The Gathering Storm

This was a strong entry into the series and Sanderson did great job continuing it, despite noticeable changes like shorter paragraphs and more attention to the minor characters (saw way more Gawyn than I needed to). But the characters felt the same with multiple payoffs to thousands of words of setup.

This was Egwene’s strongest arc in the series. However, coming up against Elaida seemed a little too easy for her. She had little agency, but her victories did feel earned. There could be Mary Sue arguments, but her story isn't much different from Mat and Perrin's. If ta’veren is another name for plot armour/convenience she may as well be one. That doesn’t mean I don’t love her character, but I do prefer more struggle and agency. show more

Rand's story impacted me the most. Poor guy went through a lot, seeing his slow descent into madness (taint notwithstanding). When most protagonists go through hell, readers expect them to brush it off and move on (and that’s what happens in most books). All his tribulations affected him, and this book delved into the consequences. Put any real-world person in his shoes, you’ll see the same happen to them. His ending was impactful leaving tonnes of questions and theories to ponder.

The end is near after so many pages spent with these characters. This world feels so fleshed out and real and I’m excited to see how this all ends. show less

I read this book when it first came out, back in 2009. The pacing is better in this installment, much more so than Knife of Dreams. Is this because of Brandon Sanderson? There's still a lot of detail, but various stories are ramping up and hitting milestones, especially Rand's and Egwene's.

I continue to appreciate the many active, flawed female characters. The Aes Sedai continue to be both heroic and manipulative. In fact, there are very few "good" characters and lots of gray ones. But there has been a turning point. Terrible choices are still being made by those in power, but the "why" is becoming more defined, with a turn toward the Light. With all their flaws, I still really like these books.

This was a very satisfying read, with much of the fluff cut out, probably due to Sanderson's writing style. I do wonder how much of the flavor and internal thoughts of the characters we missed out on after Robert Jordan's passing though. Would the story have moved slower? Would things have felt even more monumental? I'm not sure, but the story moved much faster, and there were some very exciting moments, especially in the last quarter of the book. I loved Egwene's arc, it was incredibly satisfying and felt earned for her. She's one of my favorite characters. But in general, the years of power of the Aes Sedai and the way they use their age and status as a way to exert power over themselves and others, for good or ill, continues to be a show more very prevalent theme, and is even a little more obviously pointed out here, as a way to show that their pride and hubris is detrimental. But now we're getting closer to the end and I'm eager to see where the next book takes me. show less

Oomph. That's the sound of the wind getting knocked out of me by my expectations being far exceeded. I have been a fan of the Wheel of Time series for fifteen years, and have recruited countless people into the Robert Jordan cult. When I had the privilege of meeting him the year before he passed away, I found that he was one of the most intelligent and kind people that I had met. When he signed my book, he took the time to talk to me for about five minutes despite a line out the door at Barnes and Noble.

I was a skeptic when I heard that the series would be finished by Brandon Sanderson (an author who is only a year older than I!). I had a hard time believing that anyone would do justice to a series that had spanned half of my life, show more when even the original author seemed to be slacking.

Believe me when I tell you that I was floored by this book. Sanderson wrote Jordan's characters with such energy and dedication to the tribute. He advanced the series so much farther than fans had seen in six years. The characters popped, the storyline moved at a frenetic pace, and I gasped in surprise and joy at several times during the book (something which I have never experienced before).

For Jordan fans, this is a great continuation of an outstanding series. If you are new to Robert Jordan's works, start with "The Eye of the World," and be patient for about the first hundred pages. I promise that you'll be rewarded with a great and timeless tale. show less

This is such a major improvement on the last 3-4 books. Stuff actually happens! The plot finally starts to move towards the end battle. There's no spanking! Some of the most annoying character aspects are removed or the character is absent. Sanderson writes scenes where stuff is actually dramatic and he moves on quickly. What a relief. I zipped through the audiobook and am actually excited about the final 2 books.

Summary: The Last Battle is coming, and coming quickly; the Dark One's touch has never been more evident in the world. Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, is mankind's only chance of defeating the Dark One in the Last Battle... but how can anyone prepare for a responsibility like that? Rand has conquered almost half of the known world, but his hold of the various countries is fracturing, and he knows mankind must present a united front if they are to have any hope of survival. To that end, he tries to make peace with the Seanchan invaders, but even that may be for naught if Rand cannot learn to control the darkness and hardness that he has tried for so long to cultivate in his soul.

Meanwhile, Egwene, the Amyrlin Seat of the rebel Aes show more Sedai, is a captive within the White Tower. She is subject to severe punishments at the command of Elaida, the irrational and power-mad Amyrlin, but worse than the pain of any beating is watching the White Tower crumble from within. She knows the Aes Sedai need to be strong, and the Tower must be whole in order to aid Rand at Tarmon Gaidon, but how can a prisoner possibly manage such a daunting task?

Review: If you would have asked me, before reading this book, if either Robert Jordan or Brandon Sanderson had a distinctive writing style, I would have said no. Not that they're not both good writers, but just that neither has a way with words that would enable me to point to a passage and say 'There, that sounds like Sanderson' the way I could with Guy Gavriel Kay or Michael Chabon. However, as I discovered within the first few pages of the prologue, just because neither has a distinctive style, also does not mean that they have the same style. Sanderson addresses this in his author's note, saying that he did not try to emulate Jordan's style, choosing to stay true to the characters and the story, but to tell it in his own words. And that's fine; Sanderson is an accomplished writer whose books I enjoy. On the other hand, I will admit it was initially a little bit jarring to come across paragraphs or sentences that were decidedly un-Jordan-like.

I adapted quickly, though, and truth be told, Sanderson does an excellent job of maintaining continuity not only with the storyline, but more importantly, with the feel of the characters. Egwene's POV chapters still feel like Egwene, Perrin still sounds like Perrin, Rand still feels like a complete dolt who you just want to kick in the shins until he finally loosens up a little. I was somewhat worried about Mat; he's got a pretty distinctive voice - one that is easy to imitate, but hard to get right - plus Mat's first chapter doesn't come until almost midway through the book. To my delight, though, that chapter starts with Mat delivering a (*very* Mat-ish) monologue about women... followed by Talmanes making fun of the way Mat talks in a way that is not only hilarious, but also pokes gentle fun at Mat (and by extension, Jordan), and just generally lets us know that Sanderson gets it.

And that's the reason why I think having Sanderson take over after Jordan's death has worked where so many multi-author continuations have failed: Sanderson gets it. He wants the series to turn out well as much as any of the rest of us do. He's a fan too. But, unlike the average fanboy or fangirl, he's also an accomplished writer in his own stead, with the chops to pull it off. And that combination of talent and passion are what makes The Gathering Storm a worthy continuation instead of merely an acceptable one.

Okay, enough about the writing, let's talk about what actually happens. In short? TOTALLY AWESOME. It is not hyperbole to say that I laughed, I cried, I spent large chunks of the book with a pit of dread in my stomach because so many things were going so terribly wrong for the characters, and I quite literally stood up and cheered out loud at at least two points. (There may even have been fist-pumping.) There are prophecies fulfilled, storylines wrapped up, mysteries solved, and a wealth of wonderful and memorable and just perfect character moments.

I know there are also those out there who are apprehensive over the fact that Brandon Sanderson's contribution was initially going to be one book... and then two... and now finally three. I was certainly a little worried myself that the split would result in something patchy and without a satisfying end point (I'm looking at you, A Feast for Crows.) But that worry was completely baseless; The Gathering Storm has some of the most complete narrative arcs of any book in the series, not to mention one of the most satisfying endings. Just excellent. 5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Don't start here if you haven't read any of the previous 11 books, obviously. However, The Gathering Storm strongly reminded me why I love this series so much, why it was worth sticking it out through some of the slower books. It made me want to go start the series over from the beginning, and (although I wouldn't have thought it possible), it made me even more eager to get my hands on the next installment. show less

SPOILER WARNING:
I had this book for about 12 months before reading it. Just enjoying the cover art, thinking about the possibilities, stretching out the consumption for as long as possible so as to minimise the wait for the big finale. Awesome read, after investing 15 years of my imagination into this series its great to finally get some pay off! I don't know if it's the change in writers or if the story is just finally coming to a head, but there's some big events here that keep those pages turning madly. The stand outs for me were the breaking and remaking of the White Tower, the rise of Egwene al'Vere-the quintessential country girl-into the heights of bureaucratic & political power, the awesome wielding of the One Power and the show more True Power, the confrontation between Rand al'Thor and Semihrage that sends him to the edge of madness and his existential crises afterward; coming to a head whilst wielding enough power to level the world in a heartbeat. Reminiscent of Albert Camus and the philosophical idea of the absurd, what a wonderful moment when Rand decides to live and discovers his motivation for doing so. Contemplating the line by Tam al'Thor that for most men its not about having a choice over 'what' it is you must do, but choosing 'why' you do it, that gives your life meaning. I loved the scene with Tam al'Thor despite the fact that it didn't go smoothly, I found it nostalgic, moving, and oddly compelling... the juxtaposition of the old and new, the Freudian moment as the son overpowers the father and becomes a man in his own right, now ready to face his responsibilities and make his peace with the world... show less