Wheel of Time: The Gathering Storm

[Guardsman Bass]

Is anybody else other than me and Chewie reading this right now? It's the first book in the Wheel of Time series to be published since Jordan's death in 2007 (Brandon Sanderson wrote it with extensive help from Jordan's brother, widow, and notes), and it's actually very good - while I wouldn't say it's the best out of them (either Shadow Rising or Lord of Chaos has that), it's much better than most of the other Jordan books (and miles above Crossroads of Twilight).

In particular, Spoiler

Rand is excellently done in this book. He has some amazing scenes, particularly his final self-realization at the end of the book. Same goes with Egwene, who is actually much less annoying than usual (although she'd been heading that way since Knife of Dreams). Even characters who normally irritate the crap out of me, like Nynaeve, are done very well.

There's also some epic scenes, like the Seanchan raid on Tar Valon, Egwene's mass purge of the Black Ajah once the Tower is re-united under her, Rand teleporting to the top of Dragonmount, Rand actually drawing the True Power and balefiring Semmirhage into oblivion, and so forth.

While it's been too long since I've read any of other WoT books for me to notice most of the stylistic differences between Sanderson and Jordan, he did manage to avoid most of Jordan's irritating tendency to go into over-description and braid-tugging.

There was really only one thing that felt off, and that was Spoiler

Mat. Sanderson just doesn't quite catch his character - Mat comes off more as a kind of caricature of Mat than Mat himself, although it's still funny.

I also think they might have missed one or two opportunities. Just before Semmirhage breaks free and gets balefired by Rand, Cadsuane more or less breaks through her resistance. I think it would have been much more fascinating had we gotten to see Cadsuane break Semmirhage's resistance completely.

It was definitely worth the reading. I might try re-reading the series again just because of it.

[The Romulan Republic]

Well, that's encouraging. One of the main problems was that the series got too long winded and dragged on and on with very little of consequence happening.

That said, there's no way I'm forcing myself through the last several books to get to this one- The Wheel of Time was entertaining enough at the start, but I find the series past book five increasingly unreadable. Maybe I'll read the Wikipedia plot summaries and skip to the new one.

[Guardsman Bass]

If you remember the basic jist of the earlier books, then you'll be fine. In fact, you'll probably be better than fine - you'll enjoy the book more because you won't be constantly noticing differences between Jordan's and Sanderson's writing styles, etc.

[mr friendly guy]

So Sanderson's writing is less long winded

I didn't even realise this had come out yet, however wiki gives a lengthy summary.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gather ... %28book%29

Which is good because I wasn't planning to buy it. However it looks like Rand is more bad ass instead of emo in this book. I am not sure about this part though.
Spoiler

He ponders there for hours, finally furious at the futility of life bound within the Wheel and the repeating pattern, and draws enough of the Power to destroy the world to end the unfairness of it all. Finally Lews Therin suggests in his head that in being reborn to the same life one has the opportunity to do things right where one had failed before, and to love again those that are lost. Rand agrees that his purpose is to fix the mistakes of his past life, and he turns the power of the Choedan Kal against itself, destroying the great sa'angreal, and for the first time in a long time, truly laughs again. Rand concludes that he has heard Lews Therin's voice for the last time, and they are, and always have been, the same person.

It seems strategically stupid, unless there is something more to the text that the wiki article isn't saying.

[Koolaidkirby]

I hadn't realized it was out yet, I'll be heading to my local bookstore to pick this up sometime today then.

[Gaidin]

It seems strategically stupid, unless there is something more to the text that the wiki article isn't saying.

Spoiler

Both Rand and Lews Therin are pretty damn scared shitless of the sheer power the Choedan Kal can push. This is the first time since the series that Rand made a point to carry it around with him instead of hiding it away. After Rand's revelation of self-identity he pretty much considers it a risk not worth taking.

RE writing styles: I was impressed by Sanderson. There was enough of Jordan in his style that it wasn't distracting to read it(especially since I'd reread the series on a bet from someone that I couldn't before the book was released). But there was also little enough of Jordan that you don't get lost in pointless descriptions.

[Minischoles]

It's definitely far better than Jordans writing had been, it feels a lot more tightly paced, so even though the book is fairly large (I believe larger than any other of the books so far) it doesn't drag out or feel long like for example books 8,9 and 10 did.
It ties up a lot of the story threads rather succintly as well, the only one that felt kind of odd was Rand's ending, but thats forgiven by how well written his abrupt descent was: Spoiler

Semirhage putting the a'dam on him and making him kill Min with his bare hands, finally driving him over that edge and forcing him to seize the True Power was brilliantly done, especially with how he treats Cadsuane after. How coldly he takes out Graendal as well was perfect, using someone else to confirm she was killed and simply balefiring her entire compound out of existence.

I agree that Mat, while still well written and funny, felt like Sanderson had a lot more hand writing his parts than he did in the others, in most of the book you can still spot what Jordan had written and what influence Sanderson had, but the Mat parts feel almost entirely his creation.

It seems strategically stupid, unless there is something more to the text that the wiki article isn't saying.

It very probably is stupid, but the female version had already melted, and while powerful, as pointed out it scared him and IIRC he could barely control the power when he channeled everything from it, not just the small amounts he was using in TGS.

[mr friendly guy]

Spoiler

Both Rand and Lews Therin are pretty damn scared shitless of the sheer power the Choedan Kal can push. This is the first time since the series that Rand made a point to carry it around with him instead of hiding it away. After Rand's revelation of self-identity he pretty much considers it a risk not worth taking.

Well yeah, but what happens if Spoiler

Shai Tan manages to taint Saidin again. Wouldn't he need the Choedan Kal again? Didn't it occur to him if the Dark one can do that as he was being sealed, what he might be able to do when he is completely free. In any event, I got the impression the Choedan Kal was required for him to win, what with Lanfear's talk about the power they wielded. Even if it was just a boast, it certainly seemed like foreshadowing to me. In any event, I wonder how he will win against Shai Tan given that his underlying Shaidar Haran (assuming its not an avatar of the Dark one as speculation says) can stop people using the one power, but most probably not the true power.

[Gaidin]

Well yeah, but what happens if Spoiler

Shai Tan manages to taint Saidin again. Wouldn't he need the Choedan Kal again? Didn't it occur to him if the Dark one can do that as he was being sealed, what he might be able to do when he is completely free. In any event, I got the impression the Choedan Kal was required for him to win, what with Lanfear's talk about the power they wielded. Even if it was just a boast, it certainly seemed like foreshadowing to me. In any event, I wonder how he will win against Shai Tan given that his underlying Shaidar Haran (assuming its not an avatar of the Dark one as speculation says) can stop people using the one power, but most probably not the true power.

The Taint is a moot point as he needs the Choedan Kal level of Saidar to make the filter to push Saidin through, and the female Choedan Kal exploded when they did that. The catch with Shaidar Haran though is he has only done that to people that serve the DO.
Spoiler

For Rand using the True Power, the running theory among me and my friends is his link to Moridin(when they crossed balefire streams in book 7) is what let him do that.

[Sriad]

I'm enjoying the book very much so far. Matt and Cadsuane aren't quite as compelling as Jordan wrote them (though with Caddy that may just be familiarity and seeing her thwarted in various ways), but every other major character I can think of seems as good or better. Perrin and Egwene especially shine brighter than I expected.

edit: it's also nice to see Nynaeve being effectual beyond simple power.

I dare not click on the spoiler boxes yet, but in a few days I'll be glad to offer my take on things.

[Molyneux]

I have not read this yet, but I did read some of the previous bricks (er, books) in high school, and I recently found Sanderson's original work - "Warbreaker" was the first, then "Mistborn" - and I'm quite enjoying his writing style. I may check this out.

[Transbot9]

I like it - it doesn't drag quite as much and actually starts showing that it is the beginning of the end.

[Koolaidkirby]

Well yeah, but what happens if Spoiler

Shai Tan manages to taint Saidin again. Wouldn't he need the Choedan Kal again? Didn't it occur to him if the Dark one can do that as he was being sealed, what he might be able to do when he is completely free. In any event, I got the impression the Choedan Kal was required for him to win, what with Lanfear's talk about the power they wielded. Even if it was just a boast, it certainly seemed like foreshadowing to me. In any event, I wonder how he will win against Shai Tan given that his underlying Shaidar Haran (assuming its not an avatar of the Dark one as speculation says) can stop people using the one power, but most probably not the true power.

The Taint is a moot point as he needs the Choedan Kal level of Saidar to make the filter to push Saidin through, and the female Choedan Kal exploded when they did that. The catch with Shaidar Haran though is he has only done that to people that serve the DO.
Spoiler

For Rand using the True Power, the running theory among me and my friends is his link to Moridin(when they crossed balefire streams in book 7) is what let him do that.

finally finished reading it, the new author made all the characters who's chapters I tended to skip in the previous books enjoyable, I found myself liking Rand, Nyneave and Egwene again. But on the other hand he really butchered Mat, which is a shame because he was my favourite character up till that point.

and on the book Spoiler

it was actually nice to see some character progression finally rather than just page upon page of brooding, 2 forsaken down for good apparently with both Greandel and Semirhage getting nailed by balefire, although it too bad about Graendel, while it was awsome usage of stuff many people have been thinking, it was a bit anti climactic.

also, the conversation between Ishmael and Rand was cool, we finally got to see the actual character behind the strongest forsaken rather than the "mwahahaha i'm pretending to be the dark one" of the first couple books and "mwaahahaha i'm back and crazier than ever" of the more recent books

now for my random theory thoughts
Spoiler

Rand channeling the true source, Lews therins reaction leads me to believe it was somehow gained from the dark one, but I get this gut feeling that its somehow going to be an Ishmael vs Rand as champions of the dark one/creator ending (even though the big C doesn't do bugger all and probably wont do bugger all and this is just me wishing)

Spoiler

with the last choden kal destroyed that leaves rand with the callandor as the next strongest angreal for him to use, and they're obviously starting to allude to there being more to it than it just being a messed up angreal. The sealing of the dark ones prison is finally starting to have some less vague details given out, that the Aes Sedai in the age of legends built the choden kal to try and brute force the dark one back into his prison, but Lews Therin thought it the wrong way to do things and took off with the hundred companions touching the dark one with the saidar to reseal him. meaning that if they want to reseal it for good without tainting the source they're going to have to use something other than Saidin and the Saidar (how convenient that rand now has access to a 3rd power source!)

and am I the only one who misses knowing what every person in the room was wearing?

[Guardsman Bass]

Spoiler

There is an interesting fan-theory I heard, which was the Ishamael was actually the original dragon, which is why he had the philosophy that they've fought countless times, and why he's hoping to end it all. But when he declared for the Dark One, the Wheel spat out a new Dragon in Lews Therin.

Speculation, of course, but interesting.

[ZOmegaZ]

Spoiler

It's interesting that Callindor can only be used safely by a man in a circle with two women, with the two women controlling the flows. Moridin has two female channelers mind-trapped, meaning he could safely use it (or something like it) if he had it, and still be in control. Also, I believe there's a vague reference somewhere to a male sa'angreal that's more powerful than Callindor, but less powerful than the chodean kal, for whatever that may be worth.

[Gaidin]

Spoiler

It's interesting that Callindor can only be used safely by a man in a circle with two women, with the two women controlling the flows. Moridin has two female channelers mind-trapped, meaning he could safely use it (or something like it) if he had it, and still be in control. Also, I believe there's a vague reference somewhere to a male sa'angreal that's more powerful than Callindor, but less powerful than the chodean kal, for whatever that may be worth.

The thing there is that callandor accelerated the taint and lacked the 'you can't draw too much' buffer of other Sa'angreal. Now that the taint isn't there there isn't a *direct* danger to it, though someone could easily burn themselves out.

[Koolaidkirby]

Spoiler

It's interesting that Callindor can only be used safely by a man in a circle with two women, with the two women controlling the flows. Moridin has two female channelers mind-trapped, meaning he could safely use it (or something like it) if he had it, and still be in control. Also, I believe there's a vague reference somewhere to a male sa'angreal that's more powerful than Callindor, but less powerful than the chodean kal, for whatever that may be worth.

the choden kal were refered to by Lanfear as the most powerful Sa'Angreal ever made way back in like book 4 or 5, and callindor was the 3rd strongest ever made, IIRC she refers to the 2nd strongest Sa'Angreal but says she discovered it was destroyed after she spent time looking for it.