Review: "A Memory of Light" By Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson

As I turned the last pages of A Memory of Light so many things were racing through my mind.  First, it struck me that this is the end of an era, as I have been religiously reading and rereading this series for over 20 years (23 to be precise!).  Second, this is absolutely one of the best fantasy series I have ever read, and I am profoundly and utterly amazed and astonished at the quality of the writing, and complexity of the plotting and characterization from the first volume to this, the fourteenth volume, A Memory of Light.  Finally, I don't know that I have ever read one single book that has run me through the emotional 'ringer' the way that A Memory of Light has; and like Life, there are moments of great joy and happiness as well as deep sadness and grief.  I cannot begin to tell you how many times while reading this book I simply stopped reading and quietly wept for a few moments.  It was, all in all, a simply glorious reading experience! 

I am not going to give one word away about how A Memory of Light wraps up this grand journey that all of us have been on for nearly two decades.  Suffice it to say that A Memory of Light is nearly 1,000 pages of near perfection, and we should all stand up and bellow at the top of our lungs, Tai'shar Jordan! Tai'shar Sanderson!, as they have given us a grand story and an ending for the ages.  Obviously, much of A Memory of Light revolves around 'Tarmon Gai'don' (The Last Battle), and the battle scenes are riveting and make the book incredibly difficult to put down.

As any devoted 'Wheel of Time' fan, I went into A Memory of Light with just a tiny bit of trepidation.  After all, this series has finally come to an end, and how it ended was very important to me.  Now that I've finished my first reading of A Memory of Light, I have to say that I really don't know what I was worried about.  Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson have crafted a finale that is emotionally powerful and so intellectually satisfying that it very nearly belies words.  Oh, I'm sure that there will be those that will want to change this or that, but not me.  I really do think that the series has ended just as it should, and I honestly don't think I'd change a thing.  I can't wait to reread A Memory of Light again soon, as I'm sure that upon a more careful second reading it will become an even more meaningful experience for me.

For something over twenty years this series has been a meaningful part of my literary life.  At first it was really just great fun--a wonderfully complex and complicated bit of fantasy fiction to enjoy as each installment came out.  Now, however, I am beginning to realize that just as Tolkien was inspired through his fiction and poetry to work on developing a mythology for the English peoples, I think Robert Jordan challenged himself to craft a mythology for an American time.  Nation-building, economic and environmental pressures, political machinations, faith and belief systems, cultural diversity, it is all there.  Mostly the 'Wheel of Time' is the story of men and women and the human condition and the choices we make.  Seriously folks, this series is right up there, in my humble opinion, with Steven Erikson's "The Malazan Book of the Fallen", George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire", and J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings"--it really is that good!

There are no endings, and never will be endings, to the turning of the Wheel of Time.

But it was an ending.

 
A Memory of Light
By Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson
Tor Books, Hardcover, 2013
909 pp.
ISBN 0765325950

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Reviews: "The Wheel Weaves as the Wheel Wills" -- Robert Jordan's 'Wheel of Time' Series of Novels

For twenty years I have been avidly following a terrific series of fantasy novels written by the American author, James Oliver Rigney, Jr., under the pen name of "Robert Jordan.  This truly amazing set of 'fat' books is generally known as The Wheel of Time series.  I read the first novel in 1990, when the first novel, The Eye of the World, was released and I have been solidly hooked ever since.  In November of this year, the thirteenth novel, and second to last, the Towers of Midnight was published (Tor Fantasy, NY).  While I have been so damned busy with work of late, I darn sure made time to read the latest installment in this fabulous story!

This series is set in a different world and in a time that is somewhat reminiscent of the 18th century.  At just over 11,000 pages (so far), this is not a series for the less-than-serious.  You gotta make a commitment with this massive set of of books, but in my opinion it is well worth the effort.  The characters are complex, complicated, interesting, and in some cases deeply flawed, i.e., just like each one of us.  This is your classic Manichaean struggle between 'Good' versus 'Evil', the 'Light' versus the 'Dark'.  While it is easy to say, "Well, this has been done before by Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings; and while that is, on the surface, a truism; Jordan has done something astounding here.  These books completely immerse the reader in a world and with characters that they can completely relate to.  If anything Jordan is the uber-Tolstoy in constructing the scope and sweep of this immensely epic story--this really is the ultimate War and Peace.  There are story arcs upon story arcs in this tale, all woven together in an exciting and hair-raising framework.  Much, much more than just magic-wielding characters, or armies struggling on battlefields, these novels are more a sophisticated blend of political intrigue, diplomacy, lessons in command and leadership, as well as an in-depth study of human psychology and interpersonal relationships.  I have read the series, from start to finish, several times now; and it still continues to be very, very difficult to put the book you are reading down for the night.  That is the magic of Jordan's writing, he just pulls you in deeper and deeper into his world and his characters.

While the primary thread  of the tale revolves around a young 'hero' by the name of 'Rand al'Thor', and his continuing struggle with the 'Great Lord of the Dark', one of the things I love the most about this series is the supporting cast and Jordan's creation of some of the most amazingly powerful female protagonists and antagonists.  Women are so important to this series in so many different ways.  As I said above, this is not your typical swords-and-sorcery or swashbuckling type of fantasy fiction.  No, not at all.  This is the thinking person's fantasy.  As a general rule of thumb, and with very few exceptions, it is the women that hold and exert the real power to influence the course of events in the plot.  This is especially true for the women that can wield what is know as the female half of the "One Power", or saidar.  Most of these women are Aes Sedai, their use of saidar, and their close-knit Ajah societies are to me some of the most fascinating characters in the novels.  And let me just finish up the description of the novel's characters by saying that the evil characters, men and women, are really, really bad and really, really scary; and the good ones, while good and decent, definitely have issues.  For me it it is so captivating and somehow just feels real.  I know people like the characters in these novels!

Sadly, 'Robert Jordan', James Oliver Rigney, Jr., died in 2007 of a very rare heart condition.  Fortunately, he did have the time to prepare a set of very detailed plotting outlines to finish the series.  He worked feverishly over his last few years to write portions of the conclusion of the series.  After his death, his wife and publisher selected the up-and-coming fantasy author, Brandon Sanderson, to finish the series.  Using Jordan's outlines and notes, Sanderson has done a sterling job of beginning to bring the story arcs together, and wrapping up the million-and-one loose ends and developing an incredible conclusion to the series.  Sanderson, working with Jordan's outlines and notes, has authored The Gathering Storm and the Towers of Midnight, and is working on the final novel in the series, A Memory of Light, due to be released in Spring 2012.  I have to say too that Sanderson's writing is very, very good.  He has done a superb job at preserving Jordan's voice and perspective as he completes this amazing story.  I am very pleased with the two novels that he has added to the series.

So, if you're looking for an epic fantasy that grabs you from the get-go and just doesn't let up, I highly recommend Robert Jordan's (and now being finished by Brandon Sanderson) series of novels--The Wheel of Time.  If you love the Arthurian legend, Tolkien's Middle Earth, Ursula K. LeGuin's Earth Sea, or George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, et al., you will dig Jordan.  Start with The Eye of the World and begin to become completely swept up and lost in "Randland".  If you doubt the veracity of my words here, I dare you to 'Google' "The Wheel of Time".  You'll be gobsmacked!  There is a universe of fans and on-line forums and communities, personal blogs, etc. associated with Jordan's massive creation.  These novels, the plot, and the characters are studied and analyzed as much or more than just about any other works of literature.  Have fun, and let me know if you start reading this series.  You'll be hooked, I guarantee it!

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