Review: Towers of Midnight

If you're a Wheel of Time fan and haven't read Towers of Midnight yet - well, go no further until you have. Definite spoiler alert as I discuss the highs and lows of the 13th book in arguably the BEST fantasy series of my generation.

For those that don't know, Robert Jordan began the series in the 1990s - and knew how it would end from the get go. Originally envisioned as a trilogy, the series presents an immense world filled with politics, religion, culture clashes, the One Power, and of course, male/female misunderstandings (which are simply hysterical). Jordan died before completing the series, and Brandon Sanderson was tapped to complete it. This is the second of three novels Sanderson writes, using the extensive notes Jordan left behind.

In all the ways that matter, this is a much better work by Sanderson than the previous (The Gathering Storm). While there were sections in which Sanderson's voice was obvious, for the most part it felt like text Jordan had written. It was great to see Mat acting more like the rouge I've come to love - he wants nothing more than to be considered normal, and he's anything but. Perrin has been my favorite character since The Shadow Rising, and I found myself staying up late many nights to find out what would happen. His storyline had felt quite scattered - and it was quite satisfying for the Berelain and Morgause stories to be resolved. Galad, a character that was introduced early but received very little face time, played a key role and is one of the few that has been consistently portrayed through the novels. And thank goodness we finally made it to the Towers of Ghenjei - a spectacular section (that came at the end of the 861 page book - I was seriously worried the cover art was a big tease).

Yet there were flaws - the most notable were proofreading errors in the copy (dear Tor, I'd be happy to take on that task with the final novel). Egwene seemed to have completely changed personalities between TGS and TOM. If Elayne complained one more time about drinking goat's milk...Aviendha showed up 2/3 of the way through - and she got little text in the previous book. I can only hope the next novel features her more (it must - she learned some key things in Rhuidean). The title itself - we saw the towers in the opening and that was it - what the heck? I assumed we'd learn more about Seanchen, but that was a total bust.

All in all, a great novel and a perfect buildup to the 13th and final book in this epic series (due out this time next year). I've read each so many times I've lost count, and the audio books are in regular rotation. This series is one that I've spent nearly 20 years reading - and it covers a 2 year time span for the characters. Highly recommended - start them now, you won't regret it!