A MEMORY OF LIGHT by Brandon Sanderson (Robert Jordan)

So this is the long-awaited final novel in the Wheel of Time series. I thought the previous book (number 13) rang the right bells, but this one didn't ring quite so many.
   It was well-written; the characters were as solid as ever and most of the action was good. What more could I ask for? I hear you asking. Well, without giving too much away, some of the plot didn't ring quite true for me. Let me give you three examples. One, at an early stage in the book Rand is given a letter which we think might be important: he slips it into a pocket and, unless I missed it, we never hear about it again. One of the chief baddies, during the Final Battle, decides to take on all the best swordsmen of the Light, one after the other, instead of blasting them into pieces. And finally, Mat's handling of the forces of the Light seems to go on and on, and whereas I appreciate we need to see how brilliant he is at the tactics and strategy of War, it's mighty confusing, plus he appears to have far more resources than we are initially given to believe.
   There were some other inconsistencies and weaker areas, but to be fair, Sanderson must have had a hell of a job picking up the pieces and making them into a coherent whole. So my overall impression is that this is an okay job rather than a brilliant job but it has one huge advantage over any of its predecessors - it's the last one! Now I don't have to wonder about what's going to happen at the Last Battle, who survives and who doesn't, and even who wins overall.
   Anyone who has read the first 13 books isn't going to not read the 14th, whatever I say. Just don't expect a dazzling finale, that's all - rather, expect a solid effort, and don't look too closely for the cracks, because there are a few there.
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