Babel Clash

Brandon Sanderson was one of our first two Babel Clash guests.  In honor of his help getting Babel Clash started, I wanted to veer from our usual routine for one post to discuss the next book in a series that you may recognize, the Wheel of Time.

The Gathering Storm

Can you believe that it has been 19 years since Robert Jordan’s first Wheel of Time novel?  Robert Jordan was my favorite writer.  He wrote dramatic scenes with charismatic and dangerous characters, in a setting vivid and rich with mythology.  The series clicked along like a finely tuned machine.  This was high fantasy its most epic, grandiose and spellbinding.

Then the series lost some momentum.  The plot’s pace slowed under the weight of its many characters.  Fans were anxious for progress and resolution.  They were waiting for a book that was something special.

The Gathering Storm is that book.

The plot doesn’t just progress.  It cruises by at a breakneck speed, with frightening hairpin turns and shocking jolts.  It is the darkest book in the series.  Beloved characters make frightening choices, and prophecies unfold.  Storm concludes with two of the most memorable moments in the entire series.

Brandon Sanderson completed the book after Jordan’s passing.  Jordan left behind many notes and some portion of the text.  Brandon weaves his style and Jordan’s together seamlessly.  Expect Brandon’s own work to get extra attention based on his success here.

It’s not the end.  Two more books, Towers of Midnight and A Memory of Light, will follow.  I, for one, am very grateful it’s not over yet.

Congratulations to Brandon this accomplishment!  It’s a great book.

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