After a twenty-two year wait, the end is finally at hand. Such is made clear immediately on listening to By Grace and Banners Fallen, the prologue to A Memory of Light.

In characteristic fashion, the prologue offers a bird's-eye view of the state of affairs in Randland on the eve of the Last Battle, from Wise Ones' sweat tents to the Black Tower, from the streets of a forsaken city to a Forsaken colloquy in the World of Dreams. Less characteristically, however, the prologue adopts a single scene as its central pillar, to which we return with every second viewpoint shift, concluding with a bang that will make the wait to January all the more agonizing.

Veteran Wheel of Time readers Michael Kramer and Kate Reading return and deliver characteristically inspired performances. Kramer puts his dramatic flare on full display in the recurring central scene, leaving us to pine for the action and accompanying narration to come.

If you have yet to experience the Wheel of Time in audiobook form, the price of the prologue - $2.99 - makes this an ideal place to start.

Bring on the Last Battle!