The Gathering Storm (Wheel of Time Series #12)

( 769 )

Overview

Tarmon Gai’don, the Last Battle, looms. And mankind is not ready.

The final volume of the Wheel of Time, A Memory of Light, was partially written by Robert Jordan before his untimely passing in 2007. Brandon Sanderson, New York Times bestselling author of the Mistborn books, was chosen by Jordan’s editor—his wife, Harriet McDougal—to complete the final book. The scope and size of the volume was such that it could not be contained in a single book, and so Tor proudly presents The...

See more details below
Paperback (Mass Market Paperback)    
A small-format, low-cost paperback -- usually 4 1/4" x 6 3/4" -- most often used for genres such as mystery, romance, and sci-fi, as well as bestsellers with broad commercial appeal.
$9.99
BN.com price
Pick Up In Store

Pick Up In Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Other sellers (Paperback)
  • All (39) from $1.99   
  • New (23) from $6.20   
  • Used (16) from $1.99   
The Gathering Storm (Wheel of Time Series #12)

Available on NOOK devices and apps  
  • Nook Devices
  • NOOK HD/HD+ Tablet
  • NOOK
  • NOOK Color
  • NOOK Tablet
  • Tablet/Phone
  • NOOK for Windows 8 Tablet
  • NOOK for iOS
  • NOOK for Android
  • NOOK Kids for iPad
  • PC/Mac
  • NOOK for Windows 8
  • NOOK for PC
  • NOOK for Mac
  • NOOK Study
  • NOOK for Web

Want a NOOK? Explore Now

NOOK Book (eBook)
$7.99
BN.com price
(Save 20%)$9.99 List Price

More About This Book

Overview

Tarmon Gai’don, the Last Battle, looms. And mankind is not ready.

The final volume of the Wheel of Time, A Memory of Light, was partially written by Robert Jordan before his untimely passing in 2007. Brandon Sanderson, New York Times bestselling author of the Mistborn books, was chosen by Jordan’s editor—his wife, Harriet McDougal—to complete the final book. The scope and size of the volume was such that it could not be contained in a single book, and so Tor proudly presents The Gathering Storm as the first of three novels that will cover the outline left by Robert Jordan, chronicling Tarmon Gai'don and Rand al'Thor's final confrontation with the Dark One. This short sequence will complete the struggle against the Shadow, bringing to a close a journey begun almost twenty years ago and marking the conclusion of the Wheel of Time, the preeminent fantasy epic of our era.

In this epic novel, Robert Jordan’s international bestselling series begins its dramatic conclusion. Rand al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn, struggles to unite a fractured network of kingdoms and alliances in preparation for the Last Battle. As he attempts to halt the Seanchan encroachment northward—wishing he could form at least a temporary truce with the invaders—his allies watch in terror the shadow that seems to be growing within the heart of the Dragon Reborn himself.

Egwene al’Vere, the Amyrlin Seat of the rebel Aes Sedai, is a captive of the White Tower and subject to the whims of their tyrannical leader. As days tick toward the Seanchan attack she knows is imminent, Egwene works to hold together the disparate factions of Aes Sedai while providing leadership in the face of increasing uncertainty and despair. Her fight will prove the mettle of the Aes Sedai, and her conflict will decide the future of the White Tower—and possibly the world itself.

The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

Read More Show Less
  • The Gathering Storm
    The Gathering Storm  

Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble

When Robert Jordan died in September 2007, he left unfinished the final sequence in his epoch-making fantasy epic The Wheel of Time. His wife and longtime editor Harriet McDougal decided that his manuscript deserved to be completed and published. For that task, she chose Brandon Sanderson, a bestselling fantasy author in his own right. The Gathering Storm, the first novel in a three-volume sequence, sets the stage for Tarmon Gai-don, the Last Battle, towards which the Wheel of Time has been long ominously turning. Now in mass-market paperback.

From the Publisher
“The battle scenes have the breathless urgency of firsthand experience, and the . . . evil laced into the forces of good, the dangers latent in any promised salvation, the sense of the unavoidable onslaught of unpredictable events bear the marks of American national experience during the last three decades.”—The New York Times on The Wheel of Time

“The Wheel of Time . . . is a fantasy tale seldom equaled and still less often surpassed in English.”—Chicago Sun-Times

“Jordan has a powerful vision of good and evil—but what strikes me as most pleasurable . . . is all the fascinating people moving through a rich and interesting world.”—Orson Scott Card on The Wheel of Time

Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780765341532
  • Publisher: Doherty, Tom Associates, LLC
  • Publication date: 9/28/2010
  • Series: Wheel of Time Series , #12
  • Format: Mass Market Paperback
  • Pages: 1120
  • Sales rank: 26,017
  • Product dimensions: 7.46 (w) x 11.30 (h) x 1.78 (d)

Meet the Author

Robert Jordan

Robert Jordan was born in 1948 in Charleston, South Carolina. He taught himself to read when he was four with the incidental aid of a twelve-years-older brother, and was tackling Mark Twain and Jules Verne by five. He is a graduate of The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, with a degree in physics. He served two tours in Vietnam with the U.S. Army; among his decorations are the Distinguished Flying Cross with bronze oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star with "V" and bronze oak leaf cluster, and two Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses with palm. A history buff, he has also written dance and theater criticism and enjoyed the outdoor sports of hunting, fishing, and sailing, and the indoor sports of poker, chess, pool, and pipe collecting.

Robert Jordan began writing in 1977 and went on to write The Wheel of Time®, one of the most important and best selling series in the history of fantasy publishing with over 14 million copies sold in North America, and countless more sold abroad.

Robert Jordan died on September 16, 2007, after a courageous battle with the rare blood disease amyloidosis.

 

Brandon Sanderson is the bestselling author of books including Warbreaker, Elantris, The Way of Kings, and The Mistborn Trilogy—Mistborn, The Well of Ascension and The Hero of Ages. He has also written Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians, a book for middle-grade readers, and is completing the final books in Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time® series—The Gathering Storm, Towers of Midnight and A Memory of Light—based on Jordan’s notes and material. Sanderson teaches writing at Brigham Young University. He lives in Utah.

Biography

Robert Jordan was born in 1948 in Charleston, South Carolina, where he lived with his wife, Harriet, in a house built in 1797. He taught himself to read when he was four (with the incidental aid of a twelve-years-older brother) and was tackling Mark Twain and Jules Verne by five. After graduating from The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, with a degree in physics, he served two tours in Vietnam with the U.S. Army, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star with "V", and two Vietnamese Crosses of Gallantry. A history buff, he also wrote dance and theater criticism. In September, 2007, Jordan died from complications of a rare blood disease. He was 58 years old.
Read More Show Less
    1. Also Known As:
      James Oliver Rigney Jr. (real name)
    1. Date of Birth:
      October 17, 1948
    2. Place of Birth:
      Charleston, South Carolina
    1. Date of Death:
      September 16, 2007
    2. Place of Death:
      Charleston, South Carolina

Read an Excerpt

Do not post chapter excerpt

Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 769 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(544)

4 Star

(154)

3 Star

(33)

2 Star

(19)

1 Star

(19)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 781 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 28, 2009

    A wonderful addition to the Wheel of Time

    Unlike most other reviews here (as of this posting), I have read this book. All of the book and not just the prologue and the first chapter.

    Fans of the Wheel of Time series will not be disappointed with The Gathering Storm. Unlike some of the books since Lord of Chaos, there is a satisfactory conclusion to an important plot line in this book (no spoilers). There is clear movement towards Tarmon Gai'don. No more burying major characters under roof beams and leaving them there for a full book. While not all characters are visited, you still put the book down feeling that something momentous had happened and you don't feel the lack of particular story lines. Instead of feeling as if I had just briefly flitted from character to character without accomplishing anything, this book provides a sense of satisfaction that has been missing from some of the prior Wheel of Time novels. (That is not a knock on the prior books, The Gathering Storm would not feel as satisfactory without the build up provided by the books that preceded it.)

    I will say that I was worried at the beginning of the Prologue. It certainly does not start with a bang, but it does set the tone for the book. However, by the end of the prologue I knew that this was a book where something exciting was going to happen and wanted to continue reading.

    It is also worth noting that Sanderson has done a wonderful job of preserving the writing style of the previous books. Is this book somewhat different from Jordan's original books? Yes, most notably, the pacing is a bit faster. It is debatable, however, whether that is a function of Sanderson's style or the fact that the plot is coming to a head.

    This book is a worthy and welcome addition to the Wheel of Time series. Although it is sad that Robert Jordan could not write all of it himself, The Gathering Storm is a fantastic addition to his legacy.

    71 out of 72 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted October 30, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    incredible , would have never guessed it was someone else writing if i had not already known beforehand.

    to be honest I just expected this book to finish the storyline and tie up loose ends without jordans flair. yes i read chapter 1 and the prolouge early and was not that impressed. At tor .com i listened to the audio of chapter 2 early and i think this is where the book gets rolling. For all of you who say it doesn't read like robert jordan please read the whole book first. I just finished the book and i an back waiting for the next one as eagerly as ever. Yes the chrachters seem a little different at first but within a few chapters they blend almost seemlessly. I feel the reason people dislike the first few chapters is that a large number of new charachters are are thrown at you which makes the book feel unfamiliar but as the book continues I felt like it was one of the better books in the series. This one feels like the early books in that the story actually moves forward at a good pace and you actually feel like it goes somewhere. The later books by jordan were great but slowed in momentum and just seemed to leave more unfinished storylines after every book. Finally after 19 years of reading the wheel of time countless times
    ( at least 10 times minimum) I feel the end coming and know it will be an ending of heroic proportions. Brandon Sanderson has done the monumental task of stepping into the giant shadow cast by Robert Jordan and from reviews I have read no one seems to think him worthy after reading only 1 or 2 chapters. Well for all you who made a hasty judgement please read the whole book and then decide. I feel Brandon Sanderson deserves great praise for this book and he has definately deserves a thank you from all wheel of time fans for stepping into the breach and finishing the story we all wanted to know the ending to.Now as all wheel of time fans are used to doing i will wait another year for the next book in that end. Yep definately feels like Robert Jordan.

    6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 29, 2009

    Great Beginning of the End for the Series

    I forgot within 20 pages that I wasn't reading something entirely written by Robert Jordan, and that was what had worried me most. Mr. Sanderson does a wonderful job of MOVING the story along without getting dragged down into the weeds too much. The pace is fairly quick for a story with so many characters, and several answers are provided in this book that give closure to questions that have loomed for four or five books.

    6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted October 9, 2009

    Review of the Prologue and First Chapter of The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

    Sorry everyone, but I was thoroughly disappointed with the first chapter of this book. While I have to admit that it is a different author, I believe that he could have done without all of the redundant explanations that we who have read the previous eleven books didn't need. While I can see the need to introduce the workings of recent history through the last couple of books, I didn't agree with the fact that he felt the need to re-explain what Cuendillar, the One Power, and even Tar Valon were. His use of explanations and reiteration were misplaced in my opinion and he could have spent more time doing what Robert Jordan did: put undertones of the plot just within our grasp. Furthermore, I think that he needs to go back over the history and personalities of the characters, because e kind of flattens and dulls the characters, where they should be multi-dimensional and vibrant. I'm probably going to still buy the book, but I do hope that he does Robert Jordan the justice he is due by correcting his representations of the world of the Wheel of Time in subsequent books.

    Overall this book so far is good for only one thing: completing your collection of Wheel of Time books.

    6 out of 83 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted November 7, 2009

    I Also Recommend:

    Knife of Dreams (Wheel of Time Series #11)
    Out of the Silent Planet (Space Trilogy Series #1)
    Mistborn Trilogy Boxed Set
    The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time Series #1)
    Elantris

    A great continuation of a great story

    In The Gathering Storm, Sanderson and Jordan's work is so intertwined its difficult to see where one stops and the other continues. Of course that didn't stop me from analyzing every character and their plot lines (as I believe they should be) for any flaws. Thankfully the flaws are so minuscule and the story so engaging, they are hardly noticeable. Actually, those so-called flaws could be part of character development and nothing else.
    What I love about this book is that the plot advances; plot lines are continued toward the inevitable final climax. Those annoying stagnation scenes (Perrin, Faile, and the Aiel) are finally done and nothing similar seems to happen in The Gathering Storm; however, there are still two more books. The action scenes are appropriate without being over the top. The slower set-up scenes are short and acceptable to all those that love Robert Jordan. The generosity of the characters and the realization of their humanity is touching and fits within the story plot (prophecy, if you will).

    I've read negative comments about the first chapter and I have to agree with their fears. However, after reading the entire book those fears were later seen as silly and inconsequential compared to the whole.

    My recommendation is: read it if you love Robert Jordan - you know you will enjoy it; if you're new to this series and Robert Jordan - The Gathering Storm includes enough information to read only this book (its a stretch and you will miss a lot but it can be done).

    5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted November 3, 2009

    As good as any WOT volume!

    I have been following Brandon Sanderson's career ever since he was announced as the one to finish the WOT. I have read several of his books and have liked each one but not to the extent that I think everything he touches is gold. However, he did a wonderful job with The Gathering Storm. He took characters, plot, and world that weren't his own and seemlessly moved the story towards its end. This book, in my opinion, is among the top three best of the series. I do not know how much of it was completely written by Brandon (I suspect almost every word of it) but I do know that it was a pleasure to read. The voice of the story is noticeably different at times and other times you can't tell who wrote what, but once you get back into the characters' lives you won't care who wrote it... everything feels right. Thank you Brandon for doing a fine job with RJ's masterpiece.

    5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted November 1, 2009

    @ Shawn_Bean_of_Portland_OR

    Apparently you are not reading the same book as the rest of us, as you complain about the author re-explaining Cuendillar, the One Power, and Tar Valon were. Firstly, he does not go into pages or even paragraphs worth on it, and he is not exactly explaining what they are. Secondly, Robert Jordan was notorious for re-explaining things in every book for those who had perhaps not read any of the previous books.

    So in essence, your so called review is a joke and a waste of time. Talk about the proverbial judging a book by its cover.

    5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted November 4, 2009

    Well worth the wait!

    Avid Jordan readers will love this book! I got so into it I read the book in 6 days! The intensity is on, the energy and imagination put into this book are astounding! I cannot wait for the next one.

    You're going to fall in love with these characters all over again!

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted October 31, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    I Also Recommend:

    Lord Foul's Bane (First Chronicles Series #1)
    Mordant's Need: The Mirror of her Dreams and A Man Rides Through
    A Man Rides Through (Mordant's Need Series #2)
    White Gold Wielder (Second Chronicles Series #3)
    The Illearth War (First Chronicles Series #2)

    Wow Just wow

    Brandon Sanderson has done Robert Jordan proud.
    Where to begin...This book is completely engaging. From the night I bought it,10-27 until about 10-31 6:30 a.m. I couldn't put it down. Yes, I know I shouldn't have rushed through it especially since Mr. Sanderson said in the forward that he's only half way through book 13 but I couldn't help myself. It seemed like every time I got to the end of a chapter, something had happened in the story that made me want to keep reading. I'll probably go back and read this book again when book 13 comes out. At the risk of sounding like a woolheaded-sheepherder reading this book I fell in love with the all the characters again.
    I you stopped reading this series at any point, come back to it, read any preceding books that you haven't read yet then buy this book. Trust me you won't regret the time and money.

    3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted August 12, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    Release Date

    I guess Tor hasn't updated their release date yet but According to Brandon Sanderson's blog they've moved the release date to October 27th. He said this is an official release date by TOR. It's supported by the time clock that TOR has on their site, they just haven't changed the date yet on the top of the page.

    I'm eagerly awaiting this book. I've read Elantris and was very impressed by Sanderson's writing. I've also been keeping up with his blog and he speaks reverentially of Jordan and the Wheel of Time so I know he will do the best he can to make this book as good as if Jordan himself had written all of it.

    As far as the splitting, Sanderson put it very nicely, it was either wait for the book to be completed and have 1 or 3 volumes in 3 or more years or split it and get a book every year (hopefully) for 3 years. I don't know about anyone else but I'd rather have the first part of the "Last Book" now since it's been close to 4 years since Knife of Dreams came out. My only complaint is with the book stores not wanting them to title all 3 books A Memory of Light with a sub title for each separate book. Hopefully they title the final book A Memory of Light since that was what Jordan wanted.

    3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted July 4, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    Pleasantly relieved

    I was concerned that Brandon Sanderson would stray too far from the magic that Robert Jordan had created, but I am relieved and somewhat surprised. While I love Jordan's style, Sanderson has his own magic that seems to build more into the story and adds a slightly new flavor. Excellent!

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 2, 2010

    Brian Sanderson does an exemplary job.

    When Robert Jordan died, I was sure the Wheel of Time series would be forever unfinished. I waited months to buy and read, "The Gathering Storm". I was delighted to find that Brian Sanderson really understands the essence of Mr. Jordan's writing. The characters remain true and there is no interruption of the story line. Writers and their writing are like fingerprints, no two alike, but it is a tribute to Mr. Sanderson's writing that he can sublimate his own style to such an extent that the reader feels no "double vision" when involved with beloved complex characters and the intricate detail of Mr. Jordan's descriptions of countryside and society. Thank you, Brian Sanderson. I look forward to the next two books.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted February 21, 2010

    Finally

    I had been so disappointed in the last few books, as I felt Jordan was just stringing us and the books along. After finishing each new book in the series I was left frustrated because there was precious little movement in the plot line. I had commented to my son that either Jordan or I was going to die before he completed this series, and well, we all know how that turned out. Thankfully, Sanderson took the premise and ran with it. Finally, finally, finally, the plot progressed, something actually happened. It was a bit slow starting off, but once he got going, it was actually a book I looked forward to picking up each evening and couldn't wait to read. At the same time, I dreaded finishing because I didn't want it to be over and have to wait for the next installment. I'm hoping, from the way things sound, that will not be an issue now.

    I highly recommend this book to any Wheel of Time readers who are on the fence as far as a new author. In some places it's obvious it's a new author, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Nonetheless, the characters are consistent, and he painted a clear picture of how Rand had to evolve as he approaches Tarmon Gai'don.

    Would have been nice to have at least had a chapter on Elayne, but it sure was nice not to have to hear about Faile and her followers constantly. And while there were more than enough Aes Sedai, at least there weren't so many that you couldn't keep them straight.

    All in all, it was a much-anticipated book and I was pleasantly surprised. Truly enjoyed the book

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 12, 2009

    The Gathering Stoem

    This book was a lot better then I expected. Robert Jordan's passing was very hard on his fans. This yound author did a great job writing this book.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted November 11, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    I Also Recommend:

    Mistborn Trilogy Boxed Set

    One of the best!!

    With the work the Robert Jordan did in his final days gave Brandon Sanderson an excellent outline to follow. I have enjoyed this book very much. The words flowed extremely smooth, Sanderson held true ,for the most part,to the storyline. I liked this book so much that I picked up his "Mistborn" trilogy and have found them to be equally enjoyable. I can understand now why he was chosen over some other more established writer, excellent work indeed.

    In my opinion the final four chapters in this book are the most prolific of the whole series so far.

    I would point out that I found that Sanderson's time-line to be a bit off on some of the characters and events; but other than that this book was spot on for enjoyment to read. Keep up the good work. I cannot wait for the next book to see what happens.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted November 10, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    If you skip the first 450, its not so bad

    Robert Jordan successor Brandon Sanderson writes very similarly. And thats not a good thing.
    We are told that we are in the beginning of the end and its going to take 3 books.
    We are then given over to being laboriously re-introduced to all the main and secondary characters.
    The first books of the Wheel of Time were exhilirating, bringing us to a whole new world of good vs. evil. The core of the book however was of the village friends together fighting adversity.
    Robert Jordan then streeeeeeeetched it out, first by separating the main characters (which was the gems of the book) and then by overloading us with secondary and tertiary characters.
    We then progressed to VERY long books where people stand around, do nothing but talk...and talk ...and talk...and then typically the last 100 pages something happens.
    Welcome to The Gathering Storm.
    The characters no longer talk and talk, they think thoughts and more thoughts....and they don't do much of anything. Oh, there is the boring one more time capture of Rand, Matt whining, Perrin acting like the big lump. All in the first 450.
    I really was thinking that I wasn't going to care if any of them died in the final days. The characters were becoming that two dimensional and annoying. And yet.
    It finally moved and when it did, it really moved. Won't spoil, but stuff is finally happening that should of happened books ago.
    I just beg, BEG that the last two don't drag as much as this one did.
    We are told that we need two more books...the fact is this one could have been done in min. of half the pages.

    2 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted November 2, 2009

    more from this reviewer

    The book works! Fitting perfectly in the WOT Series, no disappointment!!

    I have read the entire book. I read it entirely too fast and I am in quite a depression having waited so long for the book and realizing that I am already done with it.

    Good News I suppose that more are coming.

    Brandon really did a great job. I seriously feel he improved the action sequences significantly. Enough so that the book transitions well and doesn't hang at any one point.

    RJ really did some great things with this series and I am super sad that he passed. Brandon seriously could not have been a better pick.

    To me this book was really put together very well and perhaps that is a result of the synergy between what RJ left, his wife's edits and what Brandon writes. Whatever the case is it really works well and was perhaps one of the most exciting books in the series. Obviously 3 and 7 were great but with an 11 book build up book 12 starts to knock out some problems that needed to be resolved.


    Bottom Line: if you have read the series up to now keep reading. You won't be disappointed.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted October 30, 2009

    The Gathering Storm

    I have just received my copy. As stated the book was "singed" a very nice dot matrix copy of Robert Jordan's Signiture. However it does not have the signiture of the Co-Auther Brandon Sanderson. As I have only read the first few chapters I will reserve judgement until I complete the read.

    2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted October 28, 2009

    Thank you Mr. Sanderson

    I just finished the book, it took a bit longer than usual due to work but I have to tell you all. Reading this was like reading the ones penned by Jordan himself. The characters I love so much were still there just as I had remembered them. I know I have another year to wait until the next book gets released and yet another year after that before the series is finally finished. But I have to thank Brandon Sanderson. You have done what I didn't think was possible, you allowed a great writer to finish his work, with his own voice, after his death.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 23, 2009

    WoT Reader since Eye of The World was published.

    I have read or listened to the prologue and first two chapters and I thought it was really good. I think that it is kind of premature to judge a whole book let alone three that are as large as The Wheel of Time books after three chapters. Brandon Sanderson is not Robert Jordan true enough but the fact is Robert had quite a bit of the books written or had the story outlined. Brandon is basically connecting the dots. I beleive these will be great books and again cannot wait to get my hands on The Gathering Storm.

    2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 781 Customer Reviews
If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
Why is this product inappropriate?
Comments (optional)