Towers of Midnight

by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

Reviewed by Coral

The final battle approaches.

As Lan makes his way to the Borderlands to join the fight, other outposts find themselves overrun by Trollocs.

The Tower has survived Elaida and is slowing working towards unity. But there is still a Forsaken hidden in the Tower that Egwene must smoke out, with her own life as the bait. Egwene also works to turn the nations against Rand’s plan of destroying the Dark One’s remaining seals.

Perrin comes face to face with the new commander of the Children of the Light and must face the accusations that he has murdered White Cloaks.

Mat must deal with the gholam that has been stalking him across the world as he gets ready to set off on his quest to save Moiraine. But he still has that letter for Verin that he resists opening and a wife he misses more than expected.

Aviendha is on her path to becoming a Wise One, but she must confront the unexpected and unbelievable visions of the Aiel’s dark future.

Having secured the Lion Throne of Andor, Elayne now works to take the Sun Throne of Cairhien as well.

Rand has accepted his place in the world and prepares for the Last Battle. Despite Egwene’s protestations, he knows what he must do and he is ready to face what will come.

This was a very slow moving book. It seemed like it was mainly tying up a bunch of loose plots before we get to the final battle next book.

I felt there was a lot of time wasted, especially with Perrin’s plot. I was uninterested in his trial for the murder of the Children of the Light. I was happy to finally see the end of the gholem and of Gawyn’s anger at Rand for the “murder” of his mother.

This was also the book where it seemed like a lot of couples that had either been hinted at or who had been in a holding pattern finally came together. I lost interest in Morgase’s relationship a long time ago (and the character too, frankly; she hasn’t really had much of a purpose since losing her throne) as well as Siun Sanche’s. Egwene and Gawyn’s relationship has been drawn out too long by his inability to listen to her. For me a lot of this felt like wasted time as well.

Considering it was on the cover, the rescue of Moiraine didn’t really take up a lot of the book and was embarked and completed in only a few chapters.

This definitely felt like more of a wrap up that anything else.

Grade: C