MEMORY OF LIGHT was a great finale.. but the Epilogue left me underwhelmed.

[Ploodie]

So I FIINNNNNNAALLLLLLYYYY finished this series just today, after starting it YEARS ago (before Sanderson ever took over)

 

I did a full re-read starting last August (2019) and am so glad I did. I have to say, I am blown away with how Sanderson was able to continue the story. I loved all three books, and I thought MEMORY was a very great and epic final novel.

 

But all that said, I have to say I was extremely underwhelmed in the 20 page epilogue. I was afraid, after finishing The Last Battle chapter and seeing how few pages were left, that the ending would be rushed, and it was. I think after 14 novels spread over 20 years, these characters deserved a fuller wrap up. The Epilogue seems to fly through each character's last scene, with very little examination of how they feel and what the long term effect of the final battle will do to them. I wish he had set aside at least 2-3 chapters to show how each character returned from Shayol Ghul and the lasting effect it had. Show us some "life goes on" moments. And THEN have an epilogue that might have taken place a generation or two later.. show what impact Rand's actions had on the entire world.. Did the visions of Aviendha come true or not.. that kind of thing.

 

Anyone else feel like it just ended WAY too quickly?

[2RiversFan]

I felt the same way, wanting to know more about what each character actually did in post-Tarmon Gai'don life.  I think it's normal for readers that loved the story to feel that way.  That we didn't get more is (I believe in notes/instructions to Harriett) due to RJ wanting to leave things for each character standing as we last saw/knew about each characters situation. 

 

That way, each of us if free to imagine them as we like, and not be constrained to a role that the author placed them in at the end which may have made some reader dislike the ending for a particular character. 

 

To be honest, after seeing how the HBO production of Game of Thrones ended, I think RJ made a good choice (if it was RJ's decision).  There were several characters in GoT that I despised how their stories came to an end.

[Ploodie]

 

I was thinking how Lord of the Rings had so much content AFTER the destruction of the ring.. the movie, and even more so the novel. In MEMORY you have the climax of action and then just 30 pages later its over. I get what you're saying.. I didn't want to have a full like "Mat went on to do this, and Perrin became that, then Elayne did this and... " etc.. 

 

Just seemed like our main cast needed a reunion scene or two, maybe even just addressing the whole "what do we do now" .. instead we see them at Rand's funeral, then Rand goes off to see the world. It's not a bad ending in itself, just needed a bit more. 

 

But like you said, could there be ENOUGH endings to satisfy lifetime fans? Probably not.

[Ploodie]

Also, I didn't address the body swap thing. I realize there was some ground laid for it throughout the series. But in the end, it happened so quickly and with almost zero comment, it felt sloppy to me. None of the characters seem to be remotely concerned about it either. So many of the plot twists in this series are explained over and over so you get it when it happens.. but the swap thing was just planted here and there and then ..just happened.

[Sabio]

RJ wasn't a fan of typing up loose ends and he wrote the ending.  So seemed like a very RJ ending where not everyone gets a farewell.  My feeling always has been RJ never fully explained the body swap to BS so when Brandon made it he didn't really get into much detail.