The Gathering Storm- Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson

In honor of the upcoming release of the thirteenth book in the Wheel of Time series, The Towers of Midnight, I thought I would do my first official review on the previous book, The Gathering Storm.
The Gathering Storm is the first title written by Brandon Sanderson upon Robert Jordan's unfortunate passing in 2007.  It is the begining of the end for this massive series, quite literally.  Robert Jordan had intended that the 12th book, called a Memory of Light, be the finale to this breathtaking and epic length series.  When Sanderson took up the task of completeing the work it was found that it was simply impossible to finish the story properly under 700,000 words which would make the book unbindable.  The solution was to divide the final book into a trilogy, The Gathering Storm, Towers of Midnight, and the final installment A Memory of Light.  The Gathering Storm was released in 2009 to the nervous excitement of fans.  No one was sure how Sanderson would handle the series, if he would be able to capture the characters and the world the way Jordan had.  Sanderson himself a fan, took the work very seriously.  He did not try to emulate Jordan's style feeling that he would do it injustice.  Instead he wrote in his own but with Jordan's vision.  The result in my opinion is a fantastic book.  The pacing is breathless, the characters behaving exactly as I would expect them too.  After the first chapter not only was I hooked, but I had completely forgotten that it wasn't Jordan who had written it.  Despite the differences in style, Sanderson is not as 'prosy' as Jordan, it still managed to feel like Jordan.  A major accomplishment for Sanderson. 
There are some of course who do not share this view, who feel that he didn't capture the characters correctly at all or that it's just too different from what Jordan would have written in terms of style.  Everyone of course is entitled to their opinion but in my view this critcism is unjustified.  No one could wish more then I that Robert Jordan had lived to complete this series.  His loss is devasting, not only to fans but the writing community as a whole.  He was a unique talent, a master storyteller.  That being said it would be impossible for anyone to mimic his style or to write it exactly as he would have.  Sanderson in my opinion did the best job anyone could have done in this respect and I am anxious to get my hands on Towers of Midnight to see what next happens in "Randland", the name fans have affectionately given to the Wheel of Time world.
If you are an old fan of the Wheel of Time I encourage you to pick this one up if you haven't devoured it already.  If you are curious and in search of a fantasy series to really get lost in I highly encourage you to try this one with one cavet, these books are long, each averaging about 800 pages.  They are a major undertaking and one that must be read in order, but one that is worth it in my opinion.  The first book can be found here, The Eye of the World.
So what happens in The Gathering Storm?  Well I'm not giving away any spoilers! However I will provide this teasing snippit from inside the dust jacket.

Tarmon Gai’don, the Last Battle, looms. And mankind is not ready.



In this epic novel, Robert Jordan’s international bestselling series begins its dramatic conclusion. Rand al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn, struggles to unite a fractured network of kingdoms and alliances in preparation for the Last Battle. As he attempts to halt the Seanchan encroachment northward---wishing he could form at least a temporary truce with the invaders---his allies watch in terror the shadow that seems to be growing within the heart of the Dragon Reborn himself.
Egwene al’Vere, the Amyrlin Seat of the rebel Aes Sedai, is a captive of the White Tower and subject to the whims of their tyrannical leader. As days tick toward the Seanchan attack she knows is imminent, Egwene works to hold together the disparate factions of Aes Sedai while providing leadership in the face of increasing uncertainty and despair. Her fight will prove the mettle of the Aes Sedai, and her conflict will decide the future of the White Tower---and possibly the world itself.


The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

Anyone else have goose bumps?!
I promise you this one is worth the read! 


For more information on the Wheel of Time visit the official website http://www.dragonmount.com/

Towers of Midnight, due out November 2nd, is available for preorder thru Amazon.com at a huge discount. Just click the link and you're good to go.

William Gibson- Zero History

 The new novel by William Gibson, author of Neuromancer, Pattern Recognition, Spook Country and many more, is scheduled to be released on September 7, 2010.  As a long time Gibson fan I am looking forward to getting my hands on this one.  According to the released description it features the return of Hubertus Bigend, global marketing fiend we first meet in 2003's Pattern Recognition (my favorite by him) and again in 2005's Spook Country.  Below is the book description taken from Amazon.com where it is available for preorder.  Whether it holds up to Gibson's usual standard of brilliance remains to be seen but Gibson being the visionary he is I think its a safe bet.  It appears after many novels exploring the future, Gibson has set his sights on exploring the now and using his significant talents to show us our world in a way both familiar and almost shockingly surreal. He has a great ability for capturing the fundemental feeling of disconnect that underlies our increasingly more technologically connected society. It will be interesting to see what Gibson shows us this time around.
Check back September 7th for my review of Zero History.



Product description from Amazon.com


Hollis Henry worked for the global marketing magnate Hubertus Bigend once before. She never meant to repeat the experience. But she's broke, and Bigend never feels it's beneath him to use whatever power comes his way -- in this case, the power of money to bring Hollis onto his team again. Not that she knows what the "team" is up to, not at first.



Milgrim is even more thoroughly owned by Bigend. He's worth owning for his useful gift of seeming to disappear in almost any setting, and his Russian is perfectly idiomatic - so much so that he spoke Russian with his therapist, in the secret Swiss clinic where Bigend paid for him to be cured of the addiction that would have killed him.



Garreth has a passion for extreme sports. Most recently he jumped off the highest building in the world, opening his chute at the last moment, and he has a new thighbone made of rattan baked into bone, entirely experimental, to show for it. Garreth isn't owned by Bigend at all. Garreth has friends from whom he can call in the kinds of favors that a man like Bigend will find he needs, when things go unexpectedly sideways, in a world a man like Bigend is accustomed to controlling.



As when a Department of Defense contract for combat-wear turns out to be the gateway drug for arms dealers so shadowy that even Bigend, whose subtlety and power in the private sector would be hard to overstate, finds himself outmaneuvered and adrift in a seriously dangerous world.