The Final WOT Book

[Erin99]

Well, there's a gap in the market, now that Jordan's beast has ended.

Race you to fill it! (Okay, okay - I'll be a long while in finishing my book yet. And is it commercial enough??? Hmmm. Likely not. Not many are.)

 

[Talysia]

Glad to hear that, Taly! Why is it always the lovely people who suffer most? I hope you continue to be well.

[!!!SPOILERS!!!]

And ha! I knew you'd like Faile's ending, you romantic, you! I have to admit, while I didn't think the Faile ending worked, I was VERY happy with Ny's. I've wished her a happy ending FOREVER! And yes! Wow, yes. I kept thinking how true some aspects of those Rings were. After all, Egwene became Amerlyn AND never passed the the test to become Aes Sedai. AND she never held the oath rod at first, as the Rings predicted... And Ny saw herself and Lan...

As Seph says, though, the Rings show possible futures, so maybe those that came true were merely the strongest possibles?

Agree with you about Talmanese and Parvara and Androl. I LOVED their storylines! I too wish they'd been expanded. Heck, I could read a whole book about the adventures of Pevara and Androl!

Thanks. And what can I say - I'm a sucker for a happy ending.

Come to think of it, I couldn't help but wonder if we'd ever get to find out what happened to some of the other minor characters after the Last Battle. We were introduced to so many of them, but don't know if some of them even survived (Narishma, Teslyn, countless other Aes Sedai/Warders, etc). I know that to mention them all would probably have taken another 200 pages or so, but it would still be nice to know.

Regarding the Rings and Ny's Accepted test, I like to think that Jordan had Ny's ending already thought out. After all, wasn't there a Sharina Sedai mentioned as well? I'm not sure whether it's the same one that arrives in Salidar, but it's too much of a coincidence otherwise.

 

[Erin99]

Come to think of it, I couldn't help but wonder if we'd ever get to find out what happened to some of the other minor characters after the Last Battle. We were introduced to so many of them, but don't know if some of them even survived (Narishma, Teslyn, countless other Aes Sedai/Warders, etc). I know that to mention them all would probably have taken another 200 pages or so, but it would still be nice to know.

Amen to that! I gladly would have read another few hundred pages to tie up the loose ends - I didn't want my WoT experience to end.

Regarding the Rings and Ny's Accepted test, I like to think that Jordan had Ny's ending already thought out.

I'm positive he did. He'd planned everything so thoroughly that I can't see him not planning an ending to one of his main characters.

 

[Talysia]

(Sorry it's been such a long time since my last reply. It hasn't been a good summer, and I haven't felt much like posting. Still, things are going better now.)

I'm positive he did. He'd planned everything so thoroughly that I can't see him not planning an ending to one of his main characters.

That's certainly true. He seemed like the sort of writer who would plan the endings to even some of the lesser characters. Which makes not knowing some of their fates a little irritating, but that's part of the charm, I guess. It keeps you guessing.

 

[Rahl Windsong]

All I wanted to say about the final book is, I thought it was one of the best endings to a very long series I have ever had the pleasure for reading and I think Brandon Sanderson needs to be congratulated on his work in Robert Jordan's epic series.

AWESOME! indeed

 

[Erin99]

Don't apologise, Taly. We all have busy periods. So sorry to hear things haven't been the best with you, though. I hope things continue to pick up for you. It's always nice to see you around - and I'm not just saying that.

Aaaand... maybe we WILL find out some of the fates; Branderson has said there's a fair bit of deleted stuff he couldn't fit in the book that he'd like to get out there.



Rahl, yes!!! Very emotional and tense, and I agree about Branerson's work - especially because, no matter how much he claims he didn't alter much of his style to fit in, you can clearly see the difference (and more adult nature) of these books compared to his own work.

 

[Talysia]

Thanks, Leisha. Things are finally picking up, so I'll be trying to spend more time here now.

That's great news! I'd definitely be interested in any of the deleted stuff, just to see what didn't get into a book that big - especially if it refers to the fates of certain characters. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled.

 

[The Pointy End]

I enjoyed the series. I think Mr Jordan demonstrated brilliance in the conceptualization of this epic, and a master in the development of his fantasy world and plot lines. That being said, I thought his writing style throughout was pretty pedestrian, especially as it relates to dialogue, and his characters too often felt like "characters" or maybe "caricatures" rather than 3 dimensional people. I actually preferred Sandersons writing style in the last part of the series, but even some of that may just be that there was a lot to wrap up so the stories had to be moving at a much quicker pace over the last 3 books. I know many feel diffently, and probably feel that is blasphemy. Truly, i'm a fan, i just didn't drink the kool-aid.

 

[Parm85]

I love this series and the ending is one of my favourite ever books. I was just so thankful that we even managed to get an ending to the series. The best part for me are the characters, in most series I've read there are a few characters I really care about and get emotionally attached to but here there are just so many!

I think the strength of the characters is what helped me pull through some of the slower books because I was still interested in how they developed even if it was at a slower pace. And leading into the final book that meant there were so many character plots I cared about and was so excited to read about.

Overall it was a truly satisfying and epic ending to a great series, sure there were some things I wish had been different but I prefer not to get into those too much because I think Sanderson did such a great job finishing the series and it was impossible to do it exactly the way Jordan would have.

 

[DragonKhan25]

I love this series and the ending is one of my favourite ever books. I was just so thankful that we even managed to get an ending to the series. The best part for me are the characters, in most series I've read there are a few characters I really care about and get emotionally attached to but here there are just so many!

I think the strength of the characters is what helped me pull through some of the slower books because I was still interested in how they developed even if it was at a slower pace. And leading into the final book that meant there were so many character plots I cared about and was so excited to read about.

Overall it was a truly satisfying and epic ending to a great series, sure there were some things I wish had been different but I prefer not to get into those too much because I think Sanderson did such a great job finishing the series and it was impossible to do it exactly the way Jordan would have.

I think you have summed up my feelings on the books perfectly

 

[Erin99]

Oh, hello! Three new people to the Chrons, and I haven't welcomed you! Hello, all! *waves*

Nice to see you in the Jordan area, even if you didn't always like everything about the series. I admit, there were things that niggled with me (not the so-called braid-pulling or shawl-straightening, I might add), but I loved it so much I could forgive its flaws. And reading the series in one go helped, too.

But, I have to say, I LOVED Jordan's prose. It wasn't overly masterful, and yet he was a master at making people engaged, with language that perfectly captured a character's views. His sentences were lively and, in his way, beautiful, and yet he was by no means Roger Zelazny. Opening a WoT book felt like coming home, returning to somewhere warm and comfortable, by a crackling fireplace, especially as I read those first opening words of Chapter One: The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again...


Gave me goosebumps, the last time I read those words in the final volume. Bittersweet. And so beautifully evocative.

 

[HoopyFrood]

Gawd, I've probably got so much to say here. I hope I remember to get the majority of it down.

So I'll sum up first. Anyone who's followed my posts over the last eight...nine? months knows that I've had my complaints with the series. But by book 11, 12 onwards, I loved pretty much every single moment.

And that's not to say that the series only gets great by then. I think it rises to the end of book 3, 4 and 5 are great and really flesh out the world and its past (familiar past? ), 7, 8 and 9 all have some great high points (Dumai Wells!) Then there's the dreaded 10 and 11 which I really didn't mind because I like political plottings. And then the awesome trio that is 12, 13 and 14.

I do wonder if the last three are great because we're moving to the end, or because of Branderson's influence. Most likely a blend of the two. Which makes me think that if Jordan had had Branderson as an extra pair of eyes/editor throughout, the series would have been AMAZING.

Because Jordan does labour things a fair bit. Characterisation and character's dwelling on problems and trying to come to term with things -- great, yes. But Jordan, we do eventually get the point and you can move onto other things.

And I appreciate your attempts at show not tell and show emotions through movements and etc, but urrrgh, extend your repertoire. Smoothing dresses, shifting shawls (with or without a clatter of bracelets, depending on which angry, haughty group of women it is), sniffing. Branderson pretty much completely does away with it which was...bliss.

But speaking of haughty women. Yes, they are indeed, and they can get rather annoying (all right, Wise Ones, there are other ways to train people other than beating them senseless). I think this is one of the big downfalls of the series and undermines his great work in other places. He does really well in creating interesting and different cultures and people -- but then undermines it by having the people from these very different groups having very similar mannerisms.

Buuuut Leisha is right, as I said elsewhere. By the end the gender wars and the bossy women and the long-suffering men -- all this starts to resolve itself and you really can feel the world moving into a new Age.

So onto the good stuff. Because there was lots! Certainly the scope of the series is amazing. It is one long story that takes place over just about two years and good lord, so much happens and with so many characters and so much changing as they move towards the last battle. Though saying so many characters -- ultimately we do keep returning to the core group and it's great to see how much they grow and the roles they inhabit by the end. It should feel a little cliche that they all end up in like, the most powerful roles in that world -- there's the notion of the Pattern of course and even I, who doesn't really care for that fate stuff, even so it just felt so right.

I know Leisha used that word a lot in previous posts here and I agree. There's so much that feels right.

What I think I loved most about this series is that I've been looking for an antidote to the grim and gritty that's popular at the moment and this series is totally it. It's about a group of rather naive characters -- at first -- who all grow amazingly, do incredible things and battle against the very force of evil. It's about people sacrificing everything in order to fight for Light. Which sounds corny, but oh, when you read those sacrifices!

And I have to say, I didn't tear up at any of the deaths, really. What actually got me was when Rand realised what the Last Battle and its sacrifices was really about. That it's about each individual person, doing their small individual things, which together makes the great difference. I loved that section.

Now, in a bit more detail, and with SPOILERS abound (I see you there, Harebrain! Look away!)

EGWENE, just the best character ever. The Flame of Tar Valon! What a way to go out. Completely beautiful and apt and wonderful.

LAN! F**k yes, Lan! He didn't come here to live! He came for yo' head!

ANDROL! With your lava gateways!

PERRIN! Shifting like a mofo, taking down Slayer in some of the most epic sections of the books, and then some Deathhounds just for funz! And of course, doing what Rand couldn't. Whoa! SNAP.

And pretty much every other character out on that battle field.


Leish, saw some comments from you earlier in the thread. Yeah, I was a little disappointed that Ny wasn't on the field, doing amazing things. Though I did like that she was the one Rand trusted to have at the crucial moment. Plus I got the feeling that by then she'd concentrated all her power on being a Healer and wouldn't go much for fighting. And let's face it, nobody else could have battled to save a person without the aid of the Power. I love that after all she's been through, she can still rely on that.

And glad you mentioned that comment of Rand's at the very end about who would follow. That felt weird to me, too. I'd almost come to like the relationship by that last book, with the three of them deciding who would come to him when, and his getting no say in the matter Though I'll always feel that Min's personality got seriously diminished when she was constantly attached to Rand. Once she was away and in Tuon's court she was doing much more interesting things.


Phew. I think that's all I can manage for now. I've no doubt missed out loads, but I'll write them if they come to me later!

 

[chongjasmine]

I love the ending, though I am saddened by the deaths of some characters.
I wish there is less deaths in the last book, but well many of my beloved characters just die.

 

[adomol]

Out of curiosity, I was wondering how look it took the people here to get through the whole series?

 

[HareBrain]

(I see you there, Harebrain! Look away!)

I did, too. Which means I must think I'll be reading it at some point. I can now categorise it with death and taxes. It is my Doom.

 

[chongjasmine]

Out of curiosity, I was wondering how look it took the people here to get through the whole series?

It took me about two years to get through the series.
I am a slow reader.

 

[HoopyFrood]

I did, too. Which means I must think I'll be reading it at some point. I can now categorise it with death and taxes. It is my Doom.

OOOOH. Leisha will be so pleased.

And so the tradition would continue. You'd read the series and complain about things, like I did, and I'll be there reassuring you that things aren't all bad, like Leish did

Regarding how long it took. I think I started it last...May? And finished it about a week and a half ago. That was with ordering and waiting for the books to arrive each time, and a couple of episodes of putting the series aside for a little bit while other things happened.

 

[Erin99]

Ooooooooh!!!! Pleased?! Nay, I am OVER THE MOON!!! Of course, the proof is in the pudding, but I have a teensy bit of hope you'll like it. I remember something just clicked about five or so chapters into book two, and I loved it. (Book four's still my fav of mid-series, though, as well as the Dumai Wells part of... whatever book that was!)

I should post warnings that the characters take a while to leave their roots and go down the road to Great Things. But that's not to say that nothing happens in the first how many books. Oh no!

Lots of cliché-tastic things go on, which, as is the way of WoT, don't actually feel that cheap and clichéd. They just feel... awesome. And well-handled. And well-realised. And well-plotted, like all the series (except book ten, imo). He knew where he was going and what events would happen along the way. Imo, he's only guilty of taking a little long to get to certain events, but that's not even enough to bug me, since I read the series in one go.

And, as I said to Hoops elsewhere just now - oh, wait, it's easier to cut-and-paste:

Aaaaand... you know, Jordan kept files and files of everyone. There's a vid on Youtube of Branderson talking about how he asked Harriet, Jordan's widow, if she could find any notes on something or other he needed, and she came back to him with files and files of lists that stunned Branderson. Jordan had written mini biographies of every character in every book, right down to bit-part players and each member in a party even if they didn't play a part other than a name reference. Branserson said after that he tried to include all the names and a little of each person's history, just out of courtesy, since Jordan had gone to such depth.

How could anyone say Jordan lost his way?! It was all so well-planned.

Which takes me back to the final scene and a certain character's flippant remark about the ladies. I believe Jordan, having written that scene before he started the series (lol!), would have tweaked it to fit better if he'd been able to. At best, I think it would have been a rough outline to work with once he came to that point. I had that at one time, so I know what it's like. I had my end-of-series written before I'd polished the first book. Of course, it all needs to change now...

Anyway, we'll have to be content with the WoT extras floating around the net. I've already read the short in Unfettered, which was nice but has left me wanting more, and I've read the novella, New Spring, so... um... what's left???! Roll on encyclopaedia! I SO hope I find out about who the mysterious women was, etc.

But heh! It would be AWESOME to have a little WoT club here! We could re-live the WoT vicariously through HB! It would be sweet if we ended up with another Leish-Hoopy role – Hoopy-HareBrain - encouraging HB and maybe others to keep going. Tbh, though, I'm thrilled that Hoopy stuck with it, considering I thought my efforts to turn the negativity here had failed. And to hear, all these months later, how much she's enjoyed it…. That makes it all worthwhile. THANK YOU HOOPY!!!

---------------


And:

Hello, adomol! I hope you like it here. Soooo many nice people around.

To answer your question, I began my Jordan quest (well, book two anyway, cos I'd already been badgered into reading book one and didn't want to continue, cos it hadn't really hooked me) in about September(ish) of 2012, and I finished it in August last year. So... a yearish? But I didn't read it constantly, and even though that sounds like a long time eek, I didn't even notice it, really. You know when you become so engrossed in something you don't notice the pages flying by? That's what I got with this. I wanted to spend time with the characters and the world. And Jordan is all about evoking emotion in his readers through amazing, indescribable moments that make you put the book down to absorb what's just happened. Book four is amazing at this, oh yes! Unless you've read it, though, my description just sounds lame.

 

[DragonKhan25]

Lan killing Demandred was by far my favorite moment. Just so much badass in that sequence!