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A review by fobi_wan_kenobi
A Memory of Light by Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan
5.0
After a year and a half, 14 books + a prequel, 4 410 036 words, 2782 named characters, a confrontation with a god being and a whole lot of braid tugging, I've finally closed the finally book of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. It's with confidence I then can say that A Memory of Light stands with the best finales in not just the fantasy genre but fiction as a whole. With the amount of plotlines weaving throughout this 14 part epic I was already bracing myself for a finale that wouldn't do the grandiose scale of this tale of good versus evil justice, my worries ended up being for none.
In its last three entries the Wheel of Time, under new guidance by author Brandon Sanderson, was able to wrap (almost) every single remaining thread into one big three book finale. The Wheel of Time is a testament to what build-up can add to a story. A Memory of Light, which is basically one big epic battle, manages to give just the right amount of fan service while keeping true to its own vision for how this battle must end. Some characters fail, some die shockingly quick and out of nowhere, some go out in a glorious selfless act and others find redemption and new purpose at the end of the world.
I could write a whole essay about this series, and one day i might just do that, but for today let me finish this right here and now. The Wheel of Time is one of the greatest achievements the fantasy genre has ever witnessed. In terms of character development it is among the first to truly show how deep and complex characters can enrich stories on world spanning scales. It showed how diverse casts of characters and cultures can open minds, giving people insight into the beauty and danger that culture clash brings with it, not only in worlds of imagination but also our own. Its depiction of power and the ways it can change those who wield it will be forever poignant. The people of the two rivers and those that helped them on their way will forever have a place in my heart, just like they do for many others.
The Wheel of Time is an undertaking, and I'm sure a lot of people don't have it in them to fight their way to the end, but when you read the final words you will be left feeling like you were there on the slopes of Shayol Ghul. Their victory is also yours.
There are no endings, and never will be endings, to the turning of the Wheel of Time.
In its last three entries the Wheel of Time, under new guidance by author Brandon Sanderson, was able to wrap (almost) every single remaining thread into one big three book finale. The Wheel of Time is a testament to what build-up can add to a story. A Memory of Light, which is basically one big epic battle, manages to give just the right amount of fan service while keeping true to its own vision for how this battle must end. Some characters fail, some die shockingly quick and out of nowhere, some go out in a glorious selfless act and others find redemption and new purpose at the end of the world.
I could write a whole essay about this series, and one day i might just do that, but for today let me finish this right here and now. The Wheel of Time is one of the greatest achievements the fantasy genre has ever witnessed. In terms of character development it is among the first to truly show how deep and complex characters can enrich stories on world spanning scales. It showed how diverse casts of characters and cultures can open minds, giving people insight into the beauty and danger that culture clash brings with it, not only in worlds of imagination but also our own. Its depiction of power and the ways it can change those who wield it will be forever poignant. The people of the two rivers and those that helped them on their way will forever have a place in my heart, just like they do for many others.
The Wheel of Time is an undertaking, and I'm sure a lot of people don't have it in them to fight their way to the end, but when you read the final words you will be left feeling like you were there on the slopes of Shayol Ghul. Their victory is also yours.
There are no endings, and never will be endings, to the turning of the Wheel of Time.