A Memory of Light, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

The Wheel of Time series was 23 years old when it concluded last year.  I did not start reading the series when it first came out, though I did hear about it--I began it around the turn of the millenium, and then purchased the books as they came out.  So partly free.  And I am part of a legion of fantasy SF readers for whom the series has been part of life, for 14 years now.

It was never a compulsive part, as even when I am not a free SF reader, I am a cheap one. I got the final volume, A Memory of Light, for Christmas this year and spent close to three months reading it.  Coming to the end of such a series, I was bracing for disappointment.  Bringing a series to a close is a truly difficult affair.  So many classic works have ended poorly.  Brandon Sanderson had done a very good job of getting the series from the death of Jordan to the ending, but still...

Not this time, though.  A major series spanning many years comes to a full and satisfying conclusion.  Jordan gets only partial credit, since he didn't manage to conclude it in his own lifetime.  But it was really good to see such a fine strong ending.  Sanderson says Jordan had most of the ending written, and I can buy that, since it's heavy on battle scenes.  Those were his strength before he undertook this series.  But the pacing is definitely Sanderson.

Really, in the end it delivers what was promised all the way at the start.  Rand Al'Thor leads the forces of the Light into the Last Battle, as promised.  All the major characters are there, and get their say one way or another.  Rand becomes rather larger than human, even as he tries to hold on to his humanity--pretty much what you would expect of the Savior.

But while this, like so many of its kind, bears a resemblance to the Bible, this isn't really a Christ allegory.  In the end, Rand is still human, with some special power.  The ending underlines this well. 

No tricks or gimmicks here.  The heroes of the end of the Third Age step up and play their part, as do the villains.  The series never was about complex personalities, though they do have flavor.  If you have never picked it up, I would say it's worthwhile to spend a year (or however long it takes you to read 14,000 pages) and read it.  It sets a good expectation for what a fantasy series can deliver.  I give this one my rare Five Stars, in the special category of Long Series With A Real Ending.

The Towers of Midnight, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

We are so very near the end.  This series has been going on for a HECK of a long time.  Long enough to kill the author. But this review is not for A Memory of Light.  It's for the book before it, The Towers of Midnight. 

Things are really progressing at this point, and that's something to like--more on that later.  And as events progress, the characters grow and change (mostly).  Egwene, Rand, and especially Perrin are becoming defined more by the roles they play.  Perrin and Rand are very conscious of the process, but it's not clear that Egwene is.  That kind of writing is very advanced and makes me appreciate the book on several levels.  Mat is still a bit of a caricature, but he figures in a very exciting sequence so it's OK.  All in all, this book really gripped me all the way through.

We don't see much of the Forsaken or other Dark Side folks, though.  Just little snips here and there.  They tend to resemble each other, all 100% backbiters who would seem to stand every chance of success except that they spend so much effort on each other.  Possibly that's because there is really only one featured in the book.  That's evil for you.

What makes this whole series stand out for me is the very clear point of the book, and the strong sense of progress.  Now, the pace of the plot has varied--some of the later Jordan volumes hardly moved--but in each one, the good guys gain new insights into how to fight, and they overcome one or more of the Forsaken.  Many fantasists get stuck in a cycle where the hero loses and loses, suffers and suffers, then finally pulls it out at the end.  Or gains a victory only to see it be a small one.  The foe is definitely getting stronger in the Wheel of Time, just as prophesied.  But Rand and company steadily hack away.  And of course the point is clear all along--it's all for T'armon Gai'don, the Last Battle.

I have tried to recall when I started reading the series.  I believe it was in the late 90's, and by then seven novels were out. I went through them quickly from the library, then bought some of them.  It doesn't really break new writing ground, but it's been great fun and I'll get around to the ending soon.  I give this one four stars.

The Gathering Storm, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

For the past several weeks I have been reading The Gathering Storm, the 12th book in the Wheel of Time series. The series itself started over 20 years ago--I picked it up about 13 years ago. There aren't many fantasy or SF series that consistently made the NY Times bestseller list, but this one has. There may not be a lot I can add to what's been said about it already, other than my particular opinion.

But in that opinion, Brandon Sanderson is improving it. This series got so out of hand that Jordan was stretched past his limit trying to finish it. Though Sanderson says he had quite a lot of it written when he died. There are two volumes to go, and I believe I will go ahead and finish. The next one is due out in November, it will make a good New Year read.

Rand Al'Thor moves back to center stage in this one, and the conflict inside him comes to a head. He has always been in a fight to reconcile The Dragon Reborn inside him. And - spoiler alert - he does so here, in a way familiar to the best books in the rest of the series. What marked a difference for me in this series was that the protagonist, however difficult things get, is pulled on by more than sheer hope. He makes tangible progress.

Some absences are notable here. Rand and his immediate retinue are the only Asha'man to get any attention--Mazrim Taim and Logain are completely absent. Mat and Perrin get just a chapter or two. All these must be woven back in somehow, though there does seem to be hope for that. And the denouement of the book is a tremendous draw of the One Power into Rand, which other channelers don't seem to notice other than to note its side effects.

It will be satisfying to see this series finally conclude. It lived to be eclipsed by Harry Potter, but it will still go down as one of the great fantasy series, perhaps more comparable to Ghormengast than the Lord of the Rings, but still up there.