Let’s rank all 14 books in The Wheel of Time series

7. Towers of Midnight, Book 13 of The Wheel of Time

By the second-to-last book in the series, readers should be comfortable with Sanderson’s style, meaning he can lean into the story more.

As Sanderson has aid, the actual plot comes mostly from Jordan, although Sanderson is the one giving it shape with his words. “Imagine the book as a product of a new director working on some of the scenes of a movie while retaining the same actors and scripts,” he once explained. And he’s done an exceptional job, kicking things into overdrive as the end looms near. He effortlessly synthesizes the plot while bringing long-overdue character growth to a number of the main players.

Sanderson sets the stage for Towers of Midnight in his previous volume. Black clouds roll through the skies as the Dark One’s lays his taint upon the land. Skirmishes rage along the Borderlands as trollocs surge out of the Blight in horrifying numbers. The persistent Black Ajah cannot be ousted. All of these builds into an incredible story that shows us a side of Rand readers hadn’t seen for a long time.

With this books, Sanderson proves that Jordan’s fantasy legacy couldn’t be in better hands. He brings a much-needed spark to The Wheel of Time series while retaining Jordan’s original vision.