I realize that this is probably not a book that many people would just want to pick up and read - not unless they've read the previous 11, at any rate - and these are such large tomes that I been frequently accused by my cooworkers of toting around the dictionary. Heck, the author has even become a punchline for myself and my friends for anything that is excessively written - "Dude, you just totally Robert Jordaned this essay! It's friggin' 15 pages long!" Also, as it is set in the realm of fantasy, replete with swords, farmers being raised to the lofty heights of kings, and magic many people automatically dismiss such tales as childish.
But if you do, then you are merely depriving yourself of a wonderful tale, beautifully written that explores a world so completely filled with details, characters so fully rendered, and histories spun out in totality it rivals that of Tolkien.
That isn't to say this is the easiest series to read; far from it. The Wheel of Time does get begin to feel the weight of its own epic tale and the narrative grows stagnant in the later novels (my particular bane is book 10 "Crossroads of Twilight"). Some of the characters feel superfluous or needlessly complex. A very strong case could be made of the first novel in the series "The Eye of the World" that it is merely a re-imagining of the classic Lord of the Rings books and Arthurian legends. But it is still its own entity and over the course of the next few books it becomes quite clear how much effort and genuine care went into the creation of this world.
This novel, "The Gathering Storm," has far exceeded nearly all of the previous books in terms of events, pacing, focus, and sense of satisfaction. Things actually happen in this novel, storylines that have been cast as early as book 3 have finally come to some sort of conclusion (at least as much as could be hoped for). Some of this could be from the simple fact that this was originally intended to be the last book of the serious; some of it could be from the new author, one Mr. Brandon Sanderson, and has injected some new energy into the narrative. Sadly, the original author died in 2007 and had not been able to witness the conclusion of tale he began over 20 years ago; though he did plan for his death and had mapped out the final flow of the story. Sanderson is a special talent and while it is possible to detect the difference in styles if you look hard enough, it has in no way detracted from the characters and feel of the books. He creates such sincere desperation in the characters and the final arc of this book is so heartfelt and wrenching that you cannot help but feel for them.
After reading this series for nearly half my life (I first picked it up in 1994-95) and having reread many of the books multiple times, this was a very satisfying experience and I am truly looking forward to the next in the series. I won't sit here and say you MUST READ THIS because it is just so large and epic; but I will say that if you choose to do so you will find an exceptionally written, exceedingly worth while tale. I acknowledge the shortcomings here, but the gains far outweigh the costs.
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