The Gathering Storm

by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

If you told me at the turn of the century I would be in my 40s the first time I finally started rounding the end of the Wheel of Time, I don’t think I’d believe you. It’s just kind of an absurd thought, to go from seeing a kid reading The Great Hunt in 10th grade Spanish class and saying to myself, “Hmm, I like fantasy books—secretly, of course, because I am 16 and trying to smooch girls and embarrassed by things I like such as videogames and swords—but it must be pretty engrossing if he’s ignoring Señora Professora. Gonna get myself to Barnes & Noble, because I am leery of the public library for zero good reason whatsoever, and start this series” to waking up before my two children so I can get some time to read about Rand al’Thor.

Wheel of Time created Amazon (at least for me).

I’ve started and restarted The Wheel of Time a dozen time and flamed out pretty hard near the book eight mark more than once; having new material with these friendly faces has continues to surprise me. My most recent attempt found an interregnum before Knife of Dreams, but I found my way back to it before the memories of the prior ten books faded back into my subconscious. However, I wanted to take a large break before The Gathering Storm, because I wanted time to let the new author’s style feel more natural.

The book is different. It feels more abrupt, to me, after so long with the first nine or ten. Sanderson gets the plot moving. Things just happen, people get shifted into positions so the story can continue. It feels pared down, like there is an end point and Jordan would have—just by virtue of loving the world—ballooned it into four or five books, but Sanderson had to mash it down into one. Get Rand here. Get Faile there. Mat has to be ready for this.

It is probably a good thing, to be honest. The Wheel of Time is a story with a definite conclusion—I read once that even as far back as book one Jordan claimed he had already written the final scene—and The Gathering Storm is a transitional work to get you where you need to be for endgame. Sometimes, things will finish. Without The Gathering Storm moving a lot of things really quickly, I don’t see how you get there.

Verin looked up. “Oh, I’m not convinced young al’Thor’s problems are completely due to the Power, Matrim. Many would like to blame his temperament on saidin, but to do that is to ignore the incredible stresses that we’ve settled on that poor boy’s shoulders.”

It is certainly not my favorite book in the series, but it is a monumental accomplishment in terms of being what it needs to be to rescue what could have been an orphaned fantasy epic. Kudos to Sanderson and the whole team for being able to pick up the world and keep it spinning.