A Memory of Light Review (spoiler free)

Well it's all over now. More than 20 years and thousands of pages later I now have the full story of the Wheel of Time. The epic fantasy series by Robert Jordan and finished by Brandon Sanderson is the longest continuous narrative I will probably ever read. I have read other series like Robert Adams' The Horseclans novels and the Dresden Files, etc. that already stretch over more books (or eventually will), but those series don't feel like a single story told in 14+ parts.

Often the journey is more satisfying than the destination (or in this case the end). A Memory of Light is a satisfying end to a long complex tale. It isn't the same end that Robert Jordan would have given us in that the pieces are put together in a different way, but the pieces would most-likely have been the same.

A Memory of Light (AMoL), as promised ends the story begun in The Eye of the World but does leave some minor questions for us to ponder regarding the future of this world. One that we will only see in our imaginations after this point. Brandon Sanderson and the team behind this book have done a great job of tying together this long narrative and seem to take special efforts to link in even some of the smallest hints and events in prior books and make them relevant and important to the end of the story.

AMoL is a long book with a staggering number of points of view with many chapters featuring two or more POV. The book has many of the epic moments that has defined The Wheel of Time and many are given quite a bit of space while others come in a single sentence or paragraph leaving you re-reading to make sure you caught what just happened.

Not everything is perfect with the book or the story. Some points are drawn out and tiring to read through while others are rushed and don't feel like they are given enough time or focus. That aside, we get closure - perhaps not in the way we thought it would be or as we hoped but fitting nonetheless.

I recommend AMoL to anyone interested in epic fantasy and contend that the journey is worth investing in the several million words that is the Wheel of Time. It will take a while for it to settle in that the story is now done, but I am happy to have read it. A Memory of Light gets 4 and a half Mick Happies. I hope you take a ride on the winds of time someday (if you haven't already).

My Wheel of Time Collection

P.S. I did get the answer to my RAFO question about Mat and the Deathwatch Guards. (see Towers of Midnight review below for more on that).

Towers of Midnight Review

With the release of A Memory of Light on January 8, 2013, I decided to re-read Towers of Midnight to prepare. Towers of Midnight is the 13^th main book in the Wheel of Time Series published by Tor and written by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. For those few who don’t know, The Wheel of Time is an epic Fantasy series that will, when finished, span 14 main books and a prequel novel. Unfortunately, Mr. Jordan passed away before completing the series and Brandon Sanderson was chosen to finish it based on his notes, outlines and partially written pieces. I won’t try to bring you up to speed on the story so far or explain the series beyond that. If you want a terrific in-depth study on each book, see Leigh Butler’s re-read of the Wheel of Time at Tor.com.

Towers of Midnight (ToM) is the second book that Mr. Sanderson has completed and he does a very good job of delivering a book that is definitely part of the Wheel of Time even if some of the individual words and sections are not exactly as Robert Jordan would have written them.

When I first read ToM two years ago, I found myself impatient with some of the characters and plot lines that get a greater share of the page count. On re-reading the story, I have a better appreciation for how it all weaves together to get the characters to the right place at the right time for the final confrontation to happen. For several books leading up to book 12, The Gathering Storm, the Wheel of Time had slowed down and the story felt like it was grinding under the large weight of the scope of it all. However, within that I had the greater sense that everything was going to come to a final head well before any of the “good guys” were prepared and all of the planning and scheming they were doing was going to be for nothing.

In The Gathering Storm, all seems bleak for the forces of good and it looks like the Shadow (the forces of evil) will win. In ToM, we see that all is not lost for the Light (the good guys) and that they may actually have a shot at winning. There are a lot of great scenes in ToM, which pay off nicely on the narrative debt built up over the previous 12 books. I won’t spoil them, but many are epic, some bittersweet, a few things happen that have you wondering how they will impact the last book and as always you get a sense that the end will not be all roses for everyone. This isn’t George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice where I swear bad things will happen to everyone, but a lot of horrible things have happened over 13 books and there are bound to be more in A Memory of Light even though the events of ToM were pretty pro-good guys.

I realized the other day that I have been reading Wheel of Time books for over 20 years, longer than my daughter has been alive or I have been married. My father suggested I read Eye of the World and I didn’t recognize what he was suggesting I read until a college roommate was reading it and raving about it. For about half my life I have been reading these books and enjoying the journey. I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Jordan a couple of times (4 or 5) at book signings. Most of the time I didn’t have anything to say other than thanks for the story. The last book tour I saw him at (Crossroads of Twilight) I asked two questions:

How long would it take Lan to ride to Tarwin’s Gap?

Would Mat be able to command the Deathwatch Guards?

To both questions I got the usual answer of “Read and find out”.  At the end of ToM I know the answer to one of the two, roughly. I expect the answer to number two will come in A Memory of Light.

I recommend the Wheel of Time series. It can be long and frustrating and enjoyable. ToM is a very satisfying piece in the series and rewards the readers for sticking with the story for over 10,000 pages. Towers of Midnight gets 4 Mick Happies. It isn’t the best of the series, but it is right up there and ramps things up for an epic conclusion in A Memory of Light. Hopefully Mr. Jordan would be satisfied with how it all ends.

Note: There are many websites devoted to The Wheel of Time. One of the best is Dragonmount.com. Here is a trailer that the Dragonmount folks made for Towers of Midnight:

Wild Cards Review

In December, Tor discounted the e-book cost of the first three novels in the re-launched Wild Cards series of novels edited by George R.R. Martin to $2.99 each. I had never gotten into the original Wild Cards series, which spanned more than twelve books, so I took this as my chance and scooped them up. The new Wild Card books are set in modern day on earth where the world has been dealing with the wild card virus and its effects. The wild card virus is an alien virus that mutates those afflicted with it and causing most to die or gain special abilities. These special abilities may be mutations that do nothing, make them grotesque or give them super powers. The novels of the Wild Cards series are as mosaic novels or an anthology of stories or chapters written by different authors, but as a single narrative.

The first of the new books is called Inside Straight and starts with the assassination of the leader of a unified Middle Eastern state called the Caliphate. This event and the effects it has in the Middle East and northern Africa are the main plot line in the background of the novel. In the foreground is the story of numerous wild card “Aces” or people who developed super powers from the virus’ mutation competing on US television in an American Idol-like contest called American Hero. As the book progresses the contestants question what it means to have powers and to be a hero.

The second and third books, Busted Flush and Suicide Kings, continue to delve into a world impacted by people with amazing powers and the governments that try to use them. I enjoy super hero TV shows and movies, so I was always interested in what this series would be like. I found that I enjoyed the limitations many of the characters had with their powers. Take for instance Curveball, a girl who can accelerate and control any object she throws even to the point of it exploding when it hits something. That is a fantastic power, but she is vulnerable to anything a normal person might be; all firepower and no defense. Another example is Earth Witch who can control the earth. At the start of the story we find Earth Witch making a living for her family digging wells with her power.

That kind of common application of these powers made the world of Wild Cards have more depth. Since the story is set in a world where they have been dealing with this virus and its effects for decades, it felt like people were still just being people whether they had super powers, tentacle mutations or no powers at all. One minor quibble with the stories is that there are many characters floating in and out and this can cause you to have to read through several chapters or stories about characters you really aren’t very connected to in order to reach those you are. Unlike an anthology though, all of the chapters and stories continue the overarching plot of the novel.

I liked the new Wild Cards series. I recommend that you look for them to be discount priced again (they currently look to be $7.99 for the e-books) or pick them up from some of the sellers on Amazon where they are going for $1 - $4. At the $2.99 price I got them for, they were well worth it. There is already a fourth novel in the new series and a fifth on the way. Do note that while edited by George R.R. Martin, he only has a story in the first novel of the three. Overall, Inside Straight, Busted Flush and Suicide Kings get 3 Mick Happies. Watch out for your card to turn…