mid-book review: The Gathering Storm
by: Robert Jordon & Brandon Sanderson
What?? A “mid-book” review? What does that even mean?
It means that I’m midway through the book and felt like making some brief comments. Because I can.
So let’s just get this out of the way first:
It’s good.
Quite good.
Only once or twice have I stopped to wonder if a passage was Jordan’s or Sanderson’s – and in the end I didn’t care anyway.
I found myself going back and re-reading passages to soak in details – something I almost never do. But – this is a book I’ve waited four years for – a book most thought would never come, thanks to Mr. Jordan’s horribly unfortunate passing. This is a book to be savored!
There were one or two points where I wondered at a character’s actions, thought briefly would they do that?, but then realize that DUH, the series has to end, so they have to suck it up and change eventually. And besides, they both did things I actually wanted them to do – so wins were everywhere.
I’d forgotten how skillfully crafted the characters here are. I understand each person’s perspective. I know why they do the things they do, even if I really wish they wouldn’t. Each one is a living, breathing thing to me – which I suppose they should be after 12 books in 19 years.
Halfway through the book feels like I just read a whole book too - there was a point where it felt a little like one book ending, and another beginning. The first half contained in itself the standard Jordanian progression of things, leading up to a battle with a Forsaken and another terribly Pyrrhic victory. There were several shifts in allegiances, and two big reveals – one about a darkfriends identity (I’m pretty sure this was news, but I might have forgotten it) – and one about the identity of Moridin. Rand did something he really shouldn’t have done with the power (and I know it will come back and bite him – but how?!).
Oh, and there’s the requisite AWFUL cover. Seriously what the hell is up with the proportions on this thing? Still, they’ve grown on me over the decades (!), so it wouldn’t be a WoT book without one. Seriously though, that cover artist….*shakes head*.
Hopefully I’ll be able to squeeze in the last 300 pages tonight. Fingers crossed. If it’s as good as the first half… hell of a book.
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