Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson “The Gathering Storm” | Books

In 2020, Azbuka began reprinting The Wheel of Time, and since then the cycle has gained There are many new admirers in our area. And finally it came to the first of three novels that have never been published in Russian before. They are also the volumes of the series that Brandon Sanderson wrote based on the plans and drafts of Robert Jordan.

Today Sanderson is widely regarded as a fantasy superstar, but at the time of The Gathering Storm’s release he was known only as a young author with a knack for creating original worlds. It was “The Gathering Storm” that was supposed to show whether the not-too-experienced Sanderson could cope with the responsibility entrusted to him. shoulders. The burden was all the heavier because numerous fans of the series were waiting for the book.

While writing the novel, Sanderson faced two key tasks: partly contradictory to each other. On the one hand, it was necessary to imitate the style Jordan to make The Gathering Storm feel like a true continuation of the series. And Robert Jordan, especially in his later novels, had a penchant—many would say excessive—for leisurely writing, detailed descriptions, and immersion in the inner world of characters.

On the other hand, readers were waiting for the ending of The Wheel of Time, and in order to get closer to it, Sanderson needed to give events an impetus – after all, in several previous volumes the plot moved very slowly. Sanderson was able to cope with both tasks, which suggests his remarkable literary skill, as well as a good understanding of the cycle with which he started working. Carefully reproducing Jordan’s style, Sanderson focused on two key threads for the development of the main story.

There are plenty of character-narrators in The Gathering Storm, which allows the author to show what is happening in different regions of the world and maintain a sense of epicness. But the main focus of the book is what happens to Egwene and Rand. Egwene in the novel launches vigorous activity to regain power over Aes Sedai, putting together from the fragments of the order a force that can play a key role in the approaching Last Battle.

There is not a hint of haste in the way Sanderson writes, but there is a very strong sense of and especially in Egwene’s line, that the writer tries to move the plot forward with each chapter. The parts dedicated to Rand also turned out to be eventful – there will be big politics and a mortal battle with one of the Forsaken, which will help the Reborn Dragon master a new source of power. But perhaps more interesting is how Sanderson shows the evolution of Rand’s character – he decides to disassociate himself from all emotions, turning himself into a kind of living weapon. It is easy for the reader to understand that this is a disastrous path for the hero, and it is all the more interesting to see how far he will go and whether he will turn away from it. It is this work with the character of Rand that can perhaps be called the strongest component of The Gathering Storm.

You all say that I have become too rigid, that I will inevitably break if I continue in the same spirit. But you assume that something will have to remain in me in order to continue on my path. That I would have to go down the mountain after I got to the top. Here’s the answer, Nynaeve. Everything is clear to me now. I can’t survive what’s happening, so there’s no need to worry about what might happen to me after the Last Battle.

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