Gathering Storm (WOT novel written by Brandon Sanderson)

[Sho'Nuff]

Anyone read this yet? If so, is it worth picking up?

 

[waffleironhead]

avclub has a review on it. I picked it up, but do not have time to read it till after finals

http://www.avclub.com/articles/robert-jordan-and-brandon-sanderson-the-gathering,35558/

 

[Bryophyte]

I got a few pages in and realized that I couldn't remember the storyline. So I'm re-reading the damned series from the beginning. I'm almost done with book 2. Heh.

 

[acheron]

I just read it last week, both it and the last Jordan one, #11 (Knife of Dreams). I read 1-9 about 7 years ago, started #10 when it came out but never finished. Reread 1-3 earlier this year. My wife has read them all multiple times (except for #12 and maybe #11 only once). So I just jumped in at #11 and asked her when I was confused or having trouble remembering or needed to know what happened at the end of #10 since I never finished.

Anyway, it is good. I couldn't really tell a difference in writing style or anything between Sanderson and the Jordan ones, but I wouldn't be the best person to ask. My wife said she could tell a little bit. But I enjoyed it and will definitely get #13 next year. I would say definitely get it if you liked the Jordan books. I think Sanderson will do well finishing it, and it sounds like he has a ton of notes from Jordan (since Jordan knew he was sick, so he started writing down everything as notes).

(Any bets on whether WOT #14 or ASOIAF #5 comes out first?)

 

[pontifex]

seriously, book 13?????

I think I quit at 7, maybe...been so long.

 

[surfsatwerk]

I'm on chapter 2 at the moment. I'm just finishing the god damn series out of spite. I am going to finish this story no matter how many authors die bringing it to me.

 

[lupi]

how many to finish the series?

 

[surfsatwerk]

how many to finish the series?

2 more after Gathering Storm.

 

[DAGTA]

I read it and very much liked it. I can tell a difference in the writing styles but Sanderson is a good match for Jordon. There is a scene late in the book where it was obvious to me that it went from Sanderson to Jordon and back to Sanderson.

Sanderson is a much faster writer than Jordon. I would guess the next book will be out by the end of 2010 and the final book by the end of 2011 at his pace.

 

[BudAshes]

It's really good actually. He doesn't have to develop any characters because they have all been developed to death, so he is actually wrapping up the story which RJ was seemingly unable to do(RIP RJ). I'm actually excited for the last 2. Just hope he can keep it up.

Now if only Geroge RR Martin could hurry up with his books.

 

[illusion88]

The first tiem I picke dup the series there where 5 boos out. Loved all of them! So I waited a bit, picked it up again when there were 8 books out. By the time I finished book 8, book 9 was few months away. I vowed to reread the whole danm thing once he finishes it. So, I will continue to wait. I'll probably start again about 3-4 months before the final book gets published (assuming it looks like it will be published on time and in full).


RIP Jordan, I loved your writing style and character development. A true legend in the fantasy world.

 

[GWestphal]

I read it. It was a nice change of pace from the previous books where nothing happened. According to Sanderson, there is a major plot point wrapped up in each of the three books. I liked this one. I'd recommend it if you've read the others.

 

[Glitchny]

I read it and very much liked it. I can tell a difference in the writing styles but Sanderson is a good match for Jordon. There is a scene late in the book where it was obvious to me that it went from Sanderson to Jordon and back to Sanderson.

Sanderson is a much faster writer than Jordon. I would guess the next book will be out by the end of 2010 and the final book by the end of 2011 at his pace.

From what I understand he already has the 2nd book done, and the third is near completion.

to the OP:

I read the new one and as a long time fan you can tell some small differences but overall it was great. The biggest difference is this book moves at a great pace. Where some of the later RJ books became a little description heavy and slow Sanderson is the opposite.

By the end of the book so many events that had been "foretold" are dealt with and no more new "viewings" are added to make things more confusing. It reminds me a lot of the original three where things were constantly moving and happening. The chapters are shorter and everything is just much quicker but it still has the feel of the same WoT world.

Also some pretty badass stuff in regards to the plot happens in this book, and you can tell things are wrapping up.

Now if only Geroge RR Martin could hurry up with his books

Yea I don't know what's up there, isn't he like a year or more behind on when the newest was supposed to come out? annoying thing is that he broke them apart based on characters because he said he had too much stuff for one book... so where the hell is it.

 

[DAGTA]

From what I understand he already has the 2nd book done, and the third is near completion.

to the OP:

I read the new one and as a long time fan you can tell some small differences but overall it was great. The biggest difference is this book moves at a great pace. Where some of the later RJ books became a little description heavy and slow Sanderson is the opposite.

By the end of the book so many events that had been "foretold" are dealt with and no more new "viewings" are added to make things more confusing. It reminds me a lot of the original three where things were constantly moving and happening. The chapters are shorter and everything is just much quicker but it still has the feel of the same WoT world.

Also some pretty badass stuff in regards to the plot happens in this book, and you can tell things are wrapping up.


Yea I don't know what's up there, isn't he like a year or more behind on when the newest was supposed to come out? annoying thing is that he broke them apart based on characters because he said he had too much stuff for one book... so where the hell is it.

According to http://www.brandonsanderson.com/ Towers of Midnight (the next book) is 73% complete. He has not started on the final book.

 

[ProfJohn]

I read it when it first came out and I was very happy with the book.

Moves at a good pace and was a much faster read than the other books.

If you are a fan of the series you should be very happy with this book. I'd say it was the best WOT book in a LONG time, perhaps back to Lord of Chaos.

 

[Linflas]

I got a few pages in and realized that I couldn't remember the storyline. So I'm re-reading the damned series from the beginning. I'm almost done with book 2. Heh.

I've already done that once when book 10 came out.

 

[jonks]

Somewhat surprisingly, it was very good. I get the feeling RJ had written a good deal of actual prose/plot/dialogue by the time he died, in addition to the hundreds of pages of notes he left. Much of the novel reads like classic RJ. The huge exception is Mat's chapters which are pretty useless plotwise, and dialogue wise are classic Sanderson, which is to say, terrible.

When I heard BS was going to finish WoT, I went out and read two of his "acclaimed" novels, Elantris and the first book in his Mistborn trilogies. BS has good ideas and plotting arcs, but cannot make characters human or relatable, and his dialogue is just poor, poor, poor.

I fully expect the next two books to be more BS than RJ and we will all suffer as a result. I truly hope to be proven wrong and if they are up to the standard he set in Gathering Storm I will be very pleased indeed.

Now, gotta start the Bonehunters, only 1 year left till Malazan is done and I gots to catchup!

PS: this does not look like a healthy individual; what are the odds he finishes his series of another 3-4 books coming every 5 years? Not good:
http://pics.livejournal.com/grrm/pic/0007stfc/

 

[sandmanwake]

What's annoying is that Jordan could have finished the series if he didn't go Dragonball Z on us. I remember there was one book where it was basically nothing but cuts back and forth between every character in the WoT universe basically being awed by the amount of the One Power being channeled when saidin was being cleaned.

 

[acheron]

What's annoying is that Jordan could have finished the series if he didn't go Dragonball Z on us. I remember there was one book where it was basically nothing but cuts back and forth between every character in the WoT universe basically being awed by the amount of the One Power being channeled when saidin was being cleaned.

yep. that was #10 which was the one I gave up on.

 

[Brainonska511]

I got a few pages in and realized that I couldn't remember the storyline. So I'm re-reading the damned series from the beginning. I'm almost done with book 2. Heh.

I haven't picked up the latest book, but I started re-reading them as well. It seems long on the surface, but they're quick reads. I just wish I brought more than 2 back from home, because I finished the first two in under a week.

I'm not going to get the latest book until it is released in softcover.

Edit:
The only problem I ever really found with the later books was not that Jordan was way to descriptive (which sometimes can be the case). The problem was that he split the story to follow too many characters, so it seemed like very little happened overall.