The Gathering Storm: Book 12 of the Wheel of Time (soon to be a major TV series)

Long term fans will either love, hate or be irritated by the passing of the torch to Brandon Sanderson. I was wary when I first picked this up but the dedication had me won over and crying like a baby.Brandon Sanderson has a different style and he has not tried to emulate Robert Jordan; no complaints from me there. I love both writers. In many ways, this book is like an avalanche plot lines converge quickly and it is a lot to take in. I agree with some of the criticism that Sanderson didn't quite do some characters justice but I'm not going to deduct a star for that. For me, he brought a new and different energy to a series I have grown to love. If you are someone who was put off by the so called 'slog' of previous books, there is a lot happening here.

I swallowed this book in 3 days, doing little else but reading.At first I was somewhat wary often catching myself in critically waiting and watching for style breaking segments, whereupon I could go; Ahaha!!!! youre not worthy mister Sanderson!.But to my surprise and gladness I found nothing to be critical about. I truely enjoyed reading The gathering storm, and although I dread the outcry from RJs devoted fans, I found Sandersons writing style more palatable and enjoyable to read.I feel he has kept the spirit of all of the characters and remained true to their personalities, strengths and weaknesses. I also thought he made some of them even more relatable and because of that more engaging and interesting to read about.I also want to thank Sanderson for finally giving Rand the freedom to do some serious butt-kicking when it comes to the selfrighteous annoying female characters he has been surrounded by for ages.I certainly feel a lot happens in The Gathering Storm, a lot more of the plot unravels and a lot of loose ends are tied up in this book. And while it ends with some lose threads left in the balance, it ends on a highnote and with more optimism than I can recall from any of the other books.It is well worth your money to buy this installment, and I cant wait for the next one. This was truely a positive surprise and Im glad Sanderson was picked to do this job, because right now I cant really think of anyone who could have been so unselfish in his writing and so dedicated to honoring another mans work. I think he shines through, but in the only way he can without ruining Jordans great saga. That in itself is a great feat indeed, and I am very glad he manages so well.

After the middle 6 or 7 books where it seemed very little happened, it's nice to finally have some movement! And it's a very welcome change of pacing. The earlier books in the series suffered from having maybe one or two chapters focusing on a character or plot line I found interesting (e.g. Perrin), then switching to one I couldn't care less about for the next 10 chapters (Rand in his Emo phase). Here, it takes on a more conventional format, with no more than two or three chapters at a time concentrating on an individual character or plot line. Somehow, its 766 pages seem to contain as much plot and character development as the 5,900 pages of the preceding 7 books, but the flow is more natural. Overall, a much better entry in the series than any since "The Dragon Reborn".

I was half convinced this was going to be a failure. Picking up this mammoth series and continuing it without some jarring differences looked like a difficult task at best; to have done so successfully when held up to the light of one of the world's most critical fanbases is a worthy achievement. All praise to Brandon Sanderson for a job well done.I have just spent the past 5 months re-reading the entire WoT series - all those characters, plots, sub-plots and prophecies to be met, needed refreshing before tackling the latest book, but it also helped in being able to make a fair comparison between the late Robert Jordan's writing style and Brandon Sanderson's. There are definitely differences, I swore I detected some character differences at first, especially in Rand (but let's face it he hasn't been having the best of times recently), but these were quickly blurred as the book melded into the greater WoT series. At the end - after so much time reading the whole series - it felt like a continuum, so I closed the cover on the last page feeling very satisfied.And it really is praiseworthy in its own right; The Gathering Storm absolutely pulses with energy, reminiscent of the best of the series already gone - The Shadow Rising (Book 4) and Lord of Chaos (Book 6); it's an exhilirating ride that also pushes the series forward in a meaningful way (something that had been a little faltering in the more recent books), and ties up some long-running plot lines. If the end is a little cheesy (I'm referring to the penultimate chapter) then that is forgivable especially as, when combined with the last page quote from the prophecies, it brought me out in goose-bumps (and just has again as I'm writing this review).Glorious! I await the Towers of Midnight with quivering anticipation.

`The Gathering Storm' is without doubt the best book in the Wheel of Time series since `The Dragon Reborn'. It is the first instalment in a long time which could be called a real `page-turner', moving with the pace of a great suspense thriller. The story pulsates with life, and is driven forward by a powerful and compelling narrative, which draws the reader into the mind of this novel's two central protagonists.I, like many fans of this incredible series, was saddened by the tragic death of Robert Jordan, a brilliant literary mind with an imagination and a passion for storytelling which rivalled that of the father of high fantasy, J. R. R. Tolkien. Now, Brandon Sanderson has stepped up to carry Jordan's fallen banner, for the ride to Tarmon Gai'don and the final assault upon the Dark One.The editorial decision to break up `A Memory of Light' into a trilogy of finale novels was a brave but wise decision. The split has allowed Sanderson to leave some minor plot threads aside for now, and channel Jordan's narrative into two largely independent stories, which capture the essence of the male-female dichotomy that has been so central to the series.On one side we find Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, spiralling deeper into anger, insanity, and darkness as he purges himself of all love and emotion. Sanderson draws the reader closer to Rand than perhaps ever before, revealing the deep pains in his soul as he struggles desperately to hold the world together. Egwene al'Vere is the unwavering yin to Rand's raging yang, showing maturity and determination beyond her years as she tries to prevent White Tower fragmenting beyond repair, and making her stand against the despotic usurper Amyrlin Elaida.Mat's mini-adventure in the middle of the book is something of a tangent from his main quest, providing some relief from the forward drive of Rand-Egwene narrative. Sanderson shows some personal flair with this self-contained horror story, though he slips into Mat's mannerisms and thinking less easily than with Rand.Sadly, Siuan and Gawyn fail to shine in this instalment, and their narratives plod along somewhat predictably. Min and Avhienda certainly hold a presence, but they feel flat compared to Egwene, and Elayne is noticeably absent. By contrast Nynaeve's characterisation is wonderful, trapped between her fear of losing Lan and witnessing Rand descend into darkness.Cadsuane Sedai is one of the real stars of this saga, and I cannot imagine Rand's narrative without her. The relationship between these two powerful personalities reaches breaking point in this instalment, with massively pivotal consequences.A word on Sanderson's writing style. He is certainly not Robert Jordan! I have numerous gripes about his style. His constant usage of the word "gotten" makes me want to tug my metaphorical braid, and his use of contractions "he'd" "she'd" "didn't" "hadn't" etc within the narrative (as opposed to dialogue) is very irritating indeed. One can spot Jordan-written paragraphs by the absence of the word "gotten" or contractions in the narrative! The sections of Jordan's writing are like pure gold in a sea of good but unspectacular silver, and I hope one day Sanderson will disclose exactly what was Jordan and what was his own writing. Sanderson's feel for plot and narrative direction are truly remarkable, but his prose is far less accomplished than Jordan's, and it is very apparent.Nonetheless, Sanderson has done a fabulous job in this book, and it feels more like a self-contained story than any Wheel of Time novel for a long time. The ending of the book is absolutely wonderful, and will not leave anyone disappointed about the two year wait until book fourteen.This is a wonderful novel, and I eagerly anticipate the next instalment.