Does Towers of Midnight take place at the same time as The Gathering Storm?

Largely yes. The two books run parallel in time, following different groups of characters. Sanderson structured them this way to keep the Wheel of Time's traditional multi-strand narrative intact rather than forcing all storylines into a single chronological order.

Whose storylines does this book focus on?

Perrin Aybara and Matrim Cauthon take the primary spotlight, with Perrin's storyline receiving its most extended treatment in the series and Mat leading his most anticipated rescue mission.

What is the Tower of Ghenjei and why does Mat go there?

The Tower of Ghenjei is an other-worldly prison where Mat's friends Moiraine and Thom are captive. Mat carries an oath to rescue them, and the mission drives one of the book's major plotlines.

Is Towers of Midnight a good starting point for the series?

No — it is book 13 of a 14-book series. The entire series should be read in order beginning with The Eye of the World.

How long is Towers of Midnight?

The US hardcover runs approximately 843 pages — the shortest of the three Sanderson completion volumes.

Towers of Midnight

Epic Fantasy Fantasy

Pages: 865
Published: 2010
Language: English

Synopsis

The penultimate Wheel of Time volume — the second of Sanderson's three completion books — runs parallel in time to The Gathering Storm, focusing primarily on Perrin Aybara and Matrim Cauthon. Perrin, with his wife Faile recovered, must forge an alliance of unlikely parties to face the Last Battle, while Mat leads an audacious rescue into the Tower of Ghenjei.

Egwene, now fully established as Amyrlin, works to rebuild the White Tower's alliances and confront a new threat from within. Towers of Midnight is widely considered the most Wheel of Time-paced of the three completion books, with the character dynamics and plotline convergences that Jordan's readers had been awaiting across multiple volumes.