A Memory of Light

Wheel of Time, Book 14

By: Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson

Narrated by: Michael Kramer, Kate Reading

Length: 41 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Now an original series starring Rosamund Pike as Moiraine!

Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time® by Robert Jordan has captivated millions of readers and listeners around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters.

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

The seals of Shayol Ghul are weak now, and the Dark One reaches out. The Shadow is rising to cover humankind.

In Tar Valon, Min sees portents of hideous doom. Will the White Tower itself be broken?

In the Two Rivers, the Whitecloaks ride in pursuit of a man with golden eyes, and in pursuit of the Dragon Reborn.

In Cantorin, among the Sea Folk, High Lady Suroth plans the return of the Seanchan armies to the mainland.

In the Stone of Tear, the Lord Dragon considers his next move. It will be something no one expects, not the Black Ajah, not Tairen nobles, not Aes Sedai, not Egwene or Elayne or Nynaeve.

Against the Shadow rising stands the Dragon Reborn....

The Wheel of Time®
New Spring: The Novel
#1 The Eye of the World
#2 The Great Hunt
#3 The Dragon Reborn
#4 The Shadow Rising
#5 The Fires of Heaven
#6 Lord of Chaos
#7 A Crown of Swords
#8 The Path of Daggers
#9 Winter's Heart
#10 Crossroads of Twilight
#11 Knife of Dreams

By Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
#12 The Gathering Storm
#13 Towers of Midnight
#14 A Memory of Light

By Robert Jordan
Warrior of the Altaii

By Robert Jordan and Teresa Patterson
The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

By Robert Jordan, Harriet McDougal, Alan Romanczuk, and Maria Simons
The Wheel of Time Companion

By Robert Jordan and Amy Romanczuk
Patterns of the Wheel: Coloring Art Based on Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

©2012 The Bandersnatch Group, Inc. (P)2012 Macmillan Audio

End of one of my favorite fantasy series ever.

I pasted what I had for this review in Word, and it was 4 full pages, and still not done, so I decided to shorten it...

While this series is one of my favorites, it's not one I recommend to everyone. Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series is a long journey, both wonderful and painful, that I had to listen to twice before I could truly appreciate it's coherent beauty. While most of the books I couldn't put down, a couple got quite long, and all tend to have A LOT of detail - from what people are wearing to what everyone is thinking about every facet of what they're about to do...

Robert Jordan passed away, before completing the series. Mr. Jordan's wife then made the two best decisions possible for the series, given the heartbreaking loss of her husband:

1. Ask Brandon Sanderson to complete the series
2. Do it in three books instead of one

What Brandon Sanderson did with completing Robert Jordan's series, was the work of a true master. Mr. Sanderson is not just a great writer, he truly loves this series. You can see it in his work - he knows and understands each of the characters - and is emotionally attached to them as Jordan was, and as I am. I mean no disrespect to Robert Jordan when I say that Brandon Sanderson channeling Robert Jordan is as good as, if not better, than Robert Jordan alone.

After 20+ years of marching toward the final battle, as confident as I was that Mr. Jordan had this story done right, I was honestly prepared to be at least a little disappointed, but I was not. These last three books were awesome, and I feel this part of my life (yes, I mean this series) is complete. Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Jordan, and Mr. Sanderson. Also, thanks to the narrators Kate Reading and Michael Kramer who were there for the whole series!

Warning: Tarmon Gai'don can be exhausting

“Loial son of Arent son of Halen, had secretly always wanted to be hasty.”

As a hasty human, I listened to this book almost non-stop, narrator on 2X (3X for the slow parts) so that I could get to the end. Waiting almost 2 decades for Tarmon Gai’don made me impatient. I’ll certainly listen to it again, this time on normal speed, but wanted to jot down a few things in a spoiler-free review for my fellow impatient humans before I start over and savor it more slowly.

I feel that I should warn people that A Memory of Light is one of the most exhausting books I’ve ever read. Half-way through and I was already battle weary. Three quarters through and I felt that the whole thing was hopeless. None of the preceding books have come close to approaching the intensity of this final volume. It truly felt like the end of all things. It was glorious. It was heartbreaking. It was so many things but, like most WoT books, it wasn’t perfect.

First, a few of the good things. There are so many surprises that I never felt that I could anticipate what was going to happen next. Many threads are tied up, most in a satisfactory manner. Talmanes gets more screen time (I’ve always love Talmanes). You really get the feeling that the entire world is at war, and it’s done in a way that is believable.

The Pervara and Androl storyline almost stole the show. I just couldn’t get enough of them. I’d love to see a follow-up short story about these two in a fantasy anthology like the Legends series.

Good people die. GASP! Oh yes, while Team Jordan doesn’t exactly go about it George R.R. Martin-style, they definitely make up for lost time in weeding down the character list. Some of the deaths are meaningless, some are tide-turners and not all of them were as touching as they could have been. The death of a few of my favorite characters left me feeling oddly detached, while the death of another character had me bawling more than I did for Dumbledor.

Now for the not so good. There are a few deus ex machina contrivances that grated on me, but the worst was about Perrin. Perrin’s special abilities have never been particularly spectacular and it really feels like they got amped up so that he wouldn’t be overshadowed by the other two ta’veren boys. I’ve never been a huge fan of Perrin’s storyline once he married Faile, so maybe it’s just me.

Mat, one of my favorite characters, has deteriorated into not much more than a clown. I didn’t mind his comic relief bits so much in the last two novels, but he’s a pivotal character in this novel and has become almost a parody of Mat.

Everything Padan Fain. Sad waste of a potentially great villain. I really haven’t cared about him since he left the Whitecloaks and here it almost seemed like he was thrown in as an afterthought. I wish they would have just left him out of it. Terrible.

Another reviewer stated that some of the accents for characters have changed, and I have to agree. I’ve just spent 3 months listening to the 14 previous books and there are several minor differences in the ‘voice’ of some characters in this final novel. It was mildly distracting in the beginning, but nowhere near as the egregious differences in Roy Dotrice’s erratic narrations of the first/last Song of Ice and Fire novels.

Unlike Tolkein’s Return of the King, we don’t get a lot of wrap up. If I had to summarize the flow of the novel, it goes something like this, maneuver, maneuver, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, reposition your troops, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, end. Sure, it’s Tarmon Gai’don, but I guess I’m one of those people that prefer a bit more exposition about what happens afterward. These are our friends, some of whom we know better than our own family members, and I would have preferred to know more about what happens to them when the dust settles as we’ve been assured that there won’t be any sequels or prequels.

As far as my rating, I take away ½ star for pacing, ½ star for annoying plot devices, ½ star for missed opportunities, which leaves 3 ½ stars. I’ll round that up to 4 because, though it often infuriates me, The Wheel of Time is an old friend and I love it despite it’s flaws.

The Dragon Rides Again On The Winds Of Time!

"The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass.
What was, what will be, and what is,
may yet fall under the Shadow.
Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time..."

In A Memory of Light, the Wheel of Time series comes to a conclusion since its first book (The Eye of the World,1990) opened the door to Jordan's fantastic world of magic, politics, religion, savagery, and intrigue. Since that first novel, readers have passionately waited in anticipation for the next novel in the series, and then the next, passionately cheering and arguing after reading each same novel in the series. Here, the very last in this phenomenally epic saga is finally available at Audible, and the anticipation has been no less strong, the cheering and arguments no less passionate.

Think of it: This grand telling has birthed over forty million printed copies in over thirty languages. It warrants a longer and better than typical review. So, let's.

One of my favorite writers, Brandon Sanderson, respectfully took the reins from the deceased Jordan, who passed in 2007, and bravely took up the incredibly daunting task of completing what Jordan would never be able to do: Tying in Jordan's style and notes combined, take the the series to completion, and thus closing the Wheel of Time appropriately. Sanderson moved forward to do exactly that, and successfully completed both The Gathering Storm and Towers of Midnight. Each novel achieved number 1 New York Times hardcover best-seller status, and rightfully so.

Sanderson and Jordan’s widow, who edited all of Jordan’s books, have done what is almost impossible to achieve: Meet the demands of millions of fans worldwide by faithfully adhering to the author's passionate dream of breathing life and completion into this final novel, and in the telling, take us one last time on a powerfully heart wrenching journey that satisfies, thrills and moves.

Will I give away plot lines or provide spoilers?

Read my other reviews, and you know I NEVER do. However, here's I WILL tell you: This novel will stir you, excite you, satisfy you as it weaves together the final strands of this fantastic tapestry of The Wheel Of Time! Many questions will be answered, and story lines closed. Epic battles will be fought, and heroes and villains thrust to the very limits of their being. You will stay up nights, wringing your hands, cheering on your favorites, be completely surprised, you'll maybe even shed a tear or two. At the end of it all, when the last words are spoken...You'll be satisfied.

I have been an Audible listener since 2006, and have literally HUNDREDS of audiobooks in my listening library. This last novel is a RARE OCCURRENCE. Similar series facing the author's death and so much storytelling yet to be completed DIE off. They fade, and the readers left thoroughly disappointed. Not so here.

If you have loved, or even liked, the Wheel Of Time series, you owe it to yourself to buy this audiobook. Devour it, as the series has devoured millions across the globe. This Audible book is a MUST OWN. It has my very HIGHEST recommendation.

Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Jordan, and Mr. Sanderson for an incredible journey.

And an appropriate farewell.

Please, read the book before you review it...

I love Robert Jordon and Brandon Sanderson too. But how can people be giving the audio book reviews, when it's 45.5 hours long and it's been out around 10 hours?

Please.. Read it first then review it.

Finally we have closure!

What did you love best about A Memory of Light?

It was good to finish something started so many years ago. Mr. Snaderson does a great job of bringing the series to a satisfying close. A lot of the fanboys may disagree, but I believe Mr. Sanderson did a better job finishing the series than Mr. Jordan would have done. Sanderson is much better at action and this book is non-stop action from page one. I believe the weakest points of the series are the elements of Mr. Jordan's that Sanderson is forced to shoe-horn in. Jordan definitely didn't have this worked out nearly as well as he said he did.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Memory of Light?

There were so many. I think I liked the part where Moiraine makes her return and saves the day.

Which scene was your favorite?

There are so many good scenes I couldn't honestly pick one.,

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

that is physically impossible. This book is LONG. They could easily have made two books out of this but I am glad they did not.

Any additional comments?

The book is long and very dark in points. I had to take a lot of breaks in reading it. Sanderson did a great job and should be commended as the end of the series had been built up so big that no one could have satisfied everyone. He came as close as anyone could have, including Mr. jordan himself. The series tanked for a while but the last three books are much better than what Mr. Jordan was putting out near the end. If you made it this far in the series nothing is going to stop you from finishning anyway. The form didn't ask but the narrators are excellent as well.

The saga that brought 'Epic' back to fantasy

This was a very fitting and satisfying end to a saga that was perhaps the most epic in scope since Tolkien. While the merits of Robert Jordan's style has been hotly debated, and the individual books have been received with varying enthusiasm, the importance of the series cannot be ignored.

In A Memory of Light, fast rising author Brandon Sanderson does an admirable job of pulling together the overwhelming number of plot threads that Jordan wove through his masterwork. From the Dragon Reborn himself to the shaggy pony that accompanied him in the first chapter of the first book, we learn the fates of all the characters that have intrigued us, frustrated us, drawn our sympathy, and pulled us into their lush and complex world. While the story is brought to a close, enough mystery is left to remind the reader that there are truly no endings to the Wheel of Time.

Readers Kate Reading and Michael Kramer, as always, bring life to the characters and light to the rich environs of the novel.

For fans like myself who have literally grown up along with the Wheel of Time and its cast of characters, this book is exciting, heart-rending, and satisfying, though more than a little bittersweet. I salute Brandon Sanderson for the passion and professionalism he brought to this beloved series, and I fondly extend my thanks to Mr. Rigley, whose life work has rendered him truly immortal in literature.

A Homage to Robert Jordan

The last book in the epic saga “The Wheel of Time has finally been written. We all know it wasn’t exactly the book Robert Jordan would have penned, that would have been impossible to duplicate, but we have to give thanks to Brandon Sanderson and the many folks that had supported Robert Jordan’s work. They have given us closure to a series that began in 1990, and for a while thought might never be completed.
Although all writers have their own style I believe Brandon Sanderson did a great job of blending his to Robert Jordan’s No one could know the Characters deepest thoughts and tendencies in the Wheel of Time better than Robert Jordan, and some of that insight was missing in the last books, but Brandon Sanderson is a very talented writer of fantasy fiction, and his painstaking effort to keep true to Robert Jordan’s vision is a homage to the late great writer.
“The Memory of Light does exactly what all of us WOT fans have been wanting; completion. It deserves five stars.

Beautiful

Correctly placing the WOT series into the proper place among the hierarchy of fantasy greats is complex. Setting aside the commercial success of the series, the quality of each book in the series varied widely. Starting off great with The Eye of the World, each subsequent novel got better than the one before it for quite some time. Robert Jordan hit his stride in the fourth and fifth books while the sixth, Lord of Chaos, is probably the finest book he ever wrote—these three books (4,5, and 6) are among the greatest in fantasy literature.

With the 7th book, Jordan began to slowly stumble. The trend for (7,8,9,10) was that each one was at least a bit worse than the one before it. The series began to ramble. Plot threads stalled, more and more characters entered the story line while old plot threads stayed unresolved. The story began to become convoluted where once elegance weaved the beautiful complexity. This culminated with the dreadfully dull, poorly edited tenth book. It may have been his health, or fatigue, or perhaps Jordan had just lost his way for a while, but there is no doubt that much of the early magic was gone. I kept reading--We kept reading—despite this in part because we knew the magic would come back and partly because in our extensive adventures with fantastically deep characters, we had grown to love them, and there was still joy in loving them walk nowhere fast. I am glad that Robert Jordan reversed this decline with his final book, (book 11) which was much better but still not at the pinnacle of his earlier work. We will never know if this redemptive trend would have continued had Robert Jordan not been taken from us so early.

What we do know is that Brandon Sanderson’—already on his way to becoming a legend for his own work—produced three contributions to the series that have all been magnificent. The have been brilliant not only because of Sanderson’s talent but because they were a labor of genuine love. He started reading the series as a teenager and loved the books and characters like we loved them. His work could not have been better. Here I will say what may be regarded as blasphemy among the Jordan die- hards: Brandon Sanderson not only helped save Robert Jordan’s legacy by finishing the series—he augmented it by concluding the series with stunning artistry and passion.

I am sad to see it end. I have lived so long with these characters that I can’t believe I will never see them grow or laugh or change again. It was worth it thought. This book is beautiful. This series is beautiful.

Sad to see it end.

Would you consider the audio edition of A Memory of Light to be better than the print version?

I did not read the print version. The voice acting for me is synonymous with the characters they portray and so it speaks to the quality of the acting that I will not read the book until I have finished listening to the audio.

What did you like best about this story?

As to this I would say the book "MUST" be read it goes beyond the other greats in its line to the monolithic in its scope and grandeur.

What does Michael Kramer and Kate Reading bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Simply put, they bring life and rhythm to the book. I cannot read it without imagining the characters in their voices.

Any additional comments?

I am a dyslexic and at the age of 14 was not able to read even the simplest book. The wheel of time book one eye of the world was the first book I ever tried to read and since then I have accumulated an audio and paper book collection of over 400 novels

This series changed my life. Not because of its content but because of the world it opened to me from reading for pleasure into reading for study. I would not have gained my degree and would not be employed as I am currently if not for the wheel of time, it’s sad to see it end but the books have given me so much joy beyond their mere content I could not recommend them more highly

This is not the end, it is an ending

I found this to be a satisfying ending point to a great series. Everything was wrapped up by the end but I would have liked to see the epilogue extended out a few years to see where they all ended up. I thought Brandon Sanderson did a great job bringing Robert Jordan's vision to life. I am glad that he elected to finish out this series so that we all could see this circle completed. Michael Kramer and Kate Reading delivered a performance that you have come to expect form them.

Beautifully Done.

A fitting end to a remarkable journey which I finally finished at 4:45 this morning, today will not be fun but it was worth it.

Thank you Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson, Michael Kramer and Kate Reading, it's been a pleasure.

A first class series

I've just re-listened to this entire series. I think it probably took me a good 3-4 months of solid listening! It really is a fabulous series. Some of the books around numbers 6-10 are slower than the others, but by that stage you know the characters so well it's like hanging out with good friends and it's not at all irritating (and funnily enough, the second time round I was even less irritated, as I could appreciate the world building, and the little references to things that were going to happen in later books.) Listening to the series for a second time was surprisingly enjoyable. There is a freedom in knowing how it's all going to end, so you can concentrate on the build up - and it's then that you realise just how well constructed and conceived this series is. (and in the second reading, Matt has become my favourite character! Love his take on things)

Brandon Sanderson's contribution to the last few books in the series is seamless. He remains true to the characters and the plot, with just a little Sanderson genius for good measure.

If you're a fan of the sword wielding - hero to the save the world -epic fantasy type series, then this is one not to be missed.

Am feeling slightly bereft at not having a book 15 to move on to......my most recent other listens all seem to be falling a little short. They've been good, but just don't quite seem to measure up.

If you're wanting an enjoyable distraction for a good few months, this is the one.......just be sure to start at the beginning with the Eye of the World so that you don't miss anything.

Absolutely superb

I’m not going to spoil the book for anyone by giving away the plot.



I just wanted to say it finishes of a true epic written by two master story tellers. RIP Robert Jordan thank you for something very special and Brandon I can’t wait for you next book.

A fitting conclusion

What a brilliant conclusion to the epic! The characters we have come to know so well fulfilled their destinies with passion, humour, bravery and humility. All credit to Robert Jordan for his amazing imagination in creating the world of the Dragon Reborn, and due credit and thanks to Brandon Sanderson for adapting his style and weaving the final threads so that the wheel turned as RJ had willed.



I often listen in my car and there were times I had to pull over to get through some particularly nerve-wracking episodes such as Perrin vs Slayer, Egwene vs M'Hael, Olver vs Trollocs and of course Rand vs Moridin. I cried for the 'friends' who died, revelled in the humour of reluctant hero Mat and almost felt sorry for the Forsaken as their diabolical schemes unravelled.



Final credit to Kate Redding and Michael Kramer for their reading and characterization - it made listening such a pleasure and added depth to the characters: thank you.

Oh Nooo It's all over :(

I cannot believe it’s all over I have invested a massive amount of time over a week of my life listening to this series for it all to end well after 14 books and the death of its original author it was ready to come to a close. I must take my hat off to Brandon Sanderson he pulled it out of the bag bringing one of the longest fantasy series to and so well it must of been hell with soooo many characters stories to tie up. All in all it is an exhilarating and tense read and as always fantastically read by Michael Kramer, Kate Reading.

The 'Money' book

I'm one of the people who used to re-read the series each time a new book came out, I then had a break of a few years after book 9 came out - I was distraught at the news of Roberts illness and the tragedy of an unfinished masterpiece. At the prompting of a friend, who was singing the praises of the last book, I used up my credits and bought the last 5 books on audible a few weeks ago and have been gorging my myself stupid on the Wheel of Time until finishing the last one a couple of hours ago. Pound for word (or any other measure you care to use) this is easily the best money I've ever spent. A series that I hope to read a number of times again in the future (Light willing!). Right now I'm feeling like an Aes Sedai who's just lost their Warder...but thank you Robert (and Brandon!!).

Superb book!

Really enjoyed this book. The choice of Brandon Sanderson to complete the series is a masterstroke as he's been able to do a splendid job. Narration is also very good, which adds to the experience.

the last book

What a fitting end to a fantastic series you will not be disappointed if you loved robert Jordan's books then you will love this too

Epic finish to a Epic Fantasy series

Such a great story and with some suspense moments and some sad ones too. The whole book is a series of scenes in the last battle. A lot of OMG OMG moments. Excellent narration throughout the series.

Sad to have an ending to this epic, but it was good ending, some people die, some people live, some are damaged, and we are all entertained by the adventures of the various characters in the Wheel of Time.

end of an era

Not many end of era books finish in this style worth.Every penny i've spent on these books for the last 23 years.

RIP Robert your work will live forever.

thank you brandon for finishing his work as true jordan.