RJ was set on it being one book hoping he could finish it before he died - Edit 1
Before modification by Jim at 25/11/2010 05:45:18 PM
It's easy to blame the one who isn't the original author, right? But y'know, tGS and ToM (and AMoL) were all planned by the UNTOUCHABLE Jordan himself. so yeah ...
I think the fact Robert Jordan insisted on on AMoL being one volume, and Sanderson has decided to split it into three more or less tells you all you need to know about the respect held for Jordans vision on the conclusion of the series.
This leads me to believe that massive departures are being made from what was originally intended. I may of course be wrong, and I do respect the fact that Sanderson is doing his best with a world full of characters that he did not create. He is also at swim, trying to match Jordans writing style.