I just finished reading a book I started in 1993.
A Memory of Light, the fourteenth book in The Wheel of Time series was completed, by me, on Monday January 29th, just about 20 years after I read The Dragon Reborn, which is actually the third book in the series.
The Wheel of Time is an epic fantasy, very much in the vein of Tolkien though a) there are women in it and b) they actually get to do something. There is magic and swordfighting and monsters and a very evil Dark One that is trying to destroy the world. As the series progresses we follow the adventures of six main characters and a huge array of minor ones as prophecies are fulfilled and danger is met and overcome. I have to say that it is both better and worse than George Martin’s Game of Thrones. The characters in The Wheel of Time series are very close to being Mary Sues; characters that are oddly good at everything and adept at escaping danger. They are all very moral and you never worry about any of them dying. That being said, the books are still exciting and a great load of fun.
There is no reason fans of fantasy shouldn’t read The Wheel of Time series.
I’d like to end this post by thanking my brother, Baldur, for giving my The Dragon Reborn back in 1993. It has stayed with me for twenty years.
On Books and Writing 
I was going to say, one book! A series makes a lot more sense. It sounds a bit like the David Eddings books, the addition of woman and prophecies, but a lot better and less grating.
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I take it you haven’t read any of the Wheel of Time books? I suspect you might like them.
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No I haven’t, but I’m thinking that yes, I would likely like them quite a bit.
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Stumbled across your blog…thought I might like it when you mentioned GRRM, but now that Jordan has made an appearance, I’m sold. Memory of Light is currently sitting on my desk waiting to be read…I somehow cannot believe it’s finally done….although the series is about as old as I am, so I haven’t been waiting quite as long!
Backwards way of saying, I’m glad I found your blog and look forward to reading more!
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Thanks. A Memory of Light is mostly good. While it is certainly not disappointing, parts of it are a little skip-and-jump for my taste. Although…. I’m not sure it could have been any other way, what with all those loose ends to tie up.
I read Patrick Rothfuss’ The Name of the Wind a few weeks (or is it months?) ago and while it was well-written I can’t recall any real moments of greatness in it.
Currently on the lookout for some great fantasy. Any suggestions?
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Good to know, I’ll plow through it just so I can add it to the shelf and finally feel accomplished! Some of Brandon Sanderson’s personal novels have been suggested to me, but I havent read them. Another series I believe was suggested was the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind, which I also haven’t read. George RR Martin does book reviews/suggestions on his blog that I’ve been meaning to check out!
Also, if you haven’t read the Farseer series by Robin Hobb I would recommend that since I HAVE read those.
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