R.I.P. Robert Jordan
September 16, 2007 6:35 PM   Subscribe

R.I.P. Robert Jordan (1948-2007). The author of the best-selling fantasy series The Wheel of Time succumbed to amyloidosis this afternoon.
posted by Pastabagel (101 comments total)
 
.
posted by MikeMc at 6:37 PM on September 16, 2007


.

So he never got to "finish" the series, eh? Here's another
.
for the remaining fans.

posted by porpoise at 6:37 PM on September 16, 2007


.

I met him once, in 1998 or 1999. He was nice, if odd, and he wasn't exactly well then. Godspeed.
posted by Medieval Maven at 6:38 PM on September 16, 2007


.
posted by bovious at 6:40 PM on September 16, 2007


.
posted by KingoftheWhales at 6:41 PM on September 16, 2007


.
posted by WetherMan at 6:42 PM on September 16, 2007


I should have mentioned that for fans of the series, the twelfth and final book of the Wheel of Time series, Memory of Light, has not yet been finished. Evidently he was still writing it as of last week. His dedication to his work in the face of this illness is inspiring.
posted by Pastabagel at 6:44 PM on September 16, 2007


p.1 ........................................ .............................................. .............................................. .......................................p.750 (continued in part 2)
posted by anthill at 6:48 PM on September 16, 2007 [3 favorites]


I knew it! That bastard (may he rest in peace, etc.) died before he finished those books.
posted by ericales at 6:48 PM on September 16, 2007


Fuck man. I really liked those books.

I hope someone finishes them. ::sniff::
posted by lazaruslong at 6:52 PM on September 16, 2007


Well maybe his Seventh Age counterpart will finish it after the next Breaking of the World, if he doesn't go insane with the taint that comes with channeling Tolkien.
posted by brownpau at 6:53 PM on September 16, 2007 [4 favorites]


I vowed I'd kill him if he died.

.
posted by dmd at 6:53 PM on September 16, 2007


.
posted by elfgirl at 6:54 PM on September 16, 2007


30. That's how many books he once said the series was going to need.

So, um.

.
posted by Deathalicious at 6:55 PM on September 16, 2007


FUCK. I knew this would happen.

. For him and is family but .......................................................... for everyone who stuck with him through 5 GOD AWFUL books hoping that someday he would recapture the magic of the first 3 or even the mediocrity of the next 4.

George RR Martin, here's to your health buddy!
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:57 PM on September 16, 2007 [8 favorites]


let that be a lesson to us all - trilogies are long enough


.
posted by pyramid termite at 6:58 PM on September 16, 2007


I started reading the series in late 1990, just after The Great Hunt came out. Like many geeky young adults, I was reading almost exclusively science fiction and fantasy, and Jordan's books were certainly at the top of the list of my favorites. I lost track of the series after about the sixth volume, but I've always intended to go back and complete the series. I guess now I can't.

.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 7:02 PM on September 16, 2007


Ditto T.D. Strange. RIP Jordan and I'll say an extra prayer for Martin!
posted by CwgrlUp at 7:11 PM on September 16, 2007


If he continued the series another 15 books I would read them all.
posted by lazaruslong at 7:12 PM on September 16, 2007


.

Loved those books when I was younger but haven't yet caught up on the last one or two that have come out. What a shame.
posted by SassHat at 7:12 PM on September 16, 2007


Blood and ashes!
posted by The Confessor at 7:12 PM on September 16, 2007 [2 favorites]


.

I've finished up through the 6th book, and hadn't yet managed to reach a point of disillusionment with the series. I still intend to read the rest of the books, but it would have been nice to have a proper conclusion.
posted by Godbert at 7:15 PM on September 16, 2007


Yeah I gave up on that series once it became clear he had no intention of finishing the story.

Let's just all assume the good guys won.
posted by Bonzai at 7:15 PM on September 16, 2007


Crap. He shall be missed.
posted by god hates math at 7:16 PM on September 16, 2007


I knew it.

My condolences to his family and friends, it's always a tragedy to lose a loved one.

To his fans (and his disgruntled fans): you had to know this was going to happen. If I did you should have too.

To those who haven't read The Wheel of Time books:
1) Read the 1st three or four books of the series
2) Make up an ending that satisfied you
3) Sleep peacefully
posted by djeo at 7:20 PM on September 16, 2007 [4 favorites]


djeo has it
posted by pyramid termite at 7:21 PM on September 16, 2007


fuck!!!

.
posted by taumeson at 7:26 PM on September 16, 2007


I seem to recall that he'd said, rather famously, that he was going to keep writing that series until they pounded the final nail in his coffin.

That said...

.
posted by deCadmus at 7:28 PM on September 16, 2007


I knew this would happen. Every time a new book came out I'd re-read the series from the start. I remember when the cancer rumor started, and then he denounced it on his website, then suddenly he had amyloidosis. He was a fantastic author, I loved his books and this absolutely breaks my heart.

When I was a kid, I participated in an online role-playing community based on his books. That is probably the single nerdiest thing I've ever publicly admitted. i also special ordered the wot fps videogame and played it a million times. and the d20 rpg books.

This really sucks.

.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 7:29 PM on September 16, 2007 [1 favorite]


.

For all my frustrations with the length and problems that the series ran into, I was sticking with it to the end. I had hoped he would carry on long enough to finish, despite his illness. Not the ending any of his fans, frustrated or not, wanted.

I'm left to wonder how long it will be before his publisher hires someone to finish the last novel.
posted by never used baby shoes at 7:29 PM on September 16, 2007


From the "still writing it" link:

But, he told you he’d finish and he will. Fact is that it has been finished in his head for years. During a recent family sit around, he 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. Truly magical. All I can say is WOW! Best stuff he’s ever done. MOL is going to knock your socks off! That’s a promise.

.
posted by mediareport at 7:37 PM on September 16, 2007


.

I knew this would happen!
posted by bshort at 7:45 PM on September 16, 2007


Oh Crap! Even back in 1997 when I finished reading all 7 of his books in one go during my gap year, I knew he would die even before finishing his series. God bless his soul, but what about the readers who are all waiting for him to finish this series? Oh no, please not be like a Tolkien, where his son ended up finishing his father's work. It will not be the same!
posted by schiddin at 7:55 PM on September 16, 2007


NO NO No No no no....

Goddamnit it. I knew the odds weren't good for a recovery (or even long survival) - but I was really hoping for the best for him.

.

*Pulls braid*
I was really looking forward to the conclusion to the series. For a speedy voracious reader like me, RJ's books were wonderful. Plenty to sink your teeth into. I was never quite a raving fanboy, but I was sticking by the story, even if it seemed to wander in books 7-9.

If GRRM dies before completing aSoIaF I don't what I'm going to do. (He does not look healthy at all).
posted by i_am_a_Jedi at 7:56 PM on September 16, 2007


I just started reading the series this month. I didn't even know he was sick. What a shame.

.
posted by lilac girl at 8:05 PM on September 16, 2007


.
posted by cerebus19 at 8:06 PM on September 16, 2007


Amyloidosis, in case you were wondering, as I was.
posted by Zinger at 8:08 PM on September 16, 2007


.
posted by procrastination at 8:11 PM on September 16, 2007


It has been said that his wife had the complete outline of the book and would finish it if he could not. I have the stack sitting next to my bed as I await the final book.

.
posted by Derek at 8:20 PM on September 16, 2007


In 1997 I attended Dragon*Con in with a few friends of mine. We mainly were interested in the symposiums with authors and Sci-Fi actors.

One such event was a panel discussion that included Robert Jordan, Raymond Feist, and Margaret Weis among others. It was a great discussion about how authors build and develop their literary worlds and the characters that play out their lives in them. I remember that Feist and Jordan had a really good cross discussion during the panel.

It was an awesome place for a geek to be.

It wasn't until 2005 that I started in on Jordan' s "Wheel of Time" series. I have enjoyed the ride thus far.

.
posted by PROD_TPSL at 8:26 PM on September 16, 2007


.
posted by R343L at 8:34 PM on September 16, 2007


Kind of makes me feel bad I didn't attend any of the Wheel of Time track at DragonCon this year.

.
posted by JHarris at 8:38 PM on September 16, 2007


BTW, it is very strange to watch the wikipedia pages I linked to changing in real time.
posted by Pastabagel at 8:45 PM on September 16, 2007


I guess I'll be the first to point out the coincidence of The Wheel of Time's author dying one week after A Wrinkle in Time's author.

Take care of yourself, Time Cube guy.
posted by ducksauce at 8:45 PM on September 16, 2007 [1 favorite]


Like you people, I've been hoping he'd stick around at least long enough to finish the WOT. Still, I'm pretty certain that, one way or another, the series will be finished. As mediareport said, the basic plot is known to his family, and there will be quite a deal of pressure upon them to finish this long (too long) series once and for all. At any rate, I only want an ending. Any ending.

.
posted by Zero Gravitas at 8:48 PM on September 16, 2007


I never read any of Robert Jordan's work, but I found out who he was when he declared his illness. My father died from amyloidosis close to a year ago. It's a rare disease and news travels in the community pretty quick. I'm sorry to hear of his death.

Small piece of trivia on amyloidosis: Despite all the advances in life extension, scientists think we may be hitting a hard wall with amyloidosis as people go past 100 or so. No one has any idea how to remove the deposits of proteins that accumulate over time. Protein folding may provide an answer at some point but the protein folding project will be aimed at alleviating other conditions. Amyloidosis is not the priority when it comes to this class of diseases, and rightfully so.
posted by BigSky at 8:50 PM on September 16, 2007


I don't even know what to say...it had seemed from the random reports that it was bad, but he was getting through it and being optimistic. I guess...I don't know. Wow.

The Wheel of Time is an amazing series, an epic story on a scale that's never been done before, with such a degree of life and understanding that the story alone is magical. I would recommend that everyone read it, even the books that don't seem to have anything major happen in them. A truly vivid and wonderful world.

I have no idea what the ending will be like, but somehow, I feel sure that it'll be alright.
posted by Galt at 8:57 PM on September 16, 2007


The book will be finished and published in 18 different collector's editions with box-sets and audio-books and books of art and published "notes" and huge memorial fanfare.

His publisher will cash in. As a bookseller I can already see it now. It will be disgusting.

That being said, as much as I grew out of the Wheel of Time, those first 3 books left vivid images in my brain that I can still conjure up at the mention of his name.


.
posted by dopamine at 9:04 PM on September 16, 2007 [1 favorite]


In a bit of coincidence that freaked me out, I had typed "Robert Jordan" into the search box on Mefi, to see what posts had been made about him, when I noticed this on the front page. I had just finished re-reading book 4, too. I've found his books extraordinarily addictive, despite the length. Hopefully, someone will finish the last one as he would have liked.

Rest in peace, Robert Jordan.
posted by Upton O'Good at 9:05 PM on September 16, 2007


.
posted by jbrjake at 9:08 PM on September 16, 2007


I started these back in 1990, and loved the first 3 or 4 books. And then, in every subsequent book, he'd add another 20 characters, and hop peripatetically from storyline to storyline. I gave up, and lost interest. I did think it a cool take on the Arthurian legend, however, at least until it got too ADD follow (or at least until I got too ADD to follow it).

Cynically, it felt to me like he'd found his cash cow, and a cadre of readers who'd buy whatever he put out, so he went to town.

That said, those first 3-6 books were tremendously impactful to me, and I am sad that he passed too soon. I wish his family and friends peace.

.
posted by prodigalsun at 9:10 PM on September 16, 2007


Well sonofa bitch. When I first started reading THe Wheel of Time a freakin' decade ago, a friend of mine said, "don't bother, Jordan will die before he finishes the series." I hate it when he's right.

Here's a . for jordan though, may he always find water and shade.
posted by lekvar at 9:21 PM on September 16, 2007


Related.
posted by uncanny hengeman at 9:28 PM on September 16, 2007


.

This saddens me. I've been listening to the audio books during my commute over the past few months. I think the series is a bit like the original star wars, in that it resonates more if you read it during a young and impressionable age. I wince at certain passages now, but it still makes me smile a good deal of the time.

I was (selfishly) hoping he would finish before succumbing to Amyloidosis. Not only to read the end of the series, but for the romantic notion that a will to live could stave off the inevitable long enough.

Alas.
posted by lucidprose at 9:50 PM on September 16, 2007


I stopped reading his series as soon as I realized that he had no plan for ending it, however, I really enjoyed the first 5 books.

I had planned on re-reading it after he finally concluded it. It's sad that he won't.
posted by 517 at 10:01 PM on September 16, 2007


Sad news. I wish his family well.

He was obviously an intelligent man, who knew he was in a fight for his life. One would hope that he knew his legacy rested on the Wheel of Time, and that he'd leave an outline of what was to come for another writer to finish. As much as he wouldn't have wanted that, I have to believe he'd prefer it to letting the work go unfinished forever.
posted by JWright at 10:12 PM on September 16, 2007


.

I ran a Wheel of Time fan group, was an active poster on a usenet group, participated in an online role playing message board, and thoroughly enjoyed the complexity of the story.

I did hear a horrifying rumor a few years back that RJ had basically signed David Eddings on to finish the series if he couldn't - does anyone know if there's any truth to that?
posted by ysabet at 11:04 PM on September 16, 2007


I haven't given a damn about the books in a number of years, but this still surprised me. I can remember the running gag about it back on a Usenet haunt of mine...

The thing that's so weird for me is thinking about all the really cool people I know (Ranging from interesting acquaintances to dear friends) whom I'd never have met were it not for this man and his books.

. and allathat.
posted by sparkletone at 11:14 PM on September 16, 2007


I was never was a fan of his (only barely got through the first book,) but as a fan of other things myself, I understand what all you fans are going through, so here's a

.

for the man, Robert Jora\dan,

and a

.

for his creations.
posted by Snyder at 11:41 PM on September 16, 2007


Mat Cauthon has to be one of the coolest characters ever.
posted by lazaruslong at 11:54 PM on September 16, 2007


.

WoT was the first time I got involved in online fandom, and that led me to the first time I met internet people in RL.

One link, for old time's sake: if you want the condensed version of the plot without having to read all the way through TSR and ACoS, etc, or feel you need reminding just which Aes Sedai that is folding her arms under her breasts and sniffing, and whether or not she's secretly evil, the Encyclopaedia WoT has everything you ever wanted to know and much, much more.
posted by Lebannen at 12:34 AM on September 17, 2007 [1 favorite]


.
posted by Jerub at 1:46 AM on September 17, 2007


A friend of mine once mentioned that, like a lot of one-setting authors, Mr. Jordan had fallen in love with his own voice and as a result just went on and on and on with about every little detail in the only story he had to tell. This seemed to me to be an apt description. Still, at least he had a story to tell, and told it.

.
posted by moonbiter at 2:22 AM on September 17, 2007


.

Knew it.
(Also knew I'd come to Metafilter first upon hearing the news.)
posted by teststrip at 2:51 AM on September 17, 2007


Condolences to Robert Jordan and family. I began reading his WOT series about a year ago and kept up with his struggle with his disease at about the same time. Good Fight.

I really enjoyed the first four books, but have set aside the remainder for now and have been reading Steven Erikson's Tale of Malazan series. I'm waiting impatiently for Geo. RR Martin as well.
posted by Mojojojo at 3:18 AM on September 17, 2007


Damn. Really wish this hadn't happened. Also wish he'd been able to spend more time finishing the series; he had a lot of side projects going in the last few years that seemed to result in putting off the final book. Prequels, stuff like that. I mean, that's great, but I wanted an ending before I got a prequel.

.
posted by caution live frogs at 5:25 AM on September 17, 2007


.
posted by Atreides at 5:38 AM on September 17, 2007


He was the Proust of the sci-fi fanboy set.

.
posted by jonp72 at 6:12 AM on September 17, 2007 [1 favorite]


Dopamine:

"The book will be finished and published in 18 different collector's editions with box-sets and audio-books and books of art and published "notes" and huge memorial fanfare.

His publisher will cash in. As a bookseller I can already see it now. It will be disgusting."

Robert Jordan's publisher is also my publisher, and speaking from person experience the folks there don't seem overly rapacious, although I would say that they do understand their market pretty well and try to serve it. Note also that as far as collector's editions and audio books and such go, Jordan himself probably owned the rights to license those, not his publisher. I know this because I own those rights with regards to my books. So don't be too hasty to pin the sin of greed on his publisher, or for that matter to call serving an enthusiastic market greed in the first place.

There is no doubt in my mind that the final book in this series will be finished one way or another, either by Jordan's wife or by some other author, but what of it? Without knowing Jordan personally at all, what I know of him suggests that he was fond of his fans and wouldn't want to leave them hanging; moreover it appears he finished the plot and at least some of the writing, so whichever writer came in to set the words in place would be following his direction. And it seems at first blush that this would be Jordan's wish as well. There's nothing wrong with someone else coming in to put the capstone on the series if Jordan, through incurable illness, was unable to do so.

So: Why is this disgusting, exactly? And also, why is it disgusting to you, the bookseller, who will stand to benefit from such a variety of material, should it exist? A last Robert Jordan book would probably do a fair amount of business for you; essentially it would be his gift to your bottom line.
posted by jscalzi at 6:27 AM on September 17, 2007 [2 favorites]


Excellent, one less horrible beardo.
posted by nicolas léonard sadi carnot at 6:41 AM on September 17, 2007


.

Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time sparked my now insatiable appetite for books. There are few greater gifts than that.
posted by Nerro at 6:47 AM on September 17, 2007


Figures.
posted by sciurus at 6:54 AM on September 17, 2007


aw, shit!

.
posted by smoothvirus at 7:00 AM on September 17, 2007


.
posted by rossmeissl at 7:05 AM on September 17, 2007


.

I read up through book 6 back in the mid-to-late 90's, and I always thought that was a good stopping point. From what I see he intended the next book to be the final one, and it looks like someone will finish it. I'll go back and read the series again when that happens. These books had a lot of influence on my early years, and I'm sad to see him go.
posted by krakedhalo at 7:09 AM on September 17, 2007


RIP, Robert Jordan.

Like many posting above, I read one through six in the mid nineties. Books one to five had been bought for me and, ploughing through them, I assumed that the fifth was the final tome. As I neared its end, I kept thinking to myself "hmm, he's not really leaving many pages to wrap this thing up..."
posted by Kiell at 8:50 AM on September 17, 2007


Looks like I'm not alone in bogging down in Book Five. The braid-pulling was already getting tiresome, and joining the circus just seemed to indicate that we'd be getting a WHOLE lot more of that.

Still, my friend who has stuck with it tells me there are developments further down the road that I just wouldn't believe and I've always kept in the back of my mind that I might rejoin the books. GRRM lost me when he devoted an entire book in the middle of the series to introducing new characters and ignoring all but a smattering of the previous books' (more interesting) characters. I couldn't believe it...but I'll probably pick it back up now.

Ooh, look, something shiny!
posted by bovious at 9:01 AM on September 17, 2007


I have no idea when he got his diagnosis, but reading one of the books after the third at some point, I said to myself 'hell-- this guy is doing everything he possibly can to prevent the story from going anywhere' and I stopped reading.

Now that I know he was sick, I'd guess he came to identify the continuation of his series with the continuation of his life, and that no force on earth could have persuaded him to end it.
posted by jamjam at 9:10 AM on September 17, 2007


Robert Jordan kind of reminds me of Terry Goodkind. Starts out well enough, but they eventually bog down in seeing how many books they can write for the series. Even so, I'll take Jordan over Goodkind's later crap any day.
posted by jmd82 at 9:10 AM on September 17, 2007


GRRM's posting on Jordan's death.
posted by i_am_a_Jedi at 9:17 AM on September 17, 2007


Ah fuckity fuck fuck...

I need the last book. I NEEDS IT!
posted by WinnipegDragon at 9:35 AM on September 17, 2007


And so the Wheel of Time turns....

Goodbye Dragon....
posted by Pendragon at 10:54 AM on September 17, 2007


Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Big freakin .

Few Jordan fans bigger than I. I met the guy and we laughed about my name and the Seanchan's similarities. He signed Book 5 and shook my hand. It was like meeting Tolkien. I'm absolutely crushed to hear this. First Zawinul and now Jordan? What's left to live for? I love your books RJ. I own them all in hardcover. Crap.

Finished series or not, WoT was/is phenomenal. Not the worlds best prose, but the most impressive plotline and characters in Fantasy.

One way or the other, I better learn who killed Asmodean or I may go into a bloodrage.
posted by Dantien at 10:56 AM on September 17, 2007


.
posted by Ber at 10:57 AM on September 17, 2007


I feel dumb. I never heard of him.
posted by tkchrist at 11:10 AM on September 17, 2007


.
posted by billypilgrim at 11:13 AM on September 17, 2007


So: Why is this disgusting, exactly? And also, why is it disgusting to you, the bookseller, who will stand to benefit from such a variety of material, should it exist? A last Robert Jordan book would probably do a fair amount of business for you; essentially it would be his gift to your bottom line.

Well, hey there, Mr. Scalzi. I just finished the Last Colony and like the other two, loved it. Put it on my "staff recommends" shelf at my store.

Forgive my cynicism. I think it stems more from spending more than a decade in retail in general than anything else. It's just one of those things you see time and time again, someone famous dies, suddenly the merchandise related to celebrating that person comes flowing in. At first it's not so bad, but eventually you see the cheap stuff, the cash-in stuff, the many different separate items which you have to buy. The death of the individual becomes a collector's binge and ceases to mean anything else.

As for it benefiting the bottom line, and the increase in business. I suppose that is good, but no matter how much extra business Barnes & Noble does, I'm not going to see a dime of it. My pay increases are fixed and on a yearly basis, my benefits aren't going to get any better, and my 401k won't improve.. I'll just get to continue to have it. I worked my ass off for Harry Potter, because if I didn't, well, then I suppose I'd have had to find a new job (basically needed a death certificate to get those days off, no matter what). The company isn't going anywhere even if people stopped publishing books for a year. And if all the great writers died tomorrow and their books became hotter than oil, we'd still be working on a short-staff, penny-pinching budget with the only motivation being that if we work hard and push their membership cards, we can keep our jobs.

That might just be the language of management at my particular store, but then again, that's been the language of management at all the different locations I've worked.

But once again, forgive my cynicism. After all, it's also my dream to some day have my work on the bookshelves. I suppose I should just deal with it. What you said about the publisher is definitely reassuring, and it did serve to soften my perspective. I appreciate that.

p.s. Is it true that there will be no more John & Jane stories? Ever? Not even a Zoe novella down the road? It's such good stuff. :-)
posted by dopamine at 11:59 AM on September 17, 2007


rip
posted by Numenorian at 12:09 PM on September 17, 2007


Dopamine:

Nothing to forgive, of course. I was just curious.

John & Jane: It's true there won't be any more stories with them as the main characters; that said, Tor doesn't want me to be done with the Old Man's War universe quite yet. We'll have to see.

But this thread is not the right place to talk about my own possible projects.
posted by jscalzi at 1:38 PM on September 17, 2007


I have been reading this series since I was in the 9th grade. I am now 32. I was very sad to hear of his death.

Forbes wrote an article on him last year. Here it is. It talks about his illness and the possibility of his death before he finishes the book. This article made it sound like he would not be averse to someone else finishing the book.

Unlike some of the other people in this thread, I have enjoyed all of the books. I will agree that after Book 4, they slowed down in terms of advancing the plot. However, the series is so rich in characters, setting, and more, that I have still enjoyed all of the books. Plus, I have felt like he had been picking the pace back up.

Whenever someone passes I think most of the family left behind, and how much they will miss him/her.

.
posted by bove at 1:47 PM on September 17, 2007


.

Loved the books, the last one was definitively a step in the right direction after the disappointment that was CoT (I didn't like it much).

I'm sad to see him go, and very annoyed that he won't be writing the last one.
posted by coust at 2:31 PM on September 17, 2007


The wheel weaves as the wheel wills.
posted by Espoo2 at 3:41 PM on September 17, 2007


.

While, I wasn't a fan so much, my husband had been reading WOT series since he and I first met.
posted by SuzySmith at 4:56 PM on September 17, 2007


Damnit damnit.

I know I will get to read the final book, because his dedication to it was phenomenal but I think it will not quite be as good as if he had finished it himself.

.
posted by lundman at 6:32 PM on September 17, 2007


.
posted by m0nm0n at 7:12 PM on September 17, 2007


I remember reading these books and thinking they were pretty good, pretty detailed fantasy. Kinda tough wading through the later ones, but worth it if you're already invested in the characters. Now this makes me want to go back and read them again. *clears calendar for next six months*
posted by gephyrophobia at 8:23 PM on September 17, 2007


This is sad and unfortunate. Apparently he was working on it right up until the very end which is admirable. It's just too bad that he will not get to see it through to the end.

.
posted by purephase at 8:26 PM on September 17, 2007


Started reading the WoT series in 7th grade. I was allowed to read it through all periods of school because my teachers were suprised that I'd tackle a 700 page book. Books 1 through 6 were incredible, but after that the time just slowed. Too may people, too many things happening at once. But it was such a compelling and complete world that I could never give it up.

What happened to Asmodean? Will the Seanchan take over randland? Can and will Moraine return? What role do the people on the other side of the Aiel waste play in the last battle?

Though he got a bit wordy and overdid everything in his later books, there's no denying that he had an incredible imagination.

.
posted by Orrorin at 1:03 AM on September 18, 2007


I simultaneously gloomed and raged when I heard the news, for the same reasons as everyone else. But really, at the end of the day, regardless of when I stopped reading the series, regardless of how much I have complained about anything about WoT, Jordan created something enthralling and richly textured that lived in my mind for years.

.
posted by cupcakeninja at 4:19 AM on September 18, 2007


Somethingpositive's take, although I warn you that the joke of this particular strip will probably only be amusing to long time readers of the series.
posted by Effigy2000 at 12:43 PM on September 18, 2007


*derail*
For Dopamine!
posted by i_am_a_Jedi at 8:47 AM on September 21, 2007


« Older California has been delta tough situation   |   IANAD but I read comics Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments