One of the things that I think you didn’t mention was that it was great because it was an ending. Any ending. Too many epic fantasy series don’t have endings. A lot of authors who are alive aren’t finishing series. Considering the last 3 were coauthored by someone else it’s amazing we got such a fantastic final book and epilogue.
Yeah, this is a great point! I probably wasn't considering it from this angle because I only started reading the series after it had already all come out, but it's very easy to imagine a world where the ending never got done - or where it was done very poorly.
@@genericallyentertainingthat’s an understandable point of view! I stumbled across the series as the last few book were written. I got about halfway before I realized Jordan had died. I was really worried because I didn’t know Sanderson at all. It led me towards the cosmere so that was a win!
@@surtrpicks Sanderson is very different, and I he doesn't get the Aiel or army battles in the same way Jordan did. But, he did manage to get most of the thematic components fairly well. And this ending is still far better than no ending.
No it's a botched abortion flopping around and begging to be put out of it's misery and I don't watch it, but no, it is NOT an adaptation it is not related in ANY WAY to the books, it's a lie, it's intellectual theft, it's disgusting and everyone involved should go to the stake in disgrace.@@indianajim
The scene of Lan riding towards Demandred alone while Tam picks of enemies with his bow will go down as one of the most badass scenes in fantasy history
I asked Brandon Sanderson on Twitter several years ago "what was the deal with Rand's pipe at the end?" And he reaponded "Mr Jordan wrote that scene and left no explanation..." made my day
Because of his fight with the Dark One and both were using the very Threads of reality, while Rand can never channel the One Power, he can use the Threads of reality. Thats why he could light the pipe. He willed it so.
@@TimSedai Maybe Jordan didn't write down the reason before he passed, or maybe Brandon figured out what it meant but didn't want to imply something that Jordan never intended. But given what we read in the books, this seems to be the case.
I mean there are multiple possible theories for example: rands power to light the pipe looks very much like power you would have in the dream world you just will it and it happens, now combine it with the aiel thinking that the world is a dream and when someone dies they wake from the dream. So sure Rand using threads of reality is one possible theory dream world thing is another and there are a few others i belive its left open ended by the author on purpose if you want you can just pick 1 theorx for urself but dont speak like its a fact
I will never forget going to the bookstore as a teenager to see if the next book was out and having Robert Jordan's obituary taped on his section. That crushing feeling I would never get to the end. It was such a relief when Sanderson finished them he did such a good job.
I was so devastated when I heard Jordan died coz I thought all of us his readers would be stuck in limbo. I was ecstatic when Sanderson wrote the final books and I bought all the books Sanderson wrote but haven’t read them yet. Then the series was made and I told myself to wait for the series to end yet here I am 😂
@@cebukitty definitely finish reading them, the show has changed so much I don't think there's going to be any spoilers and it may confuse you if they change a lot of stuff later on. I did a full re-read earlier this year and they hold up really well they're still one of my top five favorite series of all time.
@@kevinjones2061 : I agree. the series is a far departure from the novels but am really enjoying it. i’ll follow your recommendation and read the last 3 novels 😄
Recently my older brother passed away unexpectedly and he introduced me to WoT many years ago. Now I watch and read it incessantly hoping to capture a part of him that loved this series so much.
I'd say that the Memory of Light is the best conclusion to any fantasy series. What I like best is how I could see how the foresaken came to the conclusions that they did while still considering themselves the heroes of their own story. Especially Damendred, he saw the evil in the world and wanted to correct it, while at the same time getting vengeance at Lews Therin. Insofar as he failed, it arose entirely due to his justified obsession. Even in book 9, we saw foreshadowed how evil would destroy itself. Therefore, the final book really was as good an ending as we could expect.
"What is your strongest trait?" "I can open very big portals" "I fail to see how that kills my enemies" "That's because you have no fantasy" - proceeds to drown army in seawater in Threefold Land.
I think we were led to believe like Rand to be fatalistic about his end, but Story and The Creator surprised Rand and readers in a pleasant way by not only giving Rand a Fresh and New start,... Like almost every soul gets after their death in the Wheel.... But also kind of upgraded him into a newer and yet unknown mystery of Creator's Power. It was a gift from the Wheel thanking him for fulfilling his role as the Dragon on behalf of the Pattern itself. So, Creator gifted him something deeper and greater than the One Power. It feels a greater Oneness with the Creator. And Robert Jordan was building up to this as apparent from Rand's first meeting with Tuon and how she feels oppressed and almost her will strangled to obey Dragon's terms. And yet she denies. This power of Rand's Will actually affect the Pattern directly was the hint to the Lighting the Pipe moment. Rand is becoming almost Creator-like or as close a human can be to the Creator of the Wheel.
I just realized how similar Tarmon Gaidon was to the other climaxes in the Wheel of Time, because even though the other climaxes are extremely short, it still captures how short the resolution is. Still, I love it. I was on a hook until the very last page, which I can’t say the same thing about Return of the King, because that ending was so long. I think this is one of the few times where the last entry in a series is my favorite.
I've been thinking about how a lot of modern storytelling provides too many answers which seems to shrink the world there's a desire to explain EVERYTHING. I LOVE that WOT's world and lore actually EXPANDS upon its end. It leaves me with a sense that the world is still living. This age will end but the wheel will continue to turn. Rand wanted to "solve" the problems of all creation but in the end he accepts that he can't do that. He learns that he must trust that others will rise when the shadow gathers again. I understand that not having a definitive answer to a question that you're invested in can be unsatisfying but canon must end at some point. One of the most fun things about discussing stories is speculating on their ambiguity.
I agree completely. The ending as is might fail with a linear view of history, but the very title of the series goes against that belief. Therefore, seeing an open ending amidst a series that promises infinity, it works very well.
I was thinking about that recently and came to the conclusion that it absolutely depends on the story. Some stories are narrow, and their endings, if left open, mainly serve as cliffhangers. Then there are stories, which fit in a world much larger than their own. So not explaining everything is only natural. That being said, everything within a world should feel "explanable". That's what's important. Stories are condensations by definition. So if something gets mentioned, it should be because it matters, not "just because". That's why we continue to tell and retell myths of old. Not everything in the major myths is perfectly explained, but everything fits. It is why nuances between retellings matter. Omitting a detail and including another tells you a lot about the point of the version. G.K. Chesterton says that only madmen have full explanations of everything and we should cherish a mystery. But a mystery needs to have meaning, we have to feel it.
I just think you need to decide on an ending which has some meaning to it. Otherwise the easy ending of making sure you know who is safe and who is dead or like defeat the "bad" guys(even if it's not supposed to be clear but the author failed not playing favourites) comes as a plan b which shows lack of planning. You can only make a good open ending if you build up the meaning to it throughout the story so readers aren't disappointed by not knowing what happens elsewhere with characters they care about. I think it's also like a statement about the nature of that world : "since the ending shows this meaning to it which this world has expressed through its history, the characters I was reading about have these traits which in a world where this belief will continue to hold true so I can predict what might happen." Like say someone believes nothing matters and morality is a meaningless invention in a world where the ending shows a side which still believes in giving purpose to being good despite those arguments winning out somehow, I can believe they won't live a happy life of murdering everyone even if they're missing or something in the conclusion. I've been told how the world here works, and can imagine based on that how events might play out.
I wasn't happy that Bela died... Then reading the "companion" it turned out she survived. Thankfully. When i read the ending I thought Rand's pipe was a self lighting ter'angreal filled with Two Rivers Tabac.
Totally agree the ending is perfect. The point you make about the weight of time invested in the series up to that point is exactly the point I make to folk who either haven't started it, or got discouraged by The Slog.
I've read the entire 15 book series 10+ times and it just keeps getting better. Nothing has come close to topping it for me so far and I average 70 books a year (most of those are from Sanderson 😉)
I mainly stopped reading scifi/scifan/fan for this very reason... everything felt bland and boring afterwards. I will say The Runelord series and Magic Engineer series were pretty good. Lately I've picked up manga and web/light novels.
@@duanegarrett4900 I feel you. I've only read cosmere books since finishig Wheel of Time this year but every other fantasy book I see just fills me with an oustanding "ehhhh" when I mentally compare it to Wheel of Time.
Towers of Midnight, the book before AMoL is almost 1,300 pages and I love every minute of it. It’s my favorite series of books I’ve ever read. I just wish certain characters got a closing or at least brought back for the final battle. I actually grew to love and respect certain characters that drove me nuts at first: Egwene, Cadsuane, and Nyneave. I am always rereading the series, so I always have one of the books in my bag- almost like a security blanket lol. ♥️
@@JesujuwonDurojaiye-ey3tt The moment she took on Amyrlin seat, I knew I'll love her. Today, it's normal to bitch about Strong Female Characters, but Egwene in leadership position was exactly how I imagine the archetype done right. She means well, tries to lead by example, is both humble and adamant. And like many women in WoT, she takes on responsibility most men would crumble under. She may not have balls of steel, but her nerves were made of diamond. I was very angry that author decided to agree with me to the T.
The Wheel of Time is how I discovered Brandon Sanderson. Though, funny story, he is also part of the reason it took me over a decade to finish the series. 😅 I got into the WOT a shortly after Jordan's passing. After finishing book 2, I was delighted to hear this up and coming author, Brandon Sanderson would be finishing the series. I had wondered how far I would let myself get though WOT not knowing if the story was ever going to be complete. Learning about Brandon removed this fear. Thus, I continued on all the way to Book 7. I became even more interested in Brandon when I heard about the free recording of his writing class shown on UA-cam. I am an amateur author and I was excited to have a chance for free teaching. I watched his first class and became curious to discover his skills as a writer. Not that his advice was bad. Brandon gives excellent advice to anyone aspiring to have a writing career. I just hadn't read anything by him at that point. So, I went to my local library and picked up Warbreaker. Warbreaker will always have a special place in my heart because of this.❤ Nonetheless, that was my gateway drug into the Cosmere. I dropped the WOT and read everything Brandon had published. So once I finished everything Brandon had out, I just didn't feel like picking up the WOT again. I had been away from it for so long that I would need to start over.😢 What finally brought me back ten years later was the coming T.V. show. I wanted to read it all before the show came out. So finally in 2020, I returned to the Wheel of Time and finished it.😊
Great video , I finished WOT earlier this year and loved it , always happy to see other people’s deep dives and fan theories, the pipe is forever gonna be the biggest mystery in fantasy
One theory I had is that the during his argument with The Dark One, Rand learns how to manipulate the Pattern, and that that is how he was able to light the pipe. Essentially, it is a more potent version on him being Ta'veren, similar to how he was able to counter the effects of The Dark One after his epiphany on Dragonmount.
9:13 Before I ever took any interest in discussing WoT with other people I just took it for granted that we don't get the usual kind of high fantasy epilogue was because the story has already drilled it into your head that there ARE no endings to be had anyway. Even if RJ hadn't planned any sequels, it would have made perfect sense. I don't think people are silly for wanting more WoT stories or anything, but I do think it's a bit like expecting every world we see through the Portal Stones to get their own series: it would just be kinda superfluous. Any further turnings of the Wheel are left as an exercise for the reader. Or just read any other hero's journey story, it's all the same people ;)
So personally I thought A Memory of Light was very close to perfect. Myself, I'd have liked to have seen the three boys have a moment together before everything kicked off, similar to what Rand had with his father when they sparred together. Something like Rand, Matt and Perrin together at an Inn or a campfire just being the young friends they once were for an evening would have been a real special moment.
Rand matt and perrin werent that close. He was far closer to Egweene and Nynaeve. What you wanted was a trope man... that didnt exist in the books at all
@@charlesreid9337 I'd say they grew apart, largely thanks to Rand and what he had to deal with. But in Emonds Field it seemed like they were good friends.
@@charlesreid9337 I honestly didn't get that feeling. But thats the nice thing about fiction : everyone reads it on their own, creating their own ideas of what is happening
I love the series, and the final book did not disappoint. Few things I didn't like (Seanchan remaining a slave state - I would think that Mat's marriage to Tuon would be to eliminate slavery). But I can answer you the question of Moghidean (sp?) seeing Rand in Moridin's body. The answer is: she won't. Why? Well, damane have no possessions, as a consequence, the soul cage that held her soul would be destroyed alongside her dress and anything else she had on her when captured. Once the cage is gone, she's a body without a mind. Hope that answers THAT question.
I agree about moghedian. Even if that didn’t happen though, I don’t see Rand being in a position to see her. As for the slave part, maybe. I assume aviendha changed the future so who knows. Though I’d like to think her conversation with hawkwing minus ishamael influence might change her opinion on damane, especially considering her own abilities. I would assume she wouldn’t just free them all immediately but I’d like to think over time it ended. Who knows maybe the aiels new role in the dragons peace adds a factor to it. Aiel channelers combined with new tech could end the advantage which combined with the rest could end the practice.
That was likely a part of what the sequels would be about. Mat and Tuon in a civil war with the mainland Seanchan to put Tuon on the throne. Tuon was made aware was the lie of the sul'dam, and part of the turn over of power would probably involve the slow abolishment of channeler slavery. Dont forget that the Aiel, as cool as they are, are still slavers to this day.
@@applegeepedigree If you're talking about Gai'shain, that is sliiiightly different. Firstly by virtue of having deadline. Secondly by it being partly voluntary servitude. But the moment you get Shaido like minded Aiel, then you're correct.
I think we did get to see the future when Rand was fighting the dark one and they had the memorials and everyone was happy and technology prospered. Where evil was still there just in check and not controlling everything
Spoilers Personally I wasn't a huge fan of the last book, mainly because I'm not all that interested in battle scenes, so it took me a while to get through. I didn't know all the military tactics and just felt like I was gaining nothing as I was reading it. I still think Brandon Sanderson did an amazing job finishing the series. The Gathering Storm was in my top 4 books in the series and I also quite liked Towers of Midnight. All that being said, I still absolutely loved how everything wrapped up. What stood out to me about this series was everyone's self-posturing and desires to advance themselves, even in the face of the Final Battle. So many series just have every nation come together to fight off the big bad force of the world (I just read Lord of the Rings this year and felt that way about it), while what Jordan did with the Wheel of Time just felt so much more real. You see it with how politicians handle climate change: some of them will address it, others claim it isn't real, but all of them are saying what they're saying not to advance the cause, but to advance themselves in the midst of the danger. The Wheel of Time rulers were the same way with how they dealt with Rand and final battle. Everyone had their own motivations and no one could agree on anything. That follows through to after the Final Battle. I think throughout the series I always had a vague assumption of "the light will win, the nations will be at peace, etc." When I read Aviendha's experience with the crystal columns in Rhuidean, I was absolutely stunned because it made me rethink the entire concept of the "after." I realized that endings are fundamentally incompatible with the concept of the series (we hear that in the opening paragraph of every book), so of course there are no guarantees that there will be a good ending of a bad ending for any character/group of people moving into the Fourth Age. The Fourth, like the Third and the Second Ages, will have its own struggles and difficulties. The ending then does a perfect job of sowing the seeds of this. We don't know how long the Dragon Peace will last, but we know it will not be forever. We don't know if Aviendha's visions were necessarily prophetic or if there is free will with them. Perrin and Elayne, two characters we have followed for the entire series, have strife with each other due to the Manetheren/Andor land situation. Elayne and Aveindha's descendants will not have the same peace that the two characters had with each other. The Seanchan still exist. The point it, the ending does a great job wrapping everything up while also demonstrating that the Wheel keeps turning.
I very much second this. A great aspect of wheel of time was figuring out where free will fit in with this over arching theme of cyclical destiny. We do not know if the future world will work out well, or if the Seanchan will create some type of dystopia that will require some type of unimaginable external shock/force on par with the Dark One to overthrow. Rather, we are left with an ending, but also A beginning, to a new world.
It was also hard for me to be able to digest the entire book as one biiiiig battle, since I also fully don't understand tactics etc... Towards the middle of the book, i actually started appreciating it... In this way.. It is after all The Last Battle. Tarmon Gai'don. The characters, the army etc, all get so tired fighting it for so loooong.. day after day... and as readers, the book makes us feel their exhaustion, through our own exhaustion of reading about the battles going on and on and on... And obviously, that ending at the very end!!!
This is such a great way of putting it. I especially agree about Aviendha's scene in Rhuidean; it's easily one of my favorite scenes in the series, and it might be my second-favorite thing Sanderson himself added (after Veins of Gold.) Personally, I like to believe that the visions were true, just as Rand's earlier visions in Rhuidean were true, because I like the poignancy of her coming to terms with the impermanence of everything she cares about and having to embrace the constant cycle of change. But I still think the ambiguity is still a large part of why that scene works.
I completely agree. It is one of my favorite endings to a fantasy/fiction series ever! Some of the books in the middle were hard to get through, but the ending makes it worth it!
I bought the first book the first week the paperback version came out in the early 1990’s. I bought the next 9 books (or do) as hardcovers because I was anticipating them and bought them immediately. At one point I was waiting for the next installment and LIFE got in the way of my reading. Once I saw amazons THE WHEEL OF TIME SERIES SEASON 1 I wanted to finish the series but it had been too long and would have to start over. However I had eye surgeries and decided reading 13,000 pages may not be possible (hard for me to squint). So I did the audiobooks. (465 hours of them). I enjoyed both reading and listening to them. As far as the series is concerned I would like to view it as an alternate universe. Not exactly the same but close enough. You can’t hope to be happy with 8 seasons of 8 one hour episodes which only adds up to 64 hours. If audiobooks is 465 hours then you’d be only telling about 12 percent of the story. They can’t do that. Be happy with it as a unique take on it. There is no way your going to get better. This is it folks. Me personally, … I like it! It’s different but I’ll hold my judgement for now until I see where it goes. I’m starting my 2 nd listening to the audiobooks and having fun trying to keep things straight in my head. Not looking forward for the slog again. Even in audiobooks it suck’s. They don’t have time for slogs in the series. I read quite a lot of different types of genres but fantasy was always special since my first 2 series of books was JRR TOLKIEN AND RAYMOND E FEIST. From there I read the shogun series a Roman series and others but none quite as BIG at TWOT. It’s got almost 3,000 characters in it!!!
Something that is often overlooked with the series, is that Rand cleansed the taint off the source. Which allows men to use the source again, without going mad. This effectively broke the turning of the wheel as we know it from the starting. It basically started a new turning of the wheel.
The show has definitely upped their game in season two. Improved weaves, more lore accurate content (compared to other adaptations & S1), visually stunning IMO. Episodes 3 and 5 are my favorites thus far, 4 coming in a close second/third.
im very impressed with season 2 so far and hope they keep it up. I remember rewatching that last episode of season 1 before starting season 2 and cringing so hard at the past flashback with LTT being referred to as "The Dragon Reborn" instead of "The Dragon" and the Tamerlyn Seat being referred to as "The Watcher of the Seals" before ltt and his 100 companions go and create the seals. Bedrock mistakes in writing that show whoever wrote that scene didn't actually know any of the background about the scene they were writing. I havn't seen anything like that in the second season.
There’s a great mod for the game Victoria 3, in which it’s set right after the final battle and death of the dragon, in which The Dragons Peace takes up a key role as the peace gradually degrades or is repurposed into a UN like system
Good commentary. Thanks. One thing about the reason we don't need an involved epilogue is that we got one when Aviendha went through the columns and saw a future. Now, she acted to prevent the details of that future from coming to pass, but still, that future gives a feeling for the people, the way culture would keep changing, the deep fault lines that would divide society, the names of many of the likely descendants and countries, etc. So that was the epilogue, after a fashion, one that allows us to imagine better what might have followed.
You know... 20 years ago the last book ending would probably have bugged the s**t out of me, but now I am older and wi.... older and can appreciate the openness of much of it. Because "happily ever after" does not really work in RL, and that makes WoT much more real. Since it is heavily implied/confirmed that WoT is a fictional future/past of our own real world, it shows us that the wheel keeps on turning. Would I really like to know what happened with all my favorite characters? Sure. How did Rand light the pipe? TELL ME! 😛 But I can live with it. With many stories it was never about the ending but they journey itself, and this journey... This journey was worth embarking on. P.S.: And waiting almost eighteen years for it, it had better be worth it. And it was. 😉
I just wish the last battle has been more than just a bunch of Trollocs. Should have been all the monsters in thr blight coming out and the blight itself expanding
I picked up Wheel of time at a really early age, I re-read the series at least 6-7 times nearly every time a new book came out. The ending changed my relationship with the series, I didnt re-read them after it. I honestly don't remember much the of the book. I loved the books so much and picked it up so early in life that part of my very personality was shaped by the series, and that is a lot to put on a finale. I guess I just walked away from the series after it with a dull feeling in the end.
This is a really great review! I read the series starting in high school. I could always rely on each new book to repeat so much of what happened previously which made the books I initially read close together annoying. But in later books it was a benefit as I had forgotten so much between publishings lol
First time veiwer here!!! Great video firstly, very well done! I haven't read the books, bit much for me lol But I have watched the show, both seasons, absolutely loved it. I also look up a lot of stuff on the Wheel of Time Wiki site. I don't mind spoilers as I love this story, so I really love video on the ending! Love it a lot and very exciting. Not all stories need a happy complete story. And the philosophical battle is awesome and resonates with my own beliefs! Great video and thanks :)
Thanks so much for watching! I'm really happy to see fans of the show merging with the rest of the fandom. (I have to say, though, I can't relate to about not caring about spoilers, lol! I was a bit paranoid about them when reading the series for the first time. But either way, I'm glad the ending resonated with you!)
I really liked the ending of WoT, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it perfect. I'm someone who definitely enjoys longer epilogues and while I agree that WoT did everything that was essential, I do think it could have used a bit more. But if I had one real gripe with the ending it would be the things left unanswered. I don't mind open endings that make you think, that encourage discussion. In fact my favorite fiction series of all time is entirely about that concept to it's very core. But to me, open endings that encourage discussion need to be meaningful. Nakomi and the Pipe were both things introduced right at the very end with extremely little hints or evidence to tell us anything about them. IMO they don't add anything of value to the story and while some fans enjoy theorizing about them I really just don't think there is much meat to any of those discussions. They feel like token things thrown in to make the ending open rather than actual interesting questions. Kind of like the spinning top at the very end of Inception, it gets people talking as they leave the theater but it's not actually an interesting philosophical question, it's just very token. The open endings I enjoy involve real core elements being left open to debate or interpretation. Stuff more akin to how Sanderson says he will never explain The Beyond in the Cosmere. A few details thrown in at the end to leave a mystery to me is just bad writing. And yes I have heard Sanderson's explanation of who Nakomi was, and I don't think it fixes the issue. In Jorden's notes she was only going to appear a single time with even less explanation, and IMO it would have been a terrible choice.
If I'm remembering correctly, the pipe was a last moment update to the ending that RJ made a few days before he died. He never told anybody what it meant but did say that it was important. Also, It's cool that with that we now also have solved the mystery of the Jenn Aeil. I guess their hidden purpose was to raise Nakomi.
This last read-through I stumbled a bit when I hit the change in authors. It's surprising how you can read what you've read several times before and see something new that you never noticed. I realized that in the thousands of hours I've spent with these characters over the decades, you internalize so much of the author's rhythm and language choices that you have to switch gears with the authors. Once I adjusted, I came to my first true appreciation for Sanders ability to adapt his style, not perfectly, but competently. A few more chapters and I stopped noticing it again. Well done and a fine ending to the greatest fictional series of all time.
I have been struggling with the DUTY to write this "LEGEND of the EAGLE and the DETECTIVE" once known as the Sinister Snakeman Saga, and just watched season 2 episode 7 of the Amazon adaptation of RJ's WoT, and sm glad to have stumbled onto this critical incite on UA-cam. I grew up as the middle child, three brothers, and the Wheel of Time has been so special to me, ever since my older brother pawned the series off on me as he retired through the Crossroads of Twilight, and my failure to inspire my Dan Brown fan little brother in the series, reading him the prologue like our old family time introduction to Harry Potter, leaving him to fall asleep at Chapter One
The part I like most about the final confrontation with Shai'Tan, it's the moment Rand realize how much responsability humanity have for the current state of the world ("tha dark one was never the real enemy (...) the world was destroyed by foolish man..." or something like that). Most of the evil deeds we see in the series are not the direct consequence of the Dark One's action, or they could have never been accomplished without human intervention: -the creation of shadowspawn ---> made by Aginor, the Dark One only provided the True Power needed; -the corruption of Saidin and the breaking ---> a consequence of the Aes Sedai (both male and female) decision and lack of resources (they could have never sealed the DO without an access to True Power); -all the murders, wars, chaos... all a product of human actions. In the end Rand also noticed that, without the DO, the war at the end of the Age of Legends would have happened anyway, just in a different form (despite being rememdered like a paradise, there were serious social problems apparently). I like this idea a lot.
Yes! I love the Wheel of Time's emphasis on human threats, and especially the implication that even after the Last Battle, things are not by any means going to be perfect (what with Aviendha's visions about the Seanchan.) It's part of why the Dark One's relatively back-seat presence for most of the series still ends up working: at the end of the day, he wasn't really the main threat at all.
AMOL is one of the last books I read - I've been an avid reader all of my life, but when i finished it many years ago, I picked up the next book on the pile to read, and just couldn't get into it. AMOL broke my reading muscles, and i've never been the same.
You will find that book you want to read eventually, and your mind will want to do it. Right now, it is looking for another focus, and there is no time limit for that. You basically have not picked up a book, because it is not grabbing your attention. Even I did that for a few months. But, I am back reading books, and it is entirely due to my inquisitive nature when it comes to a book, and what story it is telling.
I didn’t really like Brandon’s Mat very much leading up to AMOL. In this book, where we see the fruits of his memories and his ability to lead the army of the light, he’s good to read again. I agree with much of what you said and here’s a really hot take: I like it that Tuon and the Seanshan don’t give up their ways. That change might or might not happen in the future- but ending with not knowing the outcome is a good way for this series imo. A fairytale ending wouldn’t have served this story well. I also actually like the use of Moiraine and Nyaneeve, whereas many claim that they should have been fighting in the last battle. I am of the opinion that they both have essential roles in what they are doing. An Epic ending to an epic series
I would have loved seeing a Matt sequel he was probably my favorite character, especially later once he gets healed from the dagger and becomes a leader who doesn't wish to be a leader. His character is lighthearted, and he is a bit of a rogue that often brought a smile to my face.
3:41 I think one of the ideas that gets talked about in the Wheel of Time in terms of the startigic planning is that the whole purpose of having chanallers in battle is for them to offset the enemy's chanallers, if they are utilized correctly, they are basically there to nullify the magical aspect of the forces and create an equal footing. I know that each side _wants_ their chanallers to be that war bishop that wipes out mass amounts of the enemy's forces, but exactly for that reason, they are the ones that will be targeted first by the other's force, and vice versa.. (the same goes for Myrdralls in the place of chanallers..)
Surely, if the ending suggests there are no endings, with evil, good and free will persisting, there can be no conclusion to plot points. Were each to be followed to answer current questions, new questions would surface, endlessly continuing the cycle of narrative. How cool is that, for Sanderson to provide a ‘non-ending’ to such an incredible story?!
I loved the ending so much. Great ending and a great series. It would always be the best for me for the vast journey I got to go through only for the Wheel of Time.
Yeah, aMoL is actually one of the few books I can think of that made me cry in recent years. It's really, really well done. For me what did it was 'You won't be left without a brother' and then, whoops. Yeah you will, Galad.
The way I took the Rand Pipe scene is is that during the fight with the dark one, iirc, doesn't he basically link with the creator? It's light and dark going at it, not Rand the man vs the dark one. Sure he's switched bodies but I think he's now linked with the creator, just "thinking" of the pipe lit and it lighting shows us that much.
Its a great ending but I always hope deep down that Brandon be given the blessing to make a sequel series with the notes left behind that hint what happens after with Matt, Perrin and the Seanchan. I also think Rand would go to the Traveling Folk and teach them the song of growing (which he knows) and how to deal the deteriorating Ways and the possibility of the Machin Shin escaping from the Ways to the world.
Thank you for posting this video! I stopped reading this series around book five when it became apparent that Robert Jordan had decided to take what would have been a great double trilogy series and turn it into a never ending story intended to keep himself gainfully employed for the rest of his life. Rand al'Thor got lost in an avalanche of new characters and the plotline got so watered down by side plots that the series became unreadable. Additionally, having to wait two years (or more) for each new book to come out really kills any story arc momentum or immersion in the tale, so there was just no way that I could continue with this series while it was still being written. Younger audiences will not have this problem to contend with and may find it easier to finish. Your description of the ending confirms it was a good decision to not waste my time with books six through fourteen!
I'm not sure what he said that indicated that not finishing it was the right choice for you. Except that what he said about the epilogue could be misconstrued. Most of the characters in the series had their arcs come to a logical and on many cases satisfying conclusion. The only things left open are the what comes next kinds of things. The series can be hard to finish and it's not for everyone. But the ending has a lot going for it.
I'm sure some people enjoyed the ending (good for them), but from what he described, I would have hated it. I've read fantasy books for 40 years and having the final confrontation (after so long a build up) be a philosophical debate, a shove, and then avoiding the death of Rand by soul switching seems rather lame to me. Your mileage may vary.@@cannon042
One other thing I do want to point out is that the Dark One wasn't imprisoned by Rand. Rand weaved the Dark One back into the Pattern as the Dark One originally was part of the Pattern before the hole of the Pattern was made during the Age of Legends.
This ending seriously hit me hard. On first read, i was kinda ticked off that (Spoilers) That Rand survived, for obvious reasons, with all his arcs of coming to terms with his inevitable death. Egwene's fate is the most tragic thing I have read. She represented so much progress in thinking and hope, losing her drastically altered the future in a way that characters dont comprehend as much as the reader does. I love these books so much
[spoilers] IMO she was the best amyrlin ever by far. In only 2 years she changed the tower in so many ways! Raised as an accepted to be controlled by the hall, but turned things over and seized control of the rebels, and even after being captured instead of giving up she saw it as an opportunity to remove Elaida from the inside, she defended the tower against the Seanchan, discovered new and forgotten weaves. She did so much in so little time without even being Ta'veren! She went from a character that I didn't like much in the first few books, to one of my favorites. When I realized her plan of ending the rebellion from the inside when she was captured my mind was blown!
I client agree more. Then they choose a several hundred year old aes sedai to replace her. It felt backwards. I know cadsuane thinks outside the box relative to others but still didn’t seem right. As for the insufferable part, I didn’t hate her early on as much as most people but in the Sanderson books she annoyed the shit out of me at times. Like talking at Gawyn for rescuing her. She seems to let siuan and gareth off the hook but it’s said gawyn lost her trust. But it wasn’t even his idea. Siuan and gareth knew he’d help so they went and got him. It made no sense. Though I did like that she got some comeuppance with the blood knives but it seems like she never learned from this
I picked up a copy of "The Eye of the World" at a bookstore after it was in paperback. I was picky with my fantasy, so I read the reviews, read the back, checked for a map, then opened the book to a random page and read a couple of paragraphs. It sounded exactly what I was looking for. Bought it. After two chapters, I was like "this is going to be really good". After reading halfway, I was like" Oh, this going to be a great trilogy'. Waited for the second book. Near the end of the second book, I was like, "A double trilogy"? Waited. End of the Dragon Reborn, I was like, "The author better not die before he finishes this"!
I literally finished the series 20 minutes ago. 2 years it took me, which I just now realized is the time span that the books take place in! Dang lol It will take me a while to mentally pull out of the WoT world... I will miss the boys, but all good things must come to an end.
Well said! One thing to note for you: Every time you re-read the series, you get something more from it than you did before. Not quite like Malazan, where you need 3 read-throughs just to understand anything. Give it a couple years then put Kate & Michael in your ears and enjoy the story once again. I promise you'll cry again!
I think my favourite part of this conclusion is the revelation that the dark only has so much power as people give to it, the DO is essentially powerless and yet almost destroys the world through misguided people.
the book said/ revealed nothing like this. The dark corrupted the power and nearly destroyed the world. And the thing is.... this was simply this turn of the wheel. There will be more.. it is the wheel..
TWoT is my favourite book/story/thing ever (in spite of its flaws), and AMoL is my favourite of the books. I totally agree with you and I'm happy to hear you enjoyed the ending as much as I did. :)
Huge Spoilers. WOT is fav book series. I like the open ending in the climax. My only gripe is the handling of the seanchan in the end. In the end, every other army is depleted except for them. It nicely sets up for their conquering of the randland. I wouldn't even mind if seanchan conquers the randland, i think. What i wanted was the end of slavery in their society or atleast some strong doubts or hints toward it. Aiel succumbs to the bleakness because the foundations for their way of life are a lie. I just wanted to see that level of effects in the seanchan society because their culture mostly depends on their military might, i.e. the ever victorious army. And that heavily depended on the system of suldam and damane. I actually can't pinpoint it but while rereading it, my enjoyment of this series and my favorite characters comes down a bit because of the handling of the seanchan. Or maybe it is because my second favorite character is married to tuon. Why couldn't RJ have chosen Elayne or any other queen as my boy's wife? That would've at least helped my conscience.
I think the revelation that the Sul'dam are capable of channeling does give strong doubt towards the future of Seanchan slavery. If it became widely known that members of The Blood, including the Empress, were capable of channeling that would shake the foundation of their society. Tuon may be able to suppress that information during her reign but eventually all of the Seanchan will know about it.
I think one of the things RJ was going for is nothing is absolutely clean. Even Perrin the most morally good person in the series (IMO) is pushed to doing things that by my own morality should be utterly condemned. Jordan shows in his story that you can have people who do things you personally despise but they might stand against others who could destroy the world. I like that it is not clean, I like that some of the couplings are not ideal. I totally don't mind your take by the way. Completely legitimate and some people it would just ruin the whole thing. I have seen it in other comments on other threads. I actually found it quite refreshing that he portrayed an alliance that did not result in immediate social and cultural overhaul and unity. Felt ... more real. Especially when we consider that slavery of some kind was practised in almost every area of the world and for a lot longer than it has not been. So even though it is morally evil and makes us uncomfortable to have non-evil people (as portrayed by the author) engaging in it, it does feel very 'real'. I personally think I would probably have liked a lot of people living in lets say 100AD and the majority of those societies would have seen slavery as standard. It's the understanding and perspective of 21st century that makes this unacceptable for an author to portray a character as likeable and even good when they endorse something we have almost universally agreed is bad. One day a few hundred years from now some of the things we still think are fairly okay will be held similarly. The Wheel turns but there are no real endings.
Rand was able to light it due to his control over the pattern, he is essentially "The Creator"; in the lore the DO was imprisoned at Shayol Ghul at the beginning of time. "Called the third age by some" was actually the 7th and final age before the wheel began its cycle anew.
Thematically, it's perfect, but also tonally. A Memory of Light (and to a lesser extent the two preceding books) felt like the world was ending. I don't think I've ever felt that in any other book (except for possibly Hero of Ages, interestingly enough, though to a much lesser extent). This was an event that had been heavily foreshadowed since almost page 1 of the Eye of the World, and we had travelled with the characters over the course of 14 books, loved and lost with them, we had got to know the world almost as well as our own home, and to see it being torn apart like that was genuinely frightening. I doubt very much that kind of feeling could be achieved in a series with a vastly reduced page count.
I will admit to being extremely confused when I saw the title, as most WoT content at the moment is about the show, and it's about as far from perfect as it gets. Great stuff. I did my fourth read (and first audio read) this year. It never gets old for me.
the show is excellent. The people who attack these shows are just immature hipsters screaming their bottle formula wasnt perfect. You absolutely cannot make WoT without radical changes and reductions.
@@charlesreid9337 No it’s not. It’s awful. Radical reductions are necessary, and that necessitates some changes, but 90% of the runtime is made up bullshit that doesn’t go anywhere, and it’s all worse than the books.
The only issue I had with the ending was egwene dying. I don’t have an issue with main characters dying. However it felt like she was this young Amyrlin who was making all these changes to sort of push the aes sedai into the new age. Then she died and a several hundred year old aes sedai takes over. I know Cadsuane is unconventional but it just felt like opposite of everything else moving to the new age. I think cadsuane recognizing Rand is foreshadowing that he’s not just going to disappear. It doesn’t make sense that he could. For most of the world yes but to those close to him no. Would he be able to stay away from the women he loves and his children. Is he going to stay bonded to them and then just wander around by himself for the rest of his life. So their inner circle would wonder who this man is. So I always figured a few like the two rivers crew and min, Elayne, and Aviendha would know about him. As for lanfear, to me that’s irrelevant. Presumably she’ll live as long as any channeler her age. Since Rand sealed the dark one in a way that would eventually make people ignorant of his existence, I doubt she has any connection there. So I just see her trying to gain power like she did before the bore. Then again since everyone but Rand is ignorant about the true power maybe she could go to rands school and tell them about a power source outside the pattern and basically shit all over everything.
First of all not trying to change a mind (As your comment is well written and explains your thinking/feeling very well) just sharing a thought. On Egwene's death, I believe he was going for real tragedy, like almost greeek style. It is exactly because she is young and vibrant and revolutionary that her death hits the reader so hard. I think RJ and Brandon knew this (Though this must have been RJs call I would think). One of the core five from Emonds field needed to die to show the cost and as Rand was set up all along to do just that it would have less impact. Egwene is the impact death. Someone like Tam Moiraine, Lan or Cadsune dying can be sad but not tragic. They had lived their lives been who they needed to be. They had already burned bright and used their lives for good and could do with a rest. Egwene's death tells us things are not convenient, it tells us to weep for a wheel turned too soon and a potential future lost. Also when someone comes in and radically alters the status quo they often seem to have their lives cut short in real life. The burn bright burns up quickly kind of vibe.
@@Trisjack20 good point. I think you’re absolutely right. I just don’t agree with it. In a story like this I don’t think you always have to kill someone to show the cost. Maybe if you’re limited on time but this wasn’t. The whole book shows the cost of this. I don’t think one character dying or not changes that. I thought the most effective way to show the cost was when the dark one flashed all the deaths to Rand. I remember Hurin and one of the two rivers kids but there were multiple.
[BIG SPOILER] - - - - - - - ------------------------------About the pipe: When I first read it (yesterday) I got the feeling that it when he emprisioned the dark one with the 3 powers, he somewhat blended all powers together and it changed the nature of the One Power, into something unified and not divided anymore in saidin,saidar or truepower. And in this case it might be possible that the "new" power would work differently. What made me think of it was also Aviendha's vision of her daughter and the way she just channeled naturaly, without thinking. But now that I read comments with the other possibilities...I don't know anything anymore and guess I never will haha
I think that Rand was able to light the pipe because the world has become like Tel'aran'rhiod to him. Instead of "waking from the dream", as the Aiel say, he fell asleep to dream some more.
Great video really good analysis…. As much as I love Sanderson though the lanfear reveal still bothers me because it undermines Perrins character arc soo much. It takes away the fact that he was able to do something the other two taverene boys could not which is kill a woman … in this case one of the most dangerous beings alive. I like lanfear as a villain fine but I would not prompt her over one of your main characters.
Spoilers perhaps but looking up Nakomi it appears shes a vessel for the creator. So she's sorta connected to him somehow? I'm guessing this came from Brandon Sanderson at some point in an interview or something. Fun fact, I read A Memory of Light while in the Army deployed in Poland and was so engrossed in the book I just laid in my bunk reading for like several days, when not doing army stuff, to the point that my sergeant gave me the nickname Mouse because I was so quiet
this is just another major fan theory, brandon has never publicly confirmed it and never will. kind of glad we never found out as seeing people’s creativity with theories is always exciting
One of the things that I think you didn’t mention was that it was great because it was an ending. Any ending. Too many epic fantasy series don’t have endings. A lot of authors who are alive aren’t finishing series. Considering the last 3 were coauthored by someone else it’s amazing we got such a fantastic final book and epilogue.
Yeah, this is a great point! I probably wasn't considering it from this angle because I only started reading the series after it had already all come out, but it's very easy to imagine a world where the ending never got done - or where it was done very poorly.
@@genericallyentertainingthat’s an understandable point of view! I stumbled across the series as the last few book were written. I got about halfway before I realized Jordan had died. I was really worried because I didn’t know Sanderson at all. It led me towards the cosmere so that was a win!
As a reader of ASOIAF and The Kingkiller Chronicles I agree with that.
I don’t. Felt far different than Jordan’s writing.
@@surtrpicks Sanderson is very different, and I he doesn't get the Aiel or army battles in the same way Jordan did. But, he did manage to get most of the thematic components fairly well. And this ending is still far better than no ending.
There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the wheel of time. But it was _an_ ending.
Not true, Rafe the clown and amazon fucking ended it, lol
@@MRtreeguy904that’s an adaptation and you don’t have to watch it.
No it's a botched abortion flopping around and begging to be put out of it's misery and I don't watch it, but no, it is NOT an adaptation it is not related in ANY WAY to the books, it's a lie, it's intellectual theft, it's disgusting and everyone involved should go to the stake in disgrace.@@indianajim
If only a good animation or anime studio picked it up.
Calling it an adaptation is a bit generous. @@indianajim
The scene of Lan riding towards Demandred alone while Tam picks of enemies with his bow will go down as one of the most badass scenes in fantasy history
Who are you?!?
One last lesson. The hardest.
I asked Brandon Sanderson on Twitter several years ago "what was the deal with Rand's pipe at the end?" And he reaponded "Mr Jordan wrote that scene and left no explanation..." made my day
Because of his fight with the Dark One and both were using the very Threads of reality, while Rand can never channel the One Power, he can use the Threads of reality. Thats why he could light the pipe. He willed it so.
@@No-Ink it's cute that you felt the need to explain better than both authors
hahahahahahahaha, burn...@@TimSedai
@@TimSedai Maybe Jordan didn't write down the reason before he passed, or maybe Brandon figured out what it meant but didn't want to imply something that Jordan never intended.
But given what we read in the books, this seems to be the case.
I mean there are multiple possible theories for example: rands power to light the pipe looks very much like power you would have in the dream world you just will it and it happens, now combine it with the aiel thinking that the world is a dream and when someone dies they wake from the dream. So sure Rand using threads of reality is one possible theory dream world thing is another and there are a few others i belive its left open ended by the author on purpose if you want you can just pick 1 theorx for urself but dont speak like its a fact
I will never forget going to the bookstore as a teenager to see if the next book was out and having Robert Jordan's obituary taped on his section. That crushing feeling I would never get to the end. It was such a relief when Sanderson finished them he did such a good job.
I was so devastated when I heard Jordan died coz I thought all of us his readers would be stuck in limbo. I was ecstatic when Sanderson wrote the final books and I bought all the books Sanderson wrote but haven’t read them yet. Then the series was made and I told myself to wait for the series to end yet here I am 😂
@@cebukitty definitely finish reading them, the show has changed so much I don't think there's going to be any spoilers and it may confuse you if they change a lot of stuff later on. I did a full re-read earlier this year and they hold up really well they're still one of my top five favorite series of all time.
@@kevinjones2061 : I agree. the series is a far departure from the novels but am really enjoying it. i’ll follow your recommendation and read the last 3 novels 😄
Recently my older brother passed away unexpectedly and he introduced me to WoT many years ago. Now I watch and read it incessantly hoping to capture a part of him that loved this series so much.
No need to worry about him. He walked in the Light. The Creator shelters him from Dark One's grasp.
I'd say that the Memory of Light is the best conclusion to any fantasy series. What I like best is how I could see how the foresaken came to the conclusions that they did while still considering themselves the heroes of their own story. Especially Damendred, he saw the evil in the world and wanted to correct it, while at the same time getting vengeance at Lews Therin. Insofar as he failed, it arose entirely due to his justified obsession. Even in book 9, we saw foreshadowed how evil would destroy itself. Therefore, the final book really was as good an ending as we could expect.
Sander Jordan Lanche sounds like some esoteric SciFi world physics theorem.
Androl performed one hell of a piece of epic channeling to save Elaine's army. Giant pillars of lava destroying thousands of Trollocs was baddass.
"What is your strongest trait?"
"I can open very big portals"
"I fail to see how that kills my enemies"
"That's because you have no fantasy" - proceeds to drown army in seawater in Threefold Land.
I HAD to reread that section while listening to epic music.
I think we were led to believe like Rand to be fatalistic about his end, but Story and The Creator surprised Rand and readers in a pleasant way by not only giving Rand a Fresh and New start,... Like almost every soul gets after their death in the Wheel....
But also kind of upgraded him into a newer and yet unknown mystery of Creator's Power. It was a gift from the Wheel thanking him for fulfilling his role as the Dragon on behalf of the Pattern itself.
So, Creator gifted him something deeper and greater than the One Power. It feels a greater Oneness with the Creator. And Robert Jordan was building up to this as apparent from Rand's first meeting with Tuon and how she feels oppressed and almost her will strangled to obey Dragon's terms. And yet she denies.
This power of Rand's Will actually affect the Pattern directly was the hint to the Lighting the Pipe moment. Rand is becoming almost Creator-like or as close a human can be to the Creator of the Wheel.
Almost exactly what I think, too!
it was bad fanservice man :P You like us were just so desperate for an ending you didnt care
@charlesreid9337 the pipe scene was written by Robert Jordan.
I just realized how similar Tarmon Gaidon was to the other climaxes in the Wheel of Time, because even though the other climaxes are extremely short, it still captures how short the resolution is. Still, I love it. I was on a hook until the very last page, which I can’t say the same thing about Return of the King, because that ending was so long. I think this is one of the few times where the last entry in a series is my favorite.
I've been thinking about how a lot of modern storytelling provides too many answers which seems to shrink the world there's a desire to explain EVERYTHING. I LOVE that WOT's world and lore actually EXPANDS upon its end. It leaves me with a sense that the world is still living. This age will end but the wheel will continue to turn. Rand wanted to "solve" the problems of all creation but in the end he accepts that he can't do that. He learns that he must trust that others will rise when the shadow gathers again. I understand that not having a definitive answer to a question that you're invested in can be unsatisfying but canon must end at some point. One of the most fun things about discussing stories is speculating on their ambiguity.
I agree completely. The ending as is might fail with a linear view of history, but the very title of the series goes against that belief. Therefore, seeing an open ending amidst a series that promises infinity, it works very well.
I was thinking about that recently and came to the conclusion that it absolutely depends on the story. Some stories are narrow, and their endings, if left open, mainly serve as cliffhangers. Then there are stories, which fit in a world much larger than their own. So not explaining everything is only natural.
That being said, everything within a world should feel "explanable". That's what's important. Stories are condensations by definition. So if something gets mentioned, it should be because it matters, not "just because".
That's why we continue to tell and retell myths of old. Not everything in the major myths is perfectly explained, but everything fits. It is why nuances between retellings matter. Omitting a detail and including another tells you a lot about the point of the version.
G.K. Chesterton says that only madmen have full explanations of everything and we should cherish a mystery. But a mystery needs to have meaning, we have to feel it.
I just think you need to decide on an ending which has some meaning to it. Otherwise the easy ending of making sure you know who is safe and who is dead or like defeat the "bad" guys(even if it's not supposed to be clear but the author failed not playing favourites) comes as a plan b which shows lack of planning.
You can only make a good open ending if you build up the meaning to it throughout the story so readers aren't disappointed by not knowing what happens elsewhere with characters they care about. I think it's also like a statement about the nature of that world : "since the ending shows this meaning to it which this world has expressed through its history, the characters I was reading about have these traits which in a world where this belief will continue to hold true so I can predict what might happen."
Like say someone believes nothing matters and morality is a meaningless invention in a world where the ending shows a side which still believes in giving purpose to being good despite those arguments winning out somehow, I can believe they won't live a happy life of murdering everyone even if they're missing or something in the conclusion. I've been told how the world here works, and can imagine based on that how events might play out.
Chapter 37 being over 9 hours in the audiobook filled me with so much excitement when i started aMoL.
I wasn't happy that Bela died... Then reading the "companion" it turned out she survived. Thankfully.
When i read the ending I thought Rand's pipe was a self lighting ter'angreal filled with Two Rivers Tabac.
You know, this is some solid timing, I just finished it yesterday
The ending was what turned me onto Brandon Sanderson’s books. What a double gift❤
Me too
Totally agree the ending is perfect. The point you make about the weight of time invested in the series up to that point is exactly the point I make to folk who either haven't started it, or got discouraged by The Slog.
I've read the entire 15 book series 10+ times and it just keeps getting better. Nothing has come close to topping it for me so far and I average 70 books a year (most of those are from Sanderson 😉)
I mainly stopped reading scifi/scifan/fan for this very reason... everything felt bland and boring afterwards. I will say The Runelord series and Magic Engineer series were pretty good. Lately I've picked up manga and web/light novels.
@@duanegarrett4900 I would recommend The Expanse if your into sci-fi. It's not wheel of time but damn it's good.
Malazan Books of the Fallen are pretty fantastic as well - though I'd avoid most of the novels outside of the main series.
@@duanegarrett4900 I feel you. I've only read cosmere books since finishig Wheel of Time this year but every other fantasy book I see just fills me with an oustanding "ehhhh" when I mentally compare it to Wheel of Time.
@@Ahvrym wheel of time has a special place in my heart but malazan is just better.
It's never stated that Moiraine knows but Obviously Moiraine knows. She knows everything.
Moraine would be sure to know out of pure unwillingness to be one-upped by cadsuane
Towers of Midnight, the book before AMoL is almost 1,300 pages and I love every minute of it. It’s my favorite series of books I’ve ever read. I just wish certain characters got a closing or at least brought back for the final battle. I actually grew to love and respect certain characters that drove me nuts at first: Egwene, Cadsuane, and Nyneave. I am always rereading the series, so I always have one of the books in my bag- almost like a security blanket lol. ♥️
I thought I was the only one, Egwene did really drive me nuts, I started to like Nynaeve earlier. Don't get me started on Cadsuane
@@JesujuwonDurojaiye-ey3tt The moment she took on Amyrlin seat, I knew I'll love her.
Today, it's normal to bitch about Strong Female Characters, but Egwene in leadership position was exactly how I imagine the archetype done right.
She means well, tries to lead by example, is both humble and adamant. And like many women in WoT, she takes on responsibility most men would crumble under.
She may not have balls of steel, but her nerves were made of diamond. I was very angry that author decided to agree with me to the T.
@@Mirekluk what she achieved in so little time as the Amyrlin sit, The tower has not been that united in a very long time
Thank you so much for this! I always love seeing different perspectives and I'm looking forward to your season 2 review of the show!
Alivia also knows he's alive
"She will help you die"
The Wheel of Time is how I discovered Brandon Sanderson. Though, funny story, he is also part of the reason it took me over a decade to finish the series. 😅
I got into the WOT a shortly after Jordan's passing. After finishing book 2, I was delighted to hear this up and coming author, Brandon Sanderson would be finishing the series. I had wondered how far I would let myself get though WOT not knowing if the story was ever going to be complete. Learning about Brandon removed this fear. Thus, I continued on all the way to Book 7.
I became even more interested in Brandon when I heard about the free recording of his writing class shown on UA-cam. I am an amateur author and I was excited to have a chance for free teaching. I watched his first class and became curious to discover his skills as a writer. Not that his advice was bad. Brandon gives excellent advice to anyone aspiring to have a writing career. I just hadn't read anything by him at that point.
So, I went to my local library and picked up Warbreaker. Warbreaker will always have a special place in my heart because of this.❤ Nonetheless, that was my gateway drug into the Cosmere. I dropped the WOT and read everything Brandon had published. So once I finished everything Brandon had out, I just didn't feel like picking up the WOT again. I had been away from it for so long that I would need to start over.😢
What finally brought me back ten years later was the coming T.V. show. I wanted to read it all before the show came out. So finally in 2020, I returned to the Wheel of Time and finished it.😊
Warbreaker is a pretty great example of how to subvert expectations while also preserving the plot and character development.
His writing classes are the best.
Great video , I finished WOT earlier this year and loved it , always happy to see other people’s deep dives and fan theories, the pipe is forever gonna be the biggest mystery in fantasy
One theory I had is that the during his argument with The Dark One, Rand learns how to manipulate the Pattern, and that that is how he was able to light the pipe. Essentially, it is a more potent version on him being Ta'veren, similar to how he was able to counter the effects of The Dark One after his epiphany on Dragonmount.
9:13 Before I ever took any interest in discussing WoT with other people I just took it for granted that we don't get the usual kind of high fantasy epilogue was because the story has already drilled it into your head that there ARE no endings to be had anyway. Even if RJ hadn't planned any sequels, it would have made perfect sense.
I don't think people are silly for wanting more WoT stories or anything, but I do think it's a bit like expecting every world we see through the Portal Stones to get their own series: it would just be kinda superfluous.
Any further turnings of the Wheel are left as an exercise for the reader. Or just read any other hero's journey story, it's all the same people ;)
I know this won't get many views but great video, would love more like this
Thank you for watching!
Couldn't watch more than the 2 minute marker until spoilers because I haven't read them yet! But I will and I'll save the rest of this for later. 😊
When rand did the pipe, I remember saying you go live your life you’ve given everyone else a chance
So personally I thought A Memory of Light was very close to perfect. Myself, I'd have liked to have seen the three boys have a moment together before everything kicked off, similar to what Rand had with his father when they sparred together. Something like Rand, Matt and Perrin together at an Inn or a campfire just being the young friends they once were for an evening would have been a real special moment.
Rand matt and perrin werent that close. He was far closer to Egweene and Nynaeve. What you wanted was a trope man... that didnt exist in the books at all
@@charlesreid9337 I'd say they grew apart, largely thanks to Rand and what he had to deal with.
But in Emonds Field it seemed like they were good friends.
@@Mirekluk they were childhood friends and hung out, played.. but i think the books made it clear he was closest to the girls.
@@charlesreid9337 I honestly didn't get that feeling. But thats the nice thing about fiction : everyone reads it on their own, creating their own ideas of what is happening
I love the series, and the final book did not disappoint. Few things I didn't like (Seanchan remaining a slave state - I would think that Mat's marriage to Tuon would be to eliminate slavery). But I can answer you the question of Moghidean (sp?) seeing Rand in Moridin's body. The answer is: she won't. Why? Well, damane have no possessions, as a consequence, the soul cage that held her soul would be destroyed alongside her dress and anything else she had on her when captured. Once the cage is gone, she's a body without a mind. Hope that answers THAT question.
I agree about moghedian. Even if that didn’t happen though, I don’t see Rand being in a position to see her. As for the slave part, maybe. I assume aviendha changed the future so who knows. Though I’d like to think her conversation with hawkwing minus ishamael influence might change her opinion on damane, especially considering her own abilities. I would assume she wouldn’t just free them all immediately but I’d like to think over time it ended. Who knows maybe the aiels new role in the dragons peace adds a factor to it. Aiel channelers combined with new tech could end the advantage which combined with the rest could end the practice.
That was likely a part of what the sequels would be about. Mat and Tuon in a civil war with the mainland Seanchan to put Tuon on the throne. Tuon was made aware was the lie of the sul'dam, and part of the turn over of power would probably involve the slow abolishment of channeler slavery.
Dont forget that the Aiel, as cool as they are, are still slavers to this day.
@@applegeepedigree If you're talking about Gai'shain, that is sliiiightly different. Firstly by virtue of having deadline. Secondly by it being partly voluntary servitude.
But the moment you get Shaido like minded Aiel, then you're correct.
Awesome. You have the Black Sun for the background on your thumbnail.
I think we did get to see the future when Rand was fighting the dark one and they had the memorials and everyone was happy and technology prospered. Where evil was still there just in check and not controlling everything
The Wheel of Time is dialectical and I love it.
Ah it’s great to come back to this video every now and then
Spoilers
Personally I wasn't a huge fan of the last book, mainly because I'm not all that interested in battle scenes, so it took me a while to get through. I didn't know all the military tactics and just felt like I was gaining nothing as I was reading it. I still think Brandon Sanderson did an amazing job finishing the series. The Gathering Storm was in my top 4 books in the series and I also quite liked Towers of Midnight.
All that being said, I still absolutely loved how everything wrapped up. What stood out to me about this series was everyone's self-posturing and desires to advance themselves, even in the face of the Final Battle. So many series just have every nation come together to fight off the big bad force of the world (I just read Lord of the Rings this year and felt that way about it), while what Jordan did with the Wheel of Time just felt so much more real. You see it with how politicians handle climate change: some of them will address it, others claim it isn't real, but all of them are saying what they're saying not to advance the cause, but to advance themselves in the midst of the danger. The Wheel of Time rulers were the same way with how they dealt with Rand and final battle. Everyone had their own motivations and no one could agree on anything.
That follows through to after the Final Battle. I think throughout the series I always had a vague assumption of "the light will win, the nations will be at peace, etc." When I read Aviendha's experience with the crystal columns in Rhuidean, I was absolutely stunned because it made me rethink the entire concept of the "after." I realized that endings are fundamentally incompatible with the concept of the series (we hear that in the opening paragraph of every book), so of course there are no guarantees that there will be a good ending of a bad ending for any character/group of people moving into the Fourth Age. The Fourth, like the Third and the Second Ages, will have its own struggles and difficulties.
The ending then does a perfect job of sowing the seeds of this. We don't know how long the Dragon Peace will last, but we know it will not be forever. We don't know if Aviendha's visions were necessarily prophetic or if there is free will with them. Perrin and Elayne, two characters we have followed for the entire series, have strife with each other due to the Manetheren/Andor land situation. Elayne and Aveindha's descendants will not have the same peace that the two characters had with each other. The Seanchan still exist.
The point it, the ending does a great job wrapping everything up while also demonstrating that the Wheel keeps turning.
I very much second this. A great aspect of wheel of time was figuring out where free will fit in with this over arching theme of cyclical destiny. We do not know if the future world will work out well, or if the Seanchan will create some type of dystopia that will require some type of unimaginable external shock/force on par with the Dark One to overthrow. Rather, we are left with an ending, but also A beginning, to a new world.
It was also hard for me to be able to digest the entire book as one biiiiig battle, since I also fully don't understand tactics etc... Towards the middle of the book, i actually started appreciating it... In this way.. It is after all The Last Battle. Tarmon Gai'don. The characters, the army etc, all get so tired fighting it for so loooong.. day after day... and as readers, the book makes us feel their exhaustion, through our own exhaustion of reading about the battles going on and on and on... And obviously, that ending at the very end!!!
This is such a great way of putting it. I especially agree about Aviendha's scene in Rhuidean; it's easily one of my favorite scenes in the series, and it might be my second-favorite thing Sanderson himself added (after Veins of Gold.) Personally, I like to believe that the visions were true, just as Rand's earlier visions in Rhuidean were true, because I like the poignancy of her coming to terms with the impermanence of everything she cares about and having to embrace the constant cycle of change. But I still think the ambiguity is still a large part of why that scene works.
I completely agree. It is one of my favorite endings to a fantasy/fiction series ever! Some of the books in the middle were hard to get through, but the ending makes it worth it!
Oh great . Now I feel like I’ve gotta re-read it for the gajillonth time 😂
Sorry, not sorry.
😁😆🤣😂@@genericallyentertaining
I bought the first book the first week the paperback version came out in the early 1990’s. I bought the next 9 books (or do) as hardcovers because I was anticipating them and bought them immediately. At one point I was waiting for the next installment and LIFE got in the way of my reading.
Once I saw amazons THE WHEEL OF TIME SERIES SEASON 1 I wanted to finish the series but it had been too long and would have to start over. However I had eye surgeries and decided reading 13,000 pages may not be possible (hard for me to squint). So I did the audiobooks. (465 hours of them).
I enjoyed both reading and listening to them. As far as the series is concerned I would like to view it as an alternate universe. Not exactly the same but close enough. You can’t hope to be happy with 8 seasons of 8 one hour episodes which only adds up to 64 hours. If audiobooks is 465 hours then you’d be only telling about 12 percent of the story. They can’t do that. Be happy with it as a unique take on it. There is no way your going to get better. This is it folks. Me personally, … I like it! It’s different but I’ll hold my judgement for now until I see where it goes. I’m starting my 2 nd listening to the audiobooks and having fun trying to keep things straight in my head. Not looking forward for the slog again. Even in audiobooks it suck’s. They don’t have time for slogs in the series.
I read quite a lot of different types of genres but fantasy was always special since my first 2 series of books was JRR TOLKIEN AND RAYMOND E FEIST. From there I read the shogun series a Roman series and others but none quite as BIG at TWOT. It’s got almost 3,000 characters in it!!!
Something that is often overlooked with the series, is that Rand cleansed the taint off the source. Which allows men to use the source again, without going mad.
This effectively broke the turning of the wheel as we know it from the starting. It basically started a new turning of the wheel.
The show has definitely upped their game in season two. Improved weaves, more lore accurate content (compared to other adaptations & S1), visually stunning IMO.
Episodes 3 and 5 are my favorites thus far, 4 coming in a close second/third.
im very impressed with season 2 so far and hope they keep it up. I remember rewatching that last episode of season 1 before starting season 2 and cringing so hard at the past flashback with LTT being referred to as "The Dragon Reborn" instead of "The Dragon" and the Tamerlyn Seat being referred to as "The Watcher of the Seals" before ltt and his 100 companions go and create the seals. Bedrock mistakes in writing that show whoever wrote that scene didn't actually know any of the background about the scene they were writing. I havn't seen anything like that in the second season.
Episode 6 though o.o
I thought that MoL was a very satisfying conclusion to the series, epilogue included.
There’s a great mod for the game Victoria 3, in which it’s set right after the final battle and death of the dragon, in which The Dragons Peace takes up a key role as the peace gradually degrades or is repurposed into a UN like system
I started reading these books in 1996. This was the first fantasy series I like led up and read. Looked forward to each book as it came out.
Robert Jordan really did a "read and find out" from beyond the grave
Just finished the whole series tonight, and had to watch your video right after. :) Agree with everything you said.
Good commentary. Thanks. One thing about the reason we don't need an involved epilogue is that we got one when Aviendha went through the columns and saw a future. Now, she acted to prevent the details of that future from coming to pass, but still, that future gives a feeling for the people, the way culture would keep changing, the deep fault lines that would divide society, the names of many of the likely descendants and countries, etc. So that was the epilogue, after a fashion, one that allows us to imagine better what might have followed.
Great video man! Hardest ive ever cried while reading a book you said it right there haha! I loved the ending.
I am really happy this video was made!
You know... 20 years ago the last book ending would probably have bugged the s**t out of me, but now I am older and wi.... older and can appreciate the openness of much of it. Because "happily ever after" does not really work in RL, and that makes WoT much more real. Since it is heavily implied/confirmed that WoT is a fictional future/past of our own real world, it shows us that the wheel keeps on turning. Would I really like to know what happened with all my favorite characters? Sure. How did Rand light the pipe? TELL ME! 😛 But I can live with it. With many stories it was never about the ending but they journey itself, and this journey... This journey was worth embarking on.
P.S.: And waiting almost eighteen years for it, it had better be worth it. And it was. 😉
I just wish the last battle has been more than just a bunch of Trollocs. Should have been all the monsters in thr blight coming out and the blight itself expanding
I picked up Wheel of time at a really early age, I re-read the series at least 6-7 times nearly every time a new book came out. The ending changed my relationship with the series, I didnt re-read them after it. I honestly don't remember much the of the book. I loved the books so much and picked it up so early in life that part of my very personality was shaped by the series, and that is a lot to put on a finale. I guess I just walked away from the series after it with a dull feeling in the end.
This is a really great review! I read the series starting in high school. I could always rely on each new book to repeat so much of what happened previously which made the books I initially read close together annoying. But in later books it was a benefit as I had forgotten so much between publishings lol
First time veiwer here!!! Great video firstly, very well done! I haven't read the books, bit much for me lol But I have watched the show, both seasons, absolutely loved it. I also look up a lot of stuff on the Wheel of Time Wiki site. I don't mind spoilers as I love this story, so I really love video on the ending! Love it a lot and very exciting. Not all stories need a happy complete story. And the philosophical battle is awesome and resonates with my own beliefs!
Great video and thanks :)
Thanks so much for watching! I'm really happy to see fans of the show merging with the rest of the fandom. (I have to say, though, I can't relate to about not caring about spoilers, lol! I was a bit paranoid about them when reading the series for the first time. But either way, I'm glad the ending resonated with you!)
I really liked the ending of WoT, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it perfect. I'm someone who definitely enjoys longer epilogues and while I agree that WoT did everything that was essential, I do think it could have used a bit more.
But if I had one real gripe with the ending it would be the things left unanswered. I don't mind open endings that make you think, that encourage discussion. In fact my favorite fiction series of all time is entirely about that concept to it's very core. But to me, open endings that encourage discussion need to be meaningful. Nakomi and the Pipe were both things introduced right at the very end with extremely little hints or evidence to tell us anything about them. IMO they don't add anything of value to the story and while some fans enjoy theorizing about them I really just don't think there is much meat to any of those discussions. They feel like token things thrown in to make the ending open rather than actual interesting questions. Kind of like the spinning top at the very end of Inception, it gets people talking as they leave the theater but it's not actually an interesting philosophical question, it's just very token.
The open endings I enjoy involve real core elements being left open to debate or interpretation. Stuff more akin to how Sanderson says he will never explain The Beyond in the Cosmere. A few details thrown in at the end to leave a mystery to me is just bad writing. And yes I have heard Sanderson's explanation of who Nakomi was, and I don't think it fixes the issue. In Jorden's notes she was only going to appear a single time with even less explanation, and IMO it would have been a terrible choice.
If I'm remembering correctly, the pipe was a last moment update to the ending that RJ made a few days before he died. He never told anybody what it meant but did say that it was important.
Also,
It's cool that with that we now also have solved the mystery of the Jenn Aeil. I guess their hidden purpose was to raise Nakomi.
I think using more polarizing words like "perfect" help with the UA-cam algorithm.
Lanfear knows how to bore into the dark one’s prison.
This last read-through I stumbled a bit when I hit the change in authors. It's surprising how you can read what you've read several times before and see something new that you never noticed. I realized that in the thousands of hours I've spent with these characters over the decades, you internalize so much of the author's rhythm and language choices that you have to switch gears with the authors. Once I adjusted, I came to my first true appreciation for Sanders ability to adapt his style, not perfectly, but competently. A few more chapters and I stopped noticing it again. Well done and a fine ending to the greatest fictional series of all time.
I have been struggling with the DUTY to write this "LEGEND of the EAGLE and the DETECTIVE" once known as the Sinister Snakeman Saga, and just watched season 2 episode 7 of the Amazon adaptation of RJ's WoT, and sm glad to have stumbled onto this critical incite on UA-cam. I grew up as the middle child, three brothers, and the Wheel of Time has been so special to me, ever since my older brother pawned the series off on me as he retired through the Crossroads of Twilight, and my failure to inspire my Dan Brown fan little brother in the series, reading him the prologue like our old family time introduction to Harry Potter, leaving him to fall asleep at Chapter One
Great video mate, hit the nail on the head in so many ways
The part I like most about the final confrontation with Shai'Tan, it's the moment Rand realize how much responsability humanity have for the current state of the world ("tha dark one was never the real enemy (...) the world was destroyed by foolish man..." or something like that).
Most of the evil deeds we see in the series are not the direct consequence of the Dark One's action, or they could have never been accomplished without human intervention:
-the creation of shadowspawn ---> made by Aginor, the Dark One only provided the True Power needed;
-the corruption of Saidin and the breaking ---> a consequence of the Aes Sedai (both male and female) decision and lack of resources (they could have never sealed the DO without an access to True Power);
-all the murders, wars, chaos... all a product of human actions.
In the end Rand also noticed that, without the DO, the war at the end of the Age of Legends would have happened anyway, just in a different form (despite being rememdered like a paradise, there were serious social problems apparently).
I like this idea a lot.
Yes! I love the Wheel of Time's emphasis on human threats, and especially the implication that even after the Last Battle, things are not by any means going to be perfect (what with Aviendha's visions about the Seanchan.) It's part of why the Dark One's relatively back-seat presence for most of the series still ends up working: at the end of the day, he wasn't really the main threat at all.
AMOL is one of the last books I read - I've been an avid reader all of my life, but when i finished it many years ago, I picked up the next book on the pile to read, and just couldn't get into it. AMOL broke my reading muscles, and i've never been the same.
You will find that book you want to read eventually, and your mind will want to do it.
Right now, it is looking for another focus, and there is no time limit for that. You basically have not picked up a book, because it is not grabbing your attention.
Even I did that for a few months. But, I am back reading books, and it is entirely due to my inquisitive nature when it comes to a book, and what story it is telling.
I didn’t really like Brandon’s Mat very much leading up to AMOL.
In this book, where we see the fruits of his memories and his ability to lead the army of the light, he’s good to read again.
I agree with much of what you said and here’s a really hot take:
I like it that Tuon and the Seanshan don’t give up their ways.
That change might or might not happen in the future- but ending with not knowing the outcome is a good way for this series imo.
A fairytale ending wouldn’t have served this story well.
I also actually like the use of Moiraine and Nyaneeve, whereas many claim that they should have been fighting in the last battle. I am of the opinion that they both have essential roles in what they are doing.
An Epic ending to an epic series
I would have loved seeing a Matt sequel he was probably my favorite character, especially later once he gets healed from the dagger and becomes a leader who doesn't wish to be a leader. His character is lighthearted, and he is a bit of a rogue that often brought a smile to my face.
3:41 I think one of the ideas that gets talked about in the Wheel of Time in terms of the startigic planning is that the whole purpose of having chanallers in battle is for them to offset the enemy's chanallers, if they are utilized correctly, they are basically there to nullify the magical aspect of the forces and create an equal footing. I know that each side _wants_ their chanallers to be that war bishop that wipes out mass amounts of the enemy's forces, but exactly for that reason, they are the ones that will be targeted first by the other's force, and vice versa.. (the same goes for Myrdralls in the place of chanallers..)
Surely, if the ending suggests there are no endings, with evil, good and free will persisting, there can be no conclusion to plot points. Were each to be followed to answer current questions, new questions would surface, endlessly continuing the cycle of narrative. How cool is that, for Sanderson to provide a ‘non-ending’ to such an incredible story?!
I loved the ending so much. Great ending and a great series. It would always be the best for me for the vast journey I got to go through only for the Wheel of Time.
Great video, I finished AMOL for the first time last week so this was good timing for me. Love your explanation and I agree with the points you made.
Guys, I cried a bit. What an exquisite conclusion, especially the final words confirming that it was *an* ending.
this video is motivating me to re read it all again
Yeah, aMoL is actually one of the few books I can think of that made me cry in recent years. It's really, really well done. For me what did it was 'You won't be left without a brother' and then, whoops. Yeah you will, Galad.
The way I took the Rand Pipe scene is is that during the fight with the dark one, iirc, doesn't he basically link with the creator? It's light and dark going at it, not Rand the man vs the dark one. Sure he's switched bodies but I think he's now linked with the creator, just "thinking" of the pipe lit and it lighting shows us that much.
I read the final WOT book in 24 hours, almost without breaks. I’ve never had a reading experience like it. It felt like the book was on fire.
Its a great ending but I always hope deep down that Brandon be given the blessing to make a sequel series with the notes left behind that hint what happens after with Matt, Perrin and the Seanchan. I also think Rand would go to the Traveling Folk and teach them the song of growing (which he knows) and how to deal the deteriorating Ways and the possibility of the Machin Shin escaping from the Ways to the world.
Im just gonna save this video and come back when I finished the books.
Thank you for posting this video!
I stopped reading this series around book five when it became apparent that Robert Jordan had decided to take what would have been a great double trilogy series and turn it into a never ending story intended to keep himself gainfully employed for the rest of his life. Rand al'Thor got lost in an avalanche of new characters and the plotline got so watered down by side plots that the series became unreadable.
Additionally, having to wait two years (or more) for each new book to come out really kills any story arc momentum or immersion in the tale, so there was just no way that I could continue with this series while it was still being written. Younger audiences will not have this problem to contend with and may find it easier to finish.
Your description of the ending confirms it was a good decision to not waste my time with books six through fourteen!
I'm not sure what he said that indicated that not finishing it was the right choice for you. Except that what he said about the epilogue could be misconstrued. Most of the characters in the series had their arcs come to a logical and on many cases satisfying conclusion. The only things left open are the what comes next kinds of things. The series can be hard to finish and it's not for everyone. But the ending has a lot going for it.
I'm sure some people enjoyed the ending (good for them), but from what he described, I would have hated it. I've read fantasy books for 40 years and having the final confrontation (after so long a build up) be a philosophical debate, a shove, and then avoiding the death of Rand by soul switching seems rather lame to me. Your mileage may vary.@@cannon042
Excellent explanation. Have finished the series a few times and it hits me different every time which I think speaks to the timelessness of WOT
One other thing I do want to point out is that the Dark One wasn't imprisoned by Rand. Rand weaved the Dark One back into the Pattern as the Dark One originally was part of the Pattern before the hole of the Pattern was made during the Age of Legends.
At first I think I felt slightly disappointed by the ending, but I like it more on each re-read.
Started reading it in middle school, when it only was up to book 5.
This ending seriously hit me hard. On first read, i was kinda ticked off that (Spoilers)
That Rand survived, for obvious reasons, with all his arcs of coming to terms with his inevitable death.
Egwene's fate is the most tragic thing I have read. She represented so much progress in thinking and hope, losing her drastically altered the future in a way that characters dont comprehend as much as the reader does.
I love these books so much
[spoilers]
IMO she was the best amyrlin ever by far. In only 2 years she changed the tower in so many ways! Raised as an accepted to be controlled by the hall, but turned things over and seized control of the rebels, and even after being captured instead of giving up she saw it as an opportunity to remove Elaida from the inside, she defended the tower against the Seanchan, discovered new and forgotten weaves. She did so much in so little time without even being Ta'veren! She went from a character that I didn't like much in the first few books, to one of my favorites. When I realized her plan of ending the rebellion from the inside when she was captured my mind was blown!
I found Egwuene😊 insufferable from book one to the last. I wonder if I’ll like her on the second read …
I client agree more. Then they choose a several hundred year old aes sedai to replace her. It felt backwards. I know cadsuane thinks outside the box relative to others but still didn’t seem right. As for the insufferable part, I didn’t hate her early on as much as most people but in the Sanderson books she annoyed the shit out of me at times. Like talking at Gawyn for rescuing her. She seems to let siuan and gareth off the hook but it’s said gawyn lost her trust. But it wasn’t even his idea. Siuan and gareth knew he’d help so they went and got him. It made no sense. Though I did like that she got some comeuppance with the blood knives but it seems like she never learned from this
@@waltwhite8126 Honey in the Tea is a great chapter the core of that sequence for me.
I picked up a copy of "The Eye of the World" at a bookstore after it was in paperback. I was picky with my fantasy, so I read the reviews, read the back, checked for a map, then opened the book to a random page and read a couple of paragraphs. It sounded exactly what I was looking for. Bought it. After two chapters, I was like "this is going to be really good". After reading halfway, I was like" Oh, this going to be a great trilogy'. Waited for the second book. Near the end of the second book, I was like, "A double trilogy"? Waited. End of the Dragon Reborn, I was like, "The author better not die before he finishes this"!
I literally finished the series 20 minutes ago. 2 years it took me, which I just now realized is the time span that the books take place in! Dang lol It will take me a while to mentally pull out of the WoT world... I will miss the boys, but all good things must come to an end.
I was waiting for years for the series the get finished. I thought Brandon Sanderson did an excellent job
Well said! One thing to note for you: Every time you re-read the series, you get something more from it than you did before. Not quite like Malazan, where you need 3 read-throughs just to understand anything. Give it a couple years then put Kate & Michael in your ears and enjoy the story once again. I promise you'll cry again!
I think my favourite part of this conclusion is the revelation that the dark only has so much power as people give to it, the DO is essentially powerless and yet almost destroys the world through misguided people.
the book said/ revealed nothing like this. The dark corrupted the power and nearly destroyed the world. And the thing is.... this was simply this turn of the wheel. There will be more.. it is the wheel..
TWoT is my favourite book/story/thing ever (in spite of its flaws), and AMoL is my favourite of the books. I totally agree with you and I'm happy to hear you enjoyed the ending as much as I did. :)
I love the end in that it gives me my own ending
Huge Spoilers.
WOT is fav book series. I like the open ending in the climax. My only gripe is the handling of the seanchan in the end. In the end, every other army is depleted except for them. It nicely sets up for their conquering of the randland. I wouldn't even mind if seanchan conquers the randland, i think. What i wanted was the end of slavery in their society or atleast some strong doubts or hints toward it. Aiel succumbs to the bleakness because the foundations for their way of life are a lie. I just wanted to see that level of effects in the seanchan society because their culture mostly depends on their military might, i.e. the ever victorious army. And that heavily depended on the system of suldam and damane. I actually can't pinpoint it but while rereading it, my enjoyment of this series and my favorite characters comes down a bit because of the handling of the seanchan. Or maybe it is because my second favorite character is married to tuon. Why couldn't RJ have chosen Elayne or any other queen as my boy's wife? That would've at least helped my conscience.
I think the revelation that the Sul'dam are capable of channeling does give strong doubt towards the future of Seanchan slavery. If it became widely known that members of The Blood, including the Empress, were capable of channeling that would shake the foundation of their society. Tuon may be able to suppress that information during her reign but eventually all of the Seanchan will know about it.
I think one of the things RJ was going for is nothing is absolutely clean. Even Perrin the most morally good person in the series (IMO) is pushed to doing things that by my own morality should be utterly condemned. Jordan shows in his story that you can have people who do things you personally despise but they might stand against others who could destroy the world. I like that it is not clean, I like that some of the couplings are not ideal. I totally don't mind your take by the way. Completely legitimate and some people it would just ruin the whole thing. I have seen it in other comments on other threads.
I actually found it quite refreshing that he portrayed an alliance that did not result in immediate social and cultural overhaul and unity. Felt ... more real. Especially when we consider that slavery of some kind was practised in almost every area of the world and for a lot longer than it has not been. So even though it is morally evil and makes us uncomfortable to have non-evil people (as portrayed by the author) engaging in it, it does feel very 'real'. I personally think I would probably have liked a lot of people living in lets say 100AD and the majority of those societies would have seen slavery as standard. It's the understanding and perspective of 21st century that makes this unacceptable for an author to portray a character as likeable and even good when they endorse something we have almost universally agreed is bad. One day a few hundred years from now some of the things we still think are fairly okay will be held similarly. The Wheel turns but there are no real endings.
Broke my heart Galad and Gawyn :*(
Rand was able to light it due to his control over the pattern, he is essentially "The Creator"; in the lore the DO was imprisoned at Shayol Ghul at the beginning of time. "Called the third age by some" was actually the 7th and final age before the wheel began its cycle anew.
Thematically, it's perfect, but also tonally. A Memory of Light (and to a lesser extent the two preceding books) felt like the world was ending. I don't think I've ever felt that in any other book (except for possibly Hero of Ages, interestingly enough, though to a much lesser extent). This was an event that had been heavily foreshadowed since almost page 1 of the Eye of the World, and we had travelled with the characters over the course of 14 books, loved and lost with them, we had got to know the world almost as well as our own home, and to see it being torn apart like that was genuinely frightening. I doubt very much that kind of feeling could be achieved in a series with a vastly reduced page count.
I will admit to being extremely confused when I saw the title, as most WoT content at the moment is about the show, and it's about as far from perfect as it gets.
Great stuff. I did my fourth read (and first audio read) this year. It never gets old for me.
the show is excellent. The people who attack these shows are just immature hipsters screaming their bottle formula wasnt perfect. You absolutely cannot make WoT without radical changes and reductions.
@@charlesreid9337 No it’s not. It’s awful. Radical reductions are necessary, and that necessitates some changes, but 90% of the runtime is made up bullshit that doesn’t go anywhere, and it’s all worse than the books.
The only issue I had with the ending was egwene dying. I don’t have an issue with main characters dying. However it felt like she was this young Amyrlin who was making all these changes to sort of push the aes sedai into the new age. Then she died and a several hundred year old aes sedai takes over. I know Cadsuane is unconventional but it just felt like opposite of everything else moving to the new age.
I think cadsuane recognizing Rand is foreshadowing that he’s not just going to disappear. It doesn’t make sense that he could. For most of the world yes but to those close to him no. Would he be able to stay away from the women he loves and his children. Is he going to stay bonded to them and then just wander around by himself for the rest of his life. So their inner circle would wonder who this man is. So I always figured a few like the two rivers crew and min, Elayne, and Aviendha would know about him.
As for lanfear, to me that’s irrelevant. Presumably she’ll live as long as any channeler her age. Since Rand sealed the dark one in a way that would eventually make people ignorant of his existence, I doubt she has any connection there. So I just see her trying to gain power like she did before the bore. Then again since everyone but Rand is ignorant about the true power maybe she could go to rands school and tell them about a power source outside the pattern and basically shit all over everything.
First of all not trying to change a mind (As your comment is well written and explains your thinking/feeling very well) just sharing a thought.
On Egwene's death, I believe he was going for real tragedy, like almost greeek style. It is exactly because she is young and vibrant and revolutionary that her death hits the reader so hard. I think RJ and Brandon knew this (Though this must have been RJs call I would think). One of the core five from Emonds field needed to die to show the cost and as Rand was set up all along to do just that it would have less impact. Egwene is the impact death. Someone like Tam Moiraine, Lan or Cadsune dying can be sad but not tragic. They had lived their lives been who they needed to be. They had already burned bright and used their lives for good and could do with a rest. Egwene's death tells us things are not convenient, it tells us to weep for a wheel turned too soon and a potential future lost. Also when someone comes in and radically alters the status quo they often seem to have their lives cut short in real life. The burn bright burns up quickly kind of vibe.
@@Trisjack20 good point. I think you’re absolutely right. I just don’t agree with it. In a story like this I don’t think you always have to kill someone to show the cost. Maybe if you’re limited on time but this wasn’t. The whole book shows the cost of this. I don’t think one character dying or not changes that. I thought the most effective way to show the cost was when the dark one flashed all the deaths to Rand. I remember Hurin and one of the two rivers kids but there were multiple.
Once the dark one was locked up ,,it’s really game over,,the end .
[BIG SPOILER]
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------------------------------About the pipe: When I first read it (yesterday) I got the feeling that it when he emprisioned the dark one with the 3 powers, he somewhat blended all powers together and it changed the nature of the One Power, into something unified and not divided anymore in saidin,saidar or truepower. And in this case it might be possible that the "new" power would work differently. What made me think of it was also Aviendha's vision of her daughter and the way she just channeled naturaly, without thinking. But now that I read comments with the other possibilities...I don't know anything anymore and guess I never will haha
Got chills watching this
I think that Rand was able to light the pipe because the world has become like Tel'aran'rhiod to him. Instead of "waking from the dream", as the Aiel say, he fell asleep to dream some more.
Great video really good analysis…. As much as I love Sanderson though the lanfear reveal still bothers me because it undermines Perrins character arc soo much. It takes away the fact that he was able to do something the other two taverene boys could not which is kill a woman … in this case one of the most dangerous beings alive. I like lanfear as a villain fine but I would not prompt her over one of your main characters.
Oh snap wot . Epic . Still need to finish 🎉 God Bless
Spoilers perhaps but looking up Nakomi it appears shes a vessel for the creator. So she's sorta connected to him somehow? I'm guessing this came from Brandon Sanderson at some point in an interview or something.
Fun fact, I read A Memory of Light while in the Army deployed in Poland and was so engrossed in the book I just laid in my bunk reading for like several days, when not doing army stuff, to the point that my sergeant gave me the nickname Mouse because I was so quiet
this is just another major fan theory, brandon has never publicly confirmed it and never will. kind of glad we never found out as seeing people’s creativity with theories is always exciting
The Pattern is about balance. Nakomi is the counter balance to Shaidar Haran.
I always thought rand was able to touch the strands woven by the wheel while in the other duds body