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midici's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
~SPOILERS~
IT IS DONE. I cannot believe I've finally reached the end. And what an epic conclusion! Robert Jordan/Branden Sanderson did a great job of really making this feel like a last stand and fight for humanity, where the characters absolutely seemed to be losing at the midway point. I had some small gripes but mostly I'm pretty happy with how it ended. And I can't believe I'm saying this, but I almost wish it didn't end so abruptly. I really wanted to see a bit more or how everything came together in the aftermath of this battle.
Overall: the four generals being manipulated so that suddenly all four battles were being lost at the same time was super tense and well done. The battles were well written, so even someone like me could picture the state of the battlefields.
Egwene: Always awesome when she's dealing with her enemies and irritating when dealing with her allies, she really stepped up here. Her sacrifice to defeat M'Hael/Taim and her discovery of how to counteract balefire was incredible. As irritating as she was though, she absolutely could have done better than Gawyn.
Gawyn: useless man. He spends the whole series undecided as to where his loyalties lie, finally decides he will choose Egwene, immediately decides to try and go out in a blaze of glory but doesn't accomplish his goal and dies for nothing. I got more irritated with him the more we got to know him.
Galad: Surprisingly strong character growth! Proud of you for finally bending a little in your solid black and white view.
Logain: For all of Min's foreshadowing of his "glory to come" he didn't accomplish nearly as much as I expected. I thought he would be the hero who freed the Black Tower but that was more Androl than him. I thought maybe he would defeat the Forsaken at the battlefield, Demandred, but nope that went to Lan. He didn't fight anyone of importance at all really, he just broke the seals when the signal went up and that was it.
Lan: Incredible. No notes. Not sure how he survived but eh.
Nynaeve/Moiraine: Didn't have as much to do in this book but they stepped in where it counted and they were great in past books, so it's fine.
Perrin/Faile: An absolute boss! Was great to see these characters focused on something other than each other and getting the job done.
Mat: Still one of my favourite characters. His 'fight' with Padan was a bit of a let down after 12 books of build-up but he was doing a of of other things.
Finally, Rand. Rand's battle with the Dark One was super jarring for me, I could not get over the ALL CAPS OF DOOM. I really wish they hadn't decided that the Dark One spoke in all caps - and sometimes they had Rand speak back in all caps, so it wasn't even consistently just the Dark One! If they had to show his voice as distinct they should have just chosen to go with bold. I think it would have been way less irritating. I liked the time dilation, the fact that the battle sort of took place outside of the pattern, the different ways 'winning' and 'losing' would look for both of them. Rand's realization that the Dark One only has as much power as he's given, especially if he's sealed away, and needing to use Saidain/Saidar and the True Power to craft a proper prison made sense and gave him a distinct edge in the battle that Lews Therin didn't have.
I really wish they had gone more into the connection between Rand and Ishmael/Moridin. We knew they were becoming more mentally connected through their dreamscapes, and physical injuries to one affected the other... but they never said why. And at the end Rand managed to switch his consciousness into his body, which I think is related to this unexplained connection. I'm still not sure I fully understand how he can channel without channeling - it almost seemed as though he could interact with the real world the way Perrin interacts with the Dream World - but it also isn't explained. H deserves to spend some time away from everything but it's bittersweet that he doesn't get a chance to say goodbye or interact with any of the other characters. It's implied the girls can tell he's still alive but we don't even get their reunion.
All in all, I'm a bit surprised only one major character died, though several secondary ones did, and none of Rand's love interests especially. I'm not disappointed with the ending even if I was a bit confused. Feels a bit like the end of an era now that I'm finally done.
IT IS DONE. I cannot believe I've finally reached the end. And what an epic conclusion! Robert Jordan/Branden Sanderson did a great job of really making this feel like a last stand and fight for humanity, where the characters absolutely seemed to be losing at the midway point. I had some small gripes but mostly I'm pretty happy with how it ended. And I can't believe I'm saying this, but I almost wish it didn't end so abruptly. I really wanted to see a bit more or how everything came together in the aftermath of this battle.
Overall: the four generals being manipulated so that suddenly all four battles were being lost at the same time was super tense and well done. The battles were well written, so even someone like me could picture the state of the battlefields.
Egwene: Always awesome when she's dealing with her enemies and irritating when dealing with her allies, she really stepped up here. Her sacrifice to defeat M'Hael/Taim and her discovery of how to counteract balefire was incredible. As irritating as she was though, she absolutely could have done better than Gawyn.
Gawyn: useless man. He spends the whole series undecided as to where his loyalties lie, finally decides he will choose Egwene, immediately decides to try and go out in a blaze of glory but doesn't accomplish his goal and dies for nothing. I got more irritated with him the more we got to know him.
Galad: Surprisingly strong character growth! Proud of you for finally bending a little in your solid black and white view.
Logain: For all of Min's foreshadowing of his "glory to come" he didn't accomplish nearly as much as I expected. I thought he would be the hero who freed the Black Tower but that was more Androl than him. I thought maybe he would defeat the Forsaken at the battlefield, Demandred, but nope that went to Lan. He didn't fight anyone of importance at all really, he just broke the seals when the signal went up and that was it.
Lan: Incredible. No notes. Not sure how he survived but eh.
Nynaeve/Moiraine: Didn't have as much to do in this book but they stepped in where it counted and they were great in past books, so it's fine.
Perrin/Faile: An absolute boss! Was great to see these characters focused on something other than each other and getting the job done.
Mat: Still one of my favourite characters. His 'fight' with Padan was a bit of a let down after 12 books of build-up but he was doing a of of other things.
Finally, Rand. Rand's battle with the Dark One was super jarring for me, I could not get over the ALL CAPS OF DOOM. I really wish they hadn't decided that the Dark One spoke in all caps - and sometimes they had Rand speak back in all caps, so it wasn't even consistently just the Dark One! If they had to show his voice as distinct they should have just chosen to go with bold. I think it would have been way less irritating. I liked the time dilation, the fact that the battle sort of took place outside of the pattern, the different ways 'winning' and 'losing' would look for both of them. Rand's realization that the Dark One only has as much power as he's given, especially if he's sealed away, and needing to use Saidain/Saidar and the True Power to craft a proper prison made sense and gave him a distinct edge in the battle that Lews Therin didn't have.
I really wish they had gone more into the connection between Rand and Ishmael/Moridin. We knew they were becoming more mentally connected through their dreamscapes, and physical injuries to one affected the other... but they never said why. And at the end Rand managed to switch his consciousness into his body, which I think is related to this unexplained connection. I'm still not sure I fully understand how he can channel without channeling - it almost seemed as though he could interact with the real world the way Perrin interacts with the Dream World - but it also isn't explained. H deserves to spend some time away from everything but it's bittersweet that he doesn't get a chance to say goodbye or interact with any of the other characters. It's implied the girls can tell he's still alive but we don't even get their reunion.
All in all, I'm a bit surprised only one major character died, though several secondary ones did, and none of Rand's love interests especially. I'm not disappointed with the ending even if I was a bit confused. Feels a bit like the end of an era now that I'm finally done.
bioniclib's review against another edition
5.0
I just finished my second read through of this series. 15 books and probably over 10,000 pages all within a year allowed me to better appreciate the masterful crafting done by the Late Mr. Jordan. The ending was actually pretty damn good. A saga this long runs the risk of not living up to the hype. While were some things I didn't like, overall I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Now for my spoiler-filled notes to self on this book:
Mysterious red-veiled men are cameo’d last epilogue. This prologue they are shown again. They lower, not raise, their veils to do battle. They are later revealed to be the male channelers the Aiel cast out.
“...she was the kind of placid water found one bend away from a furious waterfall. “ (37)
If a Fade’s blade causes a fatal wound, like the ones Talamanes is suffering from, how is Thom still alive? Should he have more than the limp he got during book two?
I just realized that “The Watcher of The Seals” title the Amyrlin has refers to the seals of The Dark One’s Prison. I hope I realized it before and then forgot but y’never know with me!
Caemlyn falls to Trollocs
Pevera bonded Androl. Androl bonded Pevera. Because of this double bond that develop telepathy with one another.
Early on shifting PoVs and short scenes begin early. They were usually saved for that last chapter or so. This means, the entire book acts as the climax for the entire series.
Moiraine helps Rand bring everyone into line and has him give the seals to Egwene, who, she says, will break them.
Perrin tells Rand that the Aiel should be the World’s police, helping settle disputes between nations.
After all the Aiel are a tool and a tool must be used.
Uno reappears
“The bored solder there had a face like an old shovel - it was half covered in dirt and would be better off locked in a shed somewhere.” (240)
The last few books has Bayle always being referred to as large but I don’t remember so much being made of his size when he was first introduced.
The last 3 seals that Egwene has are fakes. Darkfriends stole them at some point.
Galad and Rand are half-brothers.
Perrin, too, refuses to kill a woman. That’s Bingo. Now all Three of the Big 3 have this misguided chivalry.
As he approached Shayol Ghul, Rand winces at the twin wounds. That’s the first time in a few books that they’ve been mentioned. (430)
Rand, Nyneave, and Moiraine see the husk that was Shaidar Haran. He was the vessel through which The Dark One could touch the world. He’s no longer needed as he’s touching it directly now.
“I’ve had trouble with words coming out of my mouth lately. Only the stupid ones seem to make it.” ~Mat (491)
All four of the great captains are under Compulsion and only Ituralde is even aware enough to know something’s wrong and starts to fight it. This puts Morgase’s (who doesn’t appear but briefly in
this book) breaking free of Rhavin in a higher regard.
Faile enters the story as a Hunter for the Horn and at the end of the story she’s the one bringing the horn to the last battle. While she doesn’t make it that far, she does live.
Elayne and Melaine are both pregnant with twins. As far as I can tell they both survive but neither gives birth.
We get what I think is the first Olver PoV chapter.
Vanin appears to attempt to steal The Horn from Faile. It turns out he bought the ruse that it was
Mat’s tabac and wanted to steal that.
Moridin Stabs Alana and leaves her to die in the Pit of Doom. The plan is to have her death drive Rand mad in the height of the battle.
Chapter 37 begins with a quote like the start of each book. And after 36 short-ish chapters, this one is 190 pages and called, appropriately, The Last Battle.
Siuan is the 1st of the major characters to die.
There has been so much Balefire used that when M’Hael used it against Egwene and her Aes Sedai,
its reversing the deaths said Aes Sedai caused wasn’t believable. That particular wrinkle seemed to be used only occasionally.
Gawyne is killed by Damandred.
Galad is nearly killed by him, even though he has The Foxhead Medallion
Egwene weaves the opposite of Balefire, The Flame of Tar Valon, kills M’Hael but over-extends herself in the process. She dies but takes not only M’Hael but all of the Sharan channelers with her.
Not to mention fills in the balefire-caused cracks with crystal.
Lan, with the Foxhead, kills Damandred by “sheathing the sword” of Damandred and then stabbing him in the throat. Lan does survive.
Olver could sound the horn because Mat’s death in an early book was reversed when Rand killed Mat’s killer with Balefire. His death broke his connection to the horn. So that meant anyone could have sounded the horn for most of the series.
Noal saves Olver from the Trollocs because after his death he was bound to the horn.
Mat used the villagers of Hinderstrap to attack the Dam. After they were all killed and lost the first time, at dawn the next day, their curse to always have them wake up in their beds, allowed them to go mad once more and break the dam just when needed. This was a marvelous “Gun on the Wall”
Aviendha killed a Compulsion-filled Rhuarc
Fain, with yet another new name (Shaisam), first appears on 865
Alanna released Rand’s bond before she dies, sparing him the madness.
The sounding of the horn called dead wolf heroes too. I expected Hopper, but dying in The Wolf Dream is permanent
Perrin finally kills Slayer
Mat was immune to the mist that comes with Fain/Mordeth because he’d been healed from the effects of the dagger. So he kills Fain with said dagger.
Min figured out they should use the flaw of Callandor to trick Moridin into grabbing it and thus being controlled by Moiraine and Nyneave. Then Rand links with all of them, feeds Saidar, The True Power, and Saidin into The Dark One.
An unravelled Gateway turned Graendal;s Compulsion back on her and she’s Avhiendha’s.
Logain breaks The Seals
Perrin’s love for Faile frees him from Lanfear’s Compulsion, then he kills her before she can kill
Moiraine and Nyneave, saving The Great Lord.
Rand uses all three powers not to seal the Dark One back in the Bore but to close it so thoroughly that it’s as if it had never been opened.
Moghedien gets leashed by a sul’dam after the battle ends.
I thought we’d meet Birgitte’s Gaidal. We don’t.
Cadsuane becomes the new Amyrlin
Rand’s soul swaps bodies with Moridin.
Cadsuane might know Rand survived by going into Moridin’s body. Most people are suspicious because his three warders don’t go mad.
Rand’s new body can’t touch any of the three powers. But he apparently can’t directly manipulate The Pattern. He did think his pipe alight.
The story ends with a description of wind like the books always begin with one. But this time it’s not “not a beginning” but not “not an ending”.
Now for my spoiler-filled notes to self on this book:
Spoiler
Mysterious red-veiled men are cameo’d last epilogue. This prologue they are shown again. They lower, not raise, their veils to do battle. They are later revealed to be the male channelers the Aiel cast out.
“...she was the kind of placid water found one bend away from a furious waterfall. “ (37)
If a Fade’s blade causes a fatal wound, like the ones Talamanes is suffering from, how is Thom still alive? Should he have more than the limp he got during book two?
I just realized that “The Watcher of The Seals” title the Amyrlin has refers to the seals of The Dark One’s Prison. I hope I realized it before and then forgot but y’never know with me!
Caemlyn falls to Trollocs
Pevera bonded Androl. Androl bonded Pevera. Because of this double bond that develop telepathy with one another.
Early on shifting PoVs and short scenes begin early. They were usually saved for that last chapter or so. This means, the entire book acts as the climax for the entire series.
Moiraine helps Rand bring everyone into line and has him give the seals to Egwene, who, she says, will break them.
Perrin tells Rand that the Aiel should be the World’s police, helping settle disputes between nations.
After all the Aiel are a tool and a tool must be used.
Uno reappears
“The bored solder there had a face like an old shovel - it was half covered in dirt and would be better off locked in a shed somewhere.” (240)
The last few books has Bayle always being referred to as large but I don’t remember so much being made of his size when he was first introduced.
The last 3 seals that Egwene has are fakes. Darkfriends stole them at some point.
Galad and Rand are half-brothers.
Perrin, too, refuses to kill a woman. That’s Bingo. Now all Three of the Big 3 have this misguided chivalry.
As he approached Shayol Ghul, Rand winces at the twin wounds. That’s the first time in a few books that they’ve been mentioned. (430)
Rand, Nyneave, and Moiraine see the husk that was Shaidar Haran. He was the vessel through which The Dark One could touch the world. He’s no longer needed as he’s touching it directly now.
“I’ve had trouble with words coming out of my mouth lately. Only the stupid ones seem to make it.” ~Mat (491)
All four of the great captains are under Compulsion and only Ituralde is even aware enough to know something’s wrong and starts to fight it. This puts Morgase’s (who doesn’t appear but briefly in
this book) breaking free of Rhavin in a higher regard.
Faile enters the story as a Hunter for the Horn and at the end of the story she’s the one bringing the horn to the last battle. While she doesn’t make it that far, she does live.
Elayne and Melaine are both pregnant with twins. As far as I can tell they both survive but neither gives birth.
We get what I think is the first Olver PoV chapter.
Vanin appears to attempt to steal The Horn from Faile. It turns out he bought the ruse that it was
Mat’s tabac and wanted to steal that.
Moridin Stabs Alana and leaves her to die in the Pit of Doom. The plan is to have her death drive Rand mad in the height of the battle.
Chapter 37 begins with a quote like the start of each book. And after 36 short-ish chapters, this one is 190 pages and called, appropriately, The Last Battle.
Siuan is the 1st of the major characters to die.
There has been so much Balefire used that when M’Hael used it against Egwene and her Aes Sedai,
its reversing the deaths said Aes Sedai caused wasn’t believable. That particular wrinkle seemed to be used only occasionally.
Gawyne is killed by Damandred.
Galad is nearly killed by him, even though he has The Foxhead Medallion
Egwene weaves the opposite of Balefire, The Flame of Tar Valon, kills M’Hael but over-extends herself in the process. She dies but takes not only M’Hael but all of the Sharan channelers with her.
Not to mention fills in the balefire-caused cracks with crystal.
Lan, with the Foxhead, kills Damandred by “sheathing the sword” of Damandred and then stabbing him in the throat. Lan does survive.
Olver could sound the horn because Mat’s death in an early book was reversed when Rand killed Mat’s killer with Balefire. His death broke his connection to the horn. So that meant anyone could have sounded the horn for most of the series.
Noal saves Olver from the Trollocs because after his death he was bound to the horn.
Mat used the villagers of Hinderstrap to attack the Dam. After they were all killed and lost the first time, at dawn the next day, their curse to always have them wake up in their beds, allowed them to go mad once more and break the dam just when needed. This was a marvelous “Gun on the Wall”
Aviendha killed a Compulsion-filled Rhuarc
Fain, with yet another new name (Shaisam), first appears on 865
Alanna released Rand’s bond before she dies, sparing him the madness.
The sounding of the horn called dead wolf heroes too. I expected Hopper, but dying in The Wolf Dream is permanent
Perrin finally kills Slayer
Mat was immune to the mist that comes with Fain/Mordeth because he’d been healed from the effects of the dagger. So he kills Fain with said dagger.
Min figured out they should use the flaw of Callandor to trick Moridin into grabbing it and thus being controlled by Moiraine and Nyneave. Then Rand links with all of them, feeds Saidar, The True Power, and Saidin into The Dark One.
An unravelled Gateway turned Graendal;s Compulsion back on her and she’s Avhiendha’s.
Logain breaks The Seals
Perrin’s love for Faile frees him from Lanfear’s Compulsion, then he kills her before she can kill
Moiraine and Nyneave, saving The Great Lord.
Rand uses all three powers not to seal the Dark One back in the Bore but to close it so thoroughly that it’s as if it had never been opened.
Moghedien gets leashed by a sul’dam after the battle ends.
I thought we’d meet Birgitte’s Gaidal. We don’t.
Cadsuane becomes the new Amyrlin
Rand’s soul swaps bodies with Moridin.
Cadsuane might know Rand survived by going into Moridin’s body. Most people are suspicious because his three warders don’t go mad.
Rand’s new body can’t touch any of the three powers. But he apparently can’t directly manipulate The Pattern. He did think his pipe alight.
The story ends with a description of wind like the books always begin with one. But this time it’s not “not a beginning” but not “not an ending”.
chloeshawe's review against another edition
5.0
It’s been a long time since a book hurt as much as this one did
smerika's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Brandon Sanderson breathed new life into the series for me. This book was jam-packed with all the threads as the last battle climaxed. I found myself chuckling and making a sound in response to sad scenes, which is a stronger reaction than I had to most of Robert Jordan's other books. I am glad I read it all, but I don't know what I'd categorize as a must-read for others. I like the complexity, but getting to the end was a huge time commitment.
aromans's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this series all 14 books of it. If you like fantasy this is a must read. I really liked the message of this final book and the tough choices the main characters had to make in the last battle. It is sad to have it over but I am sure I will read through this series again at some point in my life and enjoy it all over again.
jocdilla's review against another edition
5.0
What an excellent, complicated, fantastical book. The final, most enthralling, book of the series.
There is one chapter that is approximately 288507167499361 pages long. So if you can't stop for the day until the end of a chapter, like me, you are in for a dooooozy.
There is one chapter that is approximately 288507167499361 pages long. So if you can't stop for the day until the end of a chapter, like me, you are in for a dooooozy.
cecrooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0