Book Review: The Gathering Storm

The Gathering Storm UK Cover

Title: The Gathering Storm

Author: Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson

ISBN: 978-1-84149-232-2

First Published: 2009

Blurb:

THE LAST BATTLE LOOMS. AND MANKIND IS NOT READY.

Rand al’Thor struggles to unite a fractured network of kingdoms and alliances in preparation for the Last Battle, as his allies watch in terror the shadow that seems to be growing within the heart of the Dragon Reborn himself.

Egwene al’Vere is a captive of the White Tower and subject to the whims of their tyrannical leader. She works to hold together the disparate factions of Aes Sedai, as the days tick toward the Seanchan attack she knows is imminent. Her fight will prove the mettle of the Aes Sedai, and her conflict will decide the future of the White Tower – and possibly the world itself.

Review:

To be honest, I had begun to lose faith in The Wheel of Time series. The anticipation of this particular novel, the twelfth in the series, kept me going. The last two novels, Crossroads of Twilight and Knife of Dreams, felt very stagnant. Things happened, but incredibly slowly, and it felt as though the series would never end.

Part of that anticipation for The Gathering Storm was the ‘collaboration’ with Brandon Sanderson. Having read his Mistborn trilogy, I was really excited to see where he would take the final three books of The Wheel of Time, despite the tragic events that lead to him taking over from the late Robert Jordan.

Sanderson states in his foreword to the novel that “This is not my book. It is Robert Jordan’s book”. The story remains Jordan’s; only the words are Sanderson’s. This goes some way to appeasing long-term fans of the series. Sanderson claims not to emulate Jordan’s style, but the novel is still recognisable part of The Wheel of Time series. He, like Jordan, tells this epic tale from the highly introspective viewpoints of the characters. In turn, the characters remain highly recognisable and, in my opinion, have become even more likeable. Egwene and Rand evolve in especially satisfying ways.

The pace in The Gathering Storm has quickened immensely, a vast improvement to the frustratingly sluggish pace of the earlier novels. Things are happening that have huge significance, and there is a definite sense that this is the beginning of the end. Even though the ending of The Gathering Storm couldn’t wrap up every single loose thread that Jordan introduced over the course of the series, it is still very satisfying. Some long-running storylines, such as Egwene’s battle with the White Tower, and Rand’s battle with his insanity, are finally concluded.

It is no mistake that this novel is entitled The Gathering Storm. There is a strong sense of foreboding and apprehension. The Pattern is beginning to unravel, causing havoc, and the ‘bubbles of evil’ that cause deaths in horrifyingly random circumstances become more frequent. The Dark One touches the world, and it is more important than ever that Rand assembles the world’s armies to march to the Last Battle.

One criticism that I have had with previous novels in the series is that Jordan frequently introduced new viewpoint characters. It became difficult to maintain a hold on exactly who each character was, and what their motives were. Whilst Sanderson does introduce a few new characters, it is never for more than a few pages, and his focus remains on the main cast. This is a definite boon to the readability of the novel.

The Gathering Storm is an excellent beginning to the long-awaited final chapter of The Wheel of Time. Sanderson is successful in setting up an epic conclusion that seems set to satisfy expectations, and that will make the years of reading the series requires entirely worthwhile. Though fans rightfully mourn the loss of Robert Jordan, and some may not agree with the direction the new author takes, I feel that Brandon Sanderson is a very worthy candidate to complete this series twenty years in the writing.

Ratings:

Character: 10/10

Plot: 10/10

Style: 9/10

Overall: 10/10

Book Review: The World of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time

The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

Title: The World of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time

Author: Robert Jordan & Teresa Patterson

ISBN: 1-84149-026-1

First Published: 1997

Blurb:

With never-before-told legends, fascinating histories of its peoples and lands, and portents of what may come to pass, this engrossing book, written by Robert Jordan himself in collaboration with Teresa Patterson, takes you on an unforgettable journey through the extraordinary world of The Wheel of Time.

Review:

The World of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time is essentially a reference book that details the history, the important characters, and the countries that make up Robert Jordan’s world. Written collaboratively by Robert Jordan and Teresa Patterson, this book gives a wealth of background information about most of the world.

The book begins with an explanation of what the Wheel of Time is, as well as an explanation of the True Source, in its two halves, saidar and saidin, and the ways in which it can be wielded.

It then continues to the history of the Age of Legends, the Age that came before the Third Age in which the series of novels is set. Though referenced occasionally in the series, there is far more information here than Robert Jordan could squeeze into plots without excessive amounts of exposition. Revealing the advanced technology not dissimilar to our modern technology, we really see what the Forsaken mean when the call the world they wake up in ‘primitive’.

Through reading about the wondrous technology of the Age of Legends, a reader can see a much wider context, and can see exactly how much civilisation suffered with the Breaking. The history of the Age of Legends also reveals why saidin became tainted after the Dark One was sealed away, but saidar remained clean.

Another extremely helpful part of the book is the biography of each of the Forsaken. No longer are the Forsaken mindless evil villains; their motives for turning to the Shadow are revealed, and the reasons behind why they act the way they do is explained.

The geography of the world beyond the continent of the series is further revealed. Again, a wider context is created, and helps build the sense of a large picture that the series finds restrictive to unveil. Explanations of the various complicated class and ranking systems of each nation helps clarify them and cement them in the reader’s head. The class systems are used in the novels, but they are overwhelmingly intricate. The chapters in this book help solve that problem.

There are well-drawn and detailed maps of the world, its countries, and its major cities, as well as historical maps of the time before the novels. These maps are the same as those found in the novels themselves, but could be useful to have an indexed version for easier reference.

The close detailing of each nation does get a little tiresome at the end. Though each nation is different, similarities crop up again and again, and there is much repeated from the novels themselves. However, the knowledge of the political situations can help explain any subtle hints and phrases that Jordan uses to flesh out his novels. The novels can be difficult to read due to the amount of detail Jordan references, but this book enables the reader to read a quick overview.

I would only recommend this book to those interested in the wider context of The Wheel of Time. For those new to the series, it would provide an introduction, but would perhaps be too detailed to hold their interest. Those interested in writing fantasy and creating their own fantasy worlds may also found this book a brilliant resource. The information may be contained in the novels, but it is certainly helpful to have a place where it is collated separately from the complex plot and characters of the series. For long-time readers of the novels, The World of Robert Jordans The Wheel of Time is a fantastic reference that can help aid the understanding and readability of the novels.

Ratings:

Overall: 7/10

An Apology

I apologise for not having updated this blog since April. The end of university happened, then I couldn’t build up the interest to start posting again. But now I have, and all I can do is apologise for the lack of updates over the past five or six months.

Though my interest in The Ninth Word may have been lacking, my love for reading hasn’t. Over the next few weeks, you can look forward to me attempting to backtrack my reading list with reviews.

The books I will be reviewing soon are as follows:

• The Hero of Ages, Brandon Sanderson
• Crossroads of Twilight, Robert Jordan
• Wizard’s First Rule, Terry Goodkind
• Knife of Dreams, Robert Jordan
• The Greatest Show on Earth, Richard Dawkins
• The World of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time, Robert Jordan & Teresa Patterson

I’ve also undertaken a big step in my life recently, which I shall also be blogging about, with pictures. Though I’d like this blog to focus on book reviews, I’m sure the occasional life review won’t be completely out of place.

I look forward to resuming business as usual!