I suck at reviews so I'll just say it was my favorite Wheel of Time book since Lord of Chaos, and was one of the top 3 or 4 of the series.
Looks pretty good. The Wheel of Time series is on a level above most fantasy series. I would say it is comparable to the trilogy in quality and perhaps a little more mature in range.
This series is really a classic to be, but the reader can't be lazy.
You have to have an idea of the preceeding books to even have some idea of what is going on. There is a great amount of scope in plot and characters to take in. I don't believe the writing to be as good as RJ, but as it does follow the expected story, you can get something out of this book.
I do note a bit of amatuerish repetition in the first few pages. "The Wind.....
did this , The wind did that.... . I counted at least 10 sentences that begin that way. Having said that , I am looking forward to the next book.Let The Dragon Ride again on the Winds of Time I won't get into a whole bunch of spoilers, but this book is great. Rand is taken to a very dark place, Egwene shows her mettle, and the Black Ajah winds up on the run.
I won't say Books 7-11 were bad, but the Gathering Storm ramps up the excitement. I can't wait for next year at this time for "The Towers of Midnight."
Brandon could not have finished this series in one book. Neither could have RJ (RIP). This series is the best.
Rick
Breath of Fresh Air First of all I should admit some things. I first started reading the Wheel of Time when I was 12 and loved it. Whenever I knew a new book was coming out I would go to the bookstore every day at least 2 weeks in advance, just hoping that a bookseller had accidentally put the newest book out.
At around book 5 the quality started going down. Book 6 was even worse. Book 7 was terrible. And it was at this point that I gave up on the series all together. Gave up, pretty much, on Fantasy and Science Fiction altogether. My feelings about Jordan grew to the point where I felt that "If the WoT is one of the Best Fantasy Series ever written. And the WoT is one of the worst pieces of writing ever written. Then what does that say about commercial fantasy in general?"
A couple of years ago, however, I got into a situation where I had to read a lot of fantasy and science fiction for my job. Slowly I re-immersed myself into the genre. It was at this point in time that I read Sanderson and I will admit that I liked his work. And when I found out that the Gathering Storm was coming out, I managed to talk my way into getting an advance copy.
It is from this perspective that I can say that The Gathering Storm is easily one of the best books of the whole series. Sanderson has done an outstanding job. More happens in the Gathering Storm than in the last three WoT books put together, and except for the Prologue and the Perrin chapters there isn't an uninteresting section in the whole book.
The best book yet! I will admit that I was worried about the future of the series when I heard the terrible news of the passing of Mr. Jordan. He was a gift to the world of Fantasy that can never be replaced and his mark on the genre will outlive us all.
The Wheel of Time turns and ages come and go and Brandon Sanderson was the perfect choice to carry the torch and ride the winds of the Dragon. The pacing in this book is excellent and I had a very difficult time finding a stopping point. While reading this book, I gladly sacrificed sleep for continuing and I can't wait to do so again for Towers of Midnight next year.
Have no fear, the series is in good hands and Mr. Sanderson will provide us all with an excellent finale to the series that we have all come to know and love.
