The Wheel of Time turns...

New member! Feeling free to introduce myself (Hi, I'm me, female of twenty-two currently residing in Oslo...) and answer the pretty questions. See below.


1. How far have you read in the series, and which is your favorite book?

I've read them all, and now I'm working my way through the audio books, currenty on #7. Very dangerous things, audio books. Practical, cause I can "read" while doing other things, like cleaning or cooking, but dangerous... because I never seem to stop.


2. Does the WoT take place before our time, after our time, or not in this universe?

Answer me that and I'll be a happy girl.


3. If you're a girl, which Ajah would you choose if you were Aes Sedai?

I'd say Brown, cause I'm a sucker for learning and knowledge and love to weave theories. I'd say Green, cause I spent time in the Air Force. I'd say Yellow, cause I'm a veterinary student.

But all in all, I'll have to go with Brown.


4. Who is your favorite amongst the Forsaken?

Moghedien. Knowing the fear in her makes such a contrast to "her name has been used to frighten little children into obedience". Contrast is nice.


5. Robert Jordan admits that much story background is taken from tales of King Arthur and from Lord of the Rings. What similarities have you noticed, and do they add or detract from the story?

Old wise man full of surprises. Thom Merrilin... Merrilin = Merlin? I remember falsely reading his name as Merlin when I first got the books.


6. Which character do you think you most resemble (intellectually and/or physically)?

Verin, intellectually, though I'm a bit younger and a bit flightier. Physically, I couldn't say.


7. What one Talent would you like to posess?

To speak to animals.

Or to "smell" the book I need in a library.


8. Anything else you'd like to share?

"If you must mount the gallows, give a jest to the crowd, a coin to the hangman, and make the drop with a smile on your lips." - Birgitte

I copied this verbatum from dragonmount.com

Tor Books has announced that Brandon Sanderson has been selected to completeA MEMORY OF LIGHT, the final novel in the Wheel of Time saga. Here is the official press release:

Tor announces that the final novel in bestselling Robert Jordan’s legendary Wheel of Time® fantasy series will be completed by author Brandon Sanderson.
New York, NY: Friday, December 7, 2007

Tor Books announced today that novelist Brandon Sanderson has been chosen to finish the final novel in Robert Jordan’s bestselling Wheel of Time fantasy series. Robert Jordan, one of the greatest storytellers of the 20th and early 21st centuries, died September 16th after a courageous battle with the rare blood disease amyloidosis.

The new novel, A MEMORY OF LIGHT, will be the twelfth and final book in the beloved fantasy series which has sold over 14 million copies in North America and over 30 million copies worldwide. The last four books in the series were all #1 New York Times bestsellers, and for over a decade fans have been eagerly awaiting the final novel that would bring the epic story to its conclusion.

Harriet Popham Rigney, Jordan’s beloved wife and editor, said of her decision to have Sanderson complete the last book in The Wheel of Time series: “I have chosen Brandon Sanderson to complete Robert Jordan’s great work, and I am absolutely delighted that he accepted. I will of course be editing this book as I have all of the other books of The Wheel of Time.”

President and Publisher of Tor Books, Tom Doherty, also expressed his happiness with Harriet’s decision, saying: “I am delighted that Harriet has chosen Brandon to complete Robert Jordan’s magnificent and timeless epic.”

It is the perfect match for Sanderson, who gratefully acknowledges the role Jordan played as an inspiration to him as a writer. In the tribute piece “Goodbye Mr. Jordan,” posted on his blog, Sanderson writes to Jordan: “Personally, I feel indebted to you. You showed me what it was to have vision and scope in a fantasy series–you showed me what could be done. I still believe that without your success, many younger authors like myself would never have had a chance at publishing their dreams. You go quietly, but leave us trembling.”

Like Jordan, Sanderson was an avid reader and writer from an early age. His debut novel, Elantris, was an unagented gem discovered after Sanderson, then a college student writing during his late night shift at a local hotel, approached Tor editor Moshe Feder at a fantasy convention. Several months later, after reading the manuscript and deciding he had to have it, Feder tried to find the author, who had since moved. Using the internet, he tracked down Sanderson through a campus directory—and the rest is history.

Sanderson has since gone on to establish a loyal fan base as the author of three critically acclaimed fantasy novels: Elantris, Mistborn, and The Well of Ascension, as well as a YA novel, Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians. Publishing trade magazines Publishers Weekly and Library Journal gave Elantris starred reviews and it was the winner of the Romantic Times Award for best epic fantasy. The Washington Post also praised Sanderson for his creation of “a fascinating world” in Mistborn.

Sanderson will have large shoes to fill in his role bringing A MEMORY OF LIGHT to publication but will work very closely with Jordan’s longtime editor, Harriet Rigney, to be sure that the writing stays true to Jordan’s voice. Jordan himself worked on the novel almost daily for the last few months of his life and according to Harriet: “Some scenes were completed by Robert Jordan, and some exist in draft form; he left copious notes and hours of audio recordings.”

Jordan had known the ending of the series for a long time and, according to a blog posting by his cousin, Wilson W. Grooms, Jr., on the popular Jordan fan site www.dragonmount.com, Jordan had a few months ago revealed secret details about the end of the series to close members of his family which he had never discussed before. Grooms wrote: “During a recent family sit around, he [Jordan] became the Gleeman and told the bones of it ALL to Harriet and me. You read that right, I did say ALL. Don’t ask, ain’t telling. Two and a half hours of story telling by the Creator himself went by in the twinkling of an eye.”

Sanderson knows that fans are very anxious to read the last novel in The Wheel of Time series and says, “I’m both extremely excited and daunted by this opportunity. There is only one man who could have done this book the way it deserved to be written, and we lost him in September. However, I promise to do my very best to remain true to Mr. Jordan’s vision and produce the book we have all been waiting to read.”

At a recent Toastmaster’s address at the World Fantasy Con this past November, author Guy Gavriel Kay saluted Jordan’s enduring legacy, stating that his “impact on the place of fantasy in the culture is colossal.”

Jordan has also often been referred to as Tolkien’s heir and in an article about The Wheel of Time series, The New York Times lauded Jordan for his extraordinary story-telling ability: “The books’ battle scenes have the breathless urgency of firsthand experience, and the ambiguities in these novels—the evil laced into the forces of good, the dangers latent in any promised salvation, the sense of the unavoidable onslaught of unpredictable events—bear the marks of American national experience during the last three decades, just as the experience of the First World War and its aftermath gave its imprint to Tolkien’s work.”

John Clute said of Jordan’s magnum opus, “when complete, the sequence will almost certainly constitute one of the major epic narratives of modern fantasy.”

Now Brandon Sanderson has signed on to complete A MEMORY OF LIGHT, with scheduled delivery of the manuscript in December 2008 and a planned publication date of Fall 2009. “The Wheel of Time turns and ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow. Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time…”

Does anyone know when Book 12 will be out?  I've started reading the Recluce Saga by L.E. Modesitt (spelling?), but it just isn't the same.  :(

Just wanted to share an email I got:

If you've been itching to tell your own Wheel of Time story, here's your chance to do so - and snag yourself an Amazon gift certificate in the bargain. Moiraine's World is having a fanfiction contest - the only restrictions are that it should be original fanfic, based on a character already established in the series, and be set in the Wheel of Time universe at any Age.

Submissions may be one-shot stories or a series, but must be submitted in completed form. There are no rating restrictions. If this tickles your fancy, detailed contest information is found here.

Because there just isn't enough Wheel of Time...

wot_rants for all your pet peeves about Wheel of Time, positive or otherwise. Enjoy!

Hi.

I needed to post something happy, so here I am.

1. How far have you read in the series, and which is your favorite book?
All of them. Several times. Favorite book....I liked Lord of Chaos, but the Shadow Rising probably tops the list.

2. Does the WoT take place before our time, after our time, or not in this universe?
Either before or after...doesn't really matter, the connections to our universe are the only things that do.

3(a). If you're a girl, which Ajah would you choose if you were Aes Sedai?
Eh heh. Maybe Green. Or White.

4. Who is your favorite amongst the Forsaken?
In this order, top five: Asmodean, Semirhage, Mesaana, Graendal, and...yeah.

6. Which character do you think you most resemble (intellectually and/or physically)?
Hmmm...physically, probably Min. Intellectually? Rand. Definitely.

Anyway...yeah. Friend me if you so desire.

Oh, and I'm making a Wheel of Time playlist for pairings/scenes. Any suggestions from anybody are welcome. Is welcome? Never mind. I'm tired.

I'm going to go sleep now.

Great collection! I just don't have room anymore :(

WOT

I finished Winter's Heart yesterday - and now have to wait until payday (Friday) to order the next book.

Ugh - to have left it there...without telling us what was going on with that group of people....and what the consequences were of doing that.....

*whines*   Man.......

Hello! I started a reread of the series this week, and thought I'd look for WoT fans on Livejournal. :)

1. How far have you read in the series, and which is your favorite book?
I've read everything published, so up until Knife of Dreams; I think my favorite is either The Shadow Rising or Winter's Heart.

2. Does the WoT take place before our time, after our time, or not in this universe?
I don't personally believe in reincarnation or in cyclic time, so for me the question is non-answerable; but if I did, I'd have to say the WoT takes place after our current time (though it would then be before this Age were this Age to come again) - the proof here for me is the allusions to the moon landings and to the Cold War.

3(a). If you're a girl, which Ajah would you choose if you were Aes Sedai?
I'd almost certainly be Brown, though I don't know if they'd accept me. Maybe, maybe Gray or Blue. (Though, I'd rather not be Aes Sedai - I'd much rather be a wilder, a Wise One, or a Windfinder if I had to be able to channel.)

4. Who is your favorite amongst the Forsaken?
Asmodean, easily. He was tempted to evil by the prospect of composing music forever!

5. Robert Jordan admits that much story background is taken from tales of King Arthur and from Lord of the Rings. What similarities have you noticed, and do they add or detract from the story?
I'm not very familiar with the first, and read through the second only once, so I didn't notice any before the WoTFAQ pointed them out.

6. Which character do you think you most resemble (intellectually and/or physically)?
My fiance thinks I resemble Faile. I'm not sure if this is a compliment. ;)
I'm not really sure who I might resemble.

7. What one Talent would you like to possess?
I actually think all of them would be more trouble than they're worth, but I suppose I'd go with being able to "smell" evil.