The Gathering Storm

by Robert Jordan

Other authorsBrandon Sanderson (Author), Matthew C. Nielsen (Illustrator), Carol Russo (Cover designer), Elissa Mitchell (Illustrator), Darryl K. Sweet (Cover artist)
Hardcover, 2009-11

Status

Available

Call number

PS3560.O7617 G38

Publication

Tor Fantasy (New York, 2009). 1st edition, 1st printing. 784 pages. $29.99

Description

Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, struggles to unite a fractured network of kingdoms and alliances in preparation for the Last Battle. Meanwhile, Egwene al'Vere, the Amyrlin Seat of the rebel Aes Sedai, is being held captive by the White Tower. Knowing the Seanchan attack is imminent, she fights to hold the Aes Sedai together in an epic contest that will prove the mettle of her followers and will decide the future of the White Tower---and possibly the world itself. The first of three novels that will make up "A Memory of Light" and mark the conclusion of the Wheel of Time.

Media reviews

This book flows at breakneck speed and is hard to put down once you get into it. With action scenes coming quickly and having lasting results, the book keeps the reader on the edge of his seat, waiting to see what will come next. By the end of the story, I had a warm, satisfied feeling about
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what I had just read. After letting the book sink in, I began to speculate about what might come next and started to theorize about what certain scenes, images and allusions truly meant.
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3 more
The book's culmination is enthralling and a challenge to put down as the pace increases exponentially with each chapter. Nevertheless, the battle scenes were not as engrossing as those in the previous 11 books. Sanderson does not rely on the action to push the plot, choosing instead to use internal
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conflicts to maintain interest. "The Gathering Storm" is the best installment in the Wheel of Time series since the third novel, "The Dragon Reborn," and will not leave fans disappointed.
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Brandon Sanderson, the fantasy writer Jordan’s wife selected to finish the tale of the Dragon Reborn and his battle against the Dark One, has an unenviable task; working from Jordan’s extensive notes, he has to somehow bring nearly 20 years worth of plotting and a cast of hundreds to a
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conclusion that won’t disappoint. But The Gathering Storm makes a solid start.
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For my part, even aside from scenes (agh!) of awesome awesomeing (*clapclap*), I may not be entirely sure how I feel about some of what happened in The Gathering Storm, whether it was Jordan’s work or Sanderson’s but there is no doubt that I’m damn glad they wrote it. And I’m damn glad I
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got to read it.
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User reviews

LibraryThing member StephenBarkley
So much has happened. The creator of the series died after writing 11 books. A new author was chosen to write finale. The last book sprawled into a trilogy of its own. With so much anticipation, could this book possibly live up to the expectations of this decade and a half long fanboy?

Absolutely
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yes.

This was the most compelling read since The Fires of Heaven—maybe even since The Dragon Reborn. The pacing's back to speed, with little shawl-shifting to be found. Sanderson excelled in an impossible situation. I had never heard of the guy before he was chosen for this role, but I'm thoroughly impressed. His Mistborn Saga (The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, The Hero of Ages) is now on my agenda.

Egwene's plot line has advanced masterfully—with plenty of surprising moments. Mat & Perrin have remained pretty static—although Mat's mysterious letter has certainly set up something interesting for the next volume. Hints about Moraine abound. Most important was the development of Rand himself. At times I wasn't sure whether he would rise to hero or shrink to depot.

The ending was very satisfying—even without a grand battle climax like the rest of the books. There was enough action throughout the 700+ pages to reward the reader. The last chapter left me excited for the next book. I can hardly wait.
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LibraryThing member fyrefly98
Summary: The Last Battle is coming, and coming quickly; the Dark One's touch has never been more evident in the world. Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, is mankind's only chance of defeating the Dark One in the Last Battle... but how can anyone prepare for a responsibility like that? Rand has
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conquered almost half of the known world, but his hold of the various countries is fracturing, and he knows mankind must present a united front if they are to have any hope of survival. To that end, he tries to make peace with the Seanchan invaders, but even that may be for naught if Rand cannot learn to control the darkness and hardness that he has tried for so long to cultivate in his soul.

Meanwhile, Egwene, the Amyrlin Seat of the rebel Aes Sedai, is a captive within the White Tower. She is subject to severe punishments at the command of Elaida, the irrational and power-mad Amyrlin, but worse than the pain of any beating is watching the White Tower crumble from within. She knows the Aes Sedai need to be strong, and the Tower must be whole in order to aid Rand at Tarmon Gaidon, but how can a prisoner possibly manage such a daunting task?

Review: If you would have asked me, before reading this book, if either Robert Jordan or Brandon Sanderson had a distinctive writing style, I would have said no. Not that they're not both good writers, but just that neither has a way with words that would enable me to point to a passage and say 'There, that sounds like Sanderson' the way I could with Guy Gavriel Kay or Michael Chabon. However, as I discovered within the first few pages of the prologue, just because neither has a distinctive style, also does not mean that they have the same style. Sanderson addresses this in his author's note, saying that he did not try to emulate Jordan's style, choosing to stay true to the characters and the story, but to tell it in his own words. And that's fine; Sanderson is an accomplished writer whose books I enjoy. On the other hand, I will admit it was initially a little bit jarring to come across paragraphs or sentences that were decidedly un-Jordan-like.

I adapted quickly, though, and truth be told, Sanderson does an excellent job of maintaining continuity not only with the storyline, but more importantly, with the feel of the characters. Egwene's POV chapters still feel like Egwene, Perrin still sounds like Perrin, Rand still feels like a complete dolt who you just want to kick in the shins until he finally loosens up a little. I was somewhat worried about Mat; he's got a pretty distinctive voice - one that is easy to imitate, but hard to get right - plus Mat's first chapter doesn't come until almost midway through the book. To my delight, though, that chapter starts with Mat delivering a (*very* Mat-ish) monologue about women... followed by Talmanes making fun of the way Mat talks in a way that is not only hilarious, but also pokes gentle fun at Mat (and by extension, Jordan), and just generally lets us know that Sanderson gets it.

And that's the reason why I think having Sanderson take over after Jordan's death has worked where so many multi-author continuations have failed: Sanderson gets it. He wants the series to turn out well as much as any of the rest of us do. He's a fan too. But, unlike the average fanboy or fangirl, he's also an accomplished writer in his own stead, with the chops to pull it off. And that combination of talent and passion are what makes The Gathering Storm a worthy continuation instead of merely an acceptable one.

Okay, enough about the writing, let's talk about what actually happens. In short? TOTALLY AWESOME. It is not hyperbole to say that I laughed, I cried, I spent large chunks of the book with a pit of dread in my stomach because so many things were going so terribly wrong for the characters, and I quite literally stood up and cheered out loud at at least two points. (There may even have been fist-pumping.) There are prophecies fulfilled, storylines wrapped up, mysteries solved, and a wealth of wonderful and memorable and just perfect character moments.

I know there are also those out there who are apprehensive over the fact that Brandon Sanderson's contribution was initially going to be one book... and then two... and now finally three. I was certainly a little worried myself that the split would result in something patchy and without a satisfying end point (I'm looking at you, A Feast for Crows.) But that worry was completely baseless; The Gathering Storm has some of the most complete narrative arcs of any book in the series, not to mention one of the most satisfying endings. Just excellent. 5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Don't start here if you haven't read any of the previous 11 books, obviously. However, The Gathering Storm strongly reminded me why I love this series so much, why it was worth sticking it out through some of the slower books. It made me want to go start the series over from the beginning, and (although I wouldn't have thought it possible), it made me even more eager to get my hands on the next installment.
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LibraryThing member readermom
I have been waiting for this book for approximately four years. That's when the last book in this series came out. Then the author died and I gave up. Then a spectacular new author picked up the burden and delivered and oh boy did he deliver.
I have been waiting almost two weeks to write this as my
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local bookstore evidently thinks release dates are for sissies. Not that I am complaining. I read this 740 page novel in around six hours. It was that good. And more than just good, it was satisfying.
So often when you read books in a series, often in this series, you get to the end of the novel and there is no real conclusion. There might be some sort of ending, but no conclusion. It makes me want to throw the book and send nasty letters to the author for stringing me along. It also doesn't help that I am a sucker and get drawn in this way on a regular basis. (On a side note, this is one reason I like Brandon Sanderson so much. He writes stand alone novels, which is getting to be a lost art in sci-fi/fantasy.)
This book ended so well that even though there are two more books to come, I was content to just be at the place the story ended. Until next October anyway.
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LibraryThing member mattries37315
The Last Battle looms as seen in the shape of a "gathering storm." The twelfth installment of Robert Jordan's epic The Wheel of Time series marked not only the beginning of Act Three, but of Brandon Sanderson's involvement to help finish the series after Jordan's untimely death in 2007. The
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Gathering Storm is an appropriate title not only for the foreshadowing to the series' upcoming climatic battle nor the seemingly permanent overcast sky mentioned repeated throughout, but it describes the story arcs of the two main protagonists of the book: Rand al'Thor and Egwene al'Vere. Rand and Egwene both face a massive conflict unique to each of them, for Rand it is an internal struggle of being the Dragon Reborn while for Egwene the problem is more external and political as she attempts to reunite the Aes Sedai.

Both Rand and Egwene's story arcs began in previous installments, but in The Gathering Storm their problems come to ahead as the world races towards the prophesied Last Battle. In-between chapter focusing on Rand and Egwene from their own POV, are other important characters who add to primary story arcs: Nynaeve, Min, and Cadsuane for Rand; Gawyn and Siuan for Egwene. Both Mat and Perrin do appear, but of the two only Mat's is given good detail while the reader is left wanting about what is happening with Perrin based on the visions of him from Rand's POV.

The only complaint about The Gathering Storm is my last point above, in which events for Mat and Perrin are frustratingly hinted at but left the reader wanting to know what's going on with them. But considering that is the only complaint I have after a nearly 1100 page book, it speaks volumes about how well this book was written. This of course brings up if there seems to be any difficulty with writing style of Brandon Sanderson compared to the earlier books in the series. To this I have to say, "NO, at least I didn't see any." I found The Gathering Storm a really easy read and enjoyable, building upon my experience with Knife of Dreams (the last complete book Jordan wrote). Of the complaints I've seen about Sanderson word usage or how Mat seems different, I did not see it in this book.

Overall, The Gathering Storm is an excellent addition to The Wheel of Time series and an amazing way for Sanderson to start off his completing of this epic series. I'm giving this book 4 1/2 stars as I believe the tad frustrating visions of Mat and Perrin take a little away from this book. Either way, The Gathering Storm reminds one of the quality of earlier in the series and is a must read for WoT fans.
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LibraryThing member BookAddictDiary
When Robert Jordan passed away in 2007 from a rare blood disease, fantasy fans everywhere hung their heads and cried. The genre had lost a modern legend, a man who brought the Tolkien-esque world of The Wheel of Time to life and reinvigorated the epic fantasy genre. Not only was Jordan gone, but
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his beloved series remained unfinished.

But there was a ray of hope. Jordan kept extensive notes detailing the final volume of his series, A Memory of Light, in hopes that someone would complete the series for his fans. After Jordan's death, his wife Harriet and publishing company TOR selected Brandon Sanderson to complete the series. Since A Memory of Light quickly became incredibly massive, the volume was broken up into three books: The Gathering Storm, Towers of Midnight, and A Memory of Light.

Nearly 20 years after the series' first novel, The Eye of the World was released, The Gathering Storm hit shelves - four years after the previous instalment, Knife of Dreams. While fans were hungry for new adventures, many (myself included) were skeptical of Sanderson's involvement. He was handpicked for the job, so surely he was worthy of it - but something in the back of my head warned me that it simply wouldn't be the same without Jordan.

It wasn't - but yet, it still was...

The Gathering Storm, in my opinion, is actually better than the previous three or four Wheel of Time novels. Instead of agonizing filler and focusing on tedious side-plots, The Gathering Storm finally advances the overarching plot in a meaningful way (even though the characters comment far too many times that the Last Battle is coming - it's only been coming for the last five books or so...).

The twelfth instalment of Jordan's popular epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time focuses mostly on rebel Amyrlin Seat Egwene, her captivity in the White Tower, and the plot line involving the battle between two factions of Aes Sedai. While other characters, such as Rand, Matt, and Perrin, make appearances and have some advancement, other plot lines and characters are pretty much left out completely (Elayne, the White Cloaks). I would assume that these plot lines will come into play more in the final two books, but I would have liked to see what was going on with everyone since it's been four years since I last checked in.

While Jordan didn't pen every single word in The Gathering Storm, his spirit is still present in every sentence. As Sanderson explains in his foreword, Jordan left detailed notes about the end of his series and even wrote certain scenes. While Sanderson does an exquisite job of integrating Jordan's already-written scenes and vision with his own scenes and writing style, a long-time, very observant Jordan reader can tell that the style is just a little off from previous books. But if you haven't touch any Wheel of Time books since Knife of Dreams came out in 2005, then it isn't very noticeable.

While some purists will always have trouble with The Gathering Storm and subsequent novels due to Sanderson, he does a wonderful job stepping into Jordan's shoes and helps pump new life into the series.

With the end in sight, I can't wait to pick up Towers of Midnight (2010) and A Memory of Light (2011) and see how everything finally comes together -heck, I've been reading this series for over 10 years. The Wheel of Time is still one of the most epic fantasy series ever written and still keeps me flipping pages.
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LibraryThing member connie.sung
This is one of the rare books in the Wheel of Time that actually moves FAST... well, as fast as it should go for a WoT book. What happens in this book is that Rand al'Thor basically SNAPS into a mental breakdown and goes insane (his breakdown actually took like, 6 books, but this is the insane part
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coming now). After the Domination Band (a collar thing that gives the person controlling collared person complete control of collaree) got slapped on his neck by Semirahage, he completely breaks off any trust that he had before, and he's focused on "restraining his anger," and how "did he not see it? People didn't respond to anger and demands. They responded better to calmness and questions" or some things like that. Matrim "Mat" Cauthon, meanwhile spends a night in Hinderstap, where the villagers turn into insane murderers at night... That came as well as expected... but he lived. Egwene al'Vere tries to set Ajahs (groups of witches, the "good" kind, that are dedicated to a kind of philosophy. Like the White Ajah rely on logic and distance themselves from their emotions. Browns find as much knowledge as the can and distance themselves from "earthly" distractions) together again. She succeeds. *SPOILERS* The ending has Rand finally showing his emotions... after nearly destroying the world, but he had a revelation. That people were "reborn" to correct their mistakes, and to love again.

The ending I'll admit, the way I put it was cheesy, but if you read it, it's so moving. Brandon Sanderson did a fantastic job on continuing the series. This is the best book in a loooooong while, and it shows Rand's insanity VERY well. You never knew how far he went till THAT happened. Meanwhile, on Egwene's end, Sanderson made several moments where Egwene REALLY grew up, and all of it was awesome. It also showed how scary Rand had become, completely emotionless, ruthless, willing to sacrifice anything and anyone. All the chapters with Mat in there was extremely funny... ("Hello. Welcome to Hinderstap. We will murder you in the night and eat your BLOODY face if you stay past sunset. Try the pies. Martna Baily makes them fresh daily." XD) yeah, Mat's one of my favorite characters (still kind of like Rand and Perring though). It shows Rand's point of view when he almost KILLED his beloved (adopted) father. All in all, this book is the best, longest book I have ever read. (And yes, it beat Harry Potter :)
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LibraryThing member lanes_3
The story recovers its fast-paced style it had in the early novels. One can see things start to fall into place and they may not all be good for Rand.
LibraryThing member rdwarren
This book brought back my interest in the series
LibraryThing member SatansParakeet
Brandon Sanderson does an excellent job of picking up where Robert Jordan left off. He made the author transition so seamless that I really have no idea which parts were written by Jordan and by Sanderson. This book also has a good ending that does not leave you completely hanging to see what the
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result of the action will be. I found that sort of cliff hanger intensely annoying in a few of Jordan's last books in the series. All in all, Sanderson has picked up the reigns nicely and I eagerly await the last two volumes in the series.
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LibraryThing member glenline
Sanderson did a good job of adding elements that Jordan used and displayed a good understanding of the series. His writing is more polished though and Jordan's home spun language was fun.
LibraryThing member OregonTrailMix
This entry in the Wheel of Time series felt like a return to form. Perhaps not in the stylistic sense, as Brandon Sanderson is authoring the conclusion to Robert Jordan's work. Sanderson did, however, manage to evoke the same excitement I felt as reader in this book as I did when I first started
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with The Eye of the World.

Various storylines are reaching their conclusions, which definitely interested me as a reader.

POV - still shifting POV found in the rest of the series. Probably fewer pages(chapters may be better word) focusing on one character in a row, which probably contributed to faster pacing.

One thing that has bothered me throughout the series (and is still present here) is the female characters' (Nynaeve, Egwene, Cadsuane, + others) responses to male characters (mostly Rand). I suppose most of this could be partially explained as their culture and a reaction to the breaking of the world by male channelers of the past. That doesn't make it less annoying though.

Overall, annoyances can be overlooked in favor of entertainment (and anticipation for final two books) derived from this book.
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LibraryThing member Guide2
Very good follow-up to the serie by Mr. Sanderson. A lot of good progress for most of the main characters and more specifically Rand and Egwene.
LibraryThing member Solaerin
It's been more or less twenty years since the first book in The Wheel of Time was published. Since then, we've seen eleven books attempting to tell a massive, all-encompassing tale of the end of an era that could've existed in a world far in the future or forgotten in the distant past. Previous
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books seemed slower because the readers wanted more focus on the main characters, and not on the side stories... but hey, it is the story of an entire Age, so they deserve to have their say.

Nonetheless, Book 12 does break away from such conventions. In the first part of the planned ending, Brandon Sanderson manages to recapture the feel of earlier books in the saga, focusing on main characters, and mostly on two: Rand al'Thor and Egwene al'Vere. At no point do you feel as if Robert Jordan would cringe seeing what his series has become - on the contrary, you can't help but feel he'd be thrilled.

I reread the first eleven books before tackling Book 12, simply to ease into the story again without any confusion. The fact that, even expecting it, I didn't notice the change except in a few choice parts of the books says it all.

Story-wise, the book is action-packed and you can tell, with no room left for doubts, that the story is reaching an end. This is one of the best books in the series, and if you ever lost faith in The Wheel of Time, it will get you back on board, waiting impatiently for the next book.
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LibraryThing member qarae
Book 12 in the Wheel of Time series.

My favorite book in this series is the first book, [Eye of the World]. But this book is a very close second. Following mostly Rand and Egwene, Brandon Sanderson did an incredibe of job of pulling together Robert Jordan's notes following his passing.

I cried
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several times throughout. In pride at strong woman Egwene has become, and in sorry at what has become of the young and innocent boy Rand.

I've read this entire series several times over the years, and this is the first time since the first book that I have screamed for more as I finished that last page. Brandon has brought us back to the originial feel that the WoT series had, that passion has returned to the pages. The colors are brighter and the pain deeper.
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LibraryThing member etimme
This book reads a lot like Jordan's previous one, yet I think that Sanderson finds a way to bring his own voice into it. I've read most of his bibliography, and I am impressed that he was able to make the jump from short novel to epic fantasy without misstep.

The Gathering Storm is a much darker
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book than the previous ones, and it has more of Rand than I can remember having since the very beginning of the series. Sanderson does a great job of wrapping up all the unnecessary story lines and complications (Gawyn and Masema, specifically), and also finally brings the agonizingly slow and boring White Tower split to an end, while also giving Elaida her comeuppance.

I am excited for the next book, and happy that the series is in the hands of a prolific, modern writer. I do not expect to see a lot of shades of gray from our characters, because that was never Jordan's style, but I expect a satisfying conclusion to a series that's grown alongside me.
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LibraryThing member pmtracy
I’ve been reading the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan (James Oliver Rigney, Jr.) for almost 20 years. I had dedicated considerable time to the series having read close to 8000 pages when Jordan passed away in 2007. Like the rest of his fans, I was crushed and dismayed that the series would
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never be brought to a conclusion.

A few years ago, I heard that Brandon Sanderson had been approached to pick up where Jordan had left off and complete the series. I wasn’t familiar with his writing, but many forum posts implied he was a good choice, so I waited patiently for him to finish the book. It was worth the wait.

In the foreword, Sanderson tells that Jordan left very detailed notes and had actually completed some of the book. Keeping in mind this was to be the completion of the series, the book grew to the point where it was simply too large to release as one volume so it was decided to break it into three. The Gathering Storm is therefore the first volume of the final book of the Wheel of Time.

I enjoyed Jordan’s writing, but in a series this long, there’s bound to be ups and downs. I remember completing entire 700+ page volumes and thinking the story hadn’t advanced much. In this book, there’s quite a bit of action and you can tell the epic is coming to a close as story lines come together and all the “threads of the pattern” begin to fall in place. I’m not sure if it’s Sanderson’s writing or the fact that the story is so engrossing at this point, but I feel this is one of the finest books in the entire series.

I don’t want to include any spoilers but I do want to make a comment about Rand’s character. The Dragon Reborn (really the single most important character in the series) has been in the background for the last few books. He’s finally featured again and the character goes through several major changes in this volume. Others may have seen this from past story lines, but it just clicked for me that Rand is a Christ allegory and that is fully cemented in one chapter when he accepts his coming death to save the world. The frequent use of the number three and other trinity references just reinforces the motif. I haven’t quite decided where the chapter “Veins of Gold” left this however.
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LibraryThing member revslick
If you're familiar with the Wheel of Time series then I don't have to say anything but WOW! I can't wait for the next two!!!!! If you haven't, the I'll just say this is one of the best Fantasy series ever. Jordan died before he could conclude it but he made extensive notes and Sanderson is
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completing the seires for him and has put together so far a masterpiece.
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LibraryThing member yoyogod
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from The Gathering Storm. I like the Wheel of Time series. I like Brandon Sanderson. However, I tend to be somewhat wary of these "posthumous collaborations," because usually they're only a step or two above fanfic (if that).

In the case of The Gathering Storm, mt
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worries were unfounded. This is a truly excellent continuation of the series. I think it's actually better than some of the middle of the series novels where Jordan let the plot lag a bit too much. The plot doesn't lag here, and Rand's character actually develops.

My only complaint, is a general complaint with the series: there are too damn many major characters. This means that many of the characters from the past who were interesting seem to either be given less time in the novel (Mat doesn't show up until halfway through) or disappear altogether (Elayne for instance doesn't get anything more than a few mentions). Even so, this is a good book.
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LibraryThing member b3anspr0ut
This book is a great beginning to the end of the series. The new author has a slightly different writing style, but he knows the characters and the story so well that you will still get completely caught up in the story. This book doesn't focus on all of the story lines that have been forming, but
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it does continue to build upon some of the major ones with some great battle scenes thrown in! If this book is a good indication on how the new author will finish the series, I can't wait to read the remaining two!
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LibraryThing member Sine
Sanderson is a marvelous choice to finish this series. I was slow to read the book after I bought it. I was afraid that it might ruin the story for me, if it did not follow the spirit as well as the environment of the story, but my fears were put to rest.
I am really looking forward to the next two
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books.
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LibraryThing member Aldrea_Alien
Rand was certainly the whiniest he's been in this series, but just when reading his chapters started to become a chore, I was plesantly drawn back too his lighter side (it was nice to see the old him poking through, I was missing it). If there was more focus on Rand than I think I wouldn't have
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been able to carry on through the whole 766 pages, but those heavy pieces were wonderfully interspersed with Egwene and Mat and, to a lesser extent, Aviendha and Nynaeve and Min and Cadsuane.
Several pieces had me laughing (like the spanking of a Forsaken). Others had me sitting 'til quite late with their intensity (I couldn't leave until I found Egwene was safe after the tower attack). And a few of my suspicions came true (like who's a darkfriend). Many of the earlier plots are finally starting to come to a head. Not all the loose ends have been gathered yet and I was still left with questions, but that's to be expected with two more books to follow.
Wonderfully done and harks back to the feel of the earlier novels. Am definitely eager to for the next book to come out.
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LibraryThing member aqeeliz
After reading the whole series back-to-back, the difference in writing style and some characters is quite obvious, and sometimes a bit annoying, but that is to be expected with different Author writing this book, though it gets better after reading each character for a while.

Other than that, it is
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same as other Wheel of Time books, better than few as the pace is a bit quicker and things are finally coming to a conclusion.
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LibraryThing member rapago
After such a long wait, so long in fact that the author actually died, I finally picked up this book. Imagine my surprise to discover that this last book is actually just the first of three books that will finish the story.

Thankfully, Jordan, left enough notes for the author to complete the story
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of Rand, the sheep herder, who became the Dragon Reborn. I like how Rand grew in this novel and the ending sets up the next one nicely. There are still many plot lines that need to be resolved.

Of course I will read the next two.
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LibraryThing member PiyushC
Finally! After such a long wait and unfortunate events, the series lives! As I suspected, having read a few of the works of Sanderson recently, he indeed was a very good choice to conclude the series. And the first part of the final trilogy convinced me of the need to break it into three parts, the
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least it did was give us something to read without waiting for the entire tome to be written, so I guess I have little reason to complain. Now about the book - It was really refreshing to read a story and plot by Jordan written in Sanderson's style. Unlike the previous volumes, the action was distributed uniformly over the entire book, I was actually a little fed up of the build of story in an entire volume and a battle squeezed in the last fourth of the book to take the storyline forward.

There were still quite a few abrupt breaks, but with a storyline as vast as the one Wheel of Time boasts of, I suspect, they couldn't have been helped, though maybe managed a little better.

SPOILER ALERT:

It was quite interesting to see the first forsaken slain in the first one third and the second one sometime in the middle of the book, and none at the end! Though, out of the three, Perrin's story seems to be the dullest one, a little more exposure in this book would have helped. Mat's part, though larger than Perrin's, still left a lot to be desired. While Verin managed to get back to the White Tower, she would have dropped Mat with Elayne on her way! But we find absolutely no mention of the same in the book except Rand's one-liner viewing.

Rating: 4/5
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LibraryThing member jinkay
fantastic read! sanderson did a good job of continuing where robert jordan left off. this book felt a lot more concise than jordan's previous ones, especially the middle books of the series where readers were introduced to a barrage of characters for whom we could care less. the book focused more
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on rand and egwene and their stories moved forward slowly (albeit a LOT faster than jordan's pacing) but surely towards the end - the last battle. i loved mat's parts of the story even if it felt like mat's adventures weren't an essential part of anything (save for his meeting with verin). i chuckled and laughed at his lines especially how he told verin she probably saidared his portrait.

the gathering storm reminded me why i loved the wheel of time series in the first place. can't wait for the next book.
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Awards

Audie Award (Finalist — Science Fiction/Fantasy — 2010)
David Gemmell Legend Award (Shortlist — 2010)

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2009-10-27

Physical description

784 p.; 6.46 inches

ISBN

9780765302304
Page: 3.2615 seconds