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A review by theinquisitxor
A Memory of Light by Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan
5.0
The big questions surrounding Wheel of Time: Is a fifteen book series worth it? Will the ending live up to the expectations? I'm here to tell you, (in my opinion) yes. Fifteen books is a lot (fourteen + the prequel) and I understand that not everyone can make the commitment or desire to read fifteen (very large) books.
However, I think that of all the SSF books and series that I have read, WoT has the best world building, mythos/lore, scope of storytelling, and climatic ending that I have ever encountered.
While don't think the series is perfect, and have similar complaints that many others have regarding 'the slog', some unlikable characters, etc. I do think that pushing through is so so worth it and getting the complete story is very rewarding.
I can definitely see myself rereading this at some point in a couple years, and I will probably reread them on audio again, since that was such a good experience. I can't really say too much without spoilers, and being on the last book of a fifteen book series, that is difficult.
The last three book of the series have been more than I ever could have wanted. I've been so engaged and on the edge of the my seat while listening, that I've been going out of my way just to keep listening. Seeing the cumulation of a fourteen book series come to its conclusion is very satisfying, and seeing it done well is even better. The ending of this series does not disappoint and it lives up the the 'end of the world' stakes that it has been promising all along. I'm just sad that I can't be surprised all over again.
If you are thinking about trying the series, a few pieces of advice: book 1 is the most narrow in the world building, but once you get past book one, the world building and lore opens up soo much. Books 4-6 are the best that Jordan wrote imo, so if you don't love those, then the series might not be worth continuing for you. It's okay to skip or zone out over long descriptions of irrelevant stuff- if you miss something you can always read a chapter summary, so don't force yourself to read a section that is super boring to you.
My Journey reading WoT: I set out 10 months ago to read the Wheel of Time. My oldest brother had read (listened) to them all and absolutely loved the series. The Wheel of Time was always a series on my radar, but I didn't want to pick it up while busy with college. Pressure from my brother, and the show in production, I decided to pick up the first book in December of 2020. I then preceded to read the books sporadically, up until the summer. Once done with the semester, I found myself with much more time and I started finishing book after book.
At around the 6th book I started getting tired of reading entirely physical. I've never been much of an audiobook person, but facing a 30+ minute commute I decided to try the audiobooks out. Switching to audio was probably the best decision for me with this series. I think if I tried to keep reading physical, I would've had a more difficult time. Kate Reading and Michael Bennet are amazing narrators and I enjoyed the audiobooks immensely.
However, I think that of all the SSF books and series that I have read, WoT has the best world building, mythos/lore, scope of storytelling, and climatic ending that I have ever encountered.
While don't think the series is perfect, and have similar complaints that many others have regarding 'the slog', some unlikable characters, etc. I do think that pushing through is so so worth it and getting the complete story is very rewarding.
I can definitely see myself rereading this at some point in a couple years, and I will probably reread them on audio again, since that was such a good experience. I can't really say too much without spoilers, and being on the last book of a fifteen book series, that is difficult.
The last three book of the series have been more than I ever could have wanted. I've been so engaged and on the edge of the my seat while listening, that I've been going out of my way just to keep listening. Seeing the cumulation of a fourteen book series come to its conclusion is very satisfying, and seeing it done well is even better. The ending of this series does not disappoint and it lives up the the 'end of the world' stakes that it has been promising all along. I'm just sad that I can't be surprised all over again.
If you are thinking about trying the series, a few pieces of advice: book 1 is the most narrow in the world building, but once you get past book one, the world building and lore opens up soo much. Books 4-6 are the best that Jordan wrote imo, so if you don't love those, then the series might not be worth continuing for you. It's okay to skip or zone out over long descriptions of irrelevant stuff- if you miss something you can always read a chapter summary, so don't force yourself to read a section that is super boring to you.
My Journey reading WoT: I set out 10 months ago to read the Wheel of Time. My oldest brother had read (listened) to them all and absolutely loved the series. The Wheel of Time was always a series on my radar, but I didn't want to pick it up while busy with college. Pressure from my brother, and the show in production, I decided to pick up the first book in December of 2020. I then preceded to read the books sporadically, up until the summer. Once done with the semester, I found myself with much more time and I started finishing book after book.
At around the 6th book I started getting tired of reading entirely physical. I've never been much of an audiobook person, but facing a 30+ minute commute I decided to try the audiobooks out. Switching to audio was probably the best decision for me with this series. I think if I tried to keep reading physical, I would've had a more difficult time. Kate Reading and Michael Bennet are amazing narrators and I enjoyed the audiobooks immensely.