, unless the purpose for which they have to fight is completely clear. All this are becoming clear and all that remains is to charge into the final battle!
Λίγο πριν από το τέλος και ενώ οι πρώτες επιθέσεις των δυνάμεων του εχθρού έχουν ήδη ξεκινήσει οι ήρωες μας τακτοποιούν τους τελευταίους τους λογαριασμούς πριν τα δώσουν όλα στον πόλεμο ενάντια στον Σκοτεινό. Αυτοί που έχουν αποδεχτεί τον ηγετικό τους ρόλο, νικώντας τις αμφιβολίες τους, αναλαμβάνουν τις ευθύνες τους και ανοίγουν το δρόμο, αψηφώντας όλες τις διαφωνίες. Σε άλλες περιπτώσεις φαίνεται ότι ο καλύτερος δρόμος είναι η συνεννόηση και η αποδοχή της βοήθειας που θέλουν οι άλλοι να προσφέρουν. Όπως και να έχει, όμως, το σίγουρο είναι ότι οι περιστάσεις απαιτούν τολμηρές αποφάσεις που εμπεριέχουν ρίσκο και δοκιμάζουν τα όρια της τύχης και της γενναιότητας των ηρώων μας. Μερικές φορές αυτή η τύχη είναι με το μέρος τους αλλά άλλες φορές τα πράγματα δεν πάνε όπως πρέπει.
Ένα βιβλίο που προετοιμάζει τον αναγνώστη για το επικό τελευταίο μέρος όπου η μάχη του καλού με το κακό θα κριθεί. Το ενδιαφέρον είναι ότι αυτή η προετοιμασία δεν είναι σε καμία περίπτωση υποτονική, αντιθέτως ο ρυθμός είναι καταιγιστικός, η δράση συνεχής, με κάθε κεφάλαιο να προσφέρει κάτι σε αυτή την κατεύθυνση, οδηγώντας σε πολλές συναρπαστικές στιγμές αλλά και σε μερικά από τα πιο συγκινητικά αποσπάσματα ολόκληρης της σειράς καθώς μέσα από τη μάχη με τις σκοτεινές δυνάμεις εκδηλώνονται τα πιο ευγε��ή συναισθήματα, με την διάθεση για αυτοθυσία στο όνομα του καθήκοντος, της φιλίας, της εξιλέωσης, ακόμα και του έρωτα να είναι πολύ έντονη. Αυτά δίνουν τη δυνατότητα στους ήρωες μας να διαπιστώσουν ότι δεν έχει νόημα καμία μάχη αν γίνεται μόνο για τη μάχη, αν δεν είναι απολύτως ξεκάθαρος ο σκοπός για τον οποίο πρέπει να πολεμήσουν. Όλα αυτά ξεκαθαρίζουν και το μόνο που μένει είναι να ριχτούμε στην τελική μάχη! -
So I am drawing ever nearer to the final book of Wheel of Time, which is both baffling and exciting to me. I have been reading these books for such a long time and I have to say that the Sanderson book have certainly made the series sit up and get going again rather than meander around as the Jordan ones did. I love both Jordan and Sanderson as writers, and I am so happy that Sanderson was the one chosen to finish this off because he's incredible when it comes to bringing all of the plotlines back together and making them all fit into place and all the characters begin their final journeys.
This book really felt to me a lot like it was Perrin's book. We get a large amount of focus on Perrin and his adventures in the Wolf dream and also as he leads his people around encountering and fixing problem after problem. I love that Sanderson seemed to have the same thoughts as many of the fans, why did Perrin suddenly go from awesome character to moony and grumpy - let's change that (and he has done so expertly).
Not only do we get to see a massive development with Perrin and his relationships to those who travel with him and surround him but we also understand who he is and what he's trying to do and achieve for the Last Battle a lot more now. We get to follow him inside his dreams and see the way that the Wolf Dream can affect not only his personality, but also events within the waking world and how everything ties together in the end.
I found that by the end of this book I was once more really loving Perrin's character and I enjoyed seeing his battle and inner turmoil and the brave face that he put on in order to face those people who opposed him. He really had a massive amount of character improvement within this particular book and it was well worth Sanderson taking the time to do so.
Another character who's journey I was very much enjoying in this book was Mat's. Whilst I said in book 12 that I thought that Sanderson had not fully captured the essence of mat as Jordan had intended him I think Sanderson put Mat back on the right tracks in this book and made him feel more consistent and genuine here.
Mat's journey over the course of this book is also a pretty crazy one, not so much for his own character development, but more for the adventure that he embarks on. He's as stubborn and feisty as ever but there were a fair few moments where I chuckled along with his jokes and sarcasm and rooted for him to overcome the problems he faced. (I also have to say that the badger-catching reunion was a pretty fabulous moment).
Aviendha's story also took some pretty vital and thought-provoking turns in this book. We've known for a while about Aviendha's ability to see some sort of vision and to have the talent, but in this book we get to see her explore these things further and come to understand who she and her people are and what they will have to do. She's a stoic and tough character but she has heart too, and some of the scenes of her visions were very moving and intimidating - I wouldn't like to be in her place and have to figure it all out!
Finally we saw more of Egwene in her element. She remains the best character in my opinion and I loved getting to see her plotting and scheming in order to make the world and the Tower whole and right again. She has a lot resting on her and yet she always maintains this calm exterior and I admire her greatly as one of the characters. She's a pretty cool lady.
On the whole I felt that there were some very essential truces and agreements made within this book as well as seeing some of our characters as they really progressed. I loved getting to see the differing cultures of the world as they all begin to prepare in ernest for the last battle and the final instalment promises to be a pretty darn good one!
I would have to say that the pacing and direction of the story is really coming together in this instalment and I felt as though I could almost see the way everyone and everything is lining up for the Last Battle - I can't wait to dive into number 14 and see how it all finishes up. Another wonderful 5* book from the Sanderson/Jordan combo! -
I am enjoying this series so much now that I am racing through them. This is the penultimate book in the Wheel of Time and it is excellent. All of the characters are starting to come together for the Last Battle and they are all developing into rational thinking beings at last. This is no small thing as some of them have been quite unbearable in earlier books. (Actually Elayne still is painful but there is hope for her yet.)
Brandon Sanderson has done an excellent job here of taking over the writing from
Robert Jordan. The style is similar enough for continuity but more exciting and page turning than Jordan's. I don't think I can resist going straight on to the final book. -
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 becoming the hallmark of Jordan's last releases.
It's difficult to write in enough depth about this book to make a good review, because so many of the elements that make this book good are inherently spoilers. I wish I could write all about the major events, and use them as examples to develop a point, but it is, alas, not possible while also leaving the book available for others to discover. Rest assured, however, that I can, once again, heartily recommend Robert Jordan's series without reservations. I no longer have to explain the awkward tailing off of the quality of the series, or the interminability of the later books, or the ever-expanding, wandering plot. These books have saved the series from irrelevance, and have solidified these books, once again, as the sole, unquestioned best epic fantasy series available. -
What is this, Mr. Sanderson? Are you determined to kill me? Over and over again? Gods, this second-to-last volume was enough to almost make me quit from all the heartbreak!
There are sooo many things happening here!
There is Perrin (am I the only one thinking he looks HOT on the cover of this volume?) meeting and clashing with the Children of the Light (White Cloaks), meaning that Morgase and her step-son, Galad, meet again. Then there's Egwene's plot to apprehend the Forsaken Mesaana, which causes her to have quite the fight with her wanna-be Warder Gawyn. The latter, on the other hand, eventually finds out that . Later, Perrin is instructed in how to control his surroundings in the dreamland Tel'aran'rhiod, leading to a very funny and very badass encounter between him, Egwene, some Aes Sedai, Windfinders and Wise Ones there. A tragic loss in Tel'aran'rhiod has Perrin forge his ultimtae weapon (finally ending his struggle with guilt over having used the axe).
And Rand. Oh, Rand. After his little "retreat" on Dragonmount, he announced his intention to break the last seals on the Dark One's prison to commence the Last Battle. Well, actually, he wants to erect a more permanent replacement, but ... yeah. A day and time is set between him and Egwene and the time in between is used to unite nations, save spoilt food (so the people supposed to fight on the side of the light won't starve before they can actually make a difference, maybe) and do some more politicking.
Mat and Elayne also feature in this volume. The latter is still pregnant meaning that her Warder, Brigitta, still may not drink any alcohol - and boy, does she need to. *lol* Mat arrives as he needs information from Brigitta in order to fulfill a very important mission at/in the Tower of Ghenjei - right after giving Andor "dragons" (artillery) and destroying a gholam in a very impressive fight scene. Nobody better make the mistake of underestimating what Mat is actually capable of when he's forced to fight!
While I was pretty annoyed with Elayne and the further politicking we got in her chapters, I also couldn't help but be impressed at just how cunning the young queen is when it comes to securing any and all advantages for her people or how strong in the power she is even know that her connection is lessened by the pregnancy.
Last but most definitely not least there was Aviendah. Believe me when I say that I could have done without her part in this. Not because it was bad. Oh no. It was just so ... heartbreaking ... depressing ... hope-killing.
Oh, and I just lied. Because there is another POV. Well, truth be told, there are many (like the Black Tower) but I'm not gonna recount all of them. But one more that was very important to me: Lan's. Yep. Nynaeve's husband and, yes, finally, Warder! :D In the last book, she planted the seeds for him NOT to have to ride alone fighting for his lost kingdom and, well, those seeds are coming to fruition now. Who could have expected Lan of all people to be the comic relief??? Bwahahahahahahaha! Well, the joke ended up being on me because for all the laughs I had about Lan and his "cursed wife", getting a glimpse at her actual power level and that epilogue ... *shudders*
This is a VERY abbreviated summary giving away next to nothing of what actually happens in this book. The reader is constantly racing from one scene to the next - I was often cursing Sanderson for cutting from the current POV to another because I WANTED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS! *lol*
Like I said: A LOT happened. People still needed to come together and talk it out, which they finally did, there were quite a number of battles, too.
So yes, I was constantly at the edge of my seat and extremely invested in what was going on, even by my standards.
Most rewarding was Perrin turning BEAST. Yep, he got his beast-mode on. FINALLY. But not just in the sense that he finally smashes monsters and defeats nightmares - he also showed himself to be a smart leader with a good heart (the latter was never in question but he misunderstood how he could still be tough so I wanted to shake him since the beginning of the series).
But I was also cheering and whooping when Mat and his two companions . I have to admit that I was unsure about the price for that even if it actually worked.
Naturally, there are a few people I (still) despise or am at least very annoyed with. Some finally died in this, others are major characters and beloved by some (not me). If they get sacrificed in the Last Battle, so be it (good riddance, in some cases, actually). Others, though. My Gods! Some people I feel so strongly about (in a positive way) that I was almost shouting.
In case anyone was still on the fence about whether or not it was a good idea to let someone other than the original author finish this series or about whether or not Sanderson is a good writer, here is your answer.
I'm dead. Twice over. I feel drained of all energy. In the best of ways. Thankfully, I have the final book scheduled only for next month. I don't think I could read it right now. And we better get a more hopeful future than what we/Aviendah saw (there has to be a trick of some kind)! I can't wait to read the conclusion even though I fully expect to cry (bawl, actually - I did that in this volume already as you can see in my status update(s)). -
ONE. MORE. BOOK. LEFT.
Wheel of Time has been quite the series to read. In this review I’m gonna be talking about only the characters really, since it’s what I have the most notes about and the plot is basically just gearing up for Tarmon Gai’don. The world is changing. Things are changing. Egwene is also ushering in new rules and laws, forging stronger alliances, casting old traditions aside, and laying down the proper groundwork for the Age and the Aes Sedai that will come after her. That’s pretty much it. Anyways.
Mat. I just know that Mat-lovers always get tired of reading one of these reviews because I basically shit on how I don’t like him all the time. But I don’t. He’s aggravating to me. So Mat-lovers just skip over this part. I understand he’s an incredibly important figure in the series, but his sexuality drives me a bit insane. I understand that Mat is a player, he’s a playboy, he’s a ladies’ man, but my God hearing about it is so tiring. It drives me mad. I think I’m the only person on the planet that has a problem with this, but it’s a writing tic and character tic that sticks out like a sore thumb. Also he’s such a weirdo. Consistently leering at women, looking at their breasts, judging their appearances in his head, apparently hitting the backsides of bar maids when they walk past… it’s all too much, too creepy, and a bit too gross for me. Reminds me of those immature and disgusting people at restaurants who hit on the uninterested workers and attendees. There’s even a moment where he finishes fighting the gholam and he thinks how good an Aes Sedai would look on his knee. Are you joking? He literally finished fighting a SHADOWSPAWN and one of the first things he thinks about is how attractive Julanya is. It’s soooo annoying. I get it, he’s a player, he’s a playboy, he has a lot of sex and relationships or whatever, but the constant frat-bro inner monologue drives me up a wall. Mat’s sexual prowess keeps getting shoved down my throat and I’m tired 😭. I get it, I understand, he’s a womanizer but why must this be acknowledged 4/5 times that he has a POV? Trust me I would like Mat a lot more if Jordan, and by extension Sanderson, didn’t keep beating us over the head with it. Mat is cool. He’s so cool. He has an ancient medallion that leaves him unaffected by magic, he has the memories of thousand-year-old generals in his head, he has the luck of the Pattern on his side, he literally saves Moiraine from the Tower of Ghenjei. He’s cool, he’s so awesome at moments. Why though does it seem like Jordan is more focused on establishing (then beating us over the head) Mat’s playboy role rather than the epic stuff he does. Sigh. Ok.
Perrin. I’m going to be honest, Perrin has been a character that I haven’t really been interested in. He’s a simple man, and has been written to be so. He wants his wife, and he wants to be a blacksmith, and he wants peace. That’s understandable, and I can get behind that. His arc is a bit slower and subtler. I still do like him, I think he’s super cool. He’s got the whole Wolfbrother thing going for him, and he has his own version of Mjolnir, which is called Mah'alleinir, which is the first Power-wrought weapon in this entire Age. That’s impeccable. But he doesn’t grip me. And contrary to popular belief, the Faile being kidnapped plot line is not actually that bad, and actually had some of the more interesting moments in Perrin’s arc for me—seeing him become a desperate man willing to do horrible and traumatizing stuff and side with the enemy in order to get his wife created such a compelling and engaging splash of characterization. The grey morality in him burns with greatness. Now though, as his arc is seemingly becoming more pronounced, I am beginning to see the vision and enjoy it more. Perrin is a man who needs to find a balance—he needs the wolf inside him, but he cannot allow it to engulf him; he needs to find a perfect balance that benefits him. That is his struggle and it’s very interesting to see. I also don’t think that the Faile kidnapped plotline was too long. I feel as though it gave a semi-engaging subplot with the Shaido that added much to the story, and made me like Faile, Alliandre and Morgase a lot more. I now thoroughly enjoy whenever I read Faile’s perspective.
Rand. Rando. Randy (??) Rand’s arc in the last book was riveting, but now I’m a bit, sadly, disinterested. He’s become a Messianic character now and it’s incredibly unappealing. He starkly reminds me of a Gary Stu. Wherever he walks the literal clouds break open and the sun shines down on him—everywhere he goes fruits and food ripen and grow (I love the use of pathetic fallacy though!! But he’s still a Gary Stu 3). It rips away most of the faults of his character in my eyes—he’s too smooth, too clean, too perfect. He’s amazing, he can do no wrong, he has no faults, free of weakness. (But this does mean that Rand is mentally stable, healthy, and no longer crumbling at the seams, so good for him, I’m happy and proud of him!) Also! I was a bit annoyed that THIS FAR into the series characters still think that Rand is a False Dragon, so I’m glad when Rand quashed it down by bringing out Callandor in front of Tenobia in Chapter 51.
Min. Now this is incredibly disappointing, since when I was reading the prologues of each of the earlier WOT books and reading some of the chapters a little while back, I noticed that Min had much of a more prominent and important role in the story, one that wasn’t directly tied with Rand, her love interest. She literally helped Siuan and Leane escape in book 4, which was great. But Min has become a bit… lacklustre no offence. She’s faded into the background into relative insignificance. She’s kind of fallen flat and been reduced to a love interest who’s only purpose is to be with Rand, think and talk about Rand, do nothing and wait until Ran comes, and/or follow Rand around. Not to mention that Kate Reading and Michael Kramer are using a very high annoying voice for her in the audiobook and it’s very odd because I don’t remember her voice being like that in the beginning. It strangely infantilizes her. Hopefully she will become stronger in the next book.
Galad and Berelain is definitely not a couple I thought would be together. Very unexpected. But then again Robert Jordan didn’t always have expected relationships. Now that I think about it though, I really like Galad and Berelain together. I don’t really care for Berelain, though I do commend her for her ability to stand tall amidst a shifting political landscape, and not have her little city-state be swallowed in the squabbles and throes of other lands. Now that we’re speaking of Galad, I’m reminded of Elayne, who is another character that I don’t particularly care for. She’s… alright. I think I enjoyed her more in the earlier books? But I have no idea. No hard feelings. I like her much more when she’s with Birgitte and being Queen of Andor, or when she’s with Egwene and Nynaeve. Those are the moments when I feel she stands out the most. Whenever she’s with Rand or thinks about him is when I begin to tune out a little bit. I just don’t care about their relationship. They don’t gel well in my opinion. And she just melts whenever she thinks about him, dear God. It’s not intolerable, just a bit irksome. I also don’t really understand how or why she gets to be Queen of Cairhien—just because Rand said so? That seems unfair. Maybe it’s just me, but it feels like she’s been pregnant forever lol.
So. That was my review of this book. One more left until my relationship with this series is done. Feels a bit like Stockholm Syndrome 😭 but I still really adore this series so it’s fine.
TIER RANKING WOT BOOKS:
Best: The Great Hunt, The Shadow Rising, The Fires of Heaven, The Gathering Storm
Good: The Dragon Reborn, Lord of Chaos, Path of Daggers, Knife of Dreams, Towers of Midnight
Worst: New Spring, The Eye of the World, A Crown of Swords, Winter’s Heart, Crossroads of Twilight -
Sanderson has done an amazing job of keeping the stories spirit alive. That’s why it’s a another 5 ⭐️
-
“Incomplete knowledge is better than complete ignorance.”
Boom goes the dynamite!
Volumes 6 to 10 put together did not contain the same amount of suspense, reveal, action, and manoeuvring.
Also, Moiraine stupid.
Additionally, skirmishes on a larger and smaller scale begin in various places. One might be a bit confused as to who and where is but that is unavoidable given how this series sprawls.
As I said before, Brandon Sanderson should be appreciated for completing WoT efficiently and without unnecessary aberrations, but there is no point pretending that it is the same. There are fragments where one can still feel the Jordanesque magic, but these are probably the scenes that Mr Jordan managed to write during his lifetime. There was a rush in some places, especially if we compare the writing to Mr Jordan way of telling the story, but even I had to admit that at one point, too many new plots and characters overburdened the series.
Undoubtedly, the battles and skirmishes, as well as duels, are an added value of the prose written by Mr Sanderson; they are seasoned with a large dose of drama and epicness. However, for me wrapping up was the most satisfying thing in this volume: Perrin is finally fully developed, Morgese and her two sons can reunite, Aviendha stops being an idiot, Elayne and Egwene annoy again with their infallibility, which only brings trouble on other people’s heads. A non-linear action in individual arcs is a bad solution inconsistent with the rest of the cycle, but I am going to forgive this on account of the return to the Black Tower.
Some characters lost their multifaceted hues and interactions between them are crude. Perhaps it is collateral damage inflicted when Mr Sanderson started to rush because the subtlety of the dialogues disappeared so suddenly. I could only mourn Mat and Tuon; they are sculpted by Mr Sanderson with a very blunt chisel.
And I know you have heard enough about Matrim the leering village fool but can we please stop for a moment and weep at what was done to Berelain who from a stunning and cunning woman (in equal measure) transforms into a whimsical and quite stupid hussy that can betalked outthreatened into submission by a formidable nose and a pair of slightly slanted eyes? And forgets about it anyway the moment the next handsome crosses her path. That woman, who had been introduced to us as someone who has outmanoeuvred powerful neighbours and balanced dozens of warring interests without breaking a sweat, that woman who was taken by the Wise Ones with respect and fondness, that woman is no more. What replaced her is so disgusting that I was genuinely embarrassed to read.
It is also surprising how quickly Elayne wins the second throne (one chapter of the book was enough for her), where it took her three volumes to get Caemlyn. To be fair when blame is due, this extremely glaring asymmetry is entirely Mr Jordan’s fault in the dark days of Winter’s Heart and Crossroads of Twilight. I wouldn’t be that surprised if not for the fact that other minor issues received an equal amount of attention: Gawyn and Egwene, dear me. His chat with Elaine was so pathetic and the worst part was that the whole Caemlyn detour was designed so that they can have it. What a waste of pages.
It is still great fantasy, the world is perfectly created, so it was easy enough to dress it up in a fitting story. It is a pity that Mr Jordan in the middle of the cycle decided to discount the success and inflate the plot, and then when he suddenly returned to form, died prematurely. There must be a curse on these epics that renders the authors unable to finish their works (ask George “I cannot be bothered to write” Martin). And this is how WoT ends through another writer. There are brilliant moments and glimpses into ingenuity, but that aftertaste of uniqueness and originality is no longer there.
Also in the series:
1.
The Eye of the World ★★★★☆
2.
The Great Hunt ★★★★☆
3.
The Dragon Reborn ★★★★☆
4.
The Shadow Rising ★★★★☆
5.
The Fires of Heaven ★★★★☆
6.
Lord of Chaos ★★★☆☆
7.
A Crown of Swords ★★★☆☆
8.
The Path of Daggers ★★★☆☆
9.
Winter's Heart ★☆☆☆☆
10.
Crossroads of Twilight ★★☆☆☆
11.
Knife of Dreams ★★★★☆
12.
The Gathering Storm ★★★★☆
14. A Memory of Light ★★★☆☆ -
I had to postpone writing this review a bit because I couldn't see the screen. I just kept bursting into tears again and again.
Well, I'm back with kleenex and I'm here to say that I died my second death, the final death in Tel'aran'rhiod. I was there too strongly, too.
All right, so, this book is a real killer. Anyone who has read this far in the series is probably going to get ripped to shreds by it. It's not even my first time reading it and it's killing me. That being said, it's one hell of a ride.
There are the obvious reasons, of course, but between the Tower of Ghenji, the Black Tower, the White Tower, all the bloody, blood and ashes towers, I'm in need of a big stiff drink. I'll even dice with Matt and won't care how much I lose.
Perrin finally gets full badass in this novel. He's been problematic in the past and it's mostly Faile's fault, but if we skip everything that happened after he took up all of the Two Rivers and skipped to this book, I'd say he might have one of the VERY BEST stories in the series. A certain hammer and a certain hunt, or rather, hunts, and a certain little dance in Tel'aran'rhiod should be enough for any kind of epic tale. :)
Matt continues to be a pure joy. Some of his bits are just funny, of course, but when he gets SERIOUS, and he gets SERIOUS twice, here, it is an amazing thing to behold. To give up half the light of the world to save the world...
I love Zen Rand. Nuff said.
A side character that really pulled out all the stops was Ituralde. He MADE the whole Battle of Helm's Deep version in this book. What a badass.
Nynaeve is great for an entirely different reason this time. Sure, one little extra cure, a little test, and that's all great, but it's her little humourous combo with Lan that steals the show. I never imagined that Lan would be the comedic relief. But he is, and it's glorious.
There's a reason why this series and these books in particular are some of my absolute favorites. Or rather, a boatload of reasons. Unfortunately, I'd have to write a book on this book to tell them all. :) -
Sanderson's finishing of the Robert Jordan series is setting the stage for the final book to end this massive series.
The events are getting serious as the Final Battle looms. The characters have some major development as Rand Al'Thor finally starts acting like the Dragon Reborn. His mastery over his powers is growing and it shows there might be an outcome different than before. It will need to be for Rand seeks to break the seals on the Dark One's prison.
Perrin Aybara also has some grand adventures in which he learns more about the wolf powers and also has the long-awaited conflict between his forces and the Children of the Light.
Mat Cauthon has some interactions with a gholam and ends up teaming up with Thom to go rescue a character long thought dead.
While the events of this book certainly picked up the pace and I find Sanderson's writing to be more interesting than Jordan's style, there is still an underlying "YA" feel to some of the outcomes and the conversations are out of the setting of a final world ending conflict. This is no fault of Sandersons and lies with the style of the entire series. It is truly hard to see anyone of the "good guys" dying. There is a sophomoric type of humor that prevails upon most of these characters. I mean it takes a dozen books before Rand tells Cadusane to stop calling him "boy". Really? From Elayne's decisions to pardon certain nobles and many other such actions- there is a feeling of hidden deus ex machina that tends to lean towards the "happy ending" outcome. That is unfortunate.
Still this is an epic series and worth reading once. I am almost done. While in nor rush to get the final book, I shall finish this series some time this year. It has been an interesting experience. -
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? Sometimes, we read that "the hero has a goal..." Other publishers are more pessimistic. "The hero has a problem..."
It's annoying.
So it's understandable that Robert Jordan must have gotten confused about narrative structure while writing "The Wheel of Time," particularly as he was trying to distinguish between plots that are contained within novels and plots that are contained within the larger narrative of the series.
When we see massive, Randland-shaking moments, like cleansing saidin in Winter's Heart, we aren't really reading the climax of a novel's plot because very little of that novel is about Rand trying to cleanse the source. At some point, Jordan stopped trying to put a nice, neat narrative chart into his novels. It may not have been a good move, unfortunately.
Sanderson has mentioned in more than one interview that he focused on narrative structure when taking over these novels. Sanderson has now twice managed to create individual plots for his characters.
Rejoice, these are conflicts that will find resolutions.
Perrin is fighting white cloaks and evading a Forsaken. Egwene is hunting a Forsaken. Mat is trying to rescue Moiraine from another dimension. Is Perrin a rebel or is he actually a lord? Elayne wants to annex a country. Morgase is considering marriage and a return to public life. Gawyn is trying to solve a murder mystery. Rodel Ituralde is fighting the initial battles of the ... Last Battle. We could map out each of these plots.
It helps that Sanderson has taken over during the climax of the series. He doesn't have to focus on series plots. Of course, there are a couple plots that are not resolved, including the Black Tower corruption, Rand's quest, Lan's quest, and Aviendha's quest.
But 2:1 ratio of resolutions to ongoing conflict is still a pretty good for a "Wheel of Time" novel.
How are our favorite characters doing now that they've been away from home for thirteen novels?
Well, Rand is pretty zen now. Perrin is not zen, but he is taking ant vs. grasshopper lessons from a fairly zen wolf. Elayne is definitely not zen enough, and I find her chapters very dull. In contrast, Mat isn't zen, but his chapters are very fun. I can't understand why Egwene's fighting against Rand, but if she'd think about it, I'm sure she'd see that she's playing into Rand's zen plans. Aviendha meets a pretty zen woman in the Waste and learns that the world after Tarmon Gaidon isn't going to be pretty (but it will allow for many, many more WOT books to be published).
So basically, we seem to be heading toward a very satisfying "Wheel of Time" resolution.
OR, a satisfying denouement.
