Tag Archives: wheel of time

Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson – A Memory of Light

By popular demand, my thoughts on the final volume in the Wheel of Time series; A Memory of Light. With 14 books and one prequel novel in total, it is one of the longest fantasy series and it has now come to an end. When Robert Jordan passed away, a lot of us were worried we would never know what happened to the group of friends which had to flee their home town all these years ago, but now the last book is out. And so, more than a decade after I picked up the first book, I’ve finished the last one.

Being the final book in a long series, there is a lot happening. Factions clash, prophecies are fulfilled and the fate of the world is determined. It all culminates in Tarmon Gai’don, the Final Battle, which gets a nearly 200-pages long chapter dedicated to it. Much of the series have been leading up to this event and most of the plot threads are resolved, as well as some new mysteries introduced. (Those who have read it know what, or rather who, I’m talking about).

It was really nice to see the series finished, and I think Sanderson did a great job wrapping it up. It is one of the best series I have read, which is a bit ironic since I initially gave up on it merely a chapter or two in. When I picked it up a second time though, I couldn’t figure out why I had abandoned it. I really enjoyed the characters, the varied cultures they encounter in different parts of the world, the magic system and the glimpses into the lost glory and wonders of the Age of Legends.

A Memory of Light released

“A Memory of Light” is the fourteenth and final book of the Wheel of Time, an epic fantasy series. It was released earlier today, and I’ve already picked up my copy which I had preordered through Outland.
Originally, the title was intended for the twelfth book. Then it grew too large, and was split into three: “The Gathering Storm” (2009), “Towers of Midnight” (2010) and this final volume. It is also the third book Brandon Sanderson has finished after Robert Jordan passed away in 2007. It was sad to see the original author pass away before he had the chance to finish the series. On the other hand, I think Sanderson has done a great job with the last books. He is also one of the best authors I have discovered over the last few years, and I am not convinced I would have done so had he not been chosen to finish the Wheel of Time. He has now taken a step back to focus on his own series and books again, and it looks like he already have plans to keep himself busy for a while.

Almost 23 years and thousands of pages since the first book, it is time to finally figure out how this story ends… At the end of the previous book most of the characters were joining forces and preparing for Tarmon Gai’don, The Last Battle. This is the event the books have been leading up to; the final confrontation between good and evil.

Towers of Midnight

The second to last book in the “Wheel of Time”-series was recently released. I knew it was due to be released sometime in November this year, so I was delighted when I discovered it is already out. The book is entitled “Towers of Midnight” and is the second part of book twelve in the series. Dragonmount (possibly the largest WoT-community online) has some more information. (Rather spoiler-free, unless you consider the text on the back of the book a spoiler).

Since Robert Jordan passed away in 2007, Brandon Sanderson have been wrapping up the last book, which was split into three. The first part was released last year, the second was just released (see above) and I assume the third and final part is due next year.

While I was initially somewhat skeptic to another author picking up Jordan’s notes and plan for the finale, Sanderson seem to have done a great job so far. The previous, “The Gathering Storm”, which was the first Sanderson co-authored fitted in with the rest of the series nicely.

Oh, and for those who gave up on the Wheel of Time because it started to drag out. Well, “The Gathering Storm” put it back on track, even resolving some plot threads going back to the earliest books. So while I to some degree understand the complaints some people had with some of the later books, it seems to have been sorted out now.

One thing I’m really looking forward too, is that it seems the characters will finally be exploring the Tower of Ghenji, which has always sounded like an interesting location. I look forward to picking up this soon.