The Wheel of Time 12-14
The Gathering Storm
Towers of Midnight
A Memory of Light
By: Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
My Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS
Best for: 14 and up

A journey of 12,000 pages starts at page 1

Quick! Ask me if I’ve read The Wheel of Time!

Why yes! Yes I have! I’m done! I’m done! I’m done! [Insert happy dance here]

If you follow me, you’ll know The Wheel of Time has been a journey. I started way back in October of 2021, and it’s been a constant joy and a constant pain every day since…but no longer!

If you want to catch up with my efforts, you can find my thoughts here:
Books 1-5
Books 6-11

Read those, and I won’t have to waste time here explaining my headbanging frustration with the death by 10,000 details, the obnoxious and relentless gender stereotypes, and the odd obsession with describing the size and shape of every women we meet. I can ignore the plodding, the silly arguments, and the multi-page descriptions of the common room of every inn, everywhere. I can skip all those this time, because guess what happened when Brandon Sanderson (bless him for ever) took over? All those problems vanished–poof–into nothing.

Brandon Sanderson saved The Wheel of Time.

When Robert Jordan died in 2007 and left behind his unfinished Opus, I’m certain his legions of fans–who had been waiting SEVENTEEN YEARS for a conclusion to the epic story–were devastated. Thank the book gods Robert Jordan’s wife read Mistborn, Brandon Sanderson’s first big hit, and realized he was the one destined to finish her husbands’ master work.

Guys, the last three books of The Wheel of Time are perfect. Every complaint is gone, every stumbling block removed to allow this amazing story we knew was there to flow free. The characters suddenly were more colorful, the plot suddenly began to advance, and my enjoyment of the experience suddenly erupted. What began as a side project took the main stage. I stopped all my other book projects to focus on this.

And the last book? Holy cow. It was literally a 1000 page climax. No break, no chance to breath for 1000 pages. The ending? Chef’s kiss.

Make sure you read Brandon’s dedication to Robert Jordan at the beginning of book 12. Clearly, the story belongs to Robert Jordan. It’s the ending he wrote. Brandon Sanderson just helped it along.

What a feat! What an accomplishment! Robert Jordan’s vision–his audacity–to even attempt to tell such a story as this is singular in all Bookdom. 14 books, 12,000 pages. But it’s just one, really long, story. I have to admit, I had my doubts. But the payoff was worth the effort. The Wheel of Time is awesome. These last books, particularly book 14, are violent. There is no language or sexual content.

Best for 14 and up.

Get your copy here!

Happy Reading!