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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
The end is in sight, and the signs are coming fast.
I’m trying to think of how I really feel about this one, because it’s the second longest I’ve spent with any of the series so far (PLUS the detour of New Spring) and it’s also the freakin’ 11th out of 14. It all started to blur about two or three books ago, and trying to hold it all together is tough.
Here’s what I do know, though. You can feel the pull of the end in the prose and in the atmosphere. The tension buildup, always in the background even from book 1, is making itself very apparent here. FINALLY. So much so, that the talk of the Last Battle is almost too strong a recurring theme given how much of the book is still coming off as filler. But the ratio of excitement to boredom is noticeably better than the last three entries, hands down.
An important note going forward is the fact Brandon Sanderson takes over from here. And I think I’m ready for it. Not only because of the praise for his work on the final three (thank Christ we’re almost there), but because 11 books is enough to see through the patterns of predictable prose and too frequent phrases. It’s been an incredibly admirable series thus far, but a new voice is probably perfectly timed.
Update 12/31/21:
If I could take anything back, it would be less annoyance at Jordan’s prose work. I mean c’mon, he wrote and designed this whole frickin’ thing. I do think Brandon’s three books were more enjoyable for me personally, but Jordan tee’d it up so Brandon could soar. And he wrote the final chapter on his own. If anything, I would just say I prefer Brandon’s writing, though who’s to say if I prefer his world-building or characters, etc. I’m just glad he completed the series the way he did.
I’m trying to think of how I really feel about this one, because it’s the second longest I’ve spent with any of the series so far (PLUS the detour of New Spring) and it’s also the freakin’ 11th out of 14. It all started to blur about two or three books ago, and trying to hold it all together is tough.
Here’s what I do know, though. You can feel the pull of the end in the prose and in the atmosphere. The tension buildup, always in the background even from book 1, is making itself very apparent here. FINALLY. So much so, that the talk of the Last Battle is almost too strong a recurring theme given how much of the book is still coming off as filler. But the ratio of excitement to boredom is noticeably better than the last three entries, hands down.
An important note going forward is the fact Brandon Sanderson takes over from here. And I think I’m ready for it. Not only because of the praise for his work on the final three (thank Christ we’re almost there), but because 11 books is enough to see through the patterns of predictable prose and too frequent phrases. It’s been an incredibly admirable series thus far, but a new voice is probably perfectly timed.
Update 12/31/21:
If I could take anything back, it would be less annoyance at Jordan’s prose work. I mean c’mon, he wrote and designed this whole frickin’ thing. I do think Brandon’s three books were more enjoyable for me personally, but Jordan tee’d it up so Brandon could soar. And he wrote the final chapter on his own. If anything, I would just say I prefer Brandon’s writing, though who’s to say if I prefer his world-building or characters, etc. I’m just glad he completed the series the way he did.
"My name is Nynaeve ti al’Meara Mandragoran. The message I want sent is this. My husband rides from World’s End toward Tarwin’s Gap, toward Tarmon Gai’don. Will he ride alone?"
Let's goooo! Things are finally picking up again after a couple of slower books, but this one had some shocking moments for sure.
Let's goooo! Things are finally picking up again after a couple of slower books, but this one had some shocking moments for sure.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Finally, things are happening again! I am starting to feel a bit burnt out on WoT but this book was way more enjoyable than the last few. There are definitely still writing style and character choices from Jordan that I really do not like but at least the story is moving along again.
Perrin- Perrin bent on finding Faile didn't bother me in the previous books as much as it seems to have bugged other people but I'm really glad he finally gets to make some progress on actually getting his wife back rather than doing random side quest type things. The part of their plot line that I did not like was having other characters trying to seduce both Perrin and Faile. They are both in a committed, monogamous relationship (married!) and have made it clear on many, many occasions to the person perusing each of them that they are not interested in new romantic relationships and are just trying to get back to their spouse. Doesn't anyone in this world know how to take no for an answer? One of these thick headed side characters gets dealt with and won't be bugging the couple any more but the other one is still lurking around ready to pounce. :(
Also, not a lot of payoff from the dead walking from Perrin's story line from the previous books. I'm still not 100% sure what they are (zombies, ghosts, visions???) but they don't seem to be doing any harm other than creeping people out and don't really add to the sense (or lack there of) of impending doom.
Elayne and Avienda- Not much happens with Avienda in this book Elayne is still really annoying me. I get that she's annoyed about everyone being a real idiot about the fact that she's pregnant and treating her not very nicely. But her line of thinking about her pregnancy is not great either. It goes something like this: Elayne: I cannot believe Rand got me pregnant (even though I went out of my way and specifically plotted to make him see me when he expressly did not want to and then forced him to have sex with me even though he didn't want to see me let alone be intimate with me. But I deserved to have sex with him so it's ok.) I probably should have taken that antifertility tea before hand especially since I planned this whole sexual encounter out but I didn't. I'm still going to blame Rand anyways because I'm super annoyed at being pregnant. Me: WTF?!? How am I supposed to like this character?!?!
Rand and Min- I still really like Rand. I wish he got more page time but at least things are happening to him. His plot line is also exciting. Min is still my favorite of Rand's love interests though I'm still sour about her involvement in the previously mentioned Elayne debacle.
Mat and Tuon- Mat and Tuon continue to be a highlight for me. It took me a long time to warm up to Mat but now he's my favorite. I love his relationship with Tuon. We learn fairly early on that Mat is fated to marry someone and when it's revealed that it's Tuon, I was really excited to see how playboy Mat would end up with the seanchan princess. We also find out in this book that Tuon. I really enjoy the trope of watching people prophesied to end up together work out a relationship especially if it has a hate to love aspect to it. I'm definitely looking forward to further relationship development with Mat and Tuon.
Nynaeve-She's still on my good list but I'm not super invested in her at the moment.
Egwene-I'm so over Aes Sedai politics by this point that I just don't care. I don't find her annoying and if it wasn't for all of the other annoying Aes Sedai in this series, I probably would enjoy her plot line more. But at least stuff is happening here.
My biggest issues continue to be all of Jordan's annoying, repetitive quirks (spanking, dress smoothing, overly detailed descriptions of clothes, etc) and the fact that while there's a lot of stuff going on all over the world, I still don't feel the suspense that I should when we are this close to the epic battle that will determine the fate of the world. The big baddy does not seem threatening at all. Even his servants mostly stick to the sidelines and just pop up occasionally. It is possible to have a more nebulous evil to defeat and keep your readers invested and concerned for the heroes but Jordan just misses the mark for me.
Perrin- Perrin bent on finding Faile didn't bother me in the previous books as much as it seems to have bugged other people but I'm really glad he finally gets to make some progress on actually getting his wife back rather than doing random side quest type things. The part of their plot line that I did not like was having other characters trying to seduce both Perrin and Faile. They are both in a committed, monogamous relationship (married!) and have made it clear on many, many occasions to the person perusing each of them that they are not interested in new romantic relationships and are just trying to get back to their spouse. Doesn't anyone in this world know how to take no for an answer? One of these thick headed side characters gets dealt with and won't be bugging the couple any more but the other one is still lurking around ready to pounce. :(
Also, not a lot of payoff from the dead walking from Perrin's story line from the previous books. I'm still not 100% sure what they are (zombies, ghosts, visions???) but they don't seem to be doing any harm other than creeping people out and don't really add to the sense (or lack there of) of impending doom.
Elayne and Avienda- Not much happens with Avienda in this book
Spoiler
other than going off with the Wise Ones. So hopefully, she'll be more than just Elayne's shadow in the next bookRand and Min- I still really like Rand. I wish he got more page time but at least things are happening to him. His plot line is also exciting. Min is still my favorite of Rand's love interests though I'm still sour about her involvement in the previously mentioned Elayne debacle.
Mat and Tuon- Mat and Tuon continue to be a highlight for me. It took me a long time to warm up to Mat but now he's my favorite. I love his relationship with Tuon. We learn fairly early on that Mat is fated to marry someone and when it's revealed that it's Tuon, I was really excited to see how playboy Mat would end up with the seanchan princess. We also find out in this book that Tuon
Spoiler
had a prophecy about who she was supposed to marry and Mat fits the bill.Nynaeve-She's still on my good list but I'm not super invested in her at the moment.
Egwene-I'm so over Aes Sedai politics by this point that I just don't care. I don't find her annoying and if it wasn't for all of the other annoying Aes Sedai in this series, I probably would enjoy her plot line more. But at least stuff is happening here.
My biggest issues continue to be all of Jordan's annoying, repetitive quirks (spanking, dress smoothing, overly detailed descriptions of clothes, etc) and the fact that while there's a lot of stuff going on all over the world, I still don't feel the suspense that I should when we are this close to the epic battle that will determine the fate of the world. The big baddy does not seem threatening at all. Even his servants mostly stick to the sidelines and just pop up occasionally. It is possible to have a more nebulous evil to defeat and keep your readers invested and concerned for the heroes but Jordan just misses the mark for me.
Struggling through the last 2 was worth it for knife of dreams! I almost gave up on the series last book. Thank goodness I didn't! Finally got the action I've been craving and I feel like loose ends are finally being tied up.
One of the better books in the series. They are finally wrapping things up that have been going on for far too long. The most exciting last 10 chapters I have read yet.
This is such a breath of fresh air after being either "meh" or "blegh" on the last 4 books or something. The story is actually moving forward, and not only that, it's actually very engaging. Instead of expanding the scope of the story yet again, Jordan chose to start to tie off some of the loose story threads and does so in spectacular fashion.
While the speed at which I read might tell you otherwise, I genuinely enjoyed the book and would probably rank it above Shadow Rising, depending on the day.
While the speed at which I read might tell you otherwise, I genuinely enjoyed the book and would probably rank it above Shadow Rising, depending on the day.
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I can tell everything is coming to a head
Nynaeve killed it this book with bringing the malkiri back
Nynaeve killed it this book with bringing the malkiri back