A Memory of Light is an epic fantasy novel by American author James Oliver Rigney, famously known as Robert Jordan, and Brandon Sanderson. It is the final novel in the popular Wheel of Time series, which consists of 14 titles. Published by Tor Fantasy and Orbit books in 2013, the novel was preceded by Towers of Midnight. The cover art was designed by Michael Whelan and features Rand Al'Thor with a Callandor in hand.
Originally scheduled for release in 2012, the novel faced numerous delays, which caused a major uproar among fans and critics alike. The book was initially not finished due to Jordan's untimely death in 2007. However, the publishing company and Jordan's wife chose Brandon Sanderson to finish the book and published it posthumously.
Jordan had initially written the novel as a single title, but the publishers made the decision to split it into three titles because the manuscript was too large to be a single title. The final three titles became; The Gathering Storm, Towers of Midnight, and A Memory of Light.
Tor Fantasy and Orbit books faced backlash from the public over the delay of publishing the e-book version. The delay was attributed to the fact that Jordan's wife did not authorize the e-book release because she felt that it might undermine the success of the final title of a long series that determined her husband's legacy. She later clarified that the decision was made purely to give traditional bookstores a lifeline at a time when physical book sales were on the decline and most bookstores were closing down due to unrivalled competition from e-books.
