RIP: Robert Jordan

[terpkristin]

The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories tha become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again.

Robert Jordan has passed away at 58. http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/009381.html

/tk

[Raiders Army]

RIP. That's pretty young. What'd he die of?

[terpkristin]

He'd been diagnosed with cardiac amyloidosis in March 06. At the time, the docs told him (if I remember correctly) he could die within the year, or could live 5, but they wouldn't really sign up to any real time frame. He'd been posting his progress with his battle with it on his blog, the last post he did seemed to be optimistic/that things were going well. tarvalon.net and dragonmount.com (I think that's the URL) have further info and places to leave comments.

/tk

[spleen1015]

It was only a matter of time, really. Sad.

RIP RJ.

[kurtism]

RIP.

[bronconick]

:(

[RendeR]

RIP Robert, sorry to see you go. Was actually hoping you might finish that mess you created someday....

[Coffee Warlord]

From wotmania.com:

Beyond expressions of sadness at Jordan's passing, I have no doubt the most frequent question/concern will be, "What happens to WoT?"

I talked with Jason about this. He said that Jordan has been dictating outlines and plot lines and everything else related to the final book. He used the phrase "army of writers" to talk about the people that were converting those tapes into written form.

It would appear that the final book will still be published, I'm sure details regarding that will work themselves out. So please be patient (as challenging as that might be), and for now let's focus on Jordan's life, writing, and the joy he brought to us.

[Eaglesfan27]

Very sad. RIP, Robert. I'll still finish reading the series, as I've put so much time into it.

[Izulde]

Wow... I never expected that... I mean hell, I know writers die young... but 58?!

:(

[Vince]

:(

I still loved his work even though the last few (many?) books have been plodding along. Tough to lose him so young.

[NoMyths]

He and I used to get our cigars from the same place here in Chucktown (though he had his delivered). There are a lot of biggies around here, but if you stacked readerships side by side you'd be hard pressed to find many here with larger -- Pat Conroy, maybe.

Sad news.

[sachmo71]

This is very sad...he was a gifted man.

[SunDevil]

He was one of the reasons why I took creative writing classes in college.

RIP.

[Bonegavel]

I remember picking up his conan books and being blow away by his style. WoT, while bashed by a lot of folks, is one of my favorite series of novels ever.

[StarBuck]

The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories tha become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again.

Robert Jordan has passed away at 58. http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/009381.html

/tk

Oh, no.....:(

Godspeed Robert.

[Blade]

Sad, sad news...RIP

:(

[Lonnie]

RIP

[Bonegavel]

I don't mean to piss in anyone's cornflakes, but I have zero faith that book 12 will be any good being that RJ barely got around to writing the prologue. Notes or not, this is the most imporant of the books and the heart-and-soul of the series is gone.

Frick!

[spleen1015]

I don't mean to piss in anyone's cornflakes, but I have zero faith that book 12 will be any good being that RJ barely got around to writing the prologue. Notes or not, this is the most imporant of the books and the heart-and-soul of the series is gone.

Frick!

Apparently, he made a few recordings so that the book can be written. In a blog post made on 9/9, Wilson tells us that RJ told him and Harriet the end of the story.

I think the story is there to be written. His wife has been the editor for the entire series. I have faith that we will see a fitting end to the story.

[Coffee Warlord]

I don't mean to piss in anyone's cornflakes, but I have zero faith that book 12 will be any good being that RJ barely got around to writing the prologue. Notes or not, this is the most imporant of the books and the heart-and-soul of the series is gone.

Now I know not just anyone can write 3 pages on the intricate scrollwork pattern on an Aes Sedai's dress, but I think they'll manage. :)

Damn shame for a such a talented writer to go that young.

[Bonegavel]

I remember a few books in the middle where I swore that it was written by a different author. It just felt different and I don't know if that was just the time in between books forced RJ to write differently or I was just remembering things differently. Maybe a little from column A and a little from column B.

I wish I had the faith you two have.

[terpkristin]

Now I know not just anyone can write 3 pages on the intricate scrollwork pattern on an Aes Sedai's dress, but I think they'll manage. :)

Damn shame for a such a talented writer to go that young.

Heh. I'll say this, he was not my "favorite author," but he was quite talented. I think his writing has a lot of similar qualties as Tolkein's, in good and bad respects (the ability to set up an intense world with characters I care about and an engaging main plot being the "good" and the excruciating detail to the things that don't advance the plot being the "bad"). When I originally started the series, I read books 1-8, but by book 9 I was sort of burned out and couldn't figure out where things were going anymore, especially with the side plots that were added but didn't help to advance the main plot.

Last year, however, after realizing how much I enjoyed listening to GRRM's ASOIAF books on audio after the first read-through, I grabbed books 1-7 and 9-11 of WoT from Audible (I'm not sure if book 8, Path of Daggers, has ever been published in an unabridged audio format, and even copies of the abridged version are hard to come by in cassette form). So far, I've listened to 1-7 and just started reading PoD, and it's been quite enjoyable. Because Jordan went into such detail on some things (like the Aes Sedai dresses or the hilts of the daggers), it was easy while reading to get bogged down by those. But having them read to me lets me close my eyes and really picture what's going on, and has really rekindled my enjoyment of the series.

His passing is indeed a true loss for the fantasy community. GRRM put it nicely, so I'll just post what he said:
9:30pm: R.I.P. Robert Jordan
The world of high fantasy is poorer today.

James Rigney, better known to fantasy readers as Robert Jordan, has passed away. Although he had been fighting amyloidosis for several years, the news of his death still came as a shock to many, including me. He was so optimistic and determined that you had to think that if anyone could beat the disease, it would be him.

Jim was a good and gracious man, a pleasure to share a platform or a pint with, and his contributions to modern fantasy were many. His huge, ambitious WHEEL OF TIME series helped to redefine the genre, and opened many doors for the writers who followed.

He was also unfailingly generous towards other fantasists, always ready to offer them support and encouragement. My own ICE & FIRE series might never have found its audience without the cover quote that Jim was so kind as to provide, back when A GAME OF THRONES was first published. I will always be grateful to him for that.

The last time I saw Jim was at an Archon in Collinsville, Illinois. It was before his final illness. He was the convention Guest of Honor and I was the Toastmaster, and I introduced him by telling the audience that actually we were the same person. It was a gag that Jim himself had suggested in the Green Room beforehand. While I was doing the intro, and claiming credit for all his books, he slowly entered, walked up silently behind me, and stood looming over me, glowering like Zeus. We got a great laugh.

I had some great dinners with Jim and his wife Harriet there in Collinsville as well. We talked about other writers, editors, publishers, all the stuff that writers always talk about... oh, and a little about our own series as well... and Jim and Harriet invited me to visit them if I ever made it down to Charleston. Sad to say, I never did.

RIP, Jim. You will be much missed.

/tk

[spleen1015]

I picked up the first book on CD today and I plan on listening to it to and from work.

31 hours of audio!

[Schmidty]

Very, very sad, although after the 3rd book, the series became tedious and almost seemed self-indulgent (whatever that means).

[Bonegavel]

A lot of folks poo-poo'd the series after the first few books but I gobbled up every book the minute they were out. He really made you feel that he had lived in this world and was merely recounting it's history. I think it would have been tedious for me if I didn't love it so much.

Jordan replaced Eddings as my favorite Fantasy author.

[astrosfan64]

A lot of folks poo-poo'd the series after the first few books but I gobbled up every book the minute they were out. He really made you feel that he had lived in this world and was merely recounting it's history. I think it would have been tedious for me if I didn't love it so much.

Jordan replaced Eddings as my favorite Fantasy author.

You will be missed. He always seemed so happy to be alive. I usually don't chime in on these threads, but man I feel a sadness right now.

[OldGiants]

Very, very sad, although after the 3rd book, the series became tedious and almost seemed self-indulgent (whatever that means).

I agree. And in this case 'self-indulgent' is appropriate because he was not thinking of those of us who have to read him, but of his desire to seem cool to his fans.

I stopped reading this series when it became obvious Jordan was so in love with his own creation that he couldn't bring himself to conclude it and had dragged out a three book series to a long six, (that was the second promise, it would end in six) and what now, an unconcluded dozen?

He had become so full of himself, that he had become a self-parody. Each new book consisted of a 100 page prelude that went no where, then two hundred pages of the women changing their clothes while wondering what the men thought of them, 100 pages of the men wondering why the women weren't ready yet, a 150 page dream in which the characters were naked, 100 pages where the women talk about the dream and decide to change into something else, 100 pages of Rand trapped in a dark box, 50 pages of the women deciding what clothes would be appropriate for Rand's get-out-of-the-box scene; 25 pages of new stuff and a concluding battle in which Rand kills a minion.

I decided to not read another after six, (sort of skimmed 7 and crashed and burned after 50 pages or so of 8) until I knew he completed the series, because I didn't think he ever would.

Now he won't.

[spleen1015]

I agree. And in this case 'self-indulgent' is appropriate because he was not thinking of those of us who have to read him, but of his desire to seem cool to his fans.

I stopped reading this series when it became obvious Jordan was so in love with his own creation that he couldn't bring himself to conclude it and had dragged out a three book series to a long six, (that was the second promise, it would end in six) and what now, an unconcluded dozen?

He had become so full of himself, that he had become a self-parody. Each new book consisted of a 100 page prelude that went no where, then two hundred pages of the women changing their clothes while wondering what the men thought of them, 100 pages of the men wondering why the women weren't ready yet, a 150 page dream in which the characters were naked, 100 pages where the women talk about the dream and decide to change into something else, 100 pages of Rand trapped in a dark box, 50 pages of the women deciding what clothes would be appropriate for Rand's get-out-of-the-box scene; 25 pages of new stuff and a concluding battle in which Rand kills a minion.

I decided to not read another after six, (sort of skimmed 7 and crashed and burned after 50 pages or so of 8) until I knew he completed the series, because I didn't think he ever would.

Now he won't.

It was his story to tell, not ours. Who are we to tell someone how to tell their own story? Maybe you're the self-indulgent one for thinking he was supposed to write it your way.

[Coffee Warlord]

It was his story to tell, not ours. Who are we to tell someone how to tell their own story? Maybe you're the self-indulgent one for thinking he was supposed to write it your way.

He wrote at least two, arguably three full books that did not advance the story at *all*. He was much improved and back to form in his last book, but the two books prior were just beyond painful to read.

[StarBuck]

I agree. And in this case 'self-indulgent' is appropriate because he was not thinking of those of us who have to read him, but of his desire to seem cool to his fans.

I stopped reading this series when it became obvious Jordan was so in love with his own creation that he couldn't bring himself to conclude it and had dragged out a three book series to a long six, (that was the second promise, it would end in six) and what now, an unconcluded dozen?

He had become so full of himself, that he had become a self-parody. Each new book consisted of a 100 page prelude that went no where, then two hundred pages of the women changing their clothes while wondering what the men thought of them, 100 pages of the men wondering why the women weren't ready yet, a 150 page dream in which the characters were naked, 100 pages where the women talk about the dream and decide to change into something else, 100 pages of Rand trapped in a dark box, 50 pages of the women deciding what clothes would be appropriate for Rand's get-out-of-the-box scene; 25 pages of new stuff and a concluding battle in which Rand kills a minion.

I decided to not read another after six, (sort of skimmed 7 and crashed and burned after 50 pages or so of 8) until I knew he completed the series, because I didn't think he ever would.

Now he won't.

I have to agree with you there. He really needed to wrap it up. It was obvious in his writing that he was dragging it on to milk it for all it's worth. I stopped reading in frustration. I planned on picking the series back up when he finally wrote the last book, but I guess that will never happen.
It's a little ironic when you think about it. But the joke is on all of us, including him.

[Bonegavel]

I agree. And in this case 'self-indulgent' is appropriate because he was not thinking of those of us who have to read him, but of his desire to seem cool to his fans.

I stopped reading this series when it became obvious Jordan was so in love with his own creation that he couldn't bring himself to conclude it and had dragged out a three book series to a long six, (that was the second promise, it would end in six) and what now, an unconcluded dozen?

He had become so full of himself, that he had become a self-parody. Each new book consisted of a 100 page prelude that went no where, then two hundred pages of the women changing their clothes while wondering what the men thought of them, 100 pages of the men wondering why the women weren't ready yet, a 150 page dream in which the characters were naked, 100 pages where the women talk about the dream and decide to change into something else, 100 pages of Rand trapped in a dark box, 50 pages of the women deciding what clothes would be appropriate for Rand's get-out-of-the-box scene; 25 pages of new stuff and a concluding battle in which Rand kills a minion.

I decided to not read another after six, (sort of skimmed 7 and crashed and burned after 50 pages or so of 8) until I knew he completed the series, because I didn't think he ever would.

Now he won't.

Well, maybe it's just my need to complete things (pig headed?) but I am committed (good choice of words?) and need to see this through to the end.

[Eaglesfan27]

Same here, Bonegavel. I'm not sure that the ending will hold up, but I've dedicated so many hours to reading and re-reading these books, so I will read any that come out in the future as well. Also, I've enjoyed almost every book in the series, even if some of the middle ones aren't as high quality as the early ones.

[bronconick]

Well, he always said he had the very ending written a long time ago, so hopefully that part at least is strong. The other 1,000 pages to get there....is probably a toss-up.

[gkb]

I really enjoyed the first few books of the series, but I lost interest after book six or seven. Even though I thought the writing went downhill it's a shame that he won't be around to finish it himself.

[terpkristin]

The online sci-fi/fantasy book club I am a part of, Sword and Laser (http://swordandlaser.ning.com/forum), is now reading The Eye of the World, following the announcement of a WoT video game. I'll probably end up re-re-reading this book, as the news sparked a re-interest in me in the series. I did some searching around, and it seems that as of now, the 12th and final book is due to be released in 4th quarter 2009. Maybe it's time to re-read the entire series...

For those daunted by the print versions, I've found the audio versions to be quite useful. I can tune out the 12 page descirptions of blades of grass but can easily pay attention to the real story. :)

/tk

[Schmidty]

All I remembe after quitting after the 4th book, is Nynneave (????) with her braided hair, and how cool Perrin was.

[RendeR]

I'd love to get these books on cd and listen to them. I have so little time to sit and read anymore between work and two munchkins.

[Eaglesfan27]

I just finished re-reading books 1 through 11 about a week ago in anticipation of book 12 coming out later this year.

[astrosfan64]

I just finished re-reading books 1 through 11 about a week ago in anticipation of book 12 coming out later this year.

I just did the same.

[Glengoyne]

He wrote at least two, arguably three full books that did not advance the story at *all*. He was much improved and back to form in his last book, but the two books prior were just beyond painful to read.

After six books I believed that the WoT had surpassed LOTR in terms of my enjoyment, with the only downside being that Tolkien was rapidly closing the gap as Jordan lost his way.

I couldn't get through the first few chapters of book nine, and I let book ten go without even a purchasing. I had hope with what I heard of book eleven, the new editor and all. I just couldn't slog through two volumes to finish what I once believed was one of the greatest works of fantasy I'd ever read.


Sad to hear of his passing. Maybe I'll try it in audio books.

[spleen1015]

My wife and I started rereading them again a few weeks ago looking forward to book 12.

She finished book 10 for the first time last night and hated it just like everyone else.

[Coffee Warlord]

After six books I believed that the WoT had surpassed LOTR in terms of my enjoyment, with the only downside being that Tolkien was rapidly closing the gap as Jordan lost his way.

I couldn't get through the first few chapters of book nine, and I let book ten go without even a purchasing. I had hope with what I heard of book eleven, the new editor and all. I just couldn't slog through two volumes to finish what I once believed was one of the greatest works of fantasy I'd ever read.

Ditto. 1-6, Jordan's series could have possibly eclipsed Amber as my favorite fantasy series of all time.

7 commenced the downhill trend. 8-9 didn't help. Ten ranks as one of the worst fantasy books I've ever read, and that's including Terry Goodkind's later books.

[terpkristin]

Well, anybody like me who hoped that the series would come to an end this year now has to face the reality that it won't.

Official press release: `Dragonmount` | News (http://www.dragonmount.com/News/?p=483)
Brandon Sanderson's blog entry about it: Brandon Sanderson: Splitting AMOL (http://www.brandonsanderson.com/article/56/Splitting-AMOL)

I figured this would happen but still held out hope. I've been re-reading the series, and so far am through the prequel (New Spring) and book 1 (The Eye of the World). I'm about 3 hours into the audiobook of the second book (The Great Hunt). I plan to continue my re-read (re-listen, since I'm doing it all on audio?) in preparation for the release of 12.1 in November (November 3), and hopefully next year when 12.2 comes out, I won't feel too far behind (or only out of touch enough that Wikipedia or Dragonmount summaries will suffice).

/tk

[Autumn]

I'm really, really glad to hear this, actually. It seemed to me that if Jordan/Sanderson kept to this idea of finishing in one book it was guaranteed to be awful. It would have just been a bunch of events we already anticipate being jammed in one after or anohter--or it would have left a ton of loose ends. As ridiculously long as this series has stretched on the only good choice was to keep stretching I think.

[Eaglesfan27]

I'm really, really glad to hear this, actually. It seemed to me that if Jordan/Sanderson kept to this idea of finishing in one book it was guaranteed to be awful. It would have just been a bunch of events we already anticipate being jammed in one after or anohter--or it would have left a ton of loose ends. As ridiculously long as this series has stretched on the only good choice was to keep stretching I think.

Absolutely agreed. I'm very happy about this news.

[spleen1015]

tk fyi, Winter's Heart is abridged in audiobook. There is not a full audiobook version.

I'm kinda of indifferent with the news of splitting it into 3 books. I'm looking forward to the comics. Hopefully Warner Bros. can manage to make a decent movie out of tEotW.

[terpkristin]

Audible claims that their version of Winter's Heart is unabridged.http://www.audible.com/adbl/site/products/ProductDetail.jsp?productID=BK_MILL_000026&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes (if you're an Audible member that should work). At 21 hours, 54 minutes, it's on par with the length of the other books....

What comics?

/tk

[gi]

Started rereading the series as well, hoping for the new book(s) later this year.

[terpkristin]

iTunes has it too, seems to be the same version (claims to be unabridged) though they say it's 24 hours, 19 minutes. My version of it, that I have in a playlist has 3 parts:
8:32:18 part 1
8:33:24 part 2
7:13:26 part 3
That totals about 24 hours, 19 minutes. Maybe I originally got it from iTunes. Either way. If it's abridged, I didn't notice when I listened to it before.

/tk

[spleen1015]

Hmm. I looked into the audiobooks at one time and it was abridged. Maybe I'm not remembering right.

They are supposedly releasing comics of tEotW starting in May.I can't find the article where I read it now though.

[terpkristin]

Hmm. I looked into the audiobooks at one time and it was abridged. Maybe I'm not remembering right.

I remember seeing the same, awhile back. The same was true for book 8, Path of Daggers. I think I found through Dragonmount or someplace similar that Path of Daggers had been released on iTunes.

Anyway, I *think* it's really unabridged. It seems long enough to be, anyway...and I do like the narrators for the series.

Hmm I'll have to keep my eye out for the comic stuff...

/tk

[spleen1015]

I could be remembering the wrong book.

[Autumn]

If you're rereading you hardly need to bother with the last few books, since hardly anything happens in them. A quick plot summary should suffice.

I hope the new books find a balance between books 8-10 and book 11. Everything was kind of rushed through in 11, and nothing happened in 8-10.

[RendeR]

I am currently listening to TEotW right now. its a wonderful thing to listen to while I build and paint my warhammer models.