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''The Gathering Storm'' is the 12th book of the fantasy series ''The Wheel of Time''. It was incomplete when its author, Robert Jordan, died on September 16, 2007, from cardiac amyloidosis. His widow Harriet McDougal and publisher Tom Doherty chose Brandon Sanderson to continue the book after Jordan's death. Jordan originally intended to finish the series in a single volume titled ''A Memory of Light'', but when Sanderson began writing the book it became clear a split was required as it was believed a single volume would be too large to print. The expected final book was then split into three volumes: ''The Gathering Storm'', ''Towers of Midnight'', and ''A Memory of Light''. The books would be published a year apart with the first volume, ''The Gathering Storm'', published on October 27, 2009; a week earlier than originally announced. Upon its release, it immediately rose to the No. 1 position on the ''The New York Times'' hardcover fiction Best Seller list, making it the fifth consecutive ''Wheel of Time'' book to achieve this feat. The three books will together encompass what can be considered Jordan's final vision of the series. In the foreword, Sanderson states that they can be thought of as "the three volumes of ''A Memory of Light'' or as the final three books of The Wheel of Time. Both are correct." He also comments on the differing writing style, suggesting that it could be compared to different film directors directing the same script.〔Sanderson, "Foreword" ''The Gathering Storm'', pp. 5–6.〕 ''The Gathering Storm'' consists of a prologue, 50 chapters, and an epilogue. ==Plot summary== The series' storyline has been leading up to the "Last Battle" (Tarmon Gai'don)—a fight between the forces of Light and Shadow. According to prophecy in the series the primary protagonist Rand al'Thor, as the Dragon Reborn, will "fight the ()", and must be present for the forces of Light to have a chance at winning and stopping the being known as the Dark One, the primary antagonist, from escaping his prison.〔Jordan, Patterson, ''The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time'', p. 60.〕〔Jordan, Patterson, ''The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time'', pp. 415–417.〕 ''The Gathering Storm'' follows many plot threads but focuses on two characters, Rand al'Thor and Egwene al'Vere. While it follows al'Thor's attempts to unite and rally the world's forces for the Last Battle, it also addresses his struggle with his sanity, caused by the corruption of his mind from the use of the male half of the One Power. The unification of the White Tower, the headquarters of the female users of the One Power known as Aes Sedai, is addressed from al'Vere's perspective, as well as the exposure of the Black Ajah, a secretive and opposing faction within the story.〔Jordan, Sanderson, ''The Gathering Storm''.〕 While the stories of other main characters such as Perrin Aybara and Mat Cauthon are briefly touched upon, they have little bearing on the main plot line. Some main characters such as Elayne Trakand and Lan Mandragoran do not appear at all, but are referred to. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Gathering Storm (novel)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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