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New Wheel of Time Book — Chapter One Online, Released Oct 27
Tor Books has made the first chapter of the latest Wheel of Time book available to readers for free via their website. This is the first book to have work from Robert Jordan's replacement, Brandon Sanderson, since Jordan died in September of 2007. The Gathering Storm is complete and will be released on October 27th of this year. In addition, the prologue to this book will be available in e-book format on October 17th for $2.99. The whole of the Wheel of Time series will also be released as e-books with several of the books receiving new cover art as well.
Update: 09/07 23:42 GMT by KD : Reader Daniel Benamy points out that the correct release date for the prologue e-book is September 17.
Update: 09/07 23:42 GMT by KD : Reader Daniel Benamy points out that the correct release date for the prologue e-book is September 17.
It might even make sense, but Jordan was just about the shittiest successful author I ever read.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
Not really...
Robert Jordan pretty much up and died in the middle of finishing his last book In Memory of Light. Leaving his family, publisher, and fans pretty much hanging. The recently got Brandon Sanderson to finish up the work; a very good author btw (see Elantris and the Mistborn series) who pretty much churned out part 1 of 3 in a year off of Jordan's notes. He was originally contracted to do 1 book but found it impossible due to how many threads were left open. I for one, am happy to see a good author finishing up this series in the original author's spirit (and with his family's blessing). So, as a fan I have to say fuck you for trolling.
I read the first 3 or 4 books thinking "This just has to start getting cool soon. It's got too much cool potential not to".
Silly me.
I think the only reason the later volumes even sold was because people didn't want to admit to themselves that they'd been persuaded to waste the time and money on the earlier ones.
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
That's one take on it. The other is to give the faithful readers of the series a much needed conclusion to a story. When Wheel was introduced, it was touted as book 1 of a 9 part series. The first few books were fantastic. Then Jordan decided to stretch out the series so as not to kill his money maker. Book 13 came and went with no conclusion to the story in sight, and Jordan seemed to be milking descriptions of everything in his world for all they were worth in order to extend the series. Unfortunately, he then became ill and died. It's a tragedy for his family. But it's also a loss to millions of fans of his who are left with a story they have invested a lot of time and money in, with no conclusion or closure. I, as a reader, would welcome a competent author, going by Jordan's writing and notes, completing the series.
Except that unlike Brian Herbert, the only actual story that Christopher Tolkien wrote was the chapter in the Silmarillion was The Fall of Doriath, because his father had only in fact written one version of that story, but in the earliest phase of the mythology, and it was entirely incompatible with the later variants. The entire History of Middle Earth series is JRRT's own writings, with Christopher Tolkien's essays and notes trying to clarify and relate various versions of his father's ever changing and rarely completed versions of the Silmarillion. CJRT apparently regretted his interference, though, after having read the History of Middle Earth series, the only alternative to rewriting the chapter was not to have released a published version of the Silmarillion.
I wish Brian Herbert would have just released the notes that his father had written about the Dune backstory and the sequel to the final Dune books. Instead he released just awfully-written trash (Brian Herbert ain't no Frank Herbert).
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
This is not whoredom, this is blessed relief. I gave up on the series when I realized that the book I'd just read took 700 pages to get through... 45 minutes of real time? Or maybe it was a day, it's all lost in haze.
But anyone who's stuck to the series through however godawful books there are /needs/ an ending. They deserve an ending. I can't fault Tor here at all, they've done what they could.
I also don't envy Brandon Sanderson, having to slog through all of Jordan's books and notes and trying to make sense of it all and knowing it's probably a thankless job and the fans are going to hate you anyhow. The irony here is that Sanderson may be able to pull off something that Jordan himself would never have been able to pull off - actually ending the thing. You could see the Wheel of Time books as Zeno's Paradox in action. If with each book you only go half as far because you're cramming in twice as much detail, you will never reach the end. And I'm not sure Jordan ever would have been able to.
I recommend reading the first three. When Rand kills Ba'alzamon, stop. Just stop. Rand thinks Ba'alzamon was the Dark One, so should you. Whatever you do, don't read the next chapter, or you will have to go through ten increasingly poor books just to reach the end of the plot.
I don't know what the problem is. Something happens almost every 200 pages.
My experience was similar, but somewhat different. I actually really enjoyed the first three or four books, but after that it just started to drag. He'd introduce new character after new character and then spend hundreds of pages trying (and usually failing) to make me give a damn about them. Then, from that point on, you'd have yet another interruption to the main story line to deal with before you ever got back to it.
I quit somewhere around book six. It just got to be too much. The fact that there has since been *five* more books and they're still not done, with these last three still on the ledger, convinces me I was right to do that. In fact, the fact that Sanderson couldn't even wrap up all these damn sub-characters' plots in one book is telling enough that Jordan never stopped that nonsense and got to the point.
Still, I dragged myself through at least one book or so before I just couldn't take it anymore, and you're right about the reason: When books weigh in at 700-1000 pages and you're already 4-5 deep, there's a powerful incentive to keep plodding along to the end.
On a semi-related note, Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy I found to be very good. They picked a good author to continue the work, and if not for all this Wheel of Time stuff I probably wouldn't have found him. So I guess some good came of it at least.
The fact that there has since been *five* more books and they're still not done, with these last three still on the ledger, convinces me I was right to do that.
So a series is automatically bad if it is unfinished at the end of book eleven? I must say, that notion seems quite ridiculous to me.
(Disclaimer: I've read the Wheel of Time series four times. I've read other almost-equally-lengthy series as well. IMO, length doesn't make a series bad, poor writing makes a series bad. RJ's writing style is not for everyone, but it works for me; apparently it doesn't work for you.)
On a semi-related note, Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy I found to be very good.
Agreed. I would also recommend Warbreaker (available online as a free PDF, or you can get it in hardcover) and Elantris. If you have kids or youngish siblings, Sanderson also writes a children's series that I've heard good things about.
If you think *that* is fantastic, you must have a very shallow knowledge of fantasy.
Gosh, gee-wilikers, I wish I had such an in-depth knowledge of fantasy as you. Piss off. If you have a different taste in books that's fine. If I happen to like something you don't, that's fine too.
since when is expanding a world to make it have more content and be more vivid a bad thing?
The goal is not to close up the series as quickly as possible, but to make it an interesting read.
When did I EVER say expanding a world to make it more vivid was a bad thing? I didn't. It simply shouldn't be done at expense of the telling of a story you started.
Tolkien didn't go off track in the LOTR and insert 7 books between The Two Towers and The Return of The King because he wanted to describe intricacies of how Galadriel liked to play with here hair or the affair her blacksmith was having with some maiden. Or give the entire histories of the Silmarillion in there. He tried to keep to the story and complete it. He gave enough details to flesh out the world, but didn't let himself get distracted entirely by them. Further materials to further detail his universe could be published separately, or as part of another set of stories as appropriate.
L Ron Hubbard was the most successful shitty author ever. If you have ever voluntarily decided to torture yourself and you get tired of ripping fishhooks through your testicles, you can read his series.
I quite enjoyed James Rigney's writing style, and I thought his approach to Conan was well done. I have a lot of respect for him. He is a genuine hero and deserves props for his service, with a distinguished service cross and a bronze star acquired during two tours in Vietnam.
He also deserves props for having graduated with a bachelors in Physics, a degree plan which is definitely not for the faint of heart.
As to his Wheel of Time series, I found it to be highly entertaining and involving. His characters have a depth to them, and he allows those characters to act according to their strengths and weaknesses, even if it having them act in a different manner would make it easier to advance the plot. If a character is scared to death of heights, he isn't going to cross over a tightrope, even if that were the smart thing for the character to do. The character freezes, and gets caught.
The world he created was immense, and one could write hundreds of books inside that world. The mechanics of the world are reasonably consistent, providing an even backdrop to the heroes and the villians.
His book was also only one of two books that have ever made me physically react while reading. Stephen King's IT actually made me jump in a chair while reading it, and Robert Jordan made me so mad at one of the characters I jumped up, screamed curses, and threw the book across the room.
While his writing style is not for everyone, those of us who find it enjoyable are overjoyed that Brandon Sanderson will, with the help of Jordan's widow and his notes, finish the series. James Rigney worked as hard as he could the last month or two of his life to get as much information down for the next author to continue his work and finish the series. I for one, can't wait for it.
who prays for Satan? Who in 18 centuries has had the humanity to pray for the 1 sinner that needed it most? ~Mark Twain
Why would it upset you if the series go to book 20 if every one of them is good? Is it because you no longer like the book and just have to "finish" it? If so, why not just consider the last book you read as "finished" and move on? I did that with the Sword of Truth series, I just stopped after book 6 or 7 and never bothered the rest.
Can't speak for the rest of the universe, but for me the big issue is that Jordan lost track of what the series was about - there's so many sub-plots, and new characters, and little side quests, that you can go through an entire book and the main plot didn't advance at all.
I'd be happier if some of the little side plots were moved to their own books, so that the main plot could, ya know, advance
The only female character I had a problem with was Elayne; at some point, my feelings about her side of the story came down to, "Someone either give her the damned throne, or kill her. I don't care anymore, I just want this part to stop."
Other than that, I'd say the books were mostly good.
Learning about brewing beer, by brewing beer.