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Brandon Sanderson

Robert Jordan

The Gathering Storm Audio CD – Unabridged, October 27, 2009

by Robert Jordan (Author), Brandon Sanderson (Author), Michael Kramer (Reader),

5,547 ratings

Book 12 of 14: Wheel of Time

Goodreads Choice Award nominee

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Tarmon Gaidon, the Last Battle, looms. And mankind is not ready.The final volume of the Wheel of Time, A Memory of Light, was partially written by Robert Jordan before his untimely passing in 2007. Brandon Sanderson, New York Times bestselling author of the Mistborn books, was chosen by Jordans editor---his wife, Harriet McDougal---to complete the final book. The scope and size of the volume was such that it could not be contained in a single book, and so Tor proudly presents The Gathering Storm as the first of three novels that will make up A Memory of Light. This short sequence will complete the struggle against the Shadow, bringing to a close a journey begun almost twenty years ago and marking the conclusion of the Wheel of Time, the preeminent fantasy epic of our era.In this epic novel, Robert Jordans international bestselling series begins its dramatic conclusion. Rand alThor, the Dragon Reborn, struggles

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English
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Macmillan Audio
Publication date

October 27, 2009
Dimensions

6.42 x 2.71 x 6 inches
ISBN-10

1593977670
ISBN-13

978-1593977672
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“The narration of this work is truly miraculous. Kate Reading and Michael Kramer breathe emotion and veracity into a varied cast of characters, deftly teasing out their complex ambitions and motivations...Both narrators bring intensity and passion to this much-loved series, giving nuanced performances even to minor characters.” ―AudioFile

About the Author

ROBERT JORDAN (1948-2007) is best known for his internationally bestselling epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time®, which has sold over 40 million copies in North America and is currently being adapted for the screen. A native of Charleston, Jordan graduated from The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, with a degree in physics. He served two tours in Vietnam with the U.S. Army and received multiple decorations for his service.

Brandon Sanderson grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. He lives in Utah with his wife and children and teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University. He is the author of such bestsellers as the Mistborn® trilogy and its sequels, The Alloy of Law, Shadows of Self, and The Bands of Mourning; the Stormlight Archive novels The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance; and other novels, including The Rithmatist and Steelheart. In 2013, he won a Hugo Award for Best Novella for The Emperor's Soul, set in the world of his acclaimed first novel, Elantris. Additionally, he was chosen to complete Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time® sequence.

Michael Kramer has narrated over 100 audiobooks for many bestselling authors. He read all of Robert Jordan’s epic Wheel of Time fantasy-adventure series as well as Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archive series. He received AudioFile magazine's Earphones Award for the Kent Family series by John Jakes and for Alan Fulsom's The Day After Tomorrow. Known for his “spot-on character portraits and accents, and his resonant, well-tempered voice” (AudioFile), his work includes recording books for the Library of Congress’s Talking Books program for the blind and physically handicapped.

Kramer also works as an actor in the Washington, D.C. area, where he lives with his wife, Jennifer Mendenhall (a.k.a. Kate Reading), and their two children. He has appeared as Lord Rivers in Richard III at The Shakespeare Theatre, Howie/Merlin in The Kennedy Center’s production of The Light of Excalibur, Sam Riggs and Frederick Savage in Woody Allen’s Central Park West/Riverside Drive, and Dr. Qari Shah in Tony Kushner’s Homebody/Kabul at Theatre J.

Kate Reading is the recipient of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards and has been named by AudioFile magazine as a “Voice of the Century,” as well as the Best Voice in Science Fiction & Fantasy in 2008 and 2009 and Best Voice in Biography & Culture in 2010. She has narrated works by such authors as Jane Austen, Robert Jordan, Edith Wharton, and Sophie Kinsella. Reading has performed at numerous theaters in Washington D.C. and received a Helen Hayes Award for her performance in Aunt Dan and Lemon. AudioFile magazine reports that, "With subtle control of characters and sense of pacing, Kate’s performances are a consistent pleasure."

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Macmillan Audio; Unabridged edition (October 27, 2009)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1593977670
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1593977672
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.67 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.42 x 2.71 x 6 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,245,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #6,649 in Books on CD
- #14,884 in Fantasy Action & Adventure
- #14,951 in Sword & Sorcery Fantasy (Books)

Customer Reviews:
5,547 ratings

About the authors

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Brandon Sanderson
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I'm Brandon Sanderson, and I write stories of the fantastic: fantasy, science fiction, and thrillers.
In November 2020 we saw the release of Rhythm of War—the fourth massive book in the New York Times #1 bestselling Stormlight Archive series that began with The Way of Kings—and Dawnshard (book 3.5), a novella set in the same world that bridges the gaps between the main releases. This series is my love letter to the epic fantasy genre, and it's the type of story I always dreamed epic fantasy could be.
November 2018 marked the release of Skyward, the first book in a new YA quartet about a girl who dreams of becoming a pilot in a dangerous world under alien attack. The follow-up, Starsight, was released December 2019. Also out that year was the final volume of the Stephen Leeds saga, Legion: Lies of the Beholder, which was also published in an omnibus edition, Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds, that includes all three volumes.
Most readers have noticed that my adult fantasy novels are in a connected universe, called the Cosmere. This includes The Stormlight Archive, both Mistborn series, Elantris, Warbreaker, and various novellas available on Amazon, including The Emperor's Soul, which won a Hugo Award in 2013. In November 2016 all of the existing Cosmere short fiction including those novellas was released in one volume called Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection. If you've read all of my adult fantasy novels and want to see some behind-the-scenes information, that collection is a must-read.
I also have three YA series: The Rithmatist (currently at one book), The Reckoners (a trilogy beginning with Steelheart), and Skyward. For young readers I also have my humorous series Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. Many of my adult readers enjoy all of those books as well, and many of my YA readers enjoy my adult books, usually starting with Mistborn.
Additionally, I have a few other novellas that are more on the thriller/sci-fi side. These include the Legion series, as well as Perfect State and Snapshot. There's a lot of material to go around!
Good starting places are Mistborn (a.k.a. The Final Empire), Skyward, Steelheart, The Emperor's Soul, and Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians. If you're already a fan of big fat fantasies, you can jump right into The Way of Kings.
I was also honored to be able to complete the final three volumes of The Wheel of Time, beginning with The Gathering Storm, using Robert Jordan's notes.
Sample chapters from all of my books are available at https://www.brandonsanderson.com/books-and-art/—and check out the rest of my site for chapter-by-chapter annotations, deleted scenes, and more.
See more on the author's page
Robert Jordan
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Robert Jordan was born in 1948 in Charleston. He was a graduate of the Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, with a degree in physics, and served two tours in Vietnam. His hobbies included hunting, fishing, sailing, poker, chess, pool and pipe collecting. He died in September 2007.
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Customer reviews

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joe-maryland

GREAT SERIES REDEEMED

Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2017

Verified Purchase

I hate to speak ill of the dead, but Brandon Sanderson taking this over is the best thing that could have happened. This book redeems all the suffering through 600 pages of descriptions of women's clothing and 200 pages of action in the last few. This book has as much action as *4* of the previous books combined.
Thank The Light we have appeared to end the Faile gets kidnapped threads too. Worth 5 stars just for that alone! Also to RJ traditionalists delight, you will still find descriptions of clothing with special emphasis on degree of cleavage exposed, the women still manage to spank each other more often than at an S&M dungeon party, and they still have to be topless for various reasons LOL
Two favorite characters also make a comeback of sorts - can't wait for the next book.

23 people found this helpful

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Anitra

Sanderson Performs an Impossible Task Superbly

Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2016

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Yes Sanderson is different than Jordan, and in some ways that's a good thing. The story was slipping out of Jordan's hands like Saidar for Elaine during her pregnancy. Sanderson exerts control of the story and gets things done. Tarmon Gai'don starts to feel imminent rather than just being a misty figure on a distant horizon that never gets any closer.

Egwene's battle for the white tower continues, and she is incredible in this book. She makes one of the most quotable statements of the series as her confrontation with Elaine hits critical mass: “I’d name you Darkfriend as well, but I suspect the Dark One would perhaps be embarassed to associate with you”.

Rand's battle with madness and despair continues. He's on the verge of losing the last battle before it even begins in earnest. It wasn't as powerful a moment for me as some, but many readers were deeply moved by the process of working through that.

Verin, a character I paid little attention to throughout the series, has an amazing moment of her own raising herself to the status of a critical player.

Perrin and Matt are almost an afterthought in this book, and if there was any time spent on Elayne I've already forgotten it. Aviendha is set up for important personal growth that is yet to come.

This book is filled with great moments and the story moves. It is the first time since book six that I thoroughly enjoyed myself almost the entire time.

Well done Sanderson and RIP Jordan. Thank you for making it possible for your story to be finished.

17 people found this helpful

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Greg Polansky

29 Sniffs Later

Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2013

Verified Purchase

Creation itself is at stake. The pattern is beginning to unravel and reality is in danger. The dead walk the land. Cities rise out of the earth and disappear again. Across the world gray skies hide the sun for weeks on end. Set against this backdrop, The Gathering Storm details the beginning of Tarmon Gai'don.

The Gathering Storm focuses mostly on Egwene and her battle from within the Tower and also on Rand and his growing emotional instability as he follows the road to what he thinks will be his own demise. This book is tightly focused, delivering powerful emotional punches and quite a few answers and resolutions for some major characters. While there is a small bit on Mat, Egwene and Rand are the centers of the book and all the other points of view are interwoven into the main plots rather than left to begin new plots. Mercifully, there is no Elayne in this book. And very little of Perrin.

The Egwene sections of the book are some of the most powerful of the series. It's interesting to continue to watch her rise. And offers a good foil for the Rand sections of the book because we continue to see him fall. Into possible madness. Into emotional turmoil. Into self-doubt. And though there are some confrontations with Forsaken here (including an intriguing one with Ishamael-Moridin), it is Rand himself who seems more frightening than the Forsaken.

The Gathering Storm is a remarkable achievement because it brings back the feeling of the first six books. Not bad for someone who was not the author of the first six books.

Apparently Sanderson also loved sniffing because he returned the level of sniffing to a point not seen since A Crown of Swords. Bastard.

For The Gathering Storm
Nynaeve - III
Katerine - I
Amys - I
Cadsuane - II
Lelaine - I
Siuan - IIIII I
Melaine - I
Yukiri - I
Saerin - II
Vasha - I
Corana - I
Semirhage - I
Joline - III
Mesaana - I
Nicola - I
Romanda - I
Egwene - I
Beldeine - I

And for the books so far, Siuan rises to 5th place due to a particularly strong showing in this book. Wonder if Sanderson hated Siuan?

Nynaeve - IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII III(53)
Egwene - IIIII IIIII IIIII III (18)
Elayne - IIIII IIIII IIIII III (18)
Aviendha - IIIII IIIII II (12)
Suian - IIIII IIIII I (11)
Min - IIIII III (8)
Moiraine - IIIII III (8)
Leane - IIIII II (7)
Faile - IIIII I(6)
Joline - IIIII
Elaida - IIII
Melaine - IIII
Romanda - IIII
Amys - III
Bair - III
Cadsuane - III
Corvil - III
Dyelin - III
Idrien - III
Lanfear/Selene - III
Larine - III
Lelaine - III
Renee Harfor - III
Teslyn - III
Beonin - II
Cook at Inn - II
Deira - II
Feraighin - II
Laras - II
Liandrin - II
Lini - II
Saerin - II
Setelle Anan - II
Tiana - II
Adine - I
Ailhuin - I
Alise - I
Alivia - I
Aludra - I
Asne - I
Balwer - I
Barasine - I
Beldeine - I
Berowin - I
Bornhold - I
Breane - I
Caira - I
Carlinya - I
Corana - I
Daigian - I
Edelle - I
Ellorien - I
Essande - I
Erith - I
Females in Crowd - I
Galina - I
Garenia - I
Graendal - I
Javindhra - I
Jeaine - I
Jeaine - I
Katerine - I
Kireyin - I
Latelle - I
Marin al'Vere - I
Merana - I
Mesaana - I
Merilille - I
Nesta din Reas - I
Nicola - I
Nildra - I
Nisao - I
Renaile - I
Rendra - I
Rhiale - I
Samitsu - I
Semirhage - I
Seonid - I
Sevanna - I
Signet Ring Fellow - I
Silk Shopkeeper - I
Somara - I
Sorilea - I
Suroth - I
Tavern Wenches at the Woman of Tanchico Inn - I
Therava - I
Tion - I
Tylin - I
Vandene - I
Vasha - I
Verin - I
Village Wisdom - I
Yukiri - I
Woman in Fal Dara - I
Women of Emond's Field - I

24 people found this helpful

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Huntta

A relief.

Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2018

Verified Purchase

Although not perfect, and overly long, this volume is an uncanny relief from the thousands and thousands of terrible pages from Jordan’s last five books. So many grand moments here, rich action rooted in realized characters. True conflict head on. Prose with syntax that doesn’t twist the brain with its incompetence. An erasure of wooden character tics and erasure of repetitive descriptions. Scenes that elicited both gooseflesh and tears. Yes, a welcome and pleasurable reprieve. Because of RJ’s plodding, I am now weary of this story and characters, impatient for it to be over, but I’m happy and pleased the denouement is in such a capable writer’s hands.

25 people found this helpful

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Patricia Hosler

Are you Reading the Series?

Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2017

Verified Purchase

If you are then you'll read this book anyway; and love it. If you're not reading the series, what are you waiting for? This series is The Hobbit and L.O.R., and Dune all rolled into one. Great writing and vision.
In this volume, the story line really starts to finalize.
I would recommend this book and series to anyone who enjoys fantasy books. The characters are very complex and well thought out. Mr. Jordan took his time and delivered classic material. I remember waiting for each additional volume. We own them in hard cover, some having needed to be replaced due to wear, and on several devices. I have read them, the entire series many times. Reading all previous titles before new ones would come off the press, again and again and again. My husband thinks I'm crazy but when the new releases list gets stale I often reach for my old friends, those waiting for my Horn of Valare siren song to call them forth once more.
Please read them, I promise, you won't be disappointed.

5 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

PT007

Amazing and action packed

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 31, 2020

Verified Purchase

A great read yet again. I love how the adventures are playing out. This book is a little different as there is a definite change in place. There is so much happening you almost feel exhausted.

This book has been a favourite for me. No time is wasted. There seemed to be much more happening in this book without losing any of the passion or detail. You can feel the tension building as the last battle approaches.

The depth of creativity in this series is remarkable and a work of genius. I love how the characters develop and remain unpredictable. So glad I can binge read rather than waiting for the next book to be published.

I would not have noticed any change in author had the fact not been published. A great achievement in itself.

Gripping from start to finish and I didn't want it to end.

Robbie

Is it different to Jordan on his own? Yes. Is it still brilliant? Yes.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 14, 2018

Verified Purchase

I have loved diving into and reading the Wheel of Time over the past year, and I was curious to see what would be different about this, the first of the series written after Robert Jordan's death by Brandon Sanderson, apparently using Jordan's notes. In short, I loved this book, which felt a rip-roaring ride and kept me up late reading when I should have been asleep.

Is it different to the previous books? Yes, it is. Especially having read the previous 11 books in the last 12 months, and particularly at the start of this novel, I noticed a different rhythm: shorter chapters, chapters switching between characters with a different rhythm to in the previous books. And I noticed some linguistic differences: a turn of phrase here, perhaps slightly more modern language than Jordan liked there, even the odd time when a character used a different version - I think - of Mat's name than they had in previous books.

Is it faithful? Yes, to me it is. Sanderson brilliantly brings the feel of the characters who - by now - we know so well, into this story. There are still laughs, frustrations, confusions and inspirations in all the places there were in previous books.

And, above all, is it a good book, worth reading? Absolutely. I suspect that, coming into the final straight of the epic series, Jordan would have picked up the pace at this point. That is what usually happens in long series when a story arc has to span more than a few books. But with Sanderson, I think we get that even more so. Either way, this is a book full of memorable scenes as the plot of the Wheel of Time begins to draw together. Some are brutal, some are worrying and some I found surprisingly emotional - including the incredible affection I have developed for poor Lews Therin. This, particularly, is a story of Rand Al'Thor, and if you have made it this far in the series, then it's absolutely time to read book 12.

One person found this helpful

J. Smith

Elegant passing of the baton.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 28, 2020

Verified Purchase

Long term fans will either love, hate or be irritated by the passing of the torch to Brandon Sanderson. I was wary when I first picked this up but the dedication had me won over and crying like a baby.

Brandon Sanderson has a different style and he has not tried to emulate Robert Jordan; no complaints from me there. I love both writers. In many ways, this book is like an avalanche plot lines converge quickly and it is a lot to take in. I agree with some of the criticism that Sanderson didn't quite do some characters justice but I'm not going to deduct a star for that. For me, he brought a new and different energy to a series I have grown to love. If you are someone who was put off by the so called 'slog' of previous books, there is a lot happening here.

One person found this helpful

JRC Salter

Wow, just....WOW

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 4, 2013

Verified Purchase

After the death of Robert Jordan, the future of this series was in doubt. I knew he was ill and had hoped that, if he died, someone else would complete the series. While I lament the death of Jordan, I do feel he could have completed the series well before this book. He had a fantastic vision, a wonderfully detailed world, interesting and complex characters, and a thorough, if long winded, writing style. With the exception of Winter's Heart and Knife of Dreams, though, there hasn't been a decent book since Fires of Heaven. That's two fantastic offerings out of five. The series needed a breath of life; Knife of dreams gave that by tying up most of the hanging plot threads. This book fires us towards the end in an explosive way.

Many people have commented on Sanderson not being as good a writer as Jordan. I disagree. I found his style to be very similar, though I believe some of it was written by Jordan himself, and if that is true, I can't tell the difference. If there was ever a failing of Jordan's, it was that he didn't put enough humour into the characters. Sure, they've been through hell, but it's nice to have a character smile now and then. Sanderson brings that. I have laughed occasionally in the series, but some of this book made me do more so. Despite the very dark nature of the story. It was nice to have some lightness in the dark.

This book puts aside many of the plots, and even skips over some of them. In the past, I have complained about this, but these are niggling things. One of them concerns the revelation of Morgase being alive. I don't really care about missing out on that as it's not really of any importance. So is the arrival of Mat in Caemlyn and other events. This book is mainly about two characters: Egwene and Rand.

Egwene

In my review of Knife of Dreams, I commented on how much I enjoyed Egwene's story, and that hasn't changed. Her infiltration of the White Tower, the Rebellion, and her prophesied Seanchan attack of Tar Valon comes to an exciting and shattering climax here. But it's all about the build up, how Egwene continues to build support inside the Tower, how she sows the seeds of Elaida's downfall. One of my favourite chapters here (and the moment I knew I was giving this book a five star review for only the second time in the series, the other being The Dragon Reborn), was when Egwene faced down Elaida. The scene is subtly progressive and you can really believe the girl is in command, despite serving drinks.

Rand

Rand's story is not about the events. It is about Rand himself. This book, more than any other in the series, is a very character oriented piece and shows Rand truly carrying the world on his shoulders and how the weight is crushing him. After introducing the male a'dam in the Shadow Rising, the ter'angreal makes its way back to the story with shocking consequences. What happens afterwards turns Rand from a shepherd with responsibility into a truly tragic hero. The story climaxes with no huge battles, no great revelation, no cliffhanger, just Rand, standing atop Dragonmount and screaming at the Creator. While I've heard some complain about the ending being unsatisfying, I have to, again, disagree. It is a very satisfying and appropriate ending and brings the whole book, the whole series, every event that has shaped Rand's life so far, come to a sudden and personal explosion.

All in all, a fantastic offering and the best in the series so far. It has many twists and turns, unexpected revelations about long standing characters, and exciting action. A very, very good effort.

One person found this helpful

Mr. A. P. Anderson

Lazy Kindle Conversion

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 3, 2014

Verified Purchase

Content aside, this kindle ver sion of the book is unus ual. If you are obs erv ant you may notice that this re view is written strangely. That is be cause this book is written ex actly like this, with unnec essa ry spaces between words. Not just once or twice, which would per haps be accept able, but through out, which as you can clea rly see, is very jarring to read.
I'd say that the person resp ons ible for this con version should be as hamed of them selves but with such constant errors I can only sur mise that this book was converted auto mat ically by software without any human in ter ven tion whatsoever.

Frankly, I'd recommend getting the print version because trying to read a book written like this review is infuriating. It's a disgrace.

UPDATE: I was discussing this with a friend, trying to determine what automated process would cause words to split randomly when he pointed out that it's something seen often when he uses a speech to text program such as Dragon Naturally Speaking. Suddenly it all becomes clear. Could this book have been read through such a program rather than being typed? I suspect so.

5 people found this helpful

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