The Gathering Storm

At one point our hero, Rand Al’Thor, the Dragon reborn, stands on a mountain top, on the edge of a sheer cliff and ponders the meaning of existence. It’s not the deepest thing you’ll ever read, it’s not going to lead to your philosophy books, or wow you about the author’s intellect. But it’s cool. And it’s unexpected.

When this series was hot, there was some devout enthusiasm and insane speculation justifying the website name wotmanian.com (which now points to dragonmount.com). I was never part of that, and fantasy as a genre never really caught on with me. But, yet the series means a great deal to me for the simple reason that it's what got me reading. Before WOT I didn't read books, afterward I kept a reading log and read show more what seemed to me to be voraciously, albeit slowly. Almost 20 years and 12 books later it has come to be what I guess is a comfort read.

If you don't know, the series has faded after suffering several poor books (books 7-10) and the death of the author, Robert Jordan. There are still devout fans, but it's not something anyone jumps up and down recommending without mentioning some reservations. It was nice that Book 11 was better, and it was nice that Brandon Sanderson, who is finishing the series, seems to be generally liked, so I suspect there was some hope and anticipation about this book - although I'm not part of that conversation, so I'm not sure.

Yeah, I loved it. It has almost every flaw of all the earlier Jordan books. Characters are painfully simplified - which is kind of necessary for our memory because there are so many - literary hundreds. They do stupid things. Silly stuff happens that doesn't really make any sense and demands some suspension of disbelief even with this fantasy world. I mean despite the immense complexity of the story line and foreshadowing, this is still genre. That all this is the same is really a credit to Sanderson. There were times I thought I could tell which parts he wrote and which parts Jordan wrote, but the flow never broke - it still felt like a WOT book. So, Kudos to Sanderson.

I loved it because Sanderson kept the pacing - which is tough to describe. Jordan takes his time. He doesn’t skip parts, but portrays every step along the way, and you hear at least one character’s thoughts about each and every thing that happens or is said, and then you see every other character’s reaction. And somehow this is all interesting. A very small amount of happening can take a lot pages, but there is also a sense of completeness, which I enjoy. Then, when something actually does happen of significance, the pace leaps forward, with several things happening in each sentence. Jordan's sort of winds the book up straining every piece into place, then throws in monkey wrench and everything comes apart in unpredictable ways.

And I loved it because things do happen. What killed books 7-10 was that nothing got concluded. In a sense they were really one book, each winding things up a little bit tighter, but with nothing in sight to release. Jordan got carried away.

And I loved it because of Rand’s amateur philosophizing – a new and nice twist.

This is fun if you like this stuff, and are willing to read a lot of volumes to get here.

2010
http://www.librarything.com/topic/81181#1799722 show less

I am a huge fan of The Wheel of Time series. Being such, I had reservations going into this book, because of Jordan's death and its subsequent completion by a different author.

I've just finished it, and I must say, wow. I am absolutely blown away. When I started the book, I couldn't help but notice the rather inescapable difference between Jordan and Sanderson's writing styles. I loved Jordan's immensely descriptive style and the way he made me understand the characters in a way that most writers fail to do. Sanderson's style is much more direct, and at first I felt a little disconnected from my favorite characters and their enormously intricate world. However, it didn't take long for Sanderson to make me feel right at home; not long show more after beginning, I was completely captivated once again. I am so ridiculously pleased with the way this book turned out. I won't spoil anything here; just know that some major plot threads finally come together. You really just need to read it for yourself.

In short:
Bravo, Brandon. BRAVO, SIR. show less

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

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