Towers of Midnight: Wheel of Time, Book 13

It will be impossible to review each of these books separately, as the story has to be read from start to finish (yes, all fourteen books). This series really is a true epic fantasy, and I have loved it ever since I read my first part back in 1997. I got that book from my then boyfriend our first Christmas together, and I use to joke and say that was the reason we eventually got married (we're celebrating our 30th anniversary next year, and the books are still amazing). This series really is unique, and to me it has a little bit of everything. The characters are great and very well written, and the magic system really is one of a kind. The world building is amazing, and all the different cultures in the different countries are very well written. I love all of the different monsters, even though I find the Myrdraals particularly spooky. The story is such an adventure, and the books are fantastic. Every fantasy fan that likes a long epos should really read all of them.

Being the middle book in any series is difficult; being the middle book in the middle of a three-part volume that represents the final book in a 20+ year endeavor is staggeringly complicated. After all, you've got to make the book satisfying on its own terms, while still setting up for the final volume of the series and paying off events that were already set into motion. Add into all of this the difficulty of taking over for a deceased author, and it would be a miracle if Towers of Midnight worked at all. The fact that it holds its own as one of the high points of the series, then, is downright unbelievable, and yet its true. While The Gathering Storm was largely a book about Rand's accepting of his own fate and destiny, Towers of Midnight focuses more on the supporting cast of the series as they move - both by choice and by fate - into their positions for the Last Battle that haunts the future to come. Like Rand, Perrin is forced to reconcile himself to his new role as leader, while Mat is forced to become a hero by facing up to an evil that he hoped to never see again. Meanwhile, other characters - Galad, Aviendha, Egwene, and Elayne primary among them - have to begin to come to terms with how Rand has changed the world, and what the world may be like if the final battle is won. That's a lot for any one book to take one, but Sanderson manages beautifully, guiding the characters into place and delivering some incredible payoffs to stories that have been building for more than a decade. None of these are as satisfying, thrilling, and as unsettling as an incredible sequence near the book's end, in which Mat and two companions undertake a rescue in a place that defies reason, although watching Sanderson allow Perrin to truly push the World of Dreams to its limits in a masterful battle scene is right up there in terms of skill and astonishing action. Towers is a transition book, but it's one that packs lots of action into its pages, closing lots of doors and focusing all of its energy on the final battle to come. Like the best books in the series, though, the action and events here as as much about the characters as they are the destinies being spun, and its that focus on the people at the heart of the series that makes the book so successful. By the end, as characters reunite or mourn their losses, I was beginning to truly feel that we were coming to the end, and the emotional impact that comes with that is hard to ignore. But even without the final volume, Towers is a fantastic read, with some of the best action in the series to date, and payoffs for any fan of the series that will leave you both eager and saddened that it's all coming to an end in only one more book.

Towers of Midnight is a great book. That's not to say there aren't shortcomings in consistency or stylistic hiccups, but as a whole, this is a volume that contains everything a Wheel of Time fan could ask for, and more! As another reviewer mentioned, the plot development truly is torrential, and the feeling of inevitability is really brought out by the way Sanderson (and Jordan) present events. There's hardly a lull in the excitement, and even the less adrenaline-filled scenes contain a sense of purpose and direction. As you read through the book, you really feel the pieces locking into place, not unlike a combination of Perrin's locksmith puzzles and Mat's imaginary dice. The characters are true to their personalities, save for select instances. A number of the characters show significant departure from what we've been seeing in past volumes, but this is arguably a result of their character development rather than Sanderson's inability to stay true to writing form (that said, there were a few spots where I did feel that Sanderson deviated from the series narrative approach and/or character personalities). Perhaps more so than in the previous volume (The Gathering Storm), Sanderson's writing style comes across as starker than Jordan, whom we all know had a penchant for exquisite detail. True, we are no longer provided with as much information and color as the earlier volumes gave, but this no-frills, all-business attitude came across as extraordinarily appropriate on the eve of The Last Battle. In a way, Sanderson has the benefit of being able to utilize the fleshed out images that Jordan has created without having to go through the difficult process of bringing them to life himself. However, there is one seminal event that Sanderson seems to downplay. The action and momentum is undeniable, but the entire occurrence has a somewhat empty or shallow feeling to it. Perhaps part of it has to do with Mat's loss of dimensionality (IMO, Sanderson latched onto a few more obvious character traits of Mat and threw away less obvious ones). Ultimately, Towers of Midnight is exactly what the series needed (it makes one seriously doubt if RJ himself could have finished the series in even 5 more books), being able to build upon the amazing foundation Jordan has laid and adding in a sense of urgency that marches the plot to its crescendo. PS. Some people mention that this is not a particularly beginner-friendly volume. But honestly, to start a series as involved as WoT on the 13th book is asking to be confused. As we well know, RJ's insistence on repeating very fundamental concepts at some point in EVERY single book got tiresome after a while (it may be fine due to gaps between releases, but rereads reveal the irritation it can cause). PPS. Please have the courtesy to NOT rate a product you do not actually own. Yes, I'm talking (typing) to you, Kindle owners. I understand it is frustrating to be shafted by a publishing decision, but don't detract from the product itself because of that. You can boycott until they release what you want, you can write strongly worded letters to the parties involved, you can petition your Congressman, but please do your fellow consumers a favor and NOT damage the reputation of a product before you have actually had first-hand experience with it. And no, the logistics of a product should NOT be considered part of the product itself. Rating an otherwise praiseworthy product as a 1-star failure won't convince anyone to release the Kindle edition earlier. All it does is deter casual buyers from taking a chance with this amazing series.

Now, there are a few problems with this book and I wasn't sure whether I should detract a star because of it, but by the end I thought it should deserve the full five. This book concentrates more on Perrin, Mat and Elayne than the previous book did and for the most part all their stories are brilliant. It takes time to get there, but the destination is worth the wait. Perrin It is widely known that these last three books were originally meant to be one. In the Gathering Storm, it wasn't obvious and Sanderson had done a good job of choosing certain story lines to elevate over others. Perrin's wasn't one of them, so his story has been placed in this book. However, because of this we now have quite a huge continuity error. The first half of Perrin's story takes place during the events of the previous book and as such, certain things that you believe have already happened...haven't. It's like a huge flashback, which i wouldn't mind, but it's not styled like one. Again, I wouldn't mind if there were no crossovers, but the character of Tam al'Thor appears in both Perrin's story and Rand's story which is a continuation of the previous book. So you're reading along one minute about how he's gone back to the Two Rivers, and the next minute find him speaking to Perrin! In Ghealdan! While I would think anybody would be stupid to pick this book up first as it is clearly marked as book thirteen, I would think a new reader would get confused over this (though, to be honest, it's probably their fault anyway. I mean who reads book thirteen before even book one!). It could even get confusing if you hadn't read the Gathering Storm in a while. Fortunately these matters are put into perspective when we find out that Perrin witnessed Rand's activities on Dragonmount. These niggles aside, Perrin's story is by far the best it's been since Shadow Rising, perhaps ever. He has to confront much of his past with the Whitecloaks, Slayer, the Wolves, all the while preparing his armies for the Last Battle and finally accepting the role of Lord. Elayne The weak point of the novel. After gaining the Lion Throne, Elayne now has her sights set on Cairhien. So we have to go though yet another fight for the crown. Fortunately, this portion of the story is relatively short. Mat Aside from the ending, this is the best part of the book. Mat, Thom, and Noal set off for the Tower of Ghenjei. Once there the climax with the Aelfinn and the Eelfinn is exciting and quite creepily terrifying. The creatures were creepy in Shadow Rising, but here we see them really come to life. The overall climax to the book is something that we've been waiting for since the Eye of the World. Throughout the book, we've got huge exciting battles with shadowspawn, but they're mere skirmishes compared to witnessing the start of the actual Tarmon Gaidon. However, that's not what I like about the ending, it's the less action oriented things. The fact that we get to see the armies of at least eight nations rallying together. A short and terrifying dream sequence that shows just how evil the Dark One can be. But my favourite has to be the end quote. It all leads to a feeling of dread and despair, leaving you truly scared for the Last Battle. This is a point few writers can accomplish. Most will have this kind of scene with a feeling of hope, epic potential, or just plain action, but not one of impending doom. This book scared me. But not because of the monsters, or the concept, or even the Dark One himself. I was scared for the characters. I was scared for Rand, Mat, Perrin, Faile, Elayne, Min, Aviendha, Egwene, Lan, Nyneave, Thom, Everyone. I have read this series on and off for the past ten years and I have grown to know and love these characters. The moment they have dreaded throughout thirteen books has finally come. And I am terrified they're not going to make it. That is writing you don't read every day. This is a truly epic book. In every sense of the word and I am looking forward to starting Memory of Light tomorrow. I'll probably end up in Waterstones and begin reading it knowing that it has already been delivered to my house while I was at work. Damn you Amazon! Get this stuff to me quickly! I'm sure you can get someone to open a Gateway instead of bothering with those pesky slow lorries!

So, so good. Have loved the Wheel of Time Series through both authors. RIP Robert Jordan and thank you Brandon Sanderson for finishing the series off so well.

Accattivante, coerente, pieno di colpi di scena e super articolato, uno dei migliori fantasy mai letti

Toujours aussi bon , si des trois personnages principaux Perrin est celui que j'apprécie le moins , là je ne me suis pas ennuyée avec lui , heureusement Faile n'était pas trop présente (ce n'est pas mon perso favori) j'ai aimé le suivre dans la bataille et dans le monde des rêves J'ai aimé suivre Galad et les Whitecloaks , comme Elayne . Bémol , pas assez de Rand dans ce tome-ci mais c'est vrai que dans les deux précédent nous l'avons beaucoup suivit , que de chemin parcouru par lui ! Il devient un leader très intéréssant et charismatique . Mes parties favorites ont été avec Mat , j'attends avec impatience le moment où il va retrouver sa femme , nous apprenons ce que signifiait de perdre la moitié de la lumière du monde pour sauver le monde , je n'avais absolument pas pernsé à ça ! Il y a tout de même une fin assez satisfaisante même si nous fermons le livre sur une situation critique et un personnage dans une situation angoissante Ah la la la dire qu'il faut attendre l'année prochaine pour savoir la suite et fin ! Sanderson se débrouille très bien , le livre se lit dans déplaisir

Perrin Aybara learns to take control of his wolf dreams and he becomes a master in the dream world, even surprising Egwene there! An excellent, exciting read from start to finish!