I just finished this. and in a word, amazing. I was left feeling "Wow, this was it. The end of the Wheel of Time." Man it has been an adventure. I started The Eye of the World back in February of 2012, about 20 months ago. The Wheel of Time has been a somewhat constant thing for me over that time. I did take time between books to read other books, I feel that was key to really enjoying the series, especially during some of the slower books (I'm looking at you Lord of Chaos, Path of Daggers and Crossroads of Twilight). I'm honestly a little sad that I don't have anything more of these characters to look forward to.
So is a a short summary. The Wheel of Time tells the story of many characters (at times you get a little lost, like in book nine where a character from book 4 is brought back and you have to strain your memory to remember all that they did), but mainly it is about Rand, Mat and Perrin. These three youth are ta'veren, people whose have an increased influence on events and people around them.
Rand is the Dragon Reborn, a mythical hero whose destiny is to fight the Dark One at the Last Battle, Tarmon Gai'don. He can channel, a man who can weave magic using the male half of the True Source. However, the male half is tainted by the Dark One, any man who uses it will eventually go mad. Rand's character goes through several transformations as he battles with who he has to become to win the Last Battle. This part, the mental battle, was probably my favorite of his arc. It made him so much more real. At times I wondered if he would make it. The fear of hurting those around him was real and it made for a much more dynamic story.
Mat is the reluctant hero, the man who wants nothing but piece and quiet but is incredibly loyal, putting himself in danger to save those he cares about. He is a hero, but doesn't consider himself one. He's also a gambler, and he can twist luck in his favor. Many of my friends love Matrim Cauthon. His attitude is great, and there were many times during his POV chapters that I chuckled. His complaints about the men of the Red Band being a bad influence on Olver, while simultaneously doing the very things he complains about are great. Also his battle scenes are some of the best in the series (especially in the Tower of Ghenjei).
Perrin is large in stature, but gentle in heart. He wants to do what is right. He doesn't want to make rash decisions or hurt anyone by being brazen. This makes him slow to speak and slow to action. he becomes a wolfbrother, a man who is able to communicate with wolves and gains some wolfish characteristics. There were a lot of times in the series where I wanted Perrin to interact more with the wolves, but the end of the series, where he learns to master the wolf dream are some of the most exciting and visually stunning scenes in the books. In the beginning of the series Perrin was my favorite. Then he hit a rough patch in the middle of the series, most people really disliked him during this time, though I was still hoping for wolfy awesomeness. Then he got there and was awesome again. Despite what many people think he might still be my favorite character in the books, but that spot is so close between these three.
The other heroes of the story, Lan, Moraine, Egwene, Nynavae and Elayne are also heavy players in the saga. While there were times that I wanted them to shut up (How many times are you going to complain about being pregnant? I don't want to hear it anymore) I really did come to care about these characters and their parts in the story. Especially Egwene, from book 11 onward I really enjoyed her story.
Many other characters have major arcs in the story. Some of my favorites are Tuon, Noal, Verin, Talmanes, Egeanin, Androl, and Moghedien, just to name a few.
Reading this series is a commitment, as it is 14 books, all averaging about 750 pages. At times I wondered if it would all be worth it. I'm telling you, IT IS. Read it, even if it takes almost 2 years like it did me. I am so happy that I did. During the end of the series there were so many "That was AWESOME!" moments along with several "Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap" moments.
The epilogue to the series left me very satisfied, though not at first. At first I was like, wait what happened later? How did it all turn out? I want TO KNOW. But after contemplation, I was happy. The characters have their destiny in their own hands now, and that feels real.
Again, this was great. I am SO happy I started this endeavor(and yes it was an endeavor). The end was perfect, I loved it!
So is a a short summary. The Wheel of Time tells the story of many characters (at times you get a little lost, like in book nine where a character from book 4 is brought back and you have to strain your memory to remember all that they did), but mainly it is about Rand, Mat and Perrin. These three youth are ta'veren, people whose have an increased influence on events and people around them.
Rand is the Dragon Reborn, a mythical hero whose destiny is to fight the Dark One at the Last Battle, Tarmon Gai'don. He can channel, a man who can weave magic using the male half of the True Source. However, the male half is tainted by the Dark One, any man who uses it will eventually go mad. Rand's character goes through several transformations as he battles with who he has to become to win the Last Battle. This part, the mental battle, was probably my favorite of his arc. It made him so much more real. At times I wondered if he would make it. The fear of hurting those around him was real and it made for a much more dynamic story.Mat is the reluctant hero, the man who wants nothing but piece and quiet but is incredibly loyal, putting himself in danger to save those he cares about. He is a hero, but doesn't consider himself one. He's also a gambler, and he can twist luck in his favor. Many of my friends love Matrim Cauthon. His attitude is great, and there were many times during his POV chapters that I chuckled. His complaints about the men of the Red Band being a bad influence on Olver, while simultaneously doing the very things he complains about are great. Also his battle scenes are some of the best in the series (especially in the Tower of Ghenjei). Perrin is large in stature, but gentle in heart. He wants to do what is right. He doesn't want to make rash decisions or hurt anyone by being brazen. This makes him slow to speak and slow to action. he becomes a wolfbrother, a man who is able to communicate with wolves and gains some wolfish characteristics. There were a lot of times in the series where I wanted Perrin to interact more with the wolves, but the end of the series, where he learns to master the wolf dream are some of the most exciting and visually stunning scenes in the books. In the beginning of the series Perrin was my favorite. Then he hit a rough patch in the middle of the series, most people really disliked him during this time, though I was still hoping for wolfy awesomeness. Then he got there and was awesome again. Despite what many people think he might still be my favorite character in the books, but that spot is so close between these three.The other heroes of the story, Lan, Moraine, Egwene, Nynavae and Elayne are also heavy players in the saga. While there were times that I wanted them to shut up (How many times are you going to complain about being pregnant? I don't want to hear it anymore) I really did come to care about these characters and their parts in the story. Especially Egwene, from book 11 onward I really enjoyed her story.
Many other characters have major arcs in the story. Some of my favorites are Tuon, Noal, Verin, Talmanes, Egeanin, Androl, and Moghedien, just to name a few.
Reading this series is a commitment, as it is 14 books, all averaging about 750 pages. At times I wondered if it would all be worth it. I'm telling you, IT IS. Read it, even if it takes almost 2 years like it did me. I am so happy that I did. During the end of the series there were so many "That was AWESOME!" moments along with several "Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap" moments.
The epilogue to the series left me very satisfied, though not at first. At first I was like, wait what happened later? How did it all turn out? I want TO KNOW. But after contemplation, I was happy. The characters have their destiny in their own hands now, and that feels real.
Again, this was great. I am SO happy I started this endeavor(and yes it was an endeavor). The end was perfect, I loved it!
