He came like the wind. Like the wind, touched everything, and like the wind, was gone.

I dont know why ppl hate Androl and Pevara. Thier part of the story shows what a man and woman working together are capable of accomplishing. It shows what the future could hold for channelers. It provides hope.

Bela is the real hero. I cried for her more than most of the others.

The thing I found frustrating was that Rand let Tam believe he died. And the scene of Tam mourning was so heartbreaking.

I'll just leave this here: “Here is your flaw, Shaitan, Lord of the Dark, Lord of Envy, Lord of Nothing, here is why you fail. It was not about me. It’s never been about me.” It was about a woman, torn and beaten down, cast from her throne and made a puppet. A woman who had crawled when she had to. That woman still fought. It was about a man that love repeatedly forsook. A man who found relevance in a world that others would have let pass them by. A man who remembered stories and who took fool boys under his wing when the smarter move would have been to keep on walking. That man still fought. It was about a woman with a secret, a hope for the future. A woman who had hunted the truth before others could. A woman who had given her live, then had it returned. That woman still fought. It was about a man whose family was taken from him, but who stood tall in his sorrow and protected those he could. It was about a woman who refused to believe that she could not help, could not heal those who had been harmed. It was about a hero who insisted with every breath that he was anything but a hero. It was about a woman who would not bend her back while she was beaten, and who shown with a light for all who watched, including Rand. It was about them all. ~Rand Al Thor”

Sanderson has confirmed that he'll never say how Rand lit the pipe, but my favorite theory that I've found is that "Rand can now see the Matrix"

Tam is amazing. He is WoT's Iroh.

I found the hardest part about finishing book 14 was that there was no more "Randland" stories to follow. The world was so well realized that I felt like I was saying goodbye to friends I actually knew.

Some of my favourite moments in the book were when people started realising that Mat knows what he's doing. They went from thinking he's a lunatic to thinking he's a genius in a few moments

I loved thematically how Nynaeve saves the day without magic.

For me, what made this so much sweeter was the realization that-despite how powerful they became and how much they learned-at the end of the day, they fell back on their true selves to save the day. Mat gambled, Nynaeve healed, Egwene showed insurmountable strength, Rand fell back on love.

Great review. As for Tuon, I just wished that I get to read what happened when she met Artur Hawkwing. If it was up to me that would be the moment where all these slavery thing gets resolved.

The key for Nynaeve's and Moiraine's presence with Rand is that through the whole story they were the only women Rand would trust. He needed women he could trust to wield Callandor. Also, Nynaeve's skill with herbs and traditional healing kept Alanna alive so Rand wouldn't go into death frenzy.

My favorite thing about Rand and Egwene's interaction at Merrilor was how it was a call back to their relationship at the beginning of the series. They met as the two most powerful people in the world in front of kings, queens, and Aes Sedai and began bickering like we were back in book one, except this time the fate of the world was in their hands. Just the gravity of that moment gave me chills.

When Rand lit his pipe with his own thought reminds me that a bit ago he was literally making realities. The Dragon is one with the land and the land is one with Dragon. (or something like that)

Nynaeve isn't a warrior, she can fight sure and she kicks ass when she has to, but she's not a fighter. The greatest healer in the world had to be there to keep Alanna alive. Plus there are very very few people Rand would trust to have his back in that battle, the Two Rivers people still unquestionably trust and turn to Nynaeve in most circumstances

One of my favorite scenes is at the end where they are lighting Rand's funeral pyre and Tam is openly weeping and he says, "You did well. My boy... You did so well." After reading his entire story... Don't get me wrong, I'm incredibly glad he survived, but a part of me wishes Rand had died. It would have been a fitting ending, him being finally able to rest. I'm glad you enjoyed the series so much. I wish I could read this series again for the first time.

Omg I loved Androl and Pevara and personally, I wish we had more of them. It was such a lovely addition to the book!

congrats on finishing. Welcome to the club. "Once I got to a certain point I couldn't stop" Felt the exact same. Androl"s gateway scene with the lava is the stuff of legends. Why is this guy at the head of the circle...Ohhh that's why.

Personally I feel like an issue with Tuon, that I have, is how her story arc wasn't completed. She and Mat were supposed to have a spin off series putting order back to Seanchan and I feel like RJ would have wanted her growth to happen more naturally, during that time. It doesn't make sense for her to change her cultural view so quickly, she is a very careful thinker. I believe Min was supposed to be in those books to and i believe she so would have used her visions to manipulate Tuon into seeing the wrong in her own culture. But we never got that, and never will, so we can't say it does happen and so she's left unfinished; will she ever see the wrong of her people or remain the way she's always been forever? Who knows.

Gaul was my hero in MOL. He is the embodiment of the fully formed Aiel.

"I win again, Lews Therin." Still gives me chills every time..

It just hit me that Avengers Endgame totally stole the Avengers assemble scene from WoT Lan is basicly Captain America..

Okay, you've convinced me, I'm going to read this series. Wish me luck!!

The Shara. Continent size civilization arriving out of nowhere and helmed by Damodred in full battle regalia and instantly all but destroying one of the strongest forces of the Light. Was just amazing. Its like the antithesis of Lan's cavalry charge.

Wheel of Time really was about the friends we made along the way.

People don't like Androl and Pevara?! They were my favorite late addition to the series. I would literally read a series of books following the adventures of Androl and Pevara.

I think you need to read Rand's final thoughts again as, IIRC, he is musing about which one would follow and then it occurs to him that none of them might choose to come after him (and he's sort of okay with that).

Gawyn described in one word: Useless. His only accomplishment in 14 books is saving Egwene from the bloodknives, and that's literally it. He is so useless that he literally kills himself because he feels useless. And even that accomplishes nothing because he's just that useless.

"I didn't come here to win, I came here to kill you. Death is lighter than a feather" Is the most fucking baller, fist pump line that it feels like Jordan came up with that first and then designed a character to say it.

I think Ninaeve and Moraine were the only ones who Rand could have really trust in that situation

What bugged me was how open ended the series ended up with the seanchan. It would have been nice to get some hint that eventually their society would change and slavery would be a thing of the past.

I can't believe you finally finished. Androl is one of my favourite characters, I love that Jordan puts in characters like him and Sorilea who are weak but it doesn't matter, they're some of the strongest characters in the series. Who needs strength when you can erupt a volcano on your enemies. One of the frustrating things about Egwene is that so many people she trusts like Nynaeve and Amys have seen that Rand is sane, all she'd have to do is ask Literally just remembered Androl is all Sanderson, Jordan nerd points lost

Bella's death hurt the most for me. Not even joking.

It appears you've misunderstood Rand's thoughts at the end of the story when he's thinking about the girls. He's not wondering who he is going to choose, he's wondering which of the three is going to be the first to follow him. He knows full well that all three will eventually join him because they're all still bonded, but he also knows that they can't all follow him immediately. As to what is happening with Rand at the end when he lights the pipe, he can't channel but he can adjust the pattern of the wheel so that what he wants happens. He thought of the pipe being lit and so the wheel itself made it so that the pipe was already lit.

We needed all the characters to succeed, according to Min's viewing from book 1. Nynaeve needed to be with Rand as he needed one of the most powerful channellers to use to seal the bore, Moraine needed to be there as someone Rand trusted to not try and take him over. One other piece of Moraine being with Rand is that Thom guarding the entrance as her Warder.

This book left me wanting Brandon Sanderson to write some heroic fiction.

I think Pevera and Androl are great, i loved them, i do understand how some people feel about them though, sadly alot of the "hate" i have seen towards them, stem from the falsehood, that they wanted to make more than one book, to earn money, and therefor had to make alot of filler to stretch the story, its untrure, but i have seen it used as an argument against them before. My main wish about them is more that i would have wanted them more in the first two sanderson books, so that they did not feel as dominant in the last book.

It wasnt till my second time through that I remembered the flash back to the age of legends in book 4 where they sing to make crops grow. Thats how rand can make trees blossom and seem to control nature.

I should note that I think the main reason that Tuon is so adamant about wanting damane here is because she needs them in order to restore order to the Seanchan homeland after it was plunged into total anarchy by Semirhage in Knife of Dreams and Mat is probably aware of that as a military commander. She's in a much more desperate situation than she gives off in her outward appearance. I'd even go so far as to say that they consequences of Semirhage's actions probably cemented the continuance of the practice, which is kind of fitting seeing as Jordan draws a connection between her and the A'dam beyond her affinity for torture

Time is a wheel, and I was expecting the books to end with Tam Al'Thor, Olver, and Bella pulling a cart walking down the lane where the 1st book began.

Had been so cathartic to finish each book and come back here to listen to your review! No one else that I know has read this series and there is SO much to talk about. You hit the nail on the head with how satisfying the series has been. Cheers!

I can't help but to remind people that had Lan died Nynaeve would have been taken out of play. She would not have been at S G to help Rand.

"It feels like my pain was stolen from me." .

Thank you for putting out all this wot content. It really helps the community. :)

Congratulations of joining the ranks to the most elite and greatest faction in all of fantasy fandom!

I'm not defending the Seanchan's system of slavery, but I don't think it's fair to say that Tuon refused to help save the world purely because she didn't want to give up her slaves. It was also because she knew that she would end up losing control of her empire if she tried to force through such a change at that time. I hold out hope that there were some changes in Seanchan society in the future, because it was a hideous and visceral depiction of how slavery dehumanizes people. It would have felt cheap to have it end by royal fiat, but you have to hope that eventually things would change. Perhaps just wishful thinking, though.

What bout Bela's death??? No love for Bela??

Mat missed that the Eelfinn who shouted "To marry the Daughter of the Nine Moons!" followed it up by muttering "and getting a shotgun divorce a year later!"

Honestly, the best chat about this book i have watched. This book was a rollercoaster just a perfect final.

Your videos are what got me into the Wheel of Time series. I learned about your channel a few months ago. The first video that I ever watched was your video on the Eye of the World. I've been watching ever since. Thank you for the content. I love it and can't wait to see what you have for us next.

I get why you were frustrated with Nynaeve's role in the last battle, but for me it was pretty much the perfect culmination of her character arc: she initially only left Emonds Field because she wanted to protect the kids from her village, and I think its extremely fitting that she finished the books doing exactly that.

It has been wonderful riding along with you on this journey. WoT is my favorite series and watching you experience it again just rekindles my love for it. Thank you for that.

Jordan put so much time and thought into all the lines of the profecy and having Moraine stitch them together was the highlight of this book. "How many tears have you shed for your salvation."

I love how Egwene is written. She has become the Amyrlin. And just like everyone who holds that position- it becomes the most important thing. So no matter how strong we know her to be- both character and Power- she is beholden to her role. Also- Gawyn is a cause of her ending. What an absolute dickbag he was.

I feel the exact same on Egwene. I absolutely adored Egwene in the White Tower; I can't tell you how many times I've re-read just those parts, particularly the Seanchan raid. The whole point of that arc for me wasn't that Egwene was amazing - it was that the Aes Sedai are arrogant brats completely out of touch with regular people. They all have this "I am always in control" facade and are so up their own asses they were easily manipulated into being at each other's throats by color, but in terms of mental fortitude and control the Aiel Wise Ones would eat them for breakfast, and Egwene is almost at the same level due to her time spent apprenticing to the Wise Ones. The things the Aes Sedai put Egwene through would have the vast majority of Aes Sedai weeping like little girls, but Egwene proved she was stronger than them all. She became a bit annoying in book 13, but she was all right in the battle of Tel'aran'rhiod. Then after that they pretty much made her an arrogant brat just like all the other Aes Sedai and I didn't like her for the rest of the series right up until her final act.

I binge watched all of your reviews for WOT a few weeks ago, and have anticipated daily for this one.

We rode on the winds of the rising storm, We ran to the sounds of the thunder. We danced among the lightning bolts, and tore the world asunder. Thank you for reviewing a series that has been dear to me since I was a young kid.

I just finally finished the wheel of time, and your series kept me going through the slog, and I’m so glad I did. The ending was magnificent, though I agree on the fake out deaths. I would have been satisfied if they left Faile dead.

I hope you enjoyed your journey. It has been very entertaining to watch you take it.

Great video, I loved how emotional you felt about the ending! I was waiting and smiling for a year in anticipation to see this final video :-)

I also love that someone finally called Egwene a spoiled brat.

Yay! I've been looking forward to this. Hope you feel better soon.

I finished the book 13 hours ago. Literally read all night cus i couldn't stop. It isn't perfect, but i absolutely felt the impact of this ending. And it's god damn amazing. Have never experienced anything like this feeling before. The hope, the sadness, Egwene dying (hit me harder than Hopper dying, even). Sanderson said that Rand is the most powerful individual, and Lanfear the second (yes, she tricked Perrin. she ain't dead!) which implies that Rand can rewrite the pattern to the extent that he is powerful as hell, despite losing his channeling! Listening to you really put a smile on my face and let the emotions flow more. What an amazing story!

What friend did you call? Was it Daniel Green? Lol

This was a great review. It has been a long time since I've read this, and listening to your reaction of the book brought back great memories and smiles.

Merphy, thank you for sharing your WoT journey with us. So many of your viewpoints have been different and at least a couple times I had to really consider my own views, and I like that. Overall your journey has been refreshing to watch. Hopefully I'll re-watch this review and add more with an edit. Right now I'm too tired.

in Rand and Eqwene's confrontation at Merrilor, ***Egwene didn't want to restore the taint***. She just opposed Rand breaking the Seals for fear of the Dark One being free. She considered it better to rebuild the flawed Seals and let the Dark One be held again for another few hundred years, rather than breaking them, in the risky hope of sealing the Dark One away completely, after "clearing the rubble". Also there was the fear that insteak of just Saidin being tainted, Saidar would also.

for me Perrin, Nyneave and Moiraine were the three characters that learned that through sacrificing what they want to contribute for what they need to contribute, is more effective and powerful than anything. It may not be flashy that they were not given a role where they could go into 'beast mode' but for me it was more gratifying to have them where they not only needed to be but where most wouldn't want to be.

Love this series soooooo much. Its so deep and diverse. Even through the 'slog' if you really pay attention there are so many details and character development... It's amazing!

Moraine and Nynaeve at Shayol Ghul was about ultimate trust.

Sorry to see you are still sick, get well soon!

Loving all your reviews, the vibes from them are very wholesome

I actually like Tuon's character. Not that I sympathize with her, but that her presence represents the "necessary evil" arguments that were pervasive in the U.S' history with slavery. I like that this series ended with leaders that would cause turmoil even beyond the Dark One's reach, and that not everything was peachy after the Last Battle. Completely agree on the fake out deaths, though I did enjoy Lan's and Rand's (mainly because I wanted them alive :) ) On a lesser point, Rand musing about who would be the first of his three lovers to chase after him at the epilogue was suppose to be playful. He was not questioning his love for any of them. It was a weird thought regardless.

Listening to your reaction and recollections of the last book almost brought me to tears. What a great story on so many levels. On deaths: I know some characters have to die, but Bela? And also, I would have enjoyed Siuam and Bryne settling down to a quiet country life and the end.

I love the Androl + Pevara arc. The weakest and the red... both turning the 13 books prior bias on its head. Androl was awesome and I came to love Pevara. What happened between them broke so many bias molds and turned everything upside down. And while doing so gave a glimpse into the future; and insight into what could be, beyond the books. Love that.

Watching this with my breakfast was a great way to start the day. The ups and downs in the review reflected the book really well. But now there's an odd melancholy, knowing you're, obviously apart from NS, done with the journey. It's been really fun watching you take the greatest journey in literature. Luckily I just found a fledgling booktuber who just finished EotW, so I can vicariously experience the series for the first time with him. Such an odd addiction to have.

I injured my back yesterday helping a friend move house, and so I have found myself off work today watching your entire review series of WoT. It has been interesting to see your reactions as a first time reader back to back and seeing the highs and lows in your enthusiasm for the series. (book 10 lol) I've reread the series several times, and I highly recommend you run it through at least once more at a leisurely pace, there is just so much more to unpack once you already have a good grasp of the fundamental concepts of the world. I've really enjoyed your reviews, thanks for reigniting my love of this series TAM>THE WORLD

I appreciated the funny ad at the end. Great video!

Just happened to catch this 1 minute after it drops?! Let's GO!

I totally agree on the fake-outs. It did take away a lot of emotional impact unnecessarily. While the end of the series wasn't everything I hoped for, I don't regret sticking with the series at all. Yes, it had its share of things that fell flat, but I still admire just how much ambition there was driving it, how much love for the detail there was. Thank you for sharing your journey!

LOVE this review!!. you've made me want to re-read a Memory of Light! and I can imagine Rosamond Pike saying those lines in her very posh English accent, it will be awesome!

I loved the respect that Lan showed to Tam after seeing him handle himself in battle and call him "Blademaster." I also loved how Tam lit the way for Lan on his way to fight the forsaken. Basically........I just really love Tam and Lan! LOL I totally get your point about the fake out deaths too. It wears thin pretty quickly. A ton of side characters get killed off though. This book is so packed with amazing moments its hard to list them all. Logaine finally deciding to do the right thing and then him finally being shown some love at the end always gets me a little misty eyed as well. I loved seeing you take this journey through my favorite series. It is not without its flaws, but it is a true masterpiece of character/world building. I loved the way Jordan (with a major assist from Sanderson in the end) managed to weave plot points through the entire arc of the story that come to fruition in such a satisfying way in the end. New Spring is very entertaining as well. Its a much shorter book and will be a nice way for you to get a WOT fix after you've had some time to recover. It focuses on how Moraine and Lan first came together and gives a lot of back story for them. I think you'll really enjoy it.

Been waiting for ever for your review of this - just re-read the last two books!

The thing this book/ending is missing is the calm after the battle. Reunions, kids, the 3 way bridal reath (that was edited out) ... A sense of closure with loose ends tied up and the happiness that comes with saving the world.

Thanks for creating this! Want an epic way to conclude this book series. I particularly liked the non-chosen one points you made!

Also I love to occasionally just think about the title of the book, and how much I love it. "A Memory of Light" is such a nice thought, and feels like it fits so well with this final conflict.

I've had new spring sitting on my table and haven't started it. I want to, but at the same time I loved the time I spent already and don't think I'm ready to go back. I finished the series for the first time in December.

40:00 I never thought I'd ever get to see someone pull their braid that way before I died. It was always so difficult to imagine what that was supposed to look like. I hated it in the books, but mocking it in real life was glorious. Thank you!

I've read this book in particular about 5 times, and oh my god I love it more every single time I read it.

I have a theory about the ending. It is well established that the world of WOT is full of dualities: Light and Dark, Saidin and Saidar, The Dark One and the Creator etc. Everything has it's pairing. We hear this in Egwene's final moments where she discovers the opposite weave to balefire: "Two sides to every coin. Two halves to the Power. Hot and cold, light and dark, woman and man. "If a weave exists, so must its opposite." (A Memory of Light p.794) Given this, I think it is well within the logic of the universe that the "True Power", the power coming from the Dark One, must also have its own opposite. In fact, I believe that the logic of the world demands that this must be true. So that is what Rand taps into at the end to light his pipe. The paring for the True Power, another power that exists outside of the pattern, a power that comes from the Creator, just as the True Power comes from the Dark One. This doesn't mean that Rand becomes the creator, just as Moridin or any of the Forsaken don't become the Dark One by using the True Power. It is just that the power of the Creator is lent to Rand, perhaps consciously by this greater being, or perhaps it was something Rand discovered as he briefly touched that place outside of the pattern where the Dark One was locked away.

I loved this review! I am also a hug fan of Androl and Pevara,I found myself looking forward to their scenes together. I think their characters showed how the White Tower and the Black Tower would eventually be able to respect each other and start to work together again to create a new Age of Legends, maybe to a greater degree than before given that bonding was new to the current age. I also think in a series full of slightly awkward romances, Androl and Pevara growing to love each other was really nicely handled.

Totally agree about fakeout deaths. It’s gotten to where I look up whether characters die so I can feel the sadness when they’re dying. Otherwise I don’t believe a character is dying because they so often don’t!!

Androl and Pevara were my favourite characters - especially Pevara, what a character! What a relationship!

I am glad you finished the series. I loved the way it ended too.

I just finished , i read the last 7 in the last month or so because it just drew me in again so hard. I love your review so much and I see what you mean on every point. I loved how this ended and loved every single part of it so much. It felt like every characters arc and role was so meaningful. Every book to me is great and I see how it all comes together here. How we seen all of them grow and each thing every one did just wraps everything up so much. As well as how they kept parts of themselves from when we first seen them. Gosh so much unexpected and so many amazing moments. It might be the most interesting, intriguing and fulfilling story I’ve ever heard of, so far. I’m just in awe Reading Stormlight next ☺️

I'm super stoked that you finally finished. I'm glad you found it a satisfying ending :-) As far as Nynaeve I loved that one of her major contributions came down to the herbs that everyone had been putting down for 14 books Also - People don't like Androl and Pevara? Huh. I don't really talk to other fans much so I had no idea

"I had too many emotions going on... I couldn't handle it. I just had to call my friend and talk out my feelings.". ~ GOOD BOOK!

The best part is being able to go back and watch all Daniel's content that has spoilers lol

It's a nice day outside! Nice porch deck!