Sad bit of news as Robert Jordan, author of the Wheel of Time fantasy series succumbed to a rare blood disease (primary amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy.) Funny (not haha) considering I'd been discussing his series at Sake White not so long ago, a series in which both my father and I had taken to during it's early installments though I'd, admittedly, grown tired of it's seemingly endless plot by book 7 or so and decided to wait until the entire series had reached completion before I picked it up again.
My criticism aside, Jordan seemed to take on the spirit of Tolkien in his WoT series (an observation my father has made in both a positive and accusatory sense) with his tireless exploration of each characters emotional, intellectual and philosophical definition and his complex and definitive analysis of the world he created. It's one thing to tell a story, quite another to create a convincing historical account of people and events whose only true existence are restricted to the vast expanses of his and our own imaginations.
11 years ago
7 comments:
I am now officially bummed out. I've been reading the Wheel of Time since college and long winded as it is, the characters live and breathe in a fantastic world. He'll be missed by his family, friends and legions of fans.
Looking back at the post on his blog previous to the announcement of his passing, they may have realized things were not truly going to turn out for the best. I wonder what will be done with the final volume of the Wheel of Time. It seems he did share the conclusion of the series with those closest to him.
You're very kind Soob, to set aside your criticism ; )
Arherring, Tolkien published "beyond the grave" as it were. Perhaps Jordan will as well? Though the "purity" of book twelve will always be in question for the uber fans.
ymarsakar, yep that's me, a fountain of empathy and kindness.:)
I stopped reading the series after book six. How many are there, now?
I had grown a little bored with it, plus something else must have distracted me. Perhaps it was the long wait between books, with the sense that they would go on forever? ( --Guess not!) I very much liked the first 2 or three, and curiosity still carried me through book 6; and then, that was it.
Guess he should have written a shorter series. You got the feeling (or I did) that he didn't feel he had another shot at excellence and just kept plugging away. Stringing people along. Staying in the spotlight.
Ok. So call me cynical.
If he had laid out the last elements of the series then perhaps it would be possible to finish the final book. I believe his wife works for his publisher and was also his editor so it might be even likely.
He also had ideas for a couple of other companion novels (like New Spring) that might be taken up by other Fantasy/Fiction writers to continue the franchise; Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time: (Title) by David Farland / Geroge R.R. Martin / [insert author here].
Curtis,
I actually liked the last couple of books the best. The main characters have reached or are about to reach the pinnacle of their powers and are positioning for the Last Battle. Also, plot threads were wrapping up and all that foreshadowing was finally becoming clear.
In comparison to Firestaff, I chose it over WoT after around WoT book 5-7.
Firestaff and Pyrosian chronicles are available for free on the net, because the author feels uncomfortable with being paid
arherring,
from what I've read to date he very likely presented something of an idea or outline for his final book. I suspect at some point in time he'll follow in the footsteps of Tolkien and publish "from the grave," as it were.
ymarsakar,
interesting link. I'll have to give this Firestaff bit a closer look.
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