Towers of Midnight
Three leaders converge as destiny tightens; the shadow waits, and the Last Battle draws near.
Towers of Midnight serves as the thirteenth volume in Robert Jordan’s epic fantasy series, completed by Brandon Sanderson following Jordan’s passing. Acting as a critical bridge toward the finale, this installment resolves lingering cliffhangers from The Gathering Storm while setting the stage for the Last Battle. Renowned for weaving dozens of plotlines, it brings major characters to their breaking points before the armies converge at Merrilor and the final confrontation at Thakan'dar.
- Author
- Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson
- Release Year
- 2010
- Series Position
- Book 13 of 14
- Key Protagonists
- Rand al'Thor, Perrin Aybara, Egwene al'Vere
- Major Antagonist
- The Forsaken (specifically Mesaana and Moridin)
- Central Location
- Tel'aran'rhiod & The Field of Merrilor
Lore & Background
This volume is defined by the convergence of three distinct leadership struggles. Egwene al'Vere faces her most dangerous challenge yet within the White Tower, navigating a civil war between loyalists and rebels while uncovering the deep corruption of the Forsaken Mesaana hidden in the Amyrlin's own circle. Simultaneously, Perrin Aybara leads his massive army through the Shadow-touched lands of the Two Rivers, battling the Trolloc hordes and confronting his own dark destiny as he seeks to rescue his wife from the grasp of Slayer. Meanwhile, Rand al'Thor, having reached a state of near-omnipotent power, struggles with the psychological toll of his isolation and the burden of healing the world's fractured land.
In Their Own Story
The narrative fractures into three distinct struggles before merging toward the Last Battle. Perrin Aybara returns to a Shadow-touched Two Rivers, battling Trolloc hordes and the Gholam while hunting Slayer across both waking lands and Tel'aran'rhiod to rescue Faile. Simultaneously, Egwene al'Vere wages war within the White Tower itself, using dreamwalking to expose the Forsaken Mesaana hidden in her circle, ending the Aes Sedai civil war at immense personal risk. Meanwhile, Rand al'Thor gathers nations at the Field of Merrilor for a historic treaty before undertaking the perilous cleansing of saidin—removing the taint that has driven men mad since the Breaking—leaving him scarred but ready for the final hour.
Reader's Guide
The narrative splits into three primary threads that eventually converge toward the Last Battle. Egwene al'Vere executes a daring plan within Tel'aran'rhiod to expose and defeat Mesaana, effectively ending the White Tower schism but at a great personal cost. She reclaims her authority as Amyrlin Seat, uniting the Aes Sedai for the coming war.
Perrin Aybara leads a massive rescue mission into the Two Rivers, which has been overrun by Shadowspawn. He confronts Slayer in a duel that spans both the waking world and the dream realm, ultimately defeating his nemesis and liberating his wife, Faile, from captivity. This victory allows him to unite the Two Rivers under his banner.
Rand al'Thor travels to the Field of Merrilor to forge a historic treaty between the nations of the Westlands and the Aiel, preparing them for the Last Battle. He performs the act of cleansing saidin completely, removing the taint that has driven men mad since the Breaking, though this leaves him physically scarred and mentally exhausted. The book concludes with the armies gathering, signaling the end of preparation and the imminent start of the final conflict.
Did You Know?
- The title references a vision Rand experiences involving towers shrouded in darkness.
- This is the second novel Brandon Sanderson completed using Robert Jordan’s notes following The Gathering Storm.
- Egwene’s victory over Mesaana definitively ends the schism within the White Tower.
- Rand cleanses saidin by linking with two sa'angreal and channeling through Nynaeve, Elayne, and Egwene to draw out the taint.