Monday, July 14, 2014

I read the concluding three books of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series more or less over a long weekend; these final three were completed by Brandon Sanderson, as Jordan died before he was able to finish them. While I wasn't overfond of Jordan's style, I was skeptical of having someone else finish a long series. Luckily, Sanderson doesn't descend into a Jordan pastiche.

Probably the biggest difference between Jordan and Sanderson (although perhaps this is a function of the fact that the series is ending) is that stuff happens. These books simply aren't the moving-the-characters-as-chess-pieces that some of the earlier ones are, since the characters can only move so far. A Memory of Light is action practically start-to-finish, and the other books keep a decent pace, as well. That said, there are a few down points; there's one character who gets the same treatment Jordan gave him (Hey, remember this guy? He's still out there in the world, being ominous, but not doing much else)

Still, I got what I paid for -- fantasy action in a Manichean world. I don't think the series has aged well, or (more likely), I've aged past it, but I don't blame that on Sanderson -- I felt the pacing here was better than Jordan's. Worth picking up if you were curious how everything would end.