A Memory of Light - Full Cover

    I guess I really should also post the full (front and back) cover of the upcoming finale in the Wheel Of Time series.  Odd that only two of Rand's wives are shown, eh?

A Memory of Light - Bookcover

    Yes, I'm looking forward to it.  Yes, I'll buy it in hardback, cuz I'm addicted to the series.  No, I don't think Brandon Sanderson gets near enough credit for the wonderful job he's done since taking over writing duties after the passing of Robert Jordan.

The Gathering Storm - Robert Jordan

2009; 766 pages. Genres : Epic Fantasy; Neverending Series. Book 12 in the "Wheel Of Time". Overall Rating : A. . The series-ending trilogy begins. Brandon Sanderson takes over for the late Robert Jordan, reportedly using RJ's copious notes and emulating Jordan's style. . TGS focuses on the two main characters in WoT. Rand tries to rally the kingdoms he's conquered and forge alliances with those he hasn't, all in order to resist the looming invasion by the Dark Lord. . Egwene continues undermining the The Amyrlin Seat (Elaida) in the White Tower, while also trying to heal the deep divisions within Ajahs of the White Towers. . What's To Like... For a long-awaited change, there's great action and plot advancement. The other two ta'veren, Mat and Perrin, are being drawn towards The Dragon Reborn. Some loose ends (such as Sheriam and the Prophet Masema) are tidily wrapped up. There are a number of MIA's - Moiraine, Morgase, Elayne, and Loial - that presumably will get their due in the remaining two books. The ending of TGS is quite good. . And if you're one of those readers who liked the plodding aimlessness of the last half-dozen books in this series, then some of the chapters here will make you happy too. A lot of pages are expended on Aviendha's recurring "punishments" and her incessant musings about their cause; and Rand traipses from one kingdom to another, brooding, b*tching, and generally being a PITA to be around. . There are some minor drawbacks. The Gathering Storm is not a stand-alone book, and the Glossary won't help you much make sense of who's who and what the various fantasy world phrases mean. So newcomers are looking at 10,000 pages (2½ million words) as background reading before they can hope to make sense out of TGS. . There is also some Jordanesque repetitiveness. There are umpteen "smoothing of the dress", "arms folded beneath the breasts", and "skirts divided for riding". Further, you are reminded a couple thousand times of the allegorical "coming storm". . Excerpt - The bad guys' viewpoint. "He has failed before and will fail again," Rand said. I will defeat him." . Moridin laughed again, the same heartless laugh as before. "Perhaps you will," he said. "But do you think that matters? Consider it. The Wheel turns, time and time again. Over and over the Ages turn, and men fight the Great Lord. But someday, he will win, and when he does, the Wheel will stop. . "That is why his victory is assured... When you are victorious, it only leads to another battle. When he is victorious, all things will end." (pg. 238) . Excerpt - The good guys' viewpoint. Thom chuckled. "We can't go back, Mat. The Wheel has turned, for better or for worse. And it will keep on turning, as lights die and forests dim, storms call and skies break. Turn it will. The Wheel is not hope, and the Wheel does not care, the Wheel simply is. But so long as it turns, folk may hope, folk may care. For with light that fades, another will eventually grow, and each storm that rages must eventually die. As long as the Wheel turns." (pg. 404) . There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time... For me, The Gathering Storm was a great read. Sanderson has continued, as he should, to pay homage to Jordan every chance he gets. But personally, I think RJ had lost control of WoT. The plotlines just continued to spread out further and further, and whenever RJ did try to rein them in, the result was stagnation. A fresh touch was needed, and Sanderson supplies it. . So we'll give TGS a solid "A", and give Sanderson a heartfelt "Thank You" for his efforts. It will still take all his resources to bring everything together for the final showdown ("Tarmon Gai'don"), but Sanderson has two books to do it in, and a fair chance of pulling it off.

It's here!

The Gathering Storm, Book 12 of the Wheel Of Time fantasy saga hit the stores today, and I made a special trip down to Barnes & Noble to buy it tonight. At 766 pages in a hardcover-sized book, this is gonna take some time to get through, especially since I have to try and remember what all the characters were doing at the close of Book 11.

The Gathering Storm

This is what I'll be buying and starting to read on 27 October. Look for a review of it in early November. Then I probably will look for some other stuff by Brandon Sanderson, to figure out why Robert Jordan selected him to be his (so to speak) ghost-writer.

Wheel of Time

I resisted the temptation to rush out and buy the new Dan Brown book, The Lost Symbol. Judging from the Amazon.com reviews, that was a smart move. But the Wheel Of Time series is a different matter. Despite it being four years since the last book (#11, The Knife of Dreams), and a small matter of Robert Jordan passing away in 2007, the next book (The Gathering Storm) is due out in October. I will be buying that one within a week of its release. . And no matter what it says, the image above is NOT the cover for Book #13. It is however, a wonderful piece of Photoshopping.