Saturday, January 12, 2013

A Memory of Light

It is no secret I am a geek. I revel in this fact. I love my books. They are friends who have seen me through depression, boredom and my sudden, infrequent bouts into exercise. I have seen 2 series end now in my reading career, both of which I started well into the middle of the series.

One was Harry Potter. I remember reading the first book right when the first movie came out. It was Thanksgiving and I was stationed in Alaska. I read the entire first book before we went to see the movie. I watched this series end and was a little mournful, as it would be one less series to look forward to.

The Wheel of Time series was introduced to me by an ex-boyfriend. I was told to get through the first 100 pages, then I would be hooked. It was true. I struggled through the first 100 pages but then I was hooked on the series. The Wheel of Time outlived its creator, Robert Jordan. Jordan spun a story of good vs. evil with twists and turns. Jordan died before the series was complete, causing his readers to worry the story would never be completed. His wife, Harriet, selected fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson to complete the series from notes left by Jordan. I admit, I was a little nervous with this, as I had never heard of Sanderson. But he did the series justice.

The end of this series left me satisfied. It was like a good meal, one you could revisit over and over again whenever you wanted. Usually, I do a complete read-through before the new book comes out. I didn't get a chance to finish my read-through this time (I'm only on book 5), but I intend to finish, adding this 14th book to the mix.

Spoilers to follow - just to warn you.

I was sad to see so many deaths in this book. Not minor characters, but major ones who shaped the book. Nearly all of the Forsaken died, and the two who didn't deserve their fates. Their ends were justified, if not foreshadowed in the series.

This book centered on the Last Battle between Rand al'Thor and the Dark One. Al'Thor was the Dragon Reborn, a man fated to fight the Dark One and die. Which technically did happen. The technical part I will leave to the reader.

The Last Battle draws in all the characters from the series. The battle is raged on four fronts and the effects are devastating. Eventually, three of the fronts are pulled together into one final battle.

The identity of the last Forsaken, Demandred, has been the topic of discussion on many discussion forums for years. The revelation of his identity was the only sore spot for me in the entire series. It was anti-climatic, almost stupid. His alter-ego wasn't even on scene.

For the most part, I did enjoy the series. I recommend it to any fantasy reader. I warn you, the books are thick and sometimes a little slow, but the twists and turns will keep you guessing until the end. The first book is The Eye of the World. Get through the first 100 pages and you will be hooked. There are a lot of characters to remember and keep track of. If you enjoy George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, aka The Game of Thrones series, you will enjoy this series.

Always,
Jen

No comments:

Post a Comment