2010; 843 pages. Book #13 of the Wheel Of Time ("WoT") series. Genre : Epic Fantasy. New Author(s)? : No. Overall Raitng : 9½*/10.
.
The Last Battle looms. Trollocs, Draghkar, and Myrddraal swarm south out of The Blight; and the Dark One is all but free from his prison. Meanwhile, Rand Al'Thor (the Dragon Reborn) and his closest associates - Perrin, Mat, Elayne, Egwene, and Nynaeve - attempt to rally the human kingdoms, who unfortunately at times seem more intent on fighting each other than the hordes of Evil.
.
The Pattern in unraveling and for the first time ever, it seems possible that the Wheel Of Time will come to a halt.
.
What's To Like...
This is the penultimate book in the series, and a lot of the threads in Jordan's far-flung universe are finally converging. That means there is plenty of action, and lots of progress in the plotlines.
.
All the favorites are here (except Loial and the Ogiers. WTF ever happened to them?), including one or two that have been MIA for a while. But the bulk of the book focuses on Perrin and Mat as they make their way towards each other and towards Rand.
.
For those of you who are less "plot-driven", there is still oodles of attention paid to the characters themselves and the detailed minutiae of their lives. The "handing-off" from the late Robert Jordan to Brandon Sanderson is IMHO seamless. Indeed, I'd go as far as to say that Sanderson has rescued the series. Based on Books 6 thru 10, I have a hard time believing Jordan would be capable of making as disciplined an effort to bring the series to a close.
.
Kewl New Words...
Just one, and I can't find a plausible definition for it. Con (noun) : as in, "They wore con rising over their backs." (pg. 758). Maybe it's a made-up word.
.
Excerpts...
Amys eyes narrowed. "You have grown much since we last met, Egwene al'Vere."
That sent a thrill through Egwene. "I had much need to grow. My life has been difficult of late."
"When confronted by a collapsed roof," Bair said, "some will begin to haul away the refuse, becoming stronger for the process. Others will go to visit their brother's hold and drink his water." (pg. 202)
.
They entered the inn, known as The Grand Hike, which was crowded beyond usual because of the rain. The innkeeper was a friend of Birgitte's, however, and he had the bouncer toss out a drunkard sleeping in one of the booths to make room for her.
She tossed him a coin in thanks, and he nodded his ugly head to her - he was missing several teeth, one eye, and most of his hair. Best-looking man in the place. (pg. 357-58)
.
"I haven't yet asked what Matrim meant by calling himself a married man in his letter. I expect a full report! No expurgations!" She eyed Mat, smiling slyly. "Expurgation means 'parts cut out', Mat. In case you weren't bloody aware."
He put his hat on. "I knew that." What had that word been again? Expirations? (pg. 295)
.
Death is lighter than a feather. Duty is heavier than a mountain. (pg. 641)
I found Towers Of Midnight to be a complete treat. A number of long-standing threads get resolved, and the book ends with enough cliff-hangers and tension to give the WoT world a migraine.
.
The only readers who might be disappointed in ToM will be those who hoped WoT would be a never-ending series. It still might. There is a hint about a time long after The Dragon Reborn comes and goes, with the Aiel and the Seanchan locked in a war of annihilation. Perhaps Sanderson can be teased into writing a sequel series.
.
One note to new readers - this is not a stand-alone book. To enjoy ToM, you really need to read the first 12 books (plus the prequel), and each of those are 600-1100 pages long.
.
For everyone else, the worst that can be said is that we will have to wait more than a year for the final book; and I'm still not convinced that it won't have to be split into two parts. Yet if anyone can pull it off, it's Brandon Sanderson. Good luck and godspeed to you, sir! 9½ Stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment