Which of Brandon Sanderson's WOT books is your favorite?

[Leopoled Boothe]

Over the years there have been a lot of discussions about which WOT book in the entire series is the best, but which of Sanderson's contributions did you like best?

[Paul H]

I voted for TGS.  It was more focused and didn't have the twisted timeline that detracted from ToM (for me).  However, I also loved ToM overall, and the ending with Mat rescuing Moiraine was one of the highlights of the entire series for me.  (Though that sequence was written by RJ, if I'm not mistaken.)

 

I also loved most of AMoL as I was reading it, but the ending did not sit well with me, nor did a few other significant aspects of the story as I took time to look back and think on it.

[BFG]

I voted tGS, I thought both Rand and Eg were written well, Verin's talk was great (I know that was RJ, but it's in the book) and the story worked the best.  ToM does have some of my favorite scenes, Avi and Nyns tests in particular.  Overall I liked aMoL, but both of the latter books suffered from the split.

[78WARLOCK]

I voted for AMoL. I enjoyed the others and have re-read them several times but could only pick one so this was it. I just loved the scene with Tam and Lan. Really wish there was more on him.

[Ian Nag]

This really was a tough vote for me because all three were great in their own aspects. The Gathering Storm was extremely well written (one of the best ever in my opinion) and really did a great job with the emotional scenes, Verin, Min and Tam in particular. Cadsuane was also really well written. ToM well suffering from a messed up timeline really built the pressure and weight of the Last Battle, rescuing Moiraine was true greatness. In AMoL one of the things that really struck me was how well BS wrote Rand and Egwenes chemistry and I wished they were together more often just for more of it, to me those scenes helped capture what helped make the first 6 so good the way characters reacted with each other. I thought the last battle was amazing despite a few flaws and I think the ending could have been maybe 5 pages longer with the characters but I was happy for the most part. Overall BS did a truly great job with this series!

[Rhienne]

I voted for ToM, but it was close between it and TGS.  Perrin's forging of his power-wrought hammer, and Nynaeve's testing are two of my favourite scenes in the series (although I do think Nynaeve was a bit off in this book).  I also loved Veins of Gold in TGS, but wasn't a big fan of Egwene's arc.  After really beginning to like her character again in CoT, KoD, and the first half TGS I found her POVs during the Seanchan attack insufferable.  AMoL, I liked bits of, but felt there was way too much random action and not enough character development or focus on characters and relationships other than Androl and Pevara.

[PhoenixUK]

TGS. While the plot of TOM was great, there was a lot of odd characterisations and dialogue which was v jarring. AMOL is def the weakest and worst written

[TristanWebb]

TGS. ToM was ruined by too much Perrin and Dead Man's Chest syndrome (where everything that happened in the second film of a trilogy is negated by the third). AMoL was too cramped because of too much Perrin in ToM and needed much stronger editing.

[Leopoled Boothe]

As an unabashed Perrin fan the thing that I enjoyed the most about ToM was the fact that we finally got a book where Perrin was a major player.  I really enjoyed his storyline in ToM, seeing him finally realize his potential, accept his role and forge his new hammer.  The only drawback to that storyline was that Graendal seemed somewhat off character.   I also very much enjoyed Mat and Thom's quest to rescue Moiraine.  The thing that makes TOM ultimately my least favorite of the Sanderson Trilogy is the disjointed time line.  I found it very jarring and I think it could have been easily avoided.  I really see no reason why Sanderson could not have caught the other characters up to Rand and Egwene before reintroducing their arcs into the narrative.  I honestly thought he put Rand's decent from Dragonmount way too early in the book and I think the storyline actually would have been well served by letting the reader spend half the book wondering what had become of Rand following his epiphany atop the mountain only to give us the reveal of zen-Rand at about the mid-point.

 

For me it was a tough call between TGS and AMoL but ultimately the revelation of Verin's story-arc clenched TGS as my favorite

[wotfan4472]

I loved all three, but TGS was the best for me . I have also yet to read the thirds back to back. The timeline was alot better for me than the timeline from WH and CoT, which I am still on in my re-read (CoT, I mean, lol).

[serpounce]

TGS.  I didn't re-read before AMoL so I'm to some extent going on my recollections of how I felt, but after TGS I was really pumped about Sanderson finishing the series due to how he got the plot moving forward in an interesting and compelling way.  ToM on the other hand was a real let down as Sanderson seemed to slip into Jordan's flaws in books 7+ where he just didn't advance the plot and left way to much to be resolved in one book.  With the exception of the epilogue (which was apparently mostly Jordan anyway) AMoL was as good as it could be, but he really screwed himself by leaving too much unresolved forcing to many rushed plot points.

 

If ToM wasn't such a waste, and the epilogue was re-written to not make Rand into a deadbeat dad who abandons his friends and family when they still greatly need him, then aMoL would probably be my favorite.  So many great scenes, so many resolutions and twists, and so much just darn good fantasy writing.  I'll try to remember that one for what it almost was rather than what it turned out to be.

[Leopoled Boothe]

@Serpounce: So I wasn't the only one bothered by the dead-beat dad aspect?  Of course its not like Rand's women are going to be single mom's forced to raise his children in a ghetto apartment on a minimum wage salary.  Being a queen and a wise on respectively Elayne and Avi's children are going to receive more than adequate care, but it is the principal of the thing.   The part that bothered me the most is that Rand didn't even seem that interested in seeing his children or being a part of their lives.  I know Rand wanted so well deserved freedom and rest after all he'd been through but cutting out altogether still seemed like a rather selfish move.

[Rhienne]

@Serpounce: So I wasn't the only one bothered by the dead-beat dad aspect?  Of course its not like Rand's women are going to be single mom's forced to raise his children in a ghetto apartment on a minimum wage salary.  Being a queen and a wise on respectively Elayne and Avi's children are going to receive more than adequate care, but it is the principal of the thing.   The part that bothered me the most is that Rand didn't even seem that interested in seeing his children or being a part of their lives.  I know Rand wanted so well deserved freedom and rest after all he'd been through but cutting out altogether still seemed like a rather selfish move.

In the scene where Rand and Elayne spend time together prior to the LB, Rand is pretty much moved to tears at the thought he won't be able to meet his children and see them grow up because he believes he will die during the LB.  While he may lay low for a while, I don't think he's going to abandon them.

[mellojoe]

TGS.

 

It was a great mix of RJ's song, his stories, his characters, his epic world mixed with the brilliant pacing of Brandon.  The characters felt true to RJ.  In fact, of the three, TGS felt most like the one written by RJ with Memory being the most "Brandon" of them.  It was a welcome relief from some of the slower plotlines that RJ was getting bogged down into, and you could tell there was a "MUST FINISH" vibe about it as it turned up the heat, put the writing in overdrive, and started the sprint toward the finish.

 

I guess that was also the moment when we saw the brilliance of Harriet.  Her hand in keeping the voice of the series the same, and her choice of the author to finish it.  I knew that the series was going to be OK.

[Elynde]

TGS.  Of the three Sanerson books in this series, TGS had more "favorite" scenes for me than the other two.  Egwene standing up to Elaida, Hinderstap, Rand taking the True Source (and why), and Rand on Dragonsmount to name a few.

[Rootbeer]

TGS.

 

Before my hopes were bitterly shattered by AMoL.

[Hybrid]

TGS.  Definitely the most focused book of the three with the least number of issues, even though Mat's POVs were so very off.

 

TOM felt more like a setup novel than a book in its own right.

 

AMOL last.

[Sakaea]

ToM, because I love the Aelfinn and the Eelfinn part, and the forging of Perrin's hammer. 

[woomia]

AMoL. A perfect end to the WOT.

[TheBeerPatriot]

TGS was definitely the tightest and most focused of the three books that Brandon worked on in WOT.  I loved the dueling plotlines of Rand's descent into Dark Rand, while Egwene ascended to the Amyrlin Seat.  The dream sequence between Rand and Moridin evoked memories of some of the dream sequences from EOTW, great scene.  

 

TOM was wildly uneven, with a great finish in the Tower of Ghenjei and the Epilogue.  AMOL..... :(

[Fanatic Mr Fox]

I voted for aMoL, the book where Alivia provides some dressing to hide the Dragons exit. Lol! You got me good RJ, you got me real good. *rotfl*

[driedraspberry]

Definitely GS. ToM was an interesting read in parts, Mat's plot was superb, but overall a mess. I'm all for battle porn but AMoL was almost nothing but. Ultimately I wish the three books had been combined into two. 

[threadnecromancer]

@Serpounce: So I wasn't the only one bothered by the dead-beat dad aspect?  Of course its not like Rand's women are going to be single mom's forced to raise his children in a ghetto apartment on a minimum wage salary.  Being a queen and a wise on respectively Elayne and Avi's children are going to receive more than adequate care, but it is the principal of the thing.   The part that bothered me the most is that Rand didn't even seem that interested in seeing his children or being a part of their lives.  I know Rand wanted so well deserved freedom and rest after all he'd been through but cutting out altogether still seemed like a rather selfish move.

Well Lews Therin never seemed to care much about his childre. We never even  learn their names instead he is just whimpering about Sunhair and feeling sorry about himself...

[Hayward1979]

Definitely TGS.  I thought TGS was one of the best in the series.  I could not believe how well Sanderson seemed to honor RJ's style (except for the characterization of Mat) while still adding his own distinctive style and giving the plot a healthy shot of adrenaline for the final push.  I thought Sanderson had a perfect grip on Rand and his spiral towards oblivion, and actually made Perrin interesting again after several books where I just could not stand him.  There were times when I almost completely forgot that I wasn't reading RJ.

 

TOM was ok - the Tower of Ghenjei, Perrin's forging of the Power-wrought hammer and especially Rand's raw display of power at Maradon were fantastic scenes.

 

AMOL - while there were parts that were excellent and I actually enjoyed most of the battle scenes, this felt the least like RJ to me.  Some plotlines that had been majorly built up throughout the series (Fain, Shadar Haran, Logain, Alivia).  And not getting a reunion scene with Rand, Mat and Perrin together is almost unforgivable in my eyes.  After re-reading some of the earlier books and constantly being reminded how important it was that all three be together for the Last Battle, I just cannot get over that we never got a reunion scene (yes, I realize they were all in the same general vicinity, but it not the same).

[Leopoled Boothe]

I really wasn't bothered that much by the absence of a Rand/Mat/Perrin reunion.  It would have been cool but I didn't really see it as essential.  The thing that bothered me was the Rand/Mat reunion.  Both the Mat/Perrin and Rand/Perrin reunion felt like old friends reuniting.  We see Mat and Perrin hanging out in a tavern catching up and will see Rand and Perrin exchanging stories and laughing at the Feilds of M.  The Rand/Mat reunion, however, did not have that feel at all.  They just got into this oneupsmanship contest, which would have worked well had Rand and Mat ever interacted that way before. However, it really just came out of nowhere and felt more like a meeting of old rivals rather than old friends.