The "OMG I just finished!" Thread

[Stubob]

I'm still groking large parts of the book. It just feels good/bittersweet that it's finally over. The actual end of the book...I can't say I hate it. Not even sure I dislike it.

 

I do wish there was like a book sized Epilogue of its own about what happens after.

[papertiger]

I was actually OK with Rand being given a new lease on life. I'm sure that he's near immortal even though he can't channel anymore; the guy can alter reality at will.

 

I could have used a Bel Tine epilogue at the Two Rivers, with Rand anonymously inspecting Egwene's name on a memorial near the Winespring during the festival. That really would have tugged on the heartstrings and brought the series back to where it started.

[Guest Anacata666]

I loved the book.. but... I really would like a longer cool down epilog, I think it might be possible to include a longer perspective on the dragons peace and learn more about Morain and Lans reunion etc. I'm a sucker for long cool downs , I'd like to know how Rand'l be as a father and Perrin... I've not read these books as much as felt them. I dont read about characters in this book I know them, feel them. I dont care for pace or plots,,, I just want to here about my friends. It might sound weird but I've been reading this books for fifteen years and grow to love them... Please Brandon Sanderson and Harriet,, release a bit longer epilog and I would buy it instantly. 

[papertiger]

Is anyone else bummed out that Min's going to die way before anyone else in Rand's wedding circle? I don't even know if they can reverse that sister bond thing.

[Chalk]

Finished last night. Got teary eyed after the epilogue, I can't believe it's finally finished.

[papertiger]

Congratulations, sir or ma'am!! To paraphrase a fictional genius, finishing the WOT is a terrible privilege.

 

When did you start reading the series, Chalk?

[The Don]

Nice shout out to Kathana and Jimmy in Ebou Dar

[deepak_dragonreborn]

Is anyone else bummed out that Min's going to die way before anyone else in Rand's wedding circle? I don't even know if they can reverse that sister bond thing.

 

Yeah but that was the case from the start. I think thats why Min had a lot more screen time with Rand too and prob will be the one accompanying Rand in his crusades around the world...

[jwillis7]

 

 

...hate it when writers leave the ending unwritten. I want to know what happened I don't want to imagine it. Pisses me off when this happens in books and movies. Seriously absolutely hate it. I'm big time disappointed :/I'd rather have less drawn out fights and more explanation of what happens at the end. I dont want to have to imagine and dwell on what happened to the characters after the fact, I have better things to do. Give me a conclusion and be done with it.

"The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon."  - Hoid, The Way of Kings

Questions to think about life, the world...everything.  Not plot holes in the story they were telling.

[Suttree]

People are conflating two issues. There is a huge difference between leaving things open ended and dropping plot lines left and right.

[Kylin Tai'mar]

I have to say this was an exceedingly hard book for me to read.  I was so depressed and despairing almost until the very end.  I was losing hope fast and I really didn't see how many of the people I have grown to know and love were going to survive.  For me the best parts of the book (not the hardest, saddest or worst) were:

 

• Min taking Fortuona to task in front of all her army.  Very well played.
• Faile giving the horn to Olver and then running so that he might live.  
• Bela saving the day!
• Androl and the masterful way he used Gateways, about damn time.
• Pevara becoming human.
• Egwene going out in a blaze of glory and crafting something new.
• Birghitte being called back to and kicking Mellar's ass.
• Suian saying to hell with Min's viewings and sacrificing herself to do the right thing.
• Olver's ride on the to'raken.

 

Things that made me cry:

• When the armies came to join Lan at Tarwin's Gap.
• Faile giving the horn to Olver and then running so that he might live.
• Bela dying.  Bravest horse there ever was.
• Birghitte being killed and the thought of Elayne losing the babies.
• Egwene's death just rocked me.  I wanted her to live so much.
• Noal coming to save Olver, one of the most beautiful things to happen.

Things I wanted more of:

• More of the fight between Egwene and M'Hael.
• More of the fight between Moridin and Rand.
• More of what happened with Padan Fain.
• More of the story of Luc and Slayer, not just Slayer's actions.
• More of an epilogue. Not when it came to Rand, but more of what did the nations do. Who succeeded who?

I'm sure there's more, overall I am glad it ended.  Did it end the way I wanted it to, more or less yes.  I will miss whole-heartedly Egwene Al'Vere, the most amazing Amrylin to ever live.

[Guest Stile8456]

Is anyone else bummed out that Min's going to die way before anyone else in Rand's wedding circle? I don't even know if they can reverse that sister bond thing.

what page did u find this out on?

[Terez]

It's not explicitly stated in the books; it's just assumed because she'll have a much shorter natural life-span than the channelers, and Brandon implied that Rand would still live centuries. He doesn't know that for sure—RJ didn't leave too much info on the fourth age in the notes—but apparently he thinks there is no reason to assume Rand will not live centuries.

[pskarnaq]

 In short- the book was great, the ending... was ok.

 

[Guest mtro]

I loved it. Now I feel like I lost a friend.

 

It's a story I've been reading for 12 years or so. Even though it was massive, I didn't want this last book to end. 

 

I remember friends & I talking a decade ago about how the series would be impossible to end. Each book I read, new characters and story lines entered. I was annoyed when the last book was split into 3 because I wanted to know! Now that it's over, I feel a lot of resolution, I feel like this may be the last time I think about WoT (I'm not much a re-reader, especially for a series that stacks up to 3 feet, hardcover!), and I'm soooo curious about the next age!

Branden did an awesome job. Like the other books, I loved the humor he brought to Mat. 

 

I loved that up until the last chapters, I still reallllly didn't know what would happen. Would the dark one win and the books end along with existence? Would the Dragon kill all evil, and the series end as the world turns into.... a world more like ours? Was the purpose of the wheel series to continue the wheel or tell the story of it's end?
 

I do wish I understood better the implications of the battle with the dark one. There were important revelations in it, I'm sure, but what were lies? What didn't I read between the lines on? What's the dark one's true nature, motivation?

 

Was it really possible for Rand to kill it?

[Alex Wan]

I'm content with it, and appreciate the full story now.  I feel they realized there wasn't enough run to fully give everything enough attention, would have liked to see what that story would have been.

 

Androl is a badass.

 

Underwhelmed by Padan Fain.

[pskarnaq]

 The more I reflect, the more I'm bummed about the book. So many things didn't happen that I was looking fwd to, that I invested 23 years into gearing up for.

[Tiberius]

Ok. Just finished. And...some awesome, some so-so. But it was An ending. Many many years tied up in this. The only time I got emotional was when Tam was lighting the pyre. "You did well. My boy...you did so well". Being a father of a son almost Rand's age, that scene made me feel it. Other than that, I didn't get much emotional impact from the other deaths. I feel I should have been given that as a reader. Meh, maybe it's just me. Perrin was the best written character IMO. There were a few jarring moments in the writing and pacing, but it had to all be done in one last volume, so what's a writer with a career of his own to do...?

 

Only other thing that got me going was Lan vs Demandred. "Flash Of The Blade" by Iron Maiden kept playing in my head during that scene...

 

Now the wait and speculation for the Encyclopedia!!

[Guest Jason Bloom]

Exceedingly enjoyable story, had a good few emotional moments.  Perrin really stepped up in this one, was surprised to see him use the "evil" art to save the day.

 

Was sad to see Gawyn die, wish Egwene could have lived to teach the weave of the "Flame of Tar Valon" to other Aes Sedai.

 

Speculate that Rand's "Impossible Pipe" was either a ter-angreal, since Aviendha gave it to him and Elayne was at hand, between the two it seems likely that they could figure out with their respective Talents how to create it, though not discounting that Rand's encounter with Shai-tan may have caused him to be able to manipulate the pattern.

 

Question springs from that, since Rand is no longer a channeler, would he age like everyone else?  Did he transcend beyond being a channeler and human or simply was given a second chance via Moridin's body?  Since he figures he'll have to work for his living instead of being the Dragon Reborn, it seems that he is simply a normal man at this point.  Any thoughts on this?

Edited January 17, 2013 by Wolfbrother2412

[XXX]

Why would Perrin and Mat not come to Rand's funeral? Why would Mat not even visit Rand on his death bed and instead go set up fireworks?

[Suttree]

So I've purposely waited to post my feelings on this series wrapping up. As with many here I got my book early and finished reading Friday the 4th. I wanted to make sure I had time to loop back and re-read certain sections before I laid my thoughts  out. Make no mistakes this was a very flawed book. Not going to get into a super detailed critique here as I'm sure many of the regulars are familiar with my thoughts.

 

It took me a very long time to really get comfortable and settle into AMoL. There were some solid sections and it's obvious Brandon worked on getting better at foreshadowing and adding some depth. Regardless it was uneven and too many things for the first 700 pages or so were jarring and really ruined the immersion. As many have mentioned the battles turned into "porn" after a while and the waves of bad guys seemed like a video game. I never felt the enormity of the last battle, never felt the desperation of the situation despite how badly things seemed to go. Around the time of Demandred's death however something changed. I finally got a feel for this book and settled into the story. Ironically when things pulled back down to focus on the core final struggles of the three ta'veren the enormity of the situation finally sunk in. I know some have complained about the ending but it was perfectly in line with what Jordan has told us all along. By the time we reached the final moments things just felt right to me and as Brandon said years ago I was deeply "satisfied" with the ending. It is with great sadness that I look back and wish that Mr. Jordan himself could have given us his version of this story he started so long ago. He was the Creator and I can only imagine the increased amount of "goosebump" moments like "Cup of Sleep" or Nynaeve gathering the Malkieri in KoD that we would gotten had he done so. That said I would like to profoundly thank Brandon Sanderson and Team Jordan for stepping up to the plate and finishing this story for us. We all owe them a debt of gratitude and great thanks for doing so. This will not stop me in the coming days from conveying my thoughts on the flaws and I do have deep reservations about how some things were handled(both from interviews and what I know to have gone on behind the scenes). Now is not the time for that however, let me take this post to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. This was a near impossible task.

 

In this moment I truly feel the beauty of literature in general and a story as great as this one. We can all have our opinion and the analysis can be done on a number of different levels. Those who are so inclined to dig for deeper meaning can do so, just as those who love the surface level action and pace can find great fan satisfaction. The best part of it is although the series has wrapped we can still come to this fabulous place where the work lives on through the discussions and relationships forged. There are so many people here who I have enjoyed debating with(not going to name names so as not to forget anyone but you know who you are) and I would like to thank all of you who have contributed to the community along with Robert Jordan. This is truly not the ending, but it was an ending and a deeply satisfying one at that.

Edited January 17, 2013 by Suttree

[papertiger]

Well said, Suttree!

 

I did have trouble with the tone all the way through most of the 2nd act, and there were times when I felt like I was reading an arcade game. For all the violence at the Gap, I never felt the pressure because part of me had already detected the theme of a checklist in this work. The stakes never felt high, and despite the map I found myself disoriented, even though I'd been able to keep up with all the other action set-pieces in the series.Though the introduction of the Sharan force gave me chills, I wasn't able to connect with Rand & the DO or the ta'veren conference at the end. The actual ending, with Rand escaping the press of his old life and the pain of his old body, was deeply satisfying. I felt so proud and happy that he could finally rest without dying.

 

A Lily in Winter said that we were doomed because this book was obviously the direct result of fan wish-fulfillment. The more I think on it, the more this statement made sense to me. You are right in saying that this book sorely missed some of Jordan's finest moments. I keep thinking about the chills I got when Semirhage casually mentioned to Suroth that she'd butchered the Imperial Family in Seanchan, and Suroth's reaction. That is a moment that works only in a work as layered and hand-drawn as this one.

 

Cheers to Jordan.

[Mik]

I've just closed the book... and I've got a huge lump in my throat and I've been fighting tears for the better part of the last two hours.

There's so much going on inside my head. What stuck with me from the moment I read it in AMoL and what's spinning in the back of my head constantly is.... "let go"

 

Thanks RJ... you don't know and will never know how much your story/ world touched me. And it saddens me to my core.

Thanks Harriet, for allowing us 'an ending'.

Thanks Brandon, for getting us to that ending.

 

Thanks Suttree... for waiting to post your feelings and seeing my own feelings reflected and written down so well...

QFT:

 

 

So I've purposely waited to post my feelings on this series wrapping up. As with many here I got my book early and finished reading Friday the 4th. I wanted to make sure I had time to loop back and re-read certain sections before I laid my thoughts  out. Make no mistakes this was a very flawed book. Not going to get into a super detailed critique here as I'm sure many of the regulars are familiar with my thoughts.

 

It took me a very long time to really get comfortable and settle into AMoL. There were some solid sections and it's obvious Brandon worked on getting better at foreshadowing and adding some depth. Regardless it was uneven and too many things for the first 700 pages or so were jarring and really ruined the immersion. As many have mentioned the battles turned into "porn" after a while and the waves of bad guys seemed like a video game. I never felt the enormity of the last battle, never felt the desperation of the situation despite how badly things seemed to go. Around the time of Demandred's death however something changed. I finally got a feel for this book and settled into the story. Ironically when things pulled back down to focus on the core final struggles of the three ta'veren the enormity of the situation finally sunk in. I know some have complained about the ending but it was perfectly in line with what Jordan has told us all along. By the time we reached the final moments things just felt right to me and as Brandon said years ago I was deeply "satisfied" with the ending. It is with great sadness that I look back and wish that Mr. Jordan himself could have given us his version of this story he started so long ago. He was the Creator and I can only imagine the increased amount of "goosebump" moments like "Cup of Sleep" or Nynaeve gathering the Malkieri in KoD that we would gotten had he done so. That said I would like to profoundly thank Brandon Sanderson and Team Jordan for stepping up to the plate and finishing this story for us. We all owe them a debt of gratitude and great thanks for doing so. This will not stop me in the coming days from conveying my thoughts on the flaws and I do have deep reservations about how some things were handled(both from interviews and what I know to have gone on behind the scenes). Now is not the time for that however, let me take this post to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. This was a near impossible task.

 

In this moment I truly feel the beauty of literature in general and a story as great as this one. We can all have our opinion and the analysis can be done on a number of different levels. Those who are so inclined to dig for deeper meaning can do so, just as those who love the surface level action and pace can find great fan satisfaction. The best part of it is although the series has wrapped we can still come to this fabulous place where the work lives on through the discussions and relationships forged. There are so many people here who I have enjoyed debating with(not going to name names so as not to forget anyone but you know who you are) and I would like to thank all of you who have contributed to the community along with Robert Jordan. This is truly not the ending, but it was an ending and a deeply satisfying one at that.

[Jkx]

Pure epicness from start to end. Loved the pace, the changing POV's, the chaos... truely suiting for the finale of a series this big. I don't understand people arguing the book lacked build up. The story has been building up for 23 years to reach this point, and as its final chapter it should be climactic from head to tail, which it rightfully was. Being "superficial" has nothing to do with it.

Anyway, the book surely exceeded my expectations. Even Saunderson's writing style didn't bother me as it did in the 2 previous books. A huge improvement for that matter. My only complaint, for now, would be that I wished it to be darker: more casualties under primary and secondary charachters. Mellar should have cut the babies out of Elayne. Brigitte returned too soon after she died, diminishing the impact of her gruesome death, etc. Other than that: a fantastic ending in my opinion.

Edited January 18, 2013 by Barid Bel Medar
language

[dlan4327]

I am satisfied. Just finished a first read through, a bit quickly, I guess but It's the literary equivalent of wolfing down your food too quick. 

 

If I had to single out one aspect of the book that really struck me, or stood out to me it would have to be the casual manners in which a number of the main characters deaths were handled. To be brief: I loved that. It really helped hit home what I feel is the truth about war. No soldier, no matter how great or heroic, gets the valiant last stand, coveted in glory & drawn out before ending in an epic fall to the ground screaming defiance. The truth is that most men just take a shot to the neck or a blow to the gut, crumple, have maybe a split second of horror/shock & they fall in the mud. Dead.

 

It's going to sound strange but even though in my mind I knew 22 years we've been building up to The Last Battle and yet the deaths still caught me by surprise although a part of me was thinking, you're surprised that people are dying in an apocalypse? It would be like jumping into a pool then screaming 'Oh god, I'm wet!'. If I had to be even more specific & pick the moment that have so far affected me most, it's currently the death of Gawyn & the events surrounding & coming as a direct result of his death. For me that was a very powerful set of events. I still don't know how to feel about Gawyn. I feel like his character developed in so many admirable ways & yet remained stubbornly idiotic in the ways the count and for all that I think in his passing I've finally grown to love his character. Of all the characters, his death was surely the most meaningless. It was set in stone the moment he put on those rings and what I am still chuckling over is the fact that I still feel that was not ever necessary. Oh it was necessary to make a great story but from a decision making pov I am laughing at that dumb sob. In the way that you laugh at a dumb kid you just can't help but adore. My favourite part was the way he never even thought to simply tell Ewgene & see if there was anybody who could have healed him. Oh Gawyn.

 

I think an aspect of his death I absolutely loved was that even with his ter'angreal, Sanderson/RJ wanted to really drum home just how utterly outclassed Gawyn was by Demandred. It helped me put a perspective at the super human kind of level those guys from the Age of Legends were at. I was, however, baffled by the fact that Galad without a blurring shape still managed to put up, apparently, a better fight that Gawyn. I have no issue with them both falling, I felt it was the only appropriate outcome. My issue, a trifling one, was with character development & consistency. I felt that Gawyn's whole identity was tied into how he as grown both as a person by learning forgiveness & as a swordsman by slowly but surely stepping out of Gawyn's shadow to establish himself as maybe the 2nd best swordsman in the land. That he simply died without dignity or putting any real strain on Demandred was a plus to me, again helping to really drum home the kind of superiority they were dealing with. I just found it odd that after putting in so much effort to see Gawyn develop his identity as the Premier swordsman, especially considering he was a man with nothing to lose, to then end up putting on a 2nd class show compared to Galad? I didn't get that one, i liked it, it just felt inconsistent.

 

Gawyn's death & it's directly related happenings was, for me, the most powerful moment in the book. It just felt so personal & intimate & had such great bearing mostly because it got me emotionally involved with such a stupid son of a goat. Everything he did could have been avoided right up to & including his death. I didn't mind, I found it privately hilarious, it highlighted what has intrigued me most about his character. His development. I feel that no character in the books grows so much as a person & yet learns so little at the same time. His decision making flickered between baffling & mind numbingly asinine. He managed to forgive Rand, learn to love Ewgene without implying he felt she was inferior & needed protection, those were huge steps. At the same time he felt that his best option to scout a path & free him & his lover was to activate a suicidal ring? I'll admit that was one choice he may have been forced into but to not tell Ewgene or anybody about it? In an age where miracle seems to happen on the daily & twice on Tuesdays? There was surely a cure waiting just around a corner. However even if we forgive him all these terrible decisions I refuse to forgive him for wandering off during the the apocalypse to fight a man who is two steps away from being Satan's boss. There was simply no way he was ever even going to come close to winning & a blind monkey with Aspergers could've see that. That wasn't even the worst part, though. What's rule numero uno of being a body guard of any kind? Never leave your principle. I know diddly squat about security/warfare but even I know that. It's dumb, reckless & worst of all in his case, selfish. He felt that it was noble but no wife/husband, who genuinely loved their partner, has ever thought that their spouse going off to die was in their best interest.

 

All these decisions, I find it hard to believe a man who has grown up with a palace education & has lead men in battle could willingly make these. His character was just too unbelievably stupid. I think this is why I've sort of grown fond of him. I guess in hindsight he's become a sort of de facto favourite character. So much education & so much growth & so, so unfathomably selfish & stupid yet I love him because the whole time he thought he was doing what was best for Ewgene & everybody. As I wrap this up I really should mention Ewgene's death. Bizzare how despite knowing this was the Last Battle in both name & nature, I just kept getting surprised by who kept dying. Everybody else saw it coming but I just didn't expect her to die the way she did. i guess nobody expects a loved one to die & turn into a giant white pole. It just sort of snuck up on me. The way it was suddenly mentioned that she had draw too much of the power. It wasn't like other deaths where 'suddenly an arrows sprouted through his chest, his eyes galzed over' those deaths you know instantly & you can process the shock. This, for me, was more subtle. She was drawing in way more than she could handle, my first thought was oh this is building to something. Then I realised oh she'd *already* drawn in too much and my second reaction was, oh god she's burned herself out, how will she continue as Amyrilin, then finally as the paragraph had her keep drawing in energy, more & more & then the penny finally dropped along with my jaw. It took me three whole seperate thought process to wrap my mind around the fact that in that one sentence, one action of drawing in power, she was already dead  I just didn't know it yet. That was very moving for me.

 

Call me a hopeless romantic but I always thought/hoped/wanted Ewgene/ & Gawyn to make it. So that really hit home for me. Funnily enough I have loved Mierin right throughout the series & I also got very emotional that she was given such a beautiful, poetic ending. I am a living testament to how stupid men can be over women. Even with all the ample evidence of her character, to see her helping in the last book I still believed she wasn't truly evil right up until she tried to kill Rand at the very end. I'm a right sucker because in my heart if I was there I would still try to 'save' her. I maintain she wasn't like the other chosen. That tremor in her voice, she was the only one to show that somewhere buried deep she did, if not love, then believe in the union betwixt her & Lews Therin. I'm glad, though. She never lost her edge. Anything less than a fierce, vengeful, wrath driven fury would have just not suited her. I just always felt she was the most sane, least petty of all the forsaken & she was a villain with style that you could truly love. The others were just brutal savages but she always brought a smile out of me. A true villain. The kind you love to hate & strive to defeat but when they die you're filled with a sense of loss & regret that you just can't quite fill or ever shake off. She got under my skin & I will forever love her for that.

 

Thanks RJ. Thanks Sanderson.