BOOKS-
Discussions of various fantasy-fiction authors:
#1- Robert Jordan: The Wheel of Time
Well, where can I begin with my praises for *the* closest I have ever seen to a perfect author in over 200 books and counting?
I shall forever be grateful to my friend, Henry, who introduced me to fantasy fiction while I was a bored high school student, waiting for college. I may hold an honorary first place spot for J.R.R. Tolkien, for evolving the genre, but in terms of today's authors, Robert Jordan is *far and away* the most talented storyteller I have ever encountered.
There are lots of things I like about Jordan's style which I could drone on about until my Web account is full, but I will keep it brief because you'll need the extra time to read his novels. :)
First of all, *no one* has the combination of vision, patience, and forethought to write a series of novels which interconnect so completely. A dream that the main character, Rand, may have in the first novel will be important in the sixth, thousands of pages later! I am currently in the process of reading through The Wheel of Time again, beginning with the third book, The Dragon Reborn. Once you have read the other novels which have been published so far, you begin to realize the true creative genius behind this series as you begin to see hints and secrets you missed the first time.
For example, without ruining any of the story, there is a character in The Dragon Reborn who makes fresh or sarcastic comments at times, such as "and pigs'll fly", just like virtually every other character in the novel. However, one such comment, around page 300 or so, may actually become true in book *eight*, even though the reader who innocently perused the line thought it was a funny impossibility, the first time.
OK, you say, so big deal... we see that all the time. Mr. Jordan, however, has managed to do this with every third sentence spoken by his characters, so when you go back and read the earlier novels, they are *completely* different stories. I believe that this is a sign of not only good writing, but good *planning*, and for this intricate "weave" of the plot, I give a tip of my proverbial hat to Robert Jordan (real name: James Oliver Rigney, Jr.).
What sets this series aside from all the rest is that it is one of the largest and most complex storylines to ever be assembled. The very beginning of the story follows the adventures of five main characters. This initial pool of characters has been expanding at an exponential rate, since then, so that I'm beginning to forget the names of some of the people, because so much is going on.
I can sometimes (especially whenever Jordan includes Min or people's dreams) see the author spinning the strands of the story out ahead of him, to be picked up and followed along at a later time. It truly is amazing to feel so up-to-date about the present situation, while reading one of his novels, yet feel so clueless about what is to come once you turn the page.
It is this balance of knowledge, this feeding of information to us, at a precise rate, so as to keep us somewhat satisfied yet hungry for more, which is what everyone looks for in a good fantasy fiction novel.
Authors can have the best sense of flowery descriptions in the world, yet completely bomb when it comes to moving the story along at a brisk pace. Tolkien began to do this a bit in his third novel, The Two Towers (book 2 of The Lord of the Rings trilogy). Terry Brooks writes in this style throughout his Shannara novels, although I haven't tackled his other series, as of yet.
Jordan's character development is second to none, with the mental and physical descriptions down to a tee. Nynaeve has but to lift her eyebrow and you know exactly what she is thinking. Yet at the same time, the "time out" Jordan takes to tell you this doesn't bother you at all, because you are so interested in knowing more, and you soon learn that *everything* is significant in his novels. Remember that, for novels averaging roughly 700 pages per, Mr. Jordan does not waste a single line, *ever*.
Finally, The Wheel of Time has a lot of small components incorporated within which make the difference between a well-told story and a rich series of novels you cannot put down. The direct references and models from Irish/Gaelic legends, past empires in history such as the Mongols, and even more present-day references to groups such as the KKK all combine to make this pre-industrial realm of magic a lot more realistic. While the sixth novel began a trend of falling off the pace set by the first five, Robert Jordan definitely knew what he was doing when he set out to write a fantasy fiction series. I can only hope to be on the same bestseller's list as he when I finally decide to sit down and create a world, myself.
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The Wheel of Time consists of:
1. The Eye of the World
2. The Great Hunt
3. The Dragon Reborn
4. The Shadow Rising
5. The Fires of Heaven
6. Lord of Chaos
7. A Crown of Swords
8. Path of Daggers
my guess as to how many more stands as it did when I had just finished reading the newly-released book 4, Shadow Rising: 10
(My friend's idea of basing it on the # of Forsaken has fallen through by now! Nice try, Henry...)
I sincerely hope that Jordan does not try to plan for 10, just plan to end it the way he wants to, and to hell with any issues of "symmetry" for a series.
If it takes 11, or 17, or 32, then that's what it takes. Just keep that story going!
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