Book: A Memory Of Light, Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

It may be a little ironic how long it took me to finish this book, the fourteenth (2014) and final in the epic that is the Wheel of Time. I'd like to say it was due to a recent change in lifestyle that has resulted in my reading less, but the truth is that after reading about Rand, Mat and Perrin for so long, WoT has become such a part of my reading habits that having it finish would just feel weird. And here, after almost exactly four years of starting on this journey, it does.

Any ending to such a series of books would always seem too pacey, too quick, and A Memory Of Light is no different: it was almost entirely focused on a single event spanning no more than a few days, and in terms of plot progression there was none. I don't think I felt too cheated - I certainly wouldn't have the right to - but given the glacial pace of some of the books that came previously (particularly before the arrival of Sanderson), I do think that it's a bit of a shame that it happened so relatively quickly. And then I remember that I've only reached this finish line three years after those who would have started decades ago.

But an ending it was (ha ha), to an epic that I'll keep with me for a while - I'm sad that I probably won't have the time or inclination to read it again, particularly seeing as how certain I am that I missed 20-30% of what was going on. That's probably my biggest complaint about the book; the investment required to solve the almost puzzle like elements that needed to be solved in order to follow, and so enjoy, the story to its maximum. I certainly wasn't equipped to deal with that, and it kills me to know that I've only scratched the surface.

On the whole though it was a brilliant ride over four years and one I'll remember when reading other books of all genres. How I'll fill the gap that the Wheel of Time has left I'm not quite sure... but I've been told Sanderson's Cosmere series will keep me going for a while at least.