After Book 11, Knife of Dreams, it seemed certain that
Robert Jordan was back on track and finally ready to deliver the ending to the
series that many of us had been waiting years and years for. Anticipation was
high, he now had a blog going on
dragonmount.com and fans had much more
access to his activity than ever before. Jordan had finally entered the internet
age, he was talking about projects after The Wheel of Time, possible
prequels and "outrigger" novels, the New Spring comics had started, there
was talk of a possible movie production... lots of good things going
on.
I don't think anyone expected what happened
next.
Before you continue:
- This is part 12 of my The Wheel of Time retrospective
- See this blog post for an overview of the retrospective
- These blogs are most effective with your own re-read of the series
- Warning: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE SERIES
The Last Book, No Matter
What!
Throughout Jordan's book tour for
Knife of Dreams, he kept telling everyone that the next book would be
called A Memory of Light and that it would be the last book no matter
what, even if it was so long it had to be trundled out on a cart and Tor had to
"invent a new way of publishing." I was very excited about
this.
At first, I really did believe Jordan.
The last couple of novels had moved a lot of pieces into position and it seemed
there were only a few major plotlines that needed to be resolved before Tarmon
Gai'don. But the more I thought about it, the more I began to doubt that it
would happen. This is the same author who spent three novels describing a few
things in mind-numbing detail, dragging out minor plotlines and focusing on a
plethora of throwaway characters. Now he's going to cram a number of Big
Important Things into a single final volume? Would he really be able to do
so?
Just think about what still needed to
happen at this point:
- Mat going to the Tower of Ghenjei to rescue
Moiraine
- Mat developing
the Dragons and other modern weapons
- Seanchan attacking the White Tower, Egwene unifying the Aes
Sedai
- Finishing off the
Black Ajah
- Rand making
peace / submitting to the Seanchan, uniting enough lands / people to march to
Tarmon Gai'don
- Perrin's
reconciliation with his wolf side and accepting leadership
- Everything about the Black
Tower
These are events we all knew were going
to happen in some form or fashion, based on prophecies, Min's viewings,
Dreams/Foretelling, all the good stuff that serves as fodder for countless
theories. And on top of those, we still had Tarmon Gai'don and some aftermath to
go through. It did not seem possible to me. But I had stuck with Jordan this
far. Even though he said many times that some plotlines would be left unresolved
at the end—there probably wouldn't be a fairytale ending—I trusted that he'd
resolve it sufficiently enough when all was said and done.
So I hunkered down to wait, continuing my life in Reston, VA,
expecting it to take him another 2-3 years at the minimum. I met my future wife
through the local community theater during this time. I got rather involved in gaming after many
years away from the hobby. Lots of things changed for me, but The Wheel of
Time would always be there, Robert Jordan and the series was one of the few constants for me throughout the years. Or so I thought.
James Oliver
Rigney, Jr.
If somehow you were not already
aware, Robert Jordan's real name was James Oliver Rigney, Jr. I followed his
blog regularly and kept up with WoT news, so I heard about Rigney's diagnosis of
cardiac amyloidosis in early 2006 not long after it was announced. I had never
heard of this disease, so I did a little research. Learning that it was a rare
disease and that median life expectancy was only a couple of years, I became very
worried. Would the worst happen? Could Rigney possibly die before finishing the
series, something my friends and I used to offhandedly joke about a decade ago?
It wasn't so funny now.
Having had a
couple of family members die of cancer, I personally know how much of a struggle
something like that can be, how much it takes out of someone and how quickly the
end can come. Knowing that treatment for amyloidosis involves chemotherapy, I
had an idea of what Rigney was in for. But it seemed that if anyone could beat
the odds, it would be him. He was so positive in every posting, told everyone he
had many books to write, had promised his wife (and
editor), Harriet, to be around for their 50th anniversary, etc.
I kept him in my thoughts
and hoped that he would pull through. Of course I was worried about the last
book. Anyone who had been reading the series for 15+ years at that point thought
about it. Would he be able to finish the book in time? What if he didn't? Would
we even get an ending after all these years? Would he refuse to let someone else
finish the series?
There were occasional
updates on his blog and he was still working on the book, but we also learned
that he was getting sicker and
that he had started to dictate the rest of the story to his
family, even telling them the complete
ending he had had in his head all these years (and which no one else knew). Just
in case the worst happens, he said. I wasn't sure what to make of it all, but I
didn't expect him to actually die. Not being there, we had no idea how sick we
really was.
The Dragon is
Gone
I
was shocked. I couldn't believe he had actually died. I pretty much spent the
day trawling the internet, looking for more info, updates and reactions. My
mother even texted me about it, having seen the headline. It was one of those
days where you don't get any work done, unable to focus on
anything.
I'll just say that like many others,
The Wheel of Time has had a profound effect on my life. I wouldn't be
writing these blogs if I wasn't passionate about the work. Robert Jordan brought
a whole new meaning to the term "epic fantasy," and his contribution to
literature will never be forgotten.
Rather than go through the whole
story about how he was chosen, I'll direct you to Sanderson's
website, and this article by the
Charleston City Paper, both which tell the
story well enough.
 |
| Brandon Sanderson |
I was not familiar with Sanderson's
work. I only knew of his Mistborn series, having seen the hardbacks in stores a
couple of times. As I learned more about him, I thought it interesting that he
was only a year older than me and grew up in Lincoln, NE. If you've read my
previous entries in this retrospective series, you'll remember I lived in Omaha
& Lincoln for about 10 years, going to high school and college there. I
attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. So Sanderson was there in
Lincoln, discovering the series just as I was. There was now this strange
parallel, both of us in high school only miles away, eagerly awaiting each new
volume. He sounded just like a guy I would have been friends with in high
school.
I picked up Elantris not long
after it was announced that he would finish the series. I loved the hook at the
beginning and thought overall it was a decent novel. I did not pick up any of
his other work (still haven't, though it's on my list... too many books, not
enough time) and I merely waited to see what he'd do with The Wheel of
Time. With her history and experience in editing, I completely trusted
Harriet in her choice of him.
Splitting One Book into Three
Books
After a year or so of work on WoT,
Sanderson and Tor announced that book would have to be split into three volumes.
This caused a little uproar among some fans, of course.
While it was annoying that we wouldn't get the final book at once,
the fact that they had to split the book up into three volumes didn't surprise
me. And based on the preliminary schedule (one each a year, 2009-2011), I wasn't
bothered much. Sure we had to wait longer—no one wants to wait longer, obviously—but one
book a year was a pretty good deal, all things considered. Sanderson's
explanation made sense (though the fact
that Tor actually balks at 250k+ words for a novel when they continue to
regularly publish them—i.e. The Malazan Book of the Fallen—amuses me).
So we learned the title of
the new book, The Gathering Storm, which was somewhat generic and
predictable. We got a new Sweet cover, which is by far the worst of the series
(shocker). I avoided the usual early release of the prologue and a chapter, and
paid only minor attention to advanced reviews (they are always positive to build
hype). Despite the lackluster title and cover, I was excited to read it and see
how Sanderson did.
 |
Pretty much everything about
this cover is wrong. |
Thoughts Then
I personally thought Sanderson did a fantastic job. I was not
disappointed. He took the reins from Jordan and flew at a breakneck pace, moving
the story along, making it quite plot heavy compared to the recent efforts by
Jordan. It was obvious that there was a lot they needed to fit into these last
few books and the verbose style Jordan had become known for was not going to cut
it.
When I first read this book, it reminded me
of the early volumes, particularly The Shadow Rising, because so much
happens in the book (even though most of it is focused only on the storylines of
Rand and Egwene). A couple of events we'd been waiting forever to read
about finally happened. This excitement and the fast pace made me feel like I
was in high school again. That nostalgic feeling made me enjoy the book even
more.
Sanderson said he wasn't going to emulate
Jordan's style, and you can obviously tell it was written by a different author,
but it still felt like The Wheel of Time to me. There was only one spot
that struck me as odd immediately (see the Mat section below). For the rest...
yes, there is more internalizing and telling rather than showing, and there were
stylistic differences I immediately noticed (like Sanderson's penchant for
frequently italicizing a single word for emphasis), but aside from Mat, all the
characters sounded the same to me. Was it 100% perfect and true to Jordan's
voice? No. But anyone who expected it to be is deluding
themselves.
In my opinion, Sanderson succeeded
in adapting his style to WoT like he said he would. I was completely satisfied
with this book and relieved. The last two would be in good hands. With all the
exciting stuff still on tap, and Sanderson showing he could write in the WoT
world, there's no way it could get screwed up now.
Thoughts Now
This re-read
was only the second time I've read The Gathering Storm. I didn't re-read
it when the next book, Towers of Midnight, came out in 2010, since it was
still fresh in my mind. I didn't buy the paperback version, either, and I have since donated my paperbacks to the library, opting for Kindle versions. My opinion of the book remains much the same as before,
though I noticed more of Sanderson's style differences this time around
(probably because I was paying more attention to it, already knowing the book's
content).
It felt slow to me at first because
the difference in style was a bit jarring compared to the first time. But about
a third of the way through it really gets going and I couldn't put the book down
during the last quarter. There were thankfully no Elayne chapters (about time
she was ignored for a book) and the parts on Mat and Perrin were little more
than "meanwhile, back in Ghealdan..." types of sections, but Rand and Egwene made up for it by far. Now that I know the next book is all about wrapping
up Mat's and Perrin's storylines, and preparing them for the Last Battle, I'm
more forgiving of their brief appearances. Except for maybe Mat, which I'll get
into later.
Egwene and the
Tower
The Seanchan attack on the White Tower,
the unification of the Aes Sedai, the official raising of Egwene to Amyrlin and
the purging of the Black Ajah couldn't have come at a better time. This
storyline had started in Book 4 with the deposing of Siuan as Amyrlin and eight
books later, we finally get that resolution.
When I realized the
attack was actually going to happen in this book, I was pumping my fist in the
air. I had been looking forward to this moment for a long time. All that build
up and tension and expectation over many, many years finally explodes across a
number of chapters, and Sanderson did a great job with the
pacing.
The visit from Verin was also well done
and put a tear in my eye, and it segued into the attack magnificently.
Jordan always seemed loathe to kill off any of the major or important
characters, but finally one of them succumbs. Then dozens more die as Egwene
executes Black Ajah... rather a shock compared to previous volumes, where very
few characters die.
The Aes Sedai have now been
put through the wringer and it's amazing that they had enough left to come back
together, with all they've been through. The world has changed drastically over
the course of the series, though, and the breaking of the Tower, in retrospect,
seems the only way the Aes Sedai as a whole could have weathered that change.
They are almost ready to enter into the new Age and be leaders again. With all
the trials Egwene has gone through, she is the only choice to lead them going
forward.
 |
| Egwene is awesome on the eBook cover. |
It's at this point that Egwene becomes my favorite female
character. I've always rather liked Aviendha, but Egwene trumps her after the
White Tower ordeal. What she has done is the stuff of legend. Which makes me
wonder why she loves Gawyn Trakand, who is such a wuss in comparison. More on
that in the next blog.
Hardcore
Rand
Rand continues his descent into madness
and "hardness," becoming so hard and cold that we barely recognize him as the
same young man that walked along that lonely road outside Emond's Field at the
beginning of The Eye of the World. In story time it's only been around
two years, but in real life it's been almost twenty. Innocent Rand seems like a
distant memory in both timelines.
I was
surprised at some of the things Rand did in this book. I've been on his side
ever since the beginning, hating how people pushed him around and cheering on
his efforts to do his own thing. But here he goes over the line. I didn't think
he could get any harder than he already was, but Semirhage pushed him even
further when she collared him with the Domination Band and tried to make him
kill Min. Rand turns into this cold, emotionless being that you have a hard time
relating to, and even Min, who had been the closest to him, now begins to fear
what he has become.
 |
The most hardcore pic of Rand I could find,
even though the wrong hand is missing
(it should be his left hand).
Art by Jeremy Saliba; fantastic artist,
please check out his site! |
When Rand balefires Natrin's Barrow and all the inhabitants—along
with Graendal—I was pretty shocked. I did not expect that. I was also
disappointed that another Forsaken would be destroyed so abruptly. Of course, we
learn in the next book that Graendal didn't actually die (which I thought was a
bit cheap, and I had to roll my eyes at that), but it wasn't surprising, as
Jordan had given short shrift to many Forsaken over the course of the series.
They pop in for a couple dozen pages, then are balefired and gone
forever.
Then, after the long-awaited reunion
between Rand and his adopted father, Tam (they had not seen each other since
Book 1), when Rand tries to kill him, we see how much trouble our hero is in. I
loved the falling out he had with Cadsuane in this book—I've never liked her, as
I've mentioned—but later we realize just how important her task has been and why
she resorted to sending Tam al'Thor to him. Rand needs to laugh and love again,
he needs to surrender to his fate and stop fighting everyone. He eventually figures this out. At the end of the book he is reforged on Dragonmount and
Rand 2.0 is ready for the Last Battle.
Mat and Hinderstap
While
The Gathering Storm is a success and one of the best books in the series,
there's one thing I didn't like about it. The Mat chapters, particularly the
Hinderstap section.
Sanderson didn't write Mat
as well as he did the other characters. I understood why Mat was doing what he
was doing—he is married now, after all—but it just didn't sound like him.
It didn't feel right, and the majority of readers felt the same way based on
reviews and forums. When you've been journeying along
with this character over 11 prior books and 15 years, it's surprising how quickly you notice a change in voice. Did it detract from my
enjoyment of the book? Not really. Did Mat's characterization stand out like a
sore thumb? Yes. Am I angry at Sanderson that he violated the series? Of course
not. It is what it is.
In the grand scheme of
things, it's a minor complaint, because his chapters in this book are fairly unimportant, but it was surprising how it jumped out at me.
The Hinderstap section as well, which I don't like. I understand its
purpose—showing how much further along the Dark One's touch on the land is—but
it's so markedly different than the rest of the story and feels like Night of
the Living Dead was inserted into the book for 30 pages. Mat and Hinderstap
still bothered me during the re-read.
The
Signing
Invigorated by this new volume and
direction in the series, I went to the Brandon Sanderson signing. He
came to a Borders in Bailey's Crossroads, VA (I'd provide a link but sadly
Borders doesn't exist anymore, which I find very strange to say). I bought a
hardback copy of Warbreaker so I could get a signing number, then did the
usual sitting around and waiting. This signing had the Storm Leaders and all
that jazz, as well as free WoT bumper stickers. I grabbed an "I killed Asmodean"
one, as mentioned in my blog for Book 5, The Fires of
Heaven.
When it was my turn with Brandon, I
merely thanked him for doing the books and mentioned that I was glad a fan was
finishing it vs. some hired hand. He said he was glad too. I also asked how
after all these years of following the series like everyone else, how he felt
about not being able to read the ending like the rest of us would. He said it
was unfortunate, but that being able to peek into the mind of a master
storyteller and see how he worked was almost a better reward, given that he's an
author as well. It's a unique experience that no one else will have. I'd have to
agree with that.
Brandon was very nice and
gracious through the entire signing, he spoke at length about how he was picked,
stayed for a long time to sign everyone's books, etc etc. Probably the most
pleasant author signing I've ever been to.
Below is my signed copy of The Gathering Storm. I
particularly like the printed Jordan signature, I thought that was a nice touch
and respectful of Sanderson to ask for that.
I also had him sign
Warbreaker, of course, but I have yet to read it. I'm reluctant to read
books once I have them signed. I'll get a copy on Kindle or something in the
future.
The Gathering Storm revitalized the entire series for me. While not perfect, and it
will never be exactly what Jordan would have done, I really can't complain. So
thank you, Brandon Sanderson, for taking up the reins and guiding the story
towards Tarmon Gai'don. From a long time fan, it's much appreciated.
Next:
Book 13 – Towers of Midnight
Previous:
Book 11 – Knife of Dreams
Book 10 – Crossroads of Twilight
Book 9 – Winter's Heart
Book 8 – The Path of Daggers
Book 7 – A Crown of Swords
Book 6 – Lord of Chaos
Book 5 – The Fires of Heaven
Book 4 – The Shadow Rising
Book 3 – The Dragon Reborn
Book 2 – The Great Hunt
Book 1 – The Eye of the World
Retrospective Overview
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