The Ending of The Wheel of Time is Perfect. Here's Why.

Massive spoilers on this one. Be warned!

00:00 Spoiler-Free Intro
03:21 SPOILERS

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

#wheeloftime #booktube #robertjordan #brandonsanderson

[Civil_Maniac]

One of the things that I think you didn’t mention was that it was great because it was an ending. Any ending. Too many epic fantasy series don’t have endings. A lot of authors who are alive aren’t finishing series. Considering the last 3 were coauthored by someone else it’s amazing we got such a fantastic final book and epilogue.

[jordanhibbits]

There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the wheel of time. But it was _an_ ending.

[bobbyrabii]

The scene of Lan riding towards Demandred alone while Tam picks of enemies with his bow will go down as one of the most badass scenes in fantasy history

[TimSedai]

I asked Brandon Sanderson on Twitter several years ago "what was the deal with Rand's pipe at the end?" And he reaponded "Mr Jordan wrote that scene and left no explanation..." made my day

[kevinjones]

I will never forget going to the bookstore as a teenager to see if the next book was out and having Robert Jordan's obituary taped on his section. That crushing feeling I would never get to the end. It was such a relief when Sanderson finished them he did such a good job.

[pettaduffy]

Recently my older brother passed away unexpectedly and he introduced me to WoT many years ago. Now I watch and read it incessantly hoping to capture a part of him that loved this series so much.

[GeorgeKinsill]

I'd say that the Memory of Light is the best conclusion to any fantasy series. What I like best is how I could see how the foresaken came to the conclusions that they did while still considering themselves the heroes of their own story. Especially Damendred, he saw the evil in the world and wanted to correct it, while at the same time getting vengeance at Lews Therin. Insofar as he failed, it arose entirely due to his justified obsession. Even in book 9, we saw foreshadowed how evil would destroy itself. Therefore, the final book really was as good an ending as we could expect.

[Draugo]

Sander Jordan Lanche sounds like some esoteric SciFi world physics theorem.

[jaysheth]

I think we were led to believe like Rand to be fatalistic about his end, but Story and The Creator surprised Rand and readers in a pleasant way by not only giving Rand a Fresh and New start, ... Like almost every soul gets after their death in the Wheel....

But also kind of upgraded him into a newer and yet unknown mystery of Creator's Power. It was a gift from the Wheel thanking him for fulfilling his role as the Dragon on behalf of the Pattern itself.

So, Creator gifted him something deeper and greater than the One Power. It feels a greater Oneness with the Creator. And Robert Jordan was building up to this as apparent from Rand's first meeting with Tuon and how she feels oppressed and almost her will strangled to obey Dragon's terms. And yet she denies.

This power of Rand's Will actually affect the Pattern directly was the hint to the Lighting the Pipe moment. Rand is becoming almost Creator-like or as close a human can be to the Creator of the Wheel.

[rando_webb]

Androl performed one hell of a piece of epic channeling to save Elaine's army. Giant pillars of lava destroying thousands of Trollocs was baddass.

[davidmay]

I've been thinking about how a lot of modern storytelling provides too many answers which seems to shrink the world there's a desire to explain EVERYTHING. I LOVE that WOT's world and lore actually EXPANDS upon its end. It leaves me with a sense that the world is still living. This age will end but the wheel will continue to turn. Rand wanted to "solve" the problems of all creation but in the end he accepts that he can't do that. He learns that he must trust that others will rise when the shadow gathers again. I understand that not having a definitive answer to a question that you're invested in can be unsatisfying but canon must end at some point. One of the most fun things about discussing stories is speculating on their ambiguity.

[dudethedude]

I just realized how similar Tarmon Gaidon was to the other climaxes in the Wheel of Time, because even though the other climaxes are extremely short, it still captures how short the resolution is. Still, I love it. I was on a hook until the very last page, which I can’t say the same thing about Return of the King, because that ending was so long. I think this is one of the few times where the last entry in a series is my favorite.

[stevepayne]

Totally agree the ending is perfect. The point you make about the weight of time invested in the series up to that point is exactly the point I make to folk who either haven't started it, or got discouraged by The Slog.

[damianhill]

I wasn't happy that Bela died... Then reading the "companion" it turned out she survived. Thankfully.
When i read the ending I thought Rand's pipe was a self lighting ter'angreal filled with Two Rivers Tabac.

[Xanderqwerty]

Chapter 37 being over 9 hours in the audiobook filled me with so much excitement when i started aMoL.

[lillithsummers]

The ending was what turned me onto Brandon Sanderson’s books. What a double gift❤

[MetaSynCreta]

I've read the entire 15 book series 10+ times and it just keeps getting better. Nothing has come close to topping it for me so far and I average 70 books a year (most of those are from Sanderson 😉)

[LeFlshe]

You know, this is some solid timing, I just finished it yesterday

[confessorsedai]

Towers of Midnight, the book before AMoL is almost 1, 300 pages and I love every minute of it. It’s my favorite series of books I’ve ever read. I just wish certain characters got a closing or at least brought back for the final battle. I actually grew to love and respect certain characters that drove me nuts at first: Egwene, Cadsuane, and Nyneave. I am always rereading the series, so I always have one of the books in my bag- almost like a security blanket lol. ♥️

[Lyrazel]

It's never stated that Moiraine knows but Obviously Moiraine knows. She knows everything.