The Gathering Storm

Book Twelve of the Wheel of Time

By: Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson

Narrated by: Michael Kramer, Kate Reading

The Wheel of Time is now an original series on Prime Video, starring Rosamund Pike as Moiraine!

With Robert Jordan’s untimely passing in 2007, Brandon Sanderson, the New York Times bestselling author of the Mistborn novels and the Stormlight Archive, was chosen by Jordan’s editor—his wife, Harriet McDougal—to complete the final volume in The Wheel of Time®, later expanded to three books.

The Gathering Storm, the twelfth novel in Jordan’s #1 New York Times bestselling epic fantasy series, begins the story’s dramatic conclusion as Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, struggles to unite a fractured network of kingdoms and alliances in preparation for the Last Battle.

War is coming. The Dark One’s forces are brutal and unrelenting. Rand must forge a united front, but the Seanchan remain an immediate threat, as do the Forsaken. With so many shadows swirling around him, Rand is consumed by his responsibilities, turning heartless in the eyes of his allies, and even more merciless to his enemies.

Meanwhile the Seanchan march on the White Tower, where Egwene al'Vere works to rally the disparate factions of the Aes Sedai together, even as their tyrannical leader schemes against her. Providing leadership in the face of increasing uncertainty and despair, Egwene’s 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.

Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time® by Robert Jordan has captivated millions of readers around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters. The last six books in series were all instant #1 New York Times bestsellers, and The Eye of the World was named one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read.

The Wheel of Time®
New Spring: The Novel
#1 The Eye of the World
#2 The Great Hunt
#3 The Dragon Reborn
#4 The Shadow Rising
#5 The Fires of Heaven
#6 Lord of Chaos
#7 A Crown of Swords
#8 The Path of Daggers
#9 Winter's Heart
#10 Crossroads of Twilight
#11 Knife of Dreams

By Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
#12 The Gathering Storm
#13 Towers of Midnight
#14 A Memory of Light

By Robert Jordan and Teresa Patterson
The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

By Robert Jordan, Harriet McDougal, Alan Romanczuk, and Maria Simons
The Wheel of Time Companion

By Robert Jordan and Amy Romanczuk
Patterns of the Wheel: Coloring Art Based on Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

Critic reviews

“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

The Best Yet!!!!

Kudos to Brandon Sanderson for doing a superb job of pulling Robert Jordan's work together. The book moves along much faster than the previous 11 books in the series. As for the narration, if you've listened on audio to any of the previous Wheel of Time books there's nothing to worry about!!! The narrator's do just fine. By the time you're done with this book you'll feel as if the characters and story-lines are coming back together to make an epic conclusion. Worth every penny!!

British accents?

Loved the story but what is up with the random British accents? They popped up out of no where this book and came to be a bit annoying.

Slow start, but worth the wait

For the first quarter or the book, I had a sick feeling in my stomach - nothing seemed to be happening, I was losing interest. I realize that some of what was happening now was build-up for the rest of the book, but much of it still seemed overstated and contrived. (e.g. Aviendha's rise to wise one, Ituralde's part, and of course anything to do with Cadsuane - ok maybe thats too harsh but who likes Cadsuane???)

But, then the book rapidly began "happening". From Egwene's fight to survive, to Mat's battles with the pattern, and Rand's struggle to hold onto sanity, it was certainly a ride to the end. The sheer amount of action and events that were initiated AND resolved is certainly much more than any other RJ book in a long while. Though I still think RJ is the better writer (believe it or not, I am one of the few who like how he describes every detail of the world he creates), BS is obviously a passionate and deserving author to finish this series. Highly recommended, as long as you are patient at the start.

Great book - narration, not so much

This was all that I expected from the reviews I'd read in terms of tying up loose ends, and moving at a better pace with substantially less repetition. However, as much as I adore Kate Reading in her narration of Jane Austen, she was not the right choice for this book. Even less so, Michael Kramer - a voice far to old for Rand etc., and very inexpressive when not 'playing' a character. Tolerated the narration only on account of enjoying the books content and my curiosity. Will NOT purchase any others of the series as these narrators would drive me around the bend.

The first Sanderson book

After the passing of Robert Jordan, a perfect choice was made to have Brandon Sanderson finish this series. What might have been one last book, is delivered as three mighty final books all coming in around 40 hour listens. A major difference from the previous novels is the pacing of the stories, with no time to spare for drawn out story arcs. The plots move quickly with Sanderson tying up as many loose ends as possible with the passing of every chapter.

I know Robert Jordan left behind thorough notes and a complete outline of these last books. Interestingly, he also had completed certain portions before his passing, which I feel come through clearly when the story pacing suddenly slows dramatically and scenes become much more drawn out. I find myself not certain if I prefer Sanderson’s masterful yet to the point scenes or Jordan’s attention to detail but drawn out plots. I’ll be finishing the series with the next two books and feel certain I’ll know the answer by that point.