Review: Towers of Midnight (The Wheel of Time, book 13)

Title: Towers of Midnight
Author: Robert Jordan
Published: 2 November 2010
Author’s Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Jordan
Genre: Fantasy

Review:  Towers of Midnight, the thirteenth book in The Wheel of Time, sets the stage for the final book, positioning our main characters to provide support at Tarmon Gai’don, the Last Battle, where Rand al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn, and Shai’tan (the Dark One) will battle for the fate of the world.

A newly enlightened Rand, begins to bounce around the world, visiting leaders of countries after first stopping in Tar Valon to address  the Amyrlin Seat, telling them Tarmon Gai’don is fast approaching and that he plans to break the remaining seals on the Dark One’s prison in order to properly re-seal him away.  Rand also begins making peace with a number of people with whom he’d had falling outs, apologizing for his past behavior, including his ‘father’, Tam al’Thor, and Cadsuane Sedai, whom he allows back into his presence.

Having cleansed the White Tower of the Black Ajah, Egwene al’Vere begins to hunt Mesaana, the Forsaken who’s taken up residence in the tower, who she also believes is responsible for the murders of sisters.  During this time, she also has to deal with Gawyn Trakand –her feelings for him vs. his inability to respect her authority as Amyrlin.  Eventually, they each save each other, he becomes her warder, and they agree to marry.

Perrin Aybarra and Faile manage to overcome the uncomfortableness between them that came about due to Faile’s captivity by the Shaido.  After a pivotal fight with “Slayer” in the wolf dream, Perrin comes to a balance with his inner wolf which also leads to realization that, like it or not, he’s Lord Perrin.  The latest addition to his sizable army is the Children of the Light, led by Galad Damodred.  Before arriving in Caemlyn, Perrin marries Morgase Trakand and Martyn Tallanvor.

Matrim Cathoun leads his Band to Caemlyn, where he and Thom are reunited with the new Queen, Elayne Trakand.  Mat deals with Elayne to work for Andor in exchange for the use of the “Dragons” Aludra has designed.  Mat manages to defeat the gholam with the help of a couple copies (created by Elayne) of his foxhead medallion.  Mat, Thom, and Noal head off to the Tower of Ghenjei, where they rescue a severely drained Moraine for a price:  the life of Noal and ‘half the light of the world’ from Mat. Once rescued, Moiraine and Thom agree to marry.

The Wise Ones finally allow Aviendha to journey to Rhuidean for the final test to become a Wise One.  During her test, she sees a troubling future.  Although it indicates the Dragon Reborn has triumphed over the Dark One, it shows a very bleak end for the Aiel.

Something is going on in the Black Tower, as well.  No one has seen Logain in a while and the rift between those loyal to him and those loyal to Taim is growing.  Gateways out of the Black Tower have stopped working and, combined with the Asha’man-manned guard towers on the gate, those inside are effectively trapped.

As one part of the end of this book, al’Lan Mandragoran sounds the charge of his twelve thousand-troop army through Tarwin’s Gap into the Dark One’s hundred and fifty thousand strong horde…and one other who’d disappeared shows back up in Rand’s dream the night before his address to the gathered nations.

Bottom Line:  Another great job by Brandon Sanderson filling in for Robert Jordan.  All of the plot lines are converging nicely,  the battle scenes are tight and gripping, and, while we know what’s coming, we still can’t be sure who’s going to be on who’s side, where the Forsaken are going to show up, whether the Light or the Shadow will prevail, and, perhaps most importantly, which of our favorite characters will survive.

Review: The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time, book 1)

Title: The Eye of the World
Author: Robert Jordan
Published: January 15, 1990
Author’s Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Jordan
Genre: Fantasy

Review:  The first book in The Wheel of Time series, The Eye of the World introduces us to all of the main players in this book in the first few chapters.  We meet Rand, Perin, and Mat, Egwene and Nynaeve, Moraine and Lan, Padan Fain, and Thom the Gleeman in Emond’s Field of the Two Rivers.  Shortly after we’ve met everyone, Rand and his father, Tam, are attacked by trollocs at their farm outside of town.  Tam gets injured so Rand takes up his father’s sword and manages to get them both to town, which had also been attacked in the night.  The attack had been repulsed by Moraine, who has now been revealed as an Aes Sedai, the “magic” wielding folks of this world.  The boys, Rand, Perrin, and Mat, as well as Rand’s not-quite-girlfriend Egwene, leave the town with Moraine Sedai, her Warder, Lan, and Thom because Moraine convinces them that the trollocs were there for them.

A grand adventure begins with the group pursued by the minions of The Dark One as they flee with the intention of heading to the Aes Sedai stronghold of Tar Valon.  Naturally, the group gets split into smaller groups that each have unique encounters before finally being reunited in in the Borderlands rather than Tar Valon.  From the borderland stronghold of Shienar, the group rides into the Blight to find The Eye of the World, where Rand first channels the One Power, proving to Moraine what she had suspected…he is The Dragon Reborn.

Along their journeys, Rand, Perrin, Mat, and Egwene, and even Nynaeve to a degree, do a bit of growing up, learn how much bigger the world is outside of their beloved Two Rivers, and begin to discover things about themselves that they had never dreamed of before.  Talking with wolves, channeling, meeting a queen and her daughter and son, fighting and fleeing from Darkfriends, losing friends, and trying to save the world become part of their lives.

All of this in this one book.  Deftly woven in an engaging tale that has a satisfying end while also serving as the beginning to an epic story that will challenge and change all of the characters.  The characters are multi-dimensional, complex (or on there way to it), and believable…some more likable that others.  The settings are rich and each realm/country/society is uniquely defined by its styles and attitudes.  The level of detail is actually one of the aspects pointed out as a problem with this series.  Too much, too frequently, which can slow down the story.  Luckily, this book isn’t bogged down by the descriptions.  It clips along nicely to the climax.

Bottom Line:  If you’re a fantasy buff and haven’t read this, you have got some reading to do.  This series is richly developed with great characters.  Give The Eye of the World a read and see if you aren’t hooked on The Wheel of Time, my favorite series.  This is my fourth reading of this book.