Comments on: The Wheel Turns

The Wheel Turns

ChrisR — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 13:31:28 -0800

has been selected to write the twelfth volume in the Wheel of Time, having been chosen on account of his previous books Elantris and Mistborn

By: recursion

recursion — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 13:38:59 -0800

As much as the latest books of WoT have dragged on, I still really want to read see how it ends. I actually just read Mistborn by choosing a fantasy book from the just returned cart in the library and enjoyed it. I've never heard of Sanderson before than, but that one book gives me a decent impression of him.

By: unmake

unmake — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 13:40:43 -0800

non-fans go here: WP: Wheel of Time

By: ChrisR

ChrisR — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 13:44:10 -0800

Thanks, unmake; I should have put that in there, but somehow it slipped my mind.

By: lunit

lunit — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 13:46:58 -0800

I was sure that series would end with Robert Jordan... I wonder if it'll be better than the first 11.

By: bove

bove — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 14:01:46 -0800

I know that whenever there is a thread on any aspect of popular culture, people will come in and crap on it and say why they think it sucks. However, I love the Wheel of Time. I have been reading it since I was in 9th grade and I am now a university professor. I was sad to hear of Robert Jordan's death. I am also a fan of Brandon Sanderson's books. I have really enjoyed all 3 of his books and I think he is a very interesting choice to finish the series. I am also excited that the series will be finished. I have been following this news all day. Brandon has been posting to various message boards to answer a few questions. It sounds like he is in Robert Jordan's home and has looked at the materials and read the outlines. It is a big task to take on someone else's work, but I am glad they found someone who is talented and also a fan.

By: Skorgu

Skorgu — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 14:01:57 -0800

Holy shit, this is the first good WOT related news I've heard, well ever. Mistborn, especially the second book, is excellent.

By: Dantien

Dantien — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 14:09:56 -0800

<-- another big WoT fan. Glad to see it's been picked up and being written by a good writer.

By: lekvar

lekvar — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 14:17:02 -0800

The series should have ended books and books ago, but frankly I'll take any ending I can get at this point.

By: Dantien

Dantien — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 14:25:18 -0800

The really good news is he plans to finally answer who killed Asmo and what happened to Moiraine in this book. Thank the Light!

By: sotonohito

sotonohito — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 14:30:02 -0800

I have a friends who really got into the Wheel of Time series, but for whatever reason it never much appealed to me, truth is I never got past the first fifty or sixty pages of the first book. The same WoT loving friend of mine also was deeply invested in a series by Weis and Hickman, can't remember the name, and was pissed for months at its ending (in which, if I recall correctly, tanks came out of a magic wall and killed everyone) which he found most unsatisfactory. He never read another book my Weis and Hickman again, and always taunted our Dragonlance loving friends that "the tanks are coming". I hope that the long delayed ending to the Wheel of Time series will be more satisfactory for the fans.

By: baphomet

baphomet — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:04:00 -0800

I'm one of those WoT fans who thinks that the books only got better. I was actually quite surprised to discover that a lot of people think it trails off towards the middle/end of the series. I loved every single word of the Wheel of Time series and I was immensely saddened by Jordan's death. My only quibble with WoT is that the Seafolk characterization gets out of control at times (so many names that are effectively indistinguishable), but everything in the last few books aside from that caveat was spectacular as far as I'm concerned. Truly explosive literature from the hands of an amazing, funny, insightful, exceptional writer. I'm really glad to hear that somebody with talent is finishing the series, it certainly deserves a conclusion. I've already gone through about 20 different endings in my head, and none of them just quite match up the way they should.

By: dirtynumbangelboy

dirtynumbangelboy — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:19:20 -0800

The same WoT loving friend of mine also was deeply invested in a series by Weis and Hickman, can't remember the name, and was pissed for months at its ending That was the Darksword series, which started off well, but blundered into all the awful rot and bullshit and garbage that the Dragonlance series did.

By: CwgrlUp

CwgrlUp — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:49:23 -0800

Wow, that's really interesting. I am behind a couple books on the WoT series (like others I got fed up with it after a while) but might have to catch up now that I know there is an actual end in sight. I really liked the Elantris, I hope Sanderson will wrap up WoT well.

By: Atreides

Atreides — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:51:11 -0800

I've never read the guy, but I'll certainly give him a chance if it means closure. I always enjoyed WoT, but for a few of the latter books which suffered for lack of editing. The books got larger and larger, but without really adding anything beneficial than a whole lot of words that didn't add anything necessary or productive. It often felt like I was running in place while reading those books, which is the reason I really enjoyed the last couple if only because they really began advancing the plot and other such things.

By: Crabby Appleton

Crabby Appleton — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 16:25:34 -0800

I've heard there's a lot of spanking in the books. Is that true? If so, what is it like? Do you think Sanderson will continue that aspect of the stories?

By: Ber

Ber — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 16:47:57 -0800

Sanderson is well-respected in the fantasy community. He's shown up on a few boards to answer questions from fans and dish on the writing of his books. A solid and inventive writer with better prose than many, his taking over WOT probably will be greeted with a sigh of relief by most fans. Sanderson is also a practicing Mormon but doesn't seem to a far-right fanatic. He recently posted his thoughts about the narrow minds who are sending mass emails urging a boycott the Golden Compass movie. All-in-all this is good news.

By: JaredSeth

JaredSeth — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 18:47:00 -0800

I guess I can put the shovels away and send the voodoo priest home then?

By: Danila

Danila — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 18:49:42 -0800

The story of Rand is really a part of my life now (for some reason I feel a strong connection to this character). I have enjoyed the entire series and I'm really happy to read this news. I know most people think it trails off at some point, but I don't. I love it the more complex it gets, the more depth added to existing characters, the more adventures and experiences they have.

By: i_am_a_Jedi

i_am_a_Jedi — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 19:16:48 -0800

Awesome. Sanderson seems to be a great guy, and I've thoroughly enjoyed his first 3 books. He's in the new vanguard of sf/f genre writers that interfacing with their fans on the internet (along with others like Daniel Abraham, Joe Abercrombie, David Durham, etc.). I am thoroughly content with this decision.

By: jscalzi

jscalzi — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:16:09 -0800

"Sanderson seems to be a great guy" Sanderson is a great guy. He's also a very good writer, which for the purposes of finishing the Wheel of Time saga is even better.

By: i_am_a_Jedi

i_am_a_Jedi — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 04:49:02 -0800

Thread about this on the A Song of Ice and Fire (GRRM) forums where Sanderson pops in to chat.

By: fearfulsymmetry

fearfulsymmetry — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 07:12:48 -0800

I intend to wait for the series to be completed... then not read any of them.

By: kjs3

kjs3 — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:15:16 -0800

Will this be the same tedious suck that the last, oh 8 books are so abundantly full of, or will this guy bring new suck to this streaming pile and stretch it out to absurd lengths as well?

By: jeff-o-matic

jeff-o-matic — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 12:09:41 -0800

Would anyone here recommend that I, a 37 year old with a nerd streak, start the WoT novels? Just wondering what the general feeling is towards the WoT books, and taking on such an immense amout of reading that I know almost nothing about. I've been looking for a good fantasy novel.

By: i_am_a_Jedi

i_am_a_Jedi — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 12:46:58 -0800

If you haven't read anything in the genre recently I'd suggest George RR Martin's series. It's the best thing going.

By: sotonohito

sotonohito — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:33:11 -0800

i_am_a_Jedi Dunno. I finished the first one just a few days ago and thought "meh, its ok". I'm not at all sure I plan on reading any more. Mind, I'm not really a fan of fantasy, so obviously I'm not the target audience for that author or series. Still, if I were writing fantasy even if my middle two initials really and truly were "R.R." I wouldn't use 'em, it seems too much like a "hey, look, I'm kinda like Tolkin" ploy.

By: kjs3

kjs3 — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 17:32:05 -0800

Jeff: Jump on WoT if you rate your reading pleasure purely by volume, not on quality. Once you slog through that, you can start on Battlefield Earth.