A Memory of Light review

Today I finally finished the final book in the Wheel of Time series. I read the last page while on the bus, and I have to admit, by that point I was sniffling (Though that might have been from my cold...) Either way, it's hard to describe my feelings. I'm overjoyed that I could read the ending and find out what happened, but then it's the end. There will be no more Wheel of Time books, and even no more books in the same world. Although only some characters died, I feel like they all did, because I can never go back and discover for the first time who they are and what happens. It's like looking at childhood videos. You can appreciate that time and moment, but you can never go back and relive it to the same extent.

Furthermore, I think I've just realized how terrible Robert Jordan's death was. I only started reading the series after he died, and right before Brandon Sanderson took over the series. I was shocked when I found out about Jordan's death, but I was just happy to know that the series was continuing. Now that it's over, Sanderson has sworn that he will not continue in the same world that Jordan wrote, because Jordan didn't want anyone to take his work and continue with it for their own gain. The only thing Sanderson did was finish the series, but he will not go further. That means we will never see what happens after the final books, despite so many questions being left unanswered. I think that if Jordan was still alive, he would have continued, if not with the same characters, at least in the same world, and that would have provided the readers with some answers. As it is, A Memory of Light will be the final work in the Wheel of Time world.

Even the hope of a movie being made is pretty slim. Because there are fourteen books in the series, which spans about three years, it would be almost impossible to create a movie for each book without actors ageing significantly or dying. Some people have suggested making an anime, but honestly, I would rather never see a movie than see The Wheel of Time in anime. It would make it seem too juvenile and childish, and although I know lots of anime is meant for young adults or older, I cannot shake the feeling that everything would be exaggerated and comical. Personally, I think the best way to approach the movies would be the same way as they made Beowulf. It was skilfully done animation, where it was difficult to see the difference between reality and made up. They would still need actors for voices and models, but it would fix the ageing problem, and even the death of an actors wouldn't be too catastrophic. Of course, it would be very expensive with all the designers and programmers. However, it also takes away the cost for sets, costumes and props needed in a filmed movie.

And finally, for anyone who has not picked up The Wheel of Time yet, I urge you to do so. It can be a little slow sometimes, but as long as you have an interest in medieval fantasy, or fantasy of any kind, I can guarantee that you will get sucked into the world and plot.

**SPOILER WARNING**

I'm leaving the brief summary for the end, in case someone is reading this and doesn't want to stumble across a spoiler. The question I get asked the most is 'what is it about?' The easiest answer is 'It's the basic plot of good against evil. It's kind of like Lord of The Rings, but almost five times longer and five times better.' I say this because the characters are very deep and change drastically throughout the series. Not always physically, or from corruption, but also mentally, for good and for bad. It's not a sappy love story, but there is love, between characters and most definitely between the reader.

My favourite character is Mat. He's a gambler, trickster, curser and prankster. He is also fiercely loyal, and completely lovable, especially later on in the books.

A lot of people like Perrin, especially girls. He's like a teddy bear, or a large dog. He's a blacksmith and hates fighting or hurting anymore, and is almost more emotional than his wife. It's adorable.

Rand is the main character, but of the three he's my least favourite. He goes insane for a while, kind of turns into a douche, becomes a player (he has three girlfriends), but then he changes back into a really caring and gentle guy. Unfortunately, he's also prophesied to die while fighting to Dark One.

Which gets us into the plot. As I said, it's the basic fight between good and evil. The good is called the Light, and the evil is called the Dark or the Shadow. The idea is that there is a supernatural and almost omnipresent thing called the Dark One, or the Shadow Lord, or any number of other names. He was defeated long ago and locked away in a prison, but now he's starting to break out again, sending with it plagues, droughts, evil creates and any number of terrible things. With them comes the people called the Forsaken. They are able to do something called Channel, which is the power in this series. It's like magic, but it's used through weaves, which take skill and training to master, and of course, use energy. I would say about 1/8 of the world's population is able to channel, including men and women. However, for the first part of the series there is a taint on the men's side of the power (called the One Power). This makes it more of a curse for them, as they go insane if they channel too much. Unfortunately, Rand is able to channel, and starts gathering male channels, who are bound to go insane. I don't want to say much more about this though, as it would be getting too far into the plot. Anyway, there are plenty of other mythical people, things and ideas, many of which are completely unique to the Wheel of Time. What I love most is how each book seems to have a new problem or a new plot that will ultimately work toward the final Battle. Think the style of books like Harry Potter, with the setting and plot of Lord of the Rings. It provides for a good, long read that doesn't work itself out too perfectly or too quickly.