A Memory of Light: Book Fourteen of The Wheel of Time

I loved this series. I came thinking this was just another epic fantasy series that maybe, it was extremely good, but I found so much more. I found deep thoughts and themes throughout the eyes of characters I came to love and care about. I cried several times. There were moments I was so excited for what I was reading I couldn't keep reading and needed to jump out of my bed and take a cold drink, cool myself and then go back and read some of the most epic scenes and battles I've seen in fantasy. I laughed, and it wasn't just that I thought something was funny, I genuinely laughed out loud. Specially in Mat's chapters. The only book that has made me laugh more than those chapters is "good omens" by Neil Gaiman. More important, I learned so much about myself. In a way I think this series answers some existential questions that maybe you may not like the answer or it may look obvious, but living what I lived with this characters meant so much to me. Nynaeve is probably my favorite character. I love how authentic she is, and I found her to have the noblest of motives. She grows so much through the series and becomes this badass person who only want to take care of others. Mat, you made me laugh so hard, it was good to see you be a hero, and seeing you denying being one all 14 books. Rand, you went through so much trauma and pain, I care nothing for you on the first 3 books, but then I saw you grow into one of the most complex and interesting "chosen one" I have ever seen. The series has its issues. Jordan's prose can be so slow at times and he can over describe and repeat things we've seen before. But I don't care. Somehow, I think it works perfectly and it can get the reader to know better the characters. I love all cultures and the way they are crafted, they all felt so real. I think that Jordan is for cultures what Tolkien was for languages. The Aiel is one of the most interesting ones I've seen, and every aspect of their culture has a reason, which makes it so believeable. I love them all, borderlanders, domani, even the seanchan. The ending was so satisfying and yet, so open to speculation. Honestly, 10/10.

How does one begin to review 'A Memory of Light'? How does one say goodbye to a series and characters you have fallen in love with? I will begin by echoing the sentiments of other reviewers: that this was a fitting, explosive finale to 'The Wheel of Time' and Brandon Sanderson truly did a masterful job of it. From the first page to the final, it is exciting enough to keep you at the edge of your seat. There are so, so many moments that brought me to tears - tears of sorrow, of fear, and of joy. And yes, there were moments of frustration. As usual, I will attempt to avoid spoilers as much as possible. Let's begin by tackling the three ta'veren. All three of them have supremely satisfying storylines, and I simply cannot fault Sanderson's handling of them. My biggest frustration is Perrin's long overdue awakening. This is absolutely not Sanderson's fault and it was incredibly rewarding to finally see it happen... but one cannot escape the fact that if Faile were out of the picture, Perrin would have arrived at this point long, long ago and had a far more satisfying arc over all. On which note... as usual, Faile's POV chapters and sections were my biggest point of frustration in AMoL, something that's been true almost since she first appeared in the series (or at least, post the attempted invasion of the Two Rivers). Her only real function seems to be to slow the story down and stunt Perrin's growth. This is a subjective take, and my previous sentence is somewhat hyperbolic - she does play a somewhat important role in AMoL, but only really as someone to help Setalle watch over Olver. Her chapters and sections would have been far better were they written from Olver's POV instead, and honestly I could have done without her character throughout most of the series. As for Matrim bloody Cauthon, leader of the Band of the Red Hand, Knotai the bloody Prince of the bloody Ravens, Hornsounder, and Gambler: all I can say is that he well and truly deserves his place as a firm fan favorite. At least, among those who have met the REAL Mat, the one that only exists in the books. I weep for the fact I won't be able to follow his further exploits! Moving on to the other Edmond's Fielders, Egwene and Nynaeve: both of them really shine in AMoL. Not once is Nynaeve frustrating in her actions, decisions, or even her thoughts. Her character development throughout the series, and its coming to fruition here, has been truly satisfying. Egwene, on the other hand, does frustrate at times, but in much the same way as she has ever since becoming the Amyrlin Seat: those times where she is monumentally frustrating are at least consistent with her character and position. That doesn't make it any less frustrating, but... it ends up being rewarding because of how Rand takes advantage of her character flaws to bring her stubborn idiocy to good use. And Light... by the end, one cannot help but admire her all the same. I could go on and on. Birgitte, Elayne, Aviendha, Galad, Gawyn, Talmanes - blood and bloody ashes, but these characters really step up and achieve! Their story arcs progress and come to their conclusions in ways that you cannot help but cheer for them and support them. Alas, not everything is merry, of course. Other than the inevitable gripes about Faile (which I've already given and won't repeat), there are some distinctly disatisfying aspects to AMoL. One of these is the way certain antagonistic characters have their story arcs come to an end, especially Moghedien and Padan Fain. While fitting, they're... rushed. The former is incredibly rushed, and I felt it was rather unnecessary too: there was a perfect opportunity for Moghedien to have her story come to a close earlier in AMoL, but the addition of a final POV section rather ruined it for me. As for Padan Fain... it was simply rushed and anticlimatic. Part of the issue is that it's been drawn out for so long, starting with the very first book, and left dangling by Jordan for almost the entirety of the series. Sanderson did the best he could, but... well, it still felt anticlimatic in the end. All told, I'm extremely glad to have taken this journey and sad that it will not continue. But, at least I still have the prequel, 'A New Spring', to read after this before continuing with other books on my TBR list. And I know for sure that I'll be rereading 'The Wheel of Time' in the future.

It will be impossible to review each of these books separately, as the story has to be read from start to finish (yes, all fourteen books). This series really is a true epic fantasy, and I have loved it ever since I read my first part back in 1997. I got that book from my then boyfriend our first Christmas together, and I use to joke and say that was the reason we eventually got married (we're celebrating our 30th anniversary next year, and the books are still amazing). This series really is unique, and to me it has a little bit of everything. The characters are great and very well written, and the magic system really is one of a kind. The world building is amazing, and all the different cultures in the different countries are very well written. I love all of the different monsters, even though I find the Myrdraals particularly spooky. The story is such an adventure, and the books are fantastic. Every fantasy fan that likes a long epos should really read all of them.

A reminder here that I try for no spoilers, but don't read on if you're worried I may give something away. I haven't had any complaints yet, but I know I'm the type of reader who wants to know virtually nothing about the storyline of the next book in a series I'm reading. There's your fair warning. Sanderson had hundreds of main characters, and hundreds of story arcs, to cover in this one. A close friend and I have discussed how this series would end for years and neither of us could comprehend how Sanderson could put the finishing touches on this one. While there were a couple small areas we complained about after finishing the series, the rest of the story was amazing enough that it didn't change the way we felt one bit. The Wheel of Time series is, and will continue to be, one of the greatest epic fantasies ever told. I didn't think it was possible, but Sanderson kept an unbelievable pace throughout the entire novel. The chapters and sections were shorter than in previous WoT (Wheel of Time) books, but not only did it work well, I believe it was needed in this case. The reader is all over the map at first as we're brought into the state of mind of all the characters and reminded where we're headed: Tarmon Gai'don, the final battle, possibly the end of all things. The final battle isn't just one battle, but many. Some on a larger scale and some that are small yet lead to larger fights that may or may not be known by the other characters. Matrim, Perrin, Rand, Egwene, Nynaeve, Lan, Tam, and I could go on, all have their part to play, and they're each significant. Best Aspects of the Book Sanderson keeps to the storyline and to Jordan's vision of an epic story while continuing to focus on the individuals and their actions that brings us to the final climax. Again, THE PACING! I swear my heart was racing through almost every page of this darn book. Not just the battle scenes, but with every decision the characters made bringing us closer to the end of the world, and the book. The epic battle scenes. Sorry for using the word "epic" again, but it's the only word that encompasses the breadth of this story. The tactics, the blood, the soldiers, the individuals; they all play significant roles in the final battle. Another reviewer said something similar, but the way the scenes played out it was as if Sanderson had first hand knowledge of that battle, as if he were there copying down what he saw. Many may not see this as a positive, but it made the book more realistic in my opinion. Characters are dying all over the place in this one. It makes sense considering it was the final battle. If we'd had this grand battle to only have a few characters die, not only would it not have been as realistic, but the reader wouldn't be on the edge of their seat wondering when their other favorite characters were going to "wake up from the dream," as the Aiel would say. Sanderson completed so many story arcs in one this one book that it was simply amazing. In a recent conversation with the friend I mentioned above, we discussed how Sanderson could have easily written another four or five books in the series with each of those story arcs being a story of their own. The Negative Aspects With how much I loved this story, it's hard for me to say anything negative. However, I try to keep an unbiased tone when I write a review, though that's pretty much impossible in this situation. While I say some of these things are negative, it's only my opinion and other readers may disagree. Where was Thom Merrilin? No, he wasn't removed from the story, and he played an important role, but I loved his character and I wanted more. With the how big of a part of the story he was throughout, I thought there would be more. There were some parts that were 100% Sanderson, particular lines especially. He sticks to a Jordanesque style throughout the previous two books he wrote, yet in this one, I felt there were times when the things he wrote were something Jordan probably would have done so differently. Of course, we'll never know, and I've no doubt that Sanderson did the better than any other author could have in his position. My argument against this is that I'm not sure Jordan could have completed this series the way Sanderson did, and that's saying a lot, because I love Jordan's writing. Before this book, I wasn't completely sold that Sanderson could finish the WoT series the way it should have been. Now, I can see that Robert Jordan and his wife picked the perfect author to finish this epic story. This part goes with one of the positive aspects. I mentioned that Sanderson completed so many story arcs above, but there were some I wish he'd spent more time on. "Wish" is the key word there. We all wish we could read more of our favorite book or series, but that's just not possible. I won't mention which one, but there was one point that had been alluded to almost since the first book, and then when we reach the actual moment, it's over in less than two pages. I can't complain too much, the story arc was completed, even if not in the way that I had imagined. The actual ending. I could probably put this in both the positive and the negative. In my mind, it fit perfectly. So why does it go in the negative section? Because, in my mind, there were just enough questions left that the ending read like the final line was a precursor to the next book in the series, which of course we won't have. I think my brain is still working on what exactly I think about everything. I give A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson five of five stars, and the series itself, five of five stars. If you're looking for a true epic fantasy with an epic story line, an epic cast, and now an epic ending, the Wheel of Time is for you.

Just finished reading the final book in this epic series and wanted to write a review while the details are still fresh. I also read a bunch of the 1 star and 5 star reviews on Amazon and quite frankly agree with both camps. I agree with the 5 starers as it was, overall, a satisfying ending. Mainly in that, this epic series FINALLY came to a close. I'll admit though, that I started reading this series in the 2000s so I hadn't been hanging around like those people who started reading this in the 90s. And then I agree with the 1 starers on the basis that Robert Jordan (RJ) could have written a much better ending and wrapped up the plot lines a lot better than Brandon Sanderson (BS) did here. Before I say anything else, here is the bottom line of my review. If you have been reading this series from the beginning, there is nothing stopping you from reading this final book. You should read this book Heck, you'd be stupid not to read it. It's like reading 6 of the Harry Potter books and then deciding, for the hell of it, not to read the last and final book. We are human. We need an ending. If you are new to this series and are looking to see if you should start reading it just based on the reviews of the last and final book, I'd give you a resounding HECK YES to reading this series. RJ is a great writer and you'll do yourself justice to reading this series. Just understand that there is a little bit of a hiccup when he turns over the series to BS to complete and the writing style starts to change in the last several books. My review... Much of this book was devoted to the Last Battle. The battle to end all battles, or some crap like that. The entire series was devoted to this concluding battle, with so many different kingdoms and armies involved that you couldn't really do it justice without devoting a significant portion of the book to it. So I don't mind that fact and actually enjoyed the epic and grand scope of the Last Battle. And you guys need to remember, what was supposed to be the last book was split into 2 or 3 books, so in reality, the Last Battle only represented a smaller portion of the true finale. As for the character development and how it was written into this book... okay, I agree, that could have been better done. This is some definite disjointment between the handoff from RJ to BS. It melded together well in the few books before A Memory of Light, but this book felt like all of BS. We don't get the excruciating detail that RJ would have put into this and it is a let down. Characters seem... different. They feel less like they had grown or evolved and more like they were transformed against their wills in order to get them to play a part that BS needed them to in order to fit the ending here. It's a little bit disconcerting, but I think it had to happen in order to close this book out with some semblance of order. Again, it just feels disjointed. As for the ending... it felt like it left it open a bit, maybe potentially for another book down the line to let us know what happened to all the characters (just a wild guess). Or, more likely, BS and probably RJ somewhere, wanted to leave it to the reader's imagination. Kind of like Back to the Future. We got to see what would have happened in the future if current events played out as they did (not a pretty picture), but the characters end up growing beyond those choices and created a whole new, unpredictable future. I think that is really it. Anyways, in that context, I liked the ending. It didn't wrap up everything in a neat little package, but that is how life is. So... good, solid ending, not the one avid RJ fans were hoping for.

I finally got to read A Memory of Light! And let me tell you: it was FREAKIN' AWESOME!!! Book 1 of The Wheel of Time series was published in 1990, which means it's a series nearly twenty-three years in the making. Now, back then I was attending first grade in good ole Taylorsville, Utah. I didn't pick up this series until the summer of 1999, just before my sophomore year in high school. Still, I've been reading it for more than twelve years. It's been a huge part of my life. I've said this before, but I've learned more about story-telling, characters, plot, writing style, and compelling events from this series than most other things I've read combined! The characters all feel like old friends. To have so many prophecies, so much foreshadowing over so many years and volumes, and now to see them all fulfilled is just surreal. Am I a little pathetic? Yeah, probably. But that unfortunate truth doesn't change facts. The book is fast-paced and packed with stuff. (Nine hundred pages people. That's right!) It's difficult to talk about the plot in the fourteenth book of a continuing series, but suffice it to say that it's comprised of events leading up to the Last Battle, the Last Battle, and a few small things right after. The battle is the bulk of the book and I found myself completely immersed in it. It was fabulously written. Sanderson did a great job of staying on track. There were so many characters doing so many different things all at once, but I never felt confused. I haven't picked up a WoT book in more than two years--since book 13, Towers of Midnight was released--but it took all of two chapters to make me feel like I'd read it only yesterday. I can't even say how awesome this book was! It was full of nostalgia between old friends, inspiring pre-battle speeches, the tragedy of war and losing friends (characters) that we love, and the epic climax that's been promised since book 1. Yet, it was never condescending, quaint or sentimental. It simply was. And that made it all the more tragic. We got to see everything we've wanted to for a long time. Perrin will face Slayer a final time; the wolves will join in the Great Hunt (totally awesomesauce, by the way) Mat will get to make (fantastic!) use of his battle knowledge; Egwene will lead the sisters of the White Tower into a battle that dwarfs the Seanchan siege of Tar Valon; and Rand will march into Shayol Ghol. All the characters we've grown to love--Tam, Davram Bashere, Galad, Gawyn, Gareth Bryne, Brigitte and more will be at the head of armies. Of course many of the women--Min, Elayne, Aviendha, Siuan, Cadsuane and others--have even more important roles in the war. And don't even get me started on the awesomeness that is al'Lan Mandragoran. I will be in love with him forever! Yeah, he's just that studly. I, unfortunately, am a weeper, and yes I teared up during huge sections of this book. Most often when they were busy killing off characters that I loved, but also because some of it was so powerful, it took my breath away. For example, there's a part where Aviendha is put in charge of several teams of channelers that will guard the entrance to the Pit of Doom. This is because Rand is sure when he heads in, the Forsaken will try to head him off. The teams are there to make sure he isn't bothered and can focus on fighting the Dark One. Check out this excerpt: High above, the sun shone in a turbulent sky. Some storm clouds, in patches, some deep black, others brilliant white. It wasn't a cloud that suddenly obscured the sun, however, but something solid and black sliding into place. Aviendha felt a chill and found herself trembling as the light slipped away. Darkness, true darkness, fell. Soldiers across the field looked up in awe, and even fear. The light went out. The end of the world had come. Holy crap! Doesn't that just give you chills? The final line of the novel (and therefore the series) is tied to the opening paragraph that is used for every volume, which I thought was beautifully done. The final prophecy at the end of the story was written by Loial, which is heart-wrenching in and of itself. So many times I had to just put my hand to my chest and sigh. Then keep reading. Okay so I really need to be done gushing now. I've waited a long time for this book and it did not disappoint. I'm so sad to see the series end and dearly wish that the late Robert Jordan had survived to write more books, prequels, and spin-offs. I would have cherished every one. Now the world of WoT goes the way of Middle Earth--with nothing more to be written by the original author, and the literary world is a sadder place for it. *Special thanks to the wonderful Brandon Sanderson for taking up the gargantuan mantle and finishing the series in Jordan's stead. He did an amazing job! The final chapter of the Wheel of Time saga is everything we wanted it to be, everything we secretly feared it wouldn't be, and everything I could have imagined. Here's to Robert Jordan and the wonderful, sprawling monstrosity he created, and the obsession it created in so many millions of readers. May the wheel weave as the wheel wills.

This will not be one of my usual reviews. After all, A Memory of Light is the fourteenth and final volume of the Wheel of Time series, Robert Jordan's fantasy epic, completed after his death by Brandon Sanderson in 2013, following two other Sanderson-completed volumes. If you've read the first thirteen books, especially after Sanderson took over for Jordan, let's face it - you're going to read A Memory of Light whatever I have to say about it. If you stopped partway through the series, or haven't ever started it, it's difficult to make a recommendation about investing your time to read over four million words. I've been following the series for over two decades, so it's hard for me to be particularly objective. All that said... A Memory of Light is a great conclusion to a series that has had its highs and lows. It's not perfect, and I honestly don't think you could have a "perfect" ending for a series that's been going on for 23 years and thirteen previous volumes, and outlasted the original author. There are just too many things still going on in the world to cover everything everyone wants to see, even in 912 pages. Sanderson does an admirable job bringing the series to an ending, though, and I have a hard time seeing anything that Jordan himself could have done much better. Now, on to some specifics, while trying to be as un-spoiler-y as possible... The big three ta'veren of Rand, Mat, and Perrin are all great in this book. Each of them is very interesting, enjoyable, and important to the conclusion in their own way (says the reader who remembers Rand spending whole books barely appearing, Mat - one of my favorites - spending a book buried under a wall and Perrin - then not a favorite - spending four books chasing after his even-less-favorite-at-the-time kidnapped wife). Rand, of course, faces down the Dark One in the main metaphsyical event of Tarmon Gai'don. Mat is faced with having to out epic general the most epic general of the Forsaken commanding the Light's armies. Perrin handles the Tel'aran'rhiod front for the Light for some exciting reality bending adventures. Lan, Egwene, and Elayne are also very strong in A Memory of Light. Lan seems to glide from one crowning moment of awesome to another. Egwene is fantastic as Amyrlin in the confrontation the Aes Sedai have always been preparing for, with a great character growth and her own epic moment. Elayne is masterful both in command and in combat. Relative newcomers to the series Androl the Asha'man and Pevara of the Red Ajah are great. Both are very interesting, and provide good ways to explore parts of the story that the long time main characters are too busy to handle. Logain also impressed me with his arc. Tuon is fascinating as always. Demandred finally appears on the scene, and he's a force to be reckoned with. For the most part, watching him give the forces of the Light a good thrashing is great, as he truly lives up to the reputation the Forsaken have had for thousands of years. The downside is he makes most of the other Forsaken look even more incompetent than they already did by contrast. It makes me wish all the Forsaken had been this much bad news. Lanfear, at least, still has it together in this book and provides her usual threat to the heroes. Some patches are still a bit rough. Min's more useful in this book than in most, but still somewhat superfluous, as is Aviendha in my eyes. Nynaeve and Moiraine don't have nearly enough to do, especially after all the build-up of bringing Moiraine back. Moridin, despite getting a look at his motivations, is fairly flat and less of a threat than he feels like he should be at this point, especially with Demandred tearing things up elsewhere in contrast. And Padan Fain seems tossed in as an afterthought. Overall, though, it's a strong ending to the series. The major plot threads are all addressed. Some of the minor plot threads are still loose, but that helps give the impression that the Wheel is still turning. Most of the characters get a worthy payoff to their personal stories. If you've stuck with the series this long, especially after Sanderson took the helm, I think you'll be pleased with A Memory of Light. Sanderson - who cites the Wheel of Time as a major reason he became a writer - did an excellent job finishing out the series for his fellow fans. He definitely has my gratitude for taking on this monumental task, and I'm happy he did so, as I was not previously familiar with him before he was chosen to finish the Wheel of Time, and he's become a favorite author of mine in his own right after reading his original books. It's strange having a series that's been part of my life for so long be complete. I'm glad to have had the chance to read the conclusion, though, and look forward to pondering and discussing with fellow fans what the Fourth Age might bring. I also look forward to the Wheel of Time encyclopedia being planned for next year. Though the main narrative is over, I still have one last book to anticipate.

*******************This review does not contain any spoilers...read without worry!!**************************** I started reading WOT when I was 16 years old, 18 years ago. It has always been close to my heart. In Rand, Matt and Perrin I found three characters who I loved and treasured and who became a part of my life in a way no other characters ever have. The kind of characters that are so real and vibrant that you feel like they are friends you grew up with since you were a small child. When Robert Jordan passed away, I was shattered. I thought that I would never find out how the series ended, and it was a painful feeling. When I heard that Brandon Sanderson, a writer unknown to me, would finish the books, I was worried. I am a big Dune fan, and read all the books by Frank Herbert. For those of you who know the story, he also passed away without finishing his epic, legendary series. Later they found a manuscript in a safe deposit box, and it was decided that his son would finish the series working from that manuscript. I was so excited - I bought the book the first day it came out. Ten pages into I realized that something was very very wrong. The writing style was wholly unlike that of his father. The work was of an inferior quality - like that of a child compared to a true craftsman. It was horrifying. Not only was this book terrible, Brian Herbert kept releasing more and more of these fake Dune books. From that experience I learned that it is best not to know how a series ends, than to see it destroyed by a lesser hand. And so, when I heard that another author would finish WOT, albeit from notes left by Jordan, I was filled with trepidation. This didn't improve when I heard that the one book was turning into three. It sounded too much like a money-spinner. It was with pleasant surprise then that I read A Gathering Storm. The book was well-paced, and while it was not 100% in Jordan's style, it was certainly close enough not to matter to me. The plot was advanced and the excitement was back for me. I'm not one of those people who hated books 7-11, I thought they were all brilliant, even though some were ostensibly slower. But it is obvious that, whether by design or not, A Gathering Storm moved things forward at a more rapid pace. The same could be said for Towers of Midnight. An excellent book, which tied up threads that had been hanging for many many years. The scene was set. Still, I found myself a little nervous when I finally received A Memory of Light. This would be the book that capped off one of the most important series I have read. Would it be satisfactory? Would it be true to Jordan's vision? How would I feel when all was said and done? I can tell you now, in a word, jubilant. I loved this book - more even that the last two. I think Brandon Sanderson did an amazing job under very trying circumstances, and I think all of us have a lot to thank him for. I never felt that he let his own ego intrude. Instead, he let the story flow, the events unfold, and the characters speak for themselves. Gone is the akwardness when he writes Mat's point of view. In fact, Mat in this book is at his side-splitting best. Rand and Perrin are exactly the way I remember them when Jordan was writing, there is nothing jarring or out of character. With regards to the plot, I have seen a lot of reviews were people complain about the fact that the book is essentially 900 pages of battle. To them I can only say, WTF? How can you complain about that? When Jordan wrote at a slow, measured pace, setting up every last little detail and crafting the situations, they complained. Now that we have a relentless, bruising, violent, breathless page-turner, they complain. Not enough dialogue! Not enough philosophy! Please - this book is exactly what I wanted, and it is exactly what this series needed, and it is exactly what Jordan had been aiming for when he started writing this series. It is intense, it is crazy, it is dense, it will grab you by the throat and not let go until you read the last word. And even then, days and weeks later, you will keep coming back to the end in wonder and joy. My son is nine months old now, and I can't wait until he is old enough so we can start reading the Eye of the World together, and I can introduce him to this beautiful, magical series. And that will be, not THE beginning, but another beginning. Thank you Robert Jordan, for starting this amazing series, and creating these beautiful characters. Thank you Brandon Sanderson, for staying true to his vision. (As a short aside, I have noticed that many people give this book one star based on the fact that the kindle version was not released along with the hardcover one. I understand the frustration; I live in Taiwan, and though I own a kindle I had to order the hardcover and have it shipped all the way here. This is not a good way to do business, and I hope Amazon will exert more pressure on publishers who do this in the future. However, I see no reason to punish an excellent book based on a decision by the publisher...thus, five stars it is.)

One of the best i have read in my life. Is really great book if you like fantasy. And the end of a great saga.

And so i finish the series , 11,308 pages in total , spanning over 14 books , and averaging just over 800 pages each . It was a journey like no other , with characters to like and dislike and finally it ends . WHAT I LIKED : For a majority part of the book , i felt this was one of the best books i have ever read , with the book spending nearly 3/4th of its pages on battles , and boy oh boy these battles were illustrated beautifully by the author(s) . Well detailed , gory , entertaining , fast paced and really attentive to details, these were some of the best action sequences that I have personally read across fantasy or any other literature . Battle aside , many characters got a well deserved redemption arc , said arc was particularly shined upon Lan , who really did become the bad-ass that was implied throughout the series . The author(s) also managed to sneak in some fantastic twists and turns to keep it all very engaging for the reader so much so that at times it felt the final outcome didnt manage to live up to the amount of entertainment the set up and the twists actually delivered beforehand. WHAT I DIDNT LIKE : Most of my issues regarding this book stemmed from the events of the prior books , in so much so that many characters that were built up from the previous books became unused or had minor cameos . Which , had this book been a stand-alone, wouldn't be a problem but as a reader invested in the series and the character who we had to bear for 13 prior books , it felt like cheating Many characters also had awesome moments , like Egwene , yet every moment Egwene wasnt fighting shadow or Elaida , she came across as an narcissistic and annoying character And that is a problem held by many characters in the series , like cadsuane. Meanwhile even in the end Gawyn, Galad , Uno , Min , Aludra , those circus people ,Tuon all came across unnecessary . Even a certain villain , died way too easy and appeared after 95% of the book was done Demandred had also been inactive all through the series only to come out and present himself as the biggest bad ass heel of the third age? Meanwhile Moridin was the opposite Talking of demandred, you just can't create a whole new community like the sharans and red-veil aiel in the final book and just expect the readers to be okay . Another big dent for me were the deaths, some huge deaths occured here and yet despite how important said characters were the deaths were depicted so poorly it barely registered and now i know i have wished upon death on many characters in the series , but still i had invested in the these characters and their deaths didnt matter to me . CONCLUSION (for the whole series) Most fantasy readers I know rate the wheel of time very highly and maybe it was the high expectations from me that resulted in me being underwhelmed in the end . The series had it's merit in its world building and the plot , but the characters were very unlikable for me , and the plot had a means to escape using ex-machina means by calling upon Ta'veren , it sealed plot holes and managed to get author out of a corner but i hate such cheat codes . The writing was also too expansive and much of the series i felt dragging . Over all the final 3 books redeemed the series somewhat for me , and i enjohed the journey however i am sure WOT (like LOTR) won't be one of my favourite fantasy going forward

Came in good time, in great condition, great work

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Overall, I really enjoyed AMOL, and this enjoyment was probably increased by my surprise at the feeling itself. I first picked the housebrick of a book up almost in two minds whether to read it or just let it wait. I just wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it and was approaching it a bit like a chore that I didn't really want to do, but knew needed doing. It didn't take too long before I was rewarded however, as I was sucked in not just by the desire to see this through, after some 11,000 pages of reading in the series, but also by the gripping writing style employed by Sanderson. The scale of the book is immense, and as number 14 in the series, it has to be in order to bring everything together to a fitting close. I feel that there are just too many characters to keep a good track of, but for a series covering 14 novels, that's always going to be difficult - I think it's a case of introducing new characters as necessary but having so few as a percentage killed off. In a fantasy of this scope, I'd normally expect to see a fair number of these characters bite the dust before we get to book 14 - heck, if GRR Martin was writing it, we'd probably be left with just half a dozen named characters left and the last battle fought by heroic unknowns. Speaking of which, I joked to a friend that I'd just started the last battle and I was only halfway through the book, so either it's a really long battle, or we have an ending like the cinematic version of the Return of the King - where we get half out of our seats to go home and then realise it's coming back to the screen with another 10 minutes of footage. And then another 10 minutes. As it happens, it was a really long battle. The actual battle itself is almost entirely encompassed in one single chapter, but that chapter is 190 pages long. It's a beast. To satisfy my curiosity, I just counted and between us, my wife and I have about half a dozen books that are barely longer than this one chapter in terms of number of pages. Counting up an average looking page within the chapter and extrapolating a figure from there gives a rough estimate of somewhere in the region of 70,000 words. For a single chapter. Anyway, putting aside my amazement at the size of the chapter, I can see why it was done, and this bit for me is one of the best things about AMOL as a climax to the whole Wheel of Time series. There are 13 books leading up to this one, there's a cast of around a hundred named characters who are going to be involved in the last battle (I just pulled that number out of the air, but I really don't think I'm exaggerating much, if at all). To do it any justice, the last battle really has to be epic, and my word it delivers. Sometimes, thinking back on it, it almost seems like the entire book is dedicated to the last battle and nothing much else happens. There's plenty I can remember happening before we get to the battle itself, but somehow those bits all seem to be just prologues to Tarmon Gai'don anyway, and in a sense that's exactly what they are. Over the last couple of books it's been gradually happening, and leading up to the last battle in AMOL we see the final threads all being caught and pulled together. In the battle itself, as well as seeing a sequence of events befitting the build up we've been given, there's also some neat little extras. I think my favourite of these is probably the use of newly learnt magics, and mostly in the way gateways are used as more than just Travelling aids. I think this brings a big touch of realism to the battle, as you have commanders seeking every advantage they can get and people trying out new things, letting their imaginations loose with the powers they have at their disposal. It takes something special to keep a battle going for 190 pages, even one fought over several fronts before they all pull together, but I think I've read enough of his work to realise that Sanderson is indeed something special. The last battle is a real life or death fight, one last roll of the dice for both sides, with everything thrown at it - the name kind of gives it away really. To have the last battle over in a few smaller chapters just wouldn't have worked. It really needed to be on a scale rarely, if ever, imagined in fantasy writing. Now, obviously I've not read every novel, or every series out there, but for me at least, this was epic writing on a scale never seen before. I think if anything, the one part that I least liked about AMOL is the epilogue. I'd read that this was written by Jordan and added to the end of the book exactly as he'd intended it, and I like how everyone in the process stayed true to that as, after all, it's his story. For me, there was a noticeable change in the writing style when I turned that last page on Sanderson's writing and moved on to Jordan's. I also feel that the epilogue needed to be a bit longer, maybe a bit more fleshed out. To me, it almost seemed like it barely touched on a couple of major characters, and it's not until I went back to check that I realised there's actually a couple of pages split over two or three sections, but these characters still don't get the sort of send off I'd have thought they'd earned.