This discussion thread WILL contain spoilers for ALL of the Wheel of Time novels including A Memory of Light. The thread will open on the day of the book's release.
This discussion thread WILL contain spoilers for ALL of the Wheel of Time novels including A Memory of Light. The thread will open on the day of the book's release.
The Wheel of Time Book 14: A Memory of Light
The Wheel of Time is finished. That's a statement that's going to take a while to get used to. The first volume of the series, The Eye of the World, was published in January 1990. George Bush Snr. and Margaret Thatcher were still in power and the Cold War was still ongoing. Fourteen books, four million words, eleven thousand pages and over fifty million sales (in North America alone) later, the conclusion has finally arrived. Can it possibly live up to the expectations built up over that time?
It is a tribute to the plotting powers of Robert Jordan, the writing skill of Brandon Sanderson (who took over the series after Jordan's untimely death in 2007) and the hard work of Jordan's editors and assistants that A Memory of Light is - for the most part - a triumphant finale. Given the weight of expectations resting on the novel, not to mention the unfortunate circumstances under it was written, it is unsurprising that it is not perfect. The novel occasionally misfires, is sometimes abrupt in how it resolves long-running plot strands and sometimes feels inconsistent with what has come before. However, it also brings this juggernaut of an epic fantasy narrative to an ending that makes sense, is suitably massive in scope and resolves the series' thematic, plot and character arcs satisfactorily - for the most part.
It is a familiar viewpoint that The Wheel of Time is a slow-burning series, with Robert Jordan not afraid to have his characters sitting around talking about things for entire chapters (or, in one case, an entire novel) rather than getting on with business. However, Jordan at his best used these lengthy dialogue scenes to set up plot twists and explosive confrontations further down the line, pulling together the elements he'd established previously in surprising and interesting ways. This reached a high in the slow-moving sixth book, which ended with what is regarded by many as the series' best climax to date at the Battle of Dumai's Wells. Steven Erikson (whose Malazan series is the most notable recent mega-long fantasy series to have also reached a final conclusion) used the term 'convergence' for such structural climaxes and it's fair to say that this is what A Memory of Light is: a convergence for the entire series. All thirteen of the previous novels lined up plot cannons in preparation for the Last Battle, and in the closing chapters of Towers of Midnight Brandon Sanderson started triggering them.
The result is not The Wheel of Time you may be familiar with. A Memory of Light is a brutal, bruising, 900-page war novel that kicks off with all hell breaking loose and doesn't pause for breath until the ending. The prologue starts with a well-paced sequence as we find out the state of play for the major characters, intercut with Talmanes and the Band of the Red Hand engaging hordes of Shadowspawn on the streets of Caemlyn. The rotation of scenes between the desperate street fighting and more familiar politicking is highly effective and is exhausting in itself. Immediately after this we alternate between Rand's attempts to pull together a coalition against the Shadow whilst a small group of Asha'man try to save their organisation from destruction against overwhelming odds. No sooner is that over than the Last Battle is joined in full force. Vast armies clash, channellers engage one another in One Power exchanges that dwarf anything seen before in the series and lots of stuff blows up. There's more action sequences in A Memory of Light than the rest of the series put together, more than earning the adage 'The Last Battle'.
The action sequences (which make up almost the whole book) are, for the most part, impressive but benefit from unpredictability. Jordan has been criticised for making his characters too safe, with almost no major character of note (on either side) dying in the previous books of the series. This limitation has been removed for the Last Battle. Major characters, middling ones and scores of minor ones are scythed down in this final confrontation with near-wild abandon. Some get heroic, fitting, blaze-of-glory ends. Some die in manners so unexpected, offhand and callous that even George R.R. Martin might nod in approval. Many of the survivors are seriously wounded, either in body or mind. Jordan's experiences as a Vietnam vet informed Rand al'Thor's arc in The Gathering Storm, and resurface here when one major character is tortured by the Shadow before being rescued, but spends the rest of the book suffering the effects of his experiences. The war scenes are suitably epic and exciting, but Sanderson remembers to include moments counting the cost of such a struggle.
That said, there is an annoying discrepancy in the Last Battle sequence compared to earlier novels. Based on the army sizes in previous volumes and the number of channellers in each faction, the good guys should have brought the better part of a million troops and five thousand One Power-wielders to the Last Battle, and the Shadow several times more. There is no indication that such vast numbers are present, which seems rather odd. There is also the fact that the channellers suddenly seem to be much less effective in mass combat than previously shown. This is most blatant when Logain is angrily told that he and a couple of dozen Asha'man cannot hope to defeat a hundred thousand Trollocs by themselves. Given this is exactly what happened in one scene in Knife of Dreams, I can only conclude that the channellers were deliberately reduced in power for this book, which is very strange.
For the most part, this is the level of problems A Memory of Light presents: something mildly irritating to those who prefer consistency from fictional works but ultimately not hugely relevant to the overall thrust of the narrative. Similar issues can be found with a number of very minor subplots that the novel fails to resolve (or even address) from earlier volumes. In some cases these may be examples of what Robert Jordan himself said would happen in the last book, with some elements left deliberately hanging to give the illusion that life goes on after the last page is turned. In other cases, it may be that Jordan did not draft out how those storylines ended, so Sanderson chose to leave them rather than risk too inventing too much of his own material. Sanderson even refuses to name an important river that Jordan did not name himself, resulting is a slightly awkward battle sequence where characters talk about the 'river on the border', the 'river on the battlefield' and so on, which is a bit laboured.
However, whilst the war scenes rage there is also a philosophical struggle at the heart of the book, and of the series. This struggle is shown in the confrontation between Rand and the Dark One in which their visions of the world and the Wheel are shown in conflict with one another. Robert Jordan was convinced that whilst there were certainly complexities and shades of grey in real life, he also believed that real good and real evil existed, and these ideas form part of the philosophical struggle that takes place alongside the battles. How successful this is will vary (perhaps immensely) from reader to reader, but is not helped by some muddling of the issues. The primary struggle of the books has consistently been Good vs. Evil, but in this philosophy-off the idea of the Creator personifying Order and the Dark One Chaos also arises, possibly as their primary roles. This is in conflict with the rest of the series and is also more tiresomely familiar and predictable. Once that interpretation arises, it's impossible not to think of the ending of the Shadow War in the TV series Babylon 5, and the resolution we get is not a million miles away from it (Rand even gets a line almost as awful as "Get the hell out of our galaxy!").
On the prose side of things, it's pretty much the same set-up as The Gathering Storm and Towers of Midnight: acceptable, faster-paced and a bit less prone to unnecessary introspection. Where Sanderson comes undone (yet again) is his very occasional use of terminology and language that Jordan would never have used, particularly modern words and terms. Though relatively rare, they still jar a little bit when they appear. The book's centrepiece is a single chapter that is almost 200 pages (and 70,000 words) long in hardcover, with some 70 POV characters playing a role. Apparently both Sanderson and Jordan wrote parts of this chapter, and a few minor inconsistencies aside their writing styles mesh very well. The very last section of the epilogue, written by Robert Jordan himself before he passed (including, rather eerily, Jordan's epitaph from his own funeral), is indeed a fitting way to end the book.
Taking everything into account, A Memory of Light (****½is a lot better than perhaps we had any right to expect. The book is a relentless steamroller of action, explosions, plot resolutions, deaths and philosophical (if somewhat confused) arguing. Some elements are under-resolved, or a little too convenient, or not fleshed out enough. But that's par for the course with any ending to a series this huge. The big questions are answered, the final scene is fitting and the story ends in a way that is true to itself, which is the most we can ask for. The novel is available now in the UK and USA.
Well, that's a 23 year trip done. Took the day off and read A Memory of Light. There's an interesting passage where Thom is trying to compose an epic and he struggles to find the right words. I think that was Sanderson talking to us when he has Thom pass on words like epic. I think in the end, the words are suitable and appropriate. I will say that I enjoyed the Perrin parts much more this time, while I thought Matt kind of dragged.
I'd been wondering what happened with Alivia, there'd been such a deal about her showing Rand how to die and the reveal there was just plain dumb. Actually, most of Rand's portion of the last battle was kind of dumb or at the least dull. The spinning out different versions of the future has been done before and done much better. It was done better earlier in the series, "I win again, Lews Therin." There was nothing new and interesting in this version, no further depth to the world, no interesting twists. Rand's battle with the Dark One was oddly empty.
The only really truly off note was the short Tinker passage, that was just wrong. Sanderson really disapproves of pacifists and I don't believe Jordan would have approved.
Below is an excerpt from my review. On the blog I also have a spoiler reaction post and interview with Sanderson - both have eye-bleeding major spoilers for the book, so be warned. But the review is non-spoiler.
I loved A Memory of Light. I think it ended well and appropriately. For me, I can easily say it’s the best conclusion to a fantasy series that I’ve ever read. However, the paragraphs above should put my opinion in the context it deserves – that of a crazy and dedicated fan who has been reading and rereading this series for nearly 20 years. I think that Sanderson did a wonderful and admirable job in a very difficult situation. No, he did not do things exactly the way Jordan would have – he couldn’t have, and thankfully, he didn’t try. He finished off the series as Jordan wanted – he honored what Jordan had done, he incorporated the ideas Jordan left behind and he filled in the blanks as best as he could.
The criticisms that some have of Sanderson’s handling of the final three Wheel of Time books will all hold up here. There are plenty of what people are terming ‘Brandonisms’. Sanderson breaks the 4th wall several times, seemingly speaking directly to the hard-core fans and theorists of the series. His relative lack of subtly in comparison to Jordan continues. Those who criticize the way Sanderson has broken out the timeline and presented the story may become extra ornery on the issue as there is a ‘get out of jail free card’ with time itself breaking down, especially the closer one is to the bore. Some of the characters still feel off – Matt at times, Aviendha, and others. But, it’s not always a bad thing. For example, Sanderson breathes fresh air into the character of Talmanes, rounding him out and making him whole rather than a cardboard cutout. Talmanes leading the Band through the battle of Caemlyn is simply awesome, and Jordan would have never written something like that. And it’s becoming increasing clear to me that many fans over overly eager to blame Sanderson for things that most likely are almost all Jordan in their origin – just how many ‘Brandonisms’ are simply ‘WOTisms’?
One of my biggest criticisms of Jordan’s writing is the way he finishes off the books. Basically, there is meticulous build-up of events, carefully setting up the climatic moments of his books. But too often the climax itself, the ending, the culmination of all that build-up feels rushed, or anti-climatic in its brevity. One way of looking at A Memory of Light is that we’ve now had 13 books of build-up and now we are at the payoff, when all that has been built up comes crashing down. Is it rushed? Yes, but not to the same degree as others. A Memory of Light is easily the most action-packed book in the series. In a series where it can be easily argued that there are far too many wasted words, A Memory of Light has very few, if any – even as it clocks in at 909 pages. All of the necessary pieces are here, though I would have been a bit happier with some more.
Jordan spent a lot of time on side-plots, many will argue way too much time was spent on them. Unfortunately, many of these were sidelined in this final book. It’s not that I crave the resolution to each of these – I realize that not everything should be resolved. However, I would have liked at least one sort of concluding point of view from each character we had become invested in during the series, even the relatively minor characters. For example – something from some the few remaining Black Ajah hunters, or the factions within the Aes Sedai rebels that we endlessly followed. Etc. There were also several confrontations that have been set up for quite a while that never materialized. I realize that this would have been nearly impossible to fit into the book, but I can still wish for it and consider it missed opportunities as often an extra line or paragraph would have been enough to satisfy me (but certainly not all). Of course, where we do get this sort of revelation (and there are several), it is sort of jarring to the flow of the story (see the discussion on ‘Brandonisms’ above). So, perhaps the balance is just right and it’s simply the invested fan in me always wanting more.
However, my above criticisms are really very minor when compared to my overall feeling toward the book. Sanderson did a great job finishing things up. Jordan’s final scene, which I understand is printed pretty well exactly as Jordan first wrote it, is a perfect ending to the series. Though admittedly, if parsed out of context it won’t hold up well. And the main character ARCs – Rand, Egwene, Mat and Perrin all hold up well. They finish appropriately and honestly, even with a bit of teasing. But be warned, there isn’t the happy Harry Potter Epilogue where we get a view in the future of how perfectly things are in the future. The Wheel turns, an age ends, and the story with it – but the world is not finished, more events will happen and many of our beloved characters have a future that we will not see.
The phrase ‘laughter and tears’ comes up often in the series, and laughter and tears sums up my reaction to the book as well. After playing such a big part in my life for nearly 20 years, I have a lot invested. Seeing the end game play out was and continues to be an emotional experience for me. Yes, I did laugh at Mat and Gual and Rand and Vanin and Talmanes. They provide some good times. And yes, I shed tears at Mat and Rand and Perrin and Egwene and Loial and Lan and many others. They were tears of joy and sorrow, but always with a bit of celebration. Because even the sorrow is celebratory in this book. In case you haven’t guessed it, I will reveal the biggest spoiler possible (one that Jordan revealed years ago, so it’s not really anything surprising): the good guys win. The Light is victorious. There are deaths. The fight didn’t go exactly as planned for any of the good guys. But they win. And in that victory come even more tears of joy and sorrow.
Ok, I have a wonderment. How could Aes Sedai combat the Sharans if they are not Shadowspawn? Wasn't one of the Three Oaths something like, "I will never use the One Power violently against anything that isn't Shadowspawn?" In theory, those soldiers were just doing the job they had to do for their boss, and weren't necessarily Shadowspawn themselves. Is there any good explanation?
I hate to nitpick, it was just so. damn. good. I'm sure I'll justify it some way, but this seems like an oversight.
Number Ten Ox
Without looking at the books and at the risk of sounding stupid, I was under the impression the they could use the one power against any servants of the dark. For instance, Be'lal was not technically shadowspawn, he was a Forsaken. Yet Moiraine had no trouble balefiring him. By serving Demandred, the Sharans had effectively made themselves all into Darkfriends. Therefore, the one power could be used against them.Originally Posted by Number Ten Ox
In terms of the book, I found it a fitting conclusion. I loved the "Those Who Fight" chapter, as it really pointed out the whole story was not simply about Rand, but was a concerted effort from many to win the Last Battle. I know sometimes I can sometimes get cornered into thinking of the series as Rand Al'Thor's story.
Also, there is the stipulation that allows them to channel offensively if they feel their life is threatened.
I'm surprised this thread hasn't gotten more posts yet; I found it to be a fitting conclusion to the series. There were a few nagging points that I would have liked explained more fully or ended differently, but they were minimal in the overall scheme of things. To list a few (Quite a few SPOILERS below):
1. Who was Nakomi exactly (The Aiel woman Aviendha met on the way to Rhuidean)? It's hinted that she knows more than someone of this age should, but no specifics are given. I saw speculation on another forum that she was an incarnation of the Creator, but I feel that while a plausible explanation, there is not much to back this. The Creator itself is not oft mentioned throughout the series, leaving me hesitant to ascribe anything to its particular corner.
2. How was Rand able to conjure fire without channeling at the end? Is this implying that he is now able to simple imagine things into being, essentially utilizing "Tel'aran'rhiod powers" in the real plane? This feels like an unnecessary complication that again, lacks any explanation. I would have been happier knowing he either had been completely cut off from the Source, or still had his traditional access to Saidin.
3. As far as deaths in the final book go, most I felt were handled acceptably well. There were a few points of contention though:
a. Lan should have died. Don't get me wrong, I like his character, and Nynavae is one of my favorite in the series, who I would only wish a happy ending on. I would even have been happy had he been shown to be a better swordsman than Demandred. However, when the book explicitly states that Lan is overmatched, that he has no choice but for a final suicidal gambit, I expect him to be dead. I would have accepted a double kill without complaint, though even that is something you would expect a master swordsman to predict. As it is however, Demandred (the ostensibly superior swordsman) hit Lan with a blow that, while grievous, was not mortal. At the same time he quite apparently left himself wide open for a mortal blow. This strains my suspension of disbelief quite a bit.
b. Faile. Similar to Lan's predicament, in that she was said to be entirely surrounded and chased by enemies on every side, all of whom were eager to catch her and grab the Horn. The book seems to suggest that she was crushed by a horse at some point in her flight, but left to die on her own. This seems ridiculous, as the Trolloc horde had no way of realizing that she didn't have the horn if they never so much as tried to search for her body. Another life that I feel was preserved only for the sake of a happier ending, at the cost of immersion.
c. This last point is more preference than any logical issue, but I am honestly surprised that all 3 of Rand's paramours made it to the end. Elayne actually seemed on the verge of death when Mellar captures her, and there was a period where she seemed to serve no purpose alive, yet the story refused to kill her (They had already discussed killing Elayne and preserving the children, yet never got around to actually doing it, despite the Horn seemingly not being blown for another few minutes). It just seemed that all of the deaths were on the Aes Sedai end of the spectrum, while all of those surrounding the the 3 Ta'veren ended up fine.
Those nitpicks aside, I did very much enjoy this finale. I plowed my way through the entirety of a WoT in the past year, and am proud to have finished one of the greatest series I will read in my lifetime.
There have been several suggestions. The 'avatar of the Creator' is a popular theory, but another is that she is a member of the Jenn Aiel, somehow kept alive in stasis of some kind for 3400 years. Given she was encountered in the Aiel Waste near Rhuidean and 'Nakomi' is an ancient Aiel name, this is entirely possible.1. Who was Nakomi exactly (The Aiel woman Aviendha met on the way to Rhuidean)? It's hinted that she knows more than someone of this age should, but no specifics are given. I saw speculation on another forum that she was an incarnation of the Creator, but I feel that while a plausible explanation, there is not much to back this. The Creator itself is not oft mentioned throughout the series, leaving me hesitant to ascribe anything to its particular corner.
We know that this is the thing that Robert Jordan left behind deliberately to stir up fan debate, so there is no one right or wrong answer to it. The prevailing theory is that by using saidin, saidar and the True Power simultaneously to re-imprison the Dark One, Rand has become able to master reality itself. Another, rather more far-fetched one, is that the 'real world' of the books was itself some kind of construct all along and Rand has gained the ability to manipulate it (this is the 'Rand is Neo!' theory and not a popular one).2. How was Rand able to conjure fire without channeling at the end? Is this implying that he is now able to simple imagine things into being, essentially utilizing "Tel'aran'rhiod powers" in the real plane? This feels like an unnecessary complication that again, lacks any explanation. I would have been happier knowing he either had been completely cut off from the Source, or still had his traditional access to Saidin.
As with Rand, Lan was 'fated' to die from day one, so it makes sense that Jordan would invert this expectation. There is also a theory that Rand himself resurrected Lan - who really did die - in an early manifestation of his amazing mega-powers seen at the end of the book, though this seems rather tenuous.3. As far as deaths in the final book go, most I felt were handled acceptably well. There were a few points of contention though:
a. Lan should have died. Don't get me wrong, I like his character, and Nynavae is one of my favorite in the series, who I would only wish a happy ending on. I would even have been happy had he been shown to be a better swordsman than Demandred. However, when the book explicitly states that Lan is overmatched, that he has no choice but for a final suicidal gambit, I expect him to be dead. I would have accepted a double kill without complaint, though even that is something you would expect a master swordsman to predict. As it is however, Demandred (the ostensibly superior swordsman) hit Lan with a blow that, while grievous, was not mortal. At the same time he quite apparently left himself wide open for a mortal blow. This strains my suspension of disbelief quite a bit.
I agree it was a bit silly, but Rand also saw Perrin and Faile's descendants in his vision of the post-reimprisoning future (the one that essentially comes to pass). This basically meant that Faile had to live.b. Faile. Similar to Lan's predicament, in that she was said to be entirely surrounded and chased by enemies on every side, all of whom were eager to catch her and grab the Horn. The book seems to suggest that she was crushed by a horse at some point in her flight, but left to die on her own. This seems ridiculous, as the Trolloc horde had no way of realizing that she didn't have the horn if they never so much as tried to search for her body. Another life that I feel was preserved only for the sake of a happier ending, at the cost of immersion.
Elayne and Aviendha are shown to have survived in the post-Last Battle visions of the future, so they had plot armour. Min was arguably more expendable, but I get the impression she is the most popular of the three paramours amongst the fans and Jordan didn't want to kill her - or anyone else - off purely for shock value, only if it helped the plot (like Egwene and Gawyn's deaths).c. This last point is more preference than any logical issue, but I am honestly surprised that all 3 of Rand's paramours made it to the end. Elayne actually seemed on the verge of death when Mellar captures her, and there was a period where she seemed to serve no purpose alive, yet the story refused to kill her (They had already discussed killing Elayne and preserving the children, yet never got around to actually doing it, despite the Horn seemingly not being blown for another few minutes). It just seemed that all of the deaths were on the Aes Sedai end of the spectrum, while all of those surrounding the the 3 Ta'veren ended up fine.
The wheel of time turns, and ages come to pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the age that gave it birth comes again. In one age, called the 2010s by some, an age yet to come, an age long past, I FINALLY FINISHED THIS ****ING SERIES. I feel like Frodo after the ring has been destroyed. 14 books later (+ one really bad prequel)... it's done.
Pretty mediocre last book overall too, sadly (imo). It's a lot of battleporn, for 700 pages. Some of which is interesting, the majority of which is not and the equivalent to Jordan's descriptions of woman's dresses... except now with descriptions of Trollocs' heads exploding instead (Trolloc genocide is committed in this book). There are some very good moments though, generally in the first 200 pages before the never ending battles start- I enjoyed the Rand and Mat scenes and the Black Tower plotline in particular. And Demandred was a pretty compelling antagonist and by far the most competent of the Forsaken we've ever seen. Egwene and Gawyn both got good death scenes, and other than Siuan and Bryne were I think the only two majorish characters to die (aside from Birgitte, but she doesn't count because she comes back five seconds later).
But otherwise the general trend was... mediocrity. And I'm slightly confused as to how Sanderson decided what made the cutting floor and what didn't. We get 200 pages of Borderland battles that are ultimately irrelevant but no Rand/Min goodbye or Lan/Moiraine reunion? We spend 400 pages following the completely uninteresting battle in Andor only for it to be resolved offscreen? Padan Fain gets 5 pages of screentime? We really need another 17 chapters of Perrin chasing Slayer through the Wolf Dream but only get one chapter showing the aftermath of the last battle?
As for Rand, I was pretty underwhelmed by his confrontation against the Dark One, as well as the epilogue. It was very obvious that Rand was going to survive, but that doesn't make it any less lame that Rand rides off into the sunset. Also kind of a dick move, Rand.
There's no way a Memory of Light had to be a trilogy. So much of Towers of Midnight could be erased, including one of my least favourite plotline of the series, the rescue of Moiraine, which accomplished next to nothing in the end (though that one's Jordan's fault). Ditto for a lot of the battleporn. Still, I'm very grateful to Sanderson for delivering the best Wheel of Time book since Lord of Chaos (the Gathering Storm) and for providing an ending that did have some excellent moments. It wasn't a great ending, but it was an ending. So kudos to him, and here's to hoping I never read a series this long ever again.
I realized that I started reading this series in 1994. From book 7 and onwards, I almost regretted bothering with the series. TO be blunt, I'm shocked at how many people are critical of Sanderson. He made this series bearable again by focusing on telling an interesting story.
As for Memory of Light, the book was entertaining but had some very strange moments. After having the series drag on for no good reason, Sanderson seemed to want to just wrap the damn thing up. So many things happened that seemed pointless like the entire Trollloc/Sharan battle against Mat. It was entertaining, but this Dark One seemed so entirely unconcerned with is minions. I'll say it: Shai'tan as a poorly developed character
It was nice to see Sanderson continue the backhanded gender baiting. For the most part, the women continued to pat themselves on the back for getting minor things right. The men get berated for doing things that turn out to be of the utmost importance. The only woman character I could stand in this series was Nynaeve. On the other hand, I was almost gleeful when Egwene died.
For years I considered the Wheel of Time the perfection of the Tolkien model for high fantasy. The Great Hunt is still among my favorite books of all time. However, circa 2000, authors started producing more subversive high fantasy that was not about black versus white, good versus evil. Sanderson seems to be a bit more in the George Martin "Grey Fantasy" category. I can't be sure whether it was Jordan's idea or Sanderson's twist, but the end of MOL seemed to take a "Grey Fantasy" twist, especially with the resolution of the Dark One.
Overall, a good conclusion to a series that was stunning at its peaks.
Finished last night. I enjoyed it. One thing that really bothered me was the mention of planets during the confrontation with the Dark One. As far as I can recall the only mention ever of other planets was from one of the Forsaken in the earlier books and even then the word planet was never used. It's a very small thing but it took me out of the flow of the narrative.
My favorite moment was Matt explaining that the reason the Horn could be sounded by someone else was because he had died at Rhudihan and then Hawking correcting him that it wasn't that time that severed the bond but the another time he had died (Darkhound I'm guessing).
Rest in peace Robert Jordan.
He really died when Rand attacked Rahvin, but was resurrected by way of Rand Balefiring and altering the Pattern. I don't think he actually "died" at Rhudien
I think the most moving part was Logain's final scene after saving all the children and families and saying "The Black Tower protects. Always." I'm not an emotional guy but the context of that situation and his dialogue choked me up.
xvart.
I thought the book was a great ending to the series. I felt that the amount of battle scenes was fitting, considering this was supposed to be the end of the world and we had 13 books all leading up to the Last Battle, so I felt that it had to be a grand affair. I don't really understand why people are complaining about Sanderson's plotting or pacing, since a lot of interviews and Q&As have stated that he could've written another book out of Jordan's notes to flesh out the ending more. My only nit picking I could do is the ending with Mordeth, I felt that was quickly summed up (which Sanderson also has said that was due to the already long length of the book). I was kinda bummed that we didn't get more of "what happens after" section but I can understand why it ended the way it did with Rand.
Frankly, I hated AMOL. Kudos to Sanderson for stepping in on a monumentally difficult task, but it was such a step down from Towers of Midnight. The reunion of Moiraine with Rand, Nynaeve and Moiraine's almost trivial role in the book, and so many other things. To me, by far the most disappointing aspect of the book was the lack of an epilogue of any sort. It would have been am easy way to salvage a lot of fans' dissatisfaction with the resolution, or lack therof, in the main text. Malazan Book of the Fallen had a great ending and is of similar length; I just felt the conclusion could have been better. I posted a list of annoyances on another forum; I'll try to dig it up.
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