A Memory of Light
Ratings203
Average rating4.6
5.00/5.00 “I am Lews Therin Telemon, the Dragon. I ruled these lands, unified, during the Age of Legends. I was the leader of the all the armies of the Light, I wore the Ring of Tamyrlin. I stood first among the Servants, highest of the Aes Sedai, and I could summon the Nine Rods of Dominion.”“Duty is heavier than a mountain, Dai Shan”
The Wheel of Time is a wonderful journey, the end of an Age, a story that was woven with worldbuilding, with wonderful characters and epic battles. The last battle is the greatest battle that I have ever read. The ending is satisfying, bringing so many character arcs to beautiful conclusions. A worthy read, I highly recommend all to read this series.
The mind boggling thing about this book, is that there are innumerable open threads in this ending. This is consistent with the tone of this book. A bittersweet ending delivered perfectly. The confusion, the plethora of questions of what happens next! The worldbuilding around what is Rand ? This is an astounding story. A story that will leave you thinking for years. This is not a sweet satisfying conclusion, but a complex and mysterious conclusion which is the perfect choice for this series. How will I move on? I miss these characters so much.
So many twists, deaths, moments of tension that persisted throughout the book. This is a spectacular ending. It is amazing how real this world is. The author maintained realism in every moment of the last book, including the ending.
What happens after ? Will the horror of Aviendha's vision come true? Probably not.
The Wheel weaves as the Wheel Wills. As the wheel turns and the next age comes around, the Lord of the Dawn will be our salvation. Born once more as he was born before and shall be born again, time without end! The Dragon shall be Reborn, and there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth at his rebirth. He shall break the world again by his coming, tearing apart all ties that bind. In pride he conquers, forcing the proud to yield. He calls upon on the mountains to kneel and the seas to give way and the very skies to bow. Pray that the heart of stone remembers tears and the soul of fire, love. Like the unfettered dawn shall he bind us, and burn us, yet shall the Dragon Reborn confront the Shadow at the Last Battle, and his blood shall give us the Light. Let tears flow, O ye people of the world. Weep for your salvation!Let the Prince of the Morning sing to the land that green things will grow and the valleys give forth lambs. Let the arm of the Lord of the Dawn shelter us from the Dark, and the great sword of justice defend us. Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time.
Emotional Impact -> I couldn't believe Egwene died. I really thought she will be the last person to die. Man! what an unexpected twist. What a battle! This is one of the best books I've read, with the sheer amount of battles. Were there some ideas lost with Robert Jordan's death ? Yes, we lost something. Something important.... I am so emotional about this book. The end of all the WoT. It is done so well. Egwene, no no Egwene. The Flame of Tar Valon! Lan's story is just the best story of a king ever. Rand story is incredible. The journey of this chosen one is the greatest of fantasy. Never again will we see this trope done better.
"Aviendha is right", Amys said. "The Aiel will not fight the Seanchan.""Oh? Shall we test it, Fortuona? You said you trained them yourself. You are a sul'dam, I presume? Put the a'dam on your neck. I dare you. If I am wrong, it will do nothing to you. If I am right, you will be subject to its power, and will prove to be marath'damane.""Three thousand years ago the Lord Dragon created Dragonmount to hide his shame. His rage still burns hot. Today . . . I bring it to you, Your Majesty."The Power left her in a quiet, beautiful explosion, washing across the Sharans and sealing the cracks created by her fight with M'Hael. Egwene's soul separated from her collapsing body and rested upon that wave, riding it into the Light.
Characters -> Great, nothing more to be said. Absolute perfection and masterful. Best ever. The new ones, such as Androl are also great. Lan's arc, Egwene's arc, Mat's arc and most importantly, Rand's arc all ends so well. I miss these characters so much. The journey of these characters is amazing. The length of these arcs, the complexity, binging these people to where they needed to be, and do what they needed to do. Wow.
Plot -> Perfection. I loved the future of the Aiel. Mat's battle strategy is good. The ending comes together beautifully. I give a very high score here because of the sheer number of plotlines coming together. But I think this book could have been more clearly written if Sanderson had canonized some of his ideas. What crazy moment which is the death of Egwene, was her death really foreshadowed in Eye of the World? The death of the Queen of Manetheren was the same as Egwene's death! OMG! The way all the people came together to fight this battle is absolute perfection. wow wow wow.
Prose -> Nothing new here, well written.
Worldbuilding -> Very well done, spectacular. I was really hoping for more worldbuilding with the Dark One, the purpose of the Wheel, what is the wheel ? what is the one power ? What is the World Serpent ? But that is not perfection. Perfection is mystery. There are so many questions raised in so few words in the last few chapters. We wonder... this is amazing. I will think about these questions for years to come. I will wonder what the future of this world would be? This amazing hyper-realistic world that feels like it exists by itself. Who cares if they adapt this story properly to a TV show. I will be selfish and say that people who don't read these books do not deserve the spectacular world that I have experienced. Even in the last book, the world still keeps developing. It leaves us with more questions than before.