Wheel of Time

Apr 7, 2010

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been reading Robert Jordon’s Wheel of Time series again. It’s been a long time, but it’s one of those series that no matter how many times I move house, I can’t bring myself to throw them out or pass them on and when a new addition come out, I find myself wanting to read the entire series again.

Wheel of Time (Book 1 is called Eye of the World) is a wildly complex epic fantasy series. For sci-fi/fantasy fans, it’s a classic. I want to read the books as a writer, to somehow puzzle out what Jordon did and how he did it, but I never get more than 100 pages in before I’ve forgotten all of that and am so engrossed in the characters that I don’t care how he did it.

The last time I read the series was around the time that book 10 in the series, Crossroads of Twilight, was new… around 2003. It was only this year that I learned that before completing the last instalment in a 15 book series, Robert Jordon died. Fortunately for fans, he spent a great deal of energy at the end of his life laying out the plot points of the last book to his family. His family and publisher chose another author to complete the last book, and in the end they decided to break it into 3 books. Fair enough, I suppose… after 15 600+ page books, the series had gotten quite complex. I can’t even really complain that although he died in 2007, only the first of this trilogy have actually been published. I mean, the man died.

I’ve read a few reviews, but decided not to pursue it too much, because I don’t want to accidentally learn how things end up. Sure, it’s epic fantasy, the good will prevail, overall. However Jordon has never been shy about killing people off, so no guarantee everyone will actually survive.

True fantasy fans will probably laugh. After all, I’m just now coming to terms with what they’ve known about for three years. And it’s not that I’m shocked and devastated about Jordon’s death. I’m quite philosophical about (other people’s) death. I’m probably more able to be philosophical knowing that we aren’t to be left forever on the edge, always wondering what would have happened. The series will be finished, so that’s comforting. You see it’s impossible for me to separate my feelings about him as a human being and him as the person I rely on to tell me the ending to a series I’ve devoted considerable time to. Fifteen (now seventeen) books! Not little books. 600 page books!

I don’t even feel guilty about thinking of myself and my need to find out how it all ends over his worth as a human being and how the people who knew him are still feeling that empty space that’s left when someone you love dies. The books are just that good.

It’s one of those goals that as a writer, I am well aware I could not attain it. No matter that writing been a driving force my entire life. No matter that I do have ambitions that border on are clearly delusional, especially considering the way life has brought me to heel in the last year or so.

No, when I die, friends and family will be upset. I know there are people who love me and that’s a nice feeling. Some will feel a loss, and that both warms and troubles me. However, the one thing I can guarantee won’t happen is that no one will say, “That’s too bad… but she finished writing her last book, right?”

So this is my moment of reflection and tribute to a great author, Robert Jordon. Don’t bother trying to analyse how he created such a compelling story. I’m not even sure such things are knowable in this case. I’m just grateful that he did.