Close

Tag: A Memory of Light

post-featured-image
Author Features

The Turning of An Age, plus… Haiku

torforge

The Turning of An Age, plus… Haiku

Place holder of - 34

Written by Jason Denzel

People ask me all the time what life after A Memory of Light will be like for me and Dragonmount.com. My answer is always the same: very little will change. The books will still be published, and new visitors will join our community. Conventions will still happen, and we’ll get the chance eventually, one way or another, to experience the series in video game or movie form. And there will be tidbits like the forthcoming River of Souls short story, and the Wheel of Time Encyclopedia. So don’t expect Dragonmount or the other major Wheel of Time communities to close anytime soon.

But that said, there’s no denying that an ending has arrived. These weeks leading up to January 8th are like the Last Days of the Third Age. The Age of the Books will wane, and give way to the new Age of…something else.

Like many of you, I’ve lived with this series a long time. I’ve already had the privilege of reading the end, and I’ve discussed it a few times already. I’ve had several months to adjust to a life where I know how the stories end—sometimes tragically—for characters I’ve read for nearly twenty years.

I will not spoil anything. I will not deny you your long-due experience of reading the final chapters for yourself. But I will, if you’ll indulge me, share with you some of my reactions to reading the final book, written in Haiku. Because really, who doesn’t enjoy Haiku?

Breathless I fall now
Away from this bedroom mine
Into theirs; Last time

The screams, the fury
Bleeding bone upon granite
Where has he led them?

Shined in silence once
Stone of impossibility
Dry her eyes for now

Cold the gaze and step
Breaks backs and hearts with thunder
With a name unknown

All at last are gone
He has come to prove them wrong
Oh so very wrong

Across the last note
A fleeting glimpse between us
I smile. And cry.

…………………………

From the Tor/Forge January Wheel of Time newsletter. Sign up to receive our newsletter via email.

…………………………

More from the January Wheel of Time Tor/Forge newsletter:

post-featured-image
Author Features / Video

The Wheel of Time: Legacy

torforge

The Wheel of Time: Legacy

object

Tom Doherty, Harriet McDougal, Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss, and Jason Denzel discuss the legacy of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. The Last Battle begins on January 8th in A Memory of Light.

Since 1990, when Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time® burst on the world with its first book, The Eye of the World, readers have been anticipating the final scenes of this extraordinary saga, which has sold over forty million copies in over thirty languages.

When Robert Jordan died in 2007, all feared that these concluding scenes would never be written. But working from notes and partials left by Jordan, established fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson stepped in to complete the masterwork. With The Gathering Storm (Book 12) and Towers of Midnight (Book 13) behind him, both of which were # 1 New York Times hardcover bestsellers, Sanderson now re-creates the vision that Robert Jordan left behind.

Edited by Jordan’s widow, who edited all of Jordan’s books, A Memory of Light will delight, enthrall, and deeply satisfy all of Jordan’s legions of readers.

The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass.
What was, what will be, and what is,
may yet fall under the Shadow.
Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time.

Rock Soup Productions 2012

…………………………

From the Tor/Forge January Wheel of Time newsletter. Sign up to receive our newsletter via email.

…………………………

More from the January Wheel of Time Tor/Forge newsletter:

post-featured-image
Author Features

Computers Made It Easier

torforge

Computers Made It Easier

Image Placeholder of - 20

Written by Harriet McDougal

Computers made it easier. Actually, first an electric typewriter made it easier. Robert Jordan was an engineer by training, and he really liked a clean typescript. He had begun by writing by hand on yellow legal pads, and when he switched to a typewriter he called his work “typing” rather than “writing.” This lasted for a while. He said, at one point, “The only difference between my work and that of a typist is that I have to make up what I type.” But of course he loved it.

And then computers entered our lives. I worked on a TRS-80, eventually adding an external drive; he cleverly bought an Apple III – a dog of a machine, which still contains some files we have never been able to access. Now that his papers and that machine are in the Addlestone Library of the College of Charleston, the archivists may be able to pry the information out.

Then there came the days of compatible laptops, so that he could finish a chapter in his machine and give me the disk to read in my machine. I recall one book we finished this way in the Murray Hill Hotel, an easy jump from Tor’s offices in the Flatiron building. When the chapter was ready I would jump in a taxi with my laptop to turn it in to Tor – then gallop back to the hotel for more editing.

We were doing that because the book was late. Weren’t they all? Tom Doherty performed miracles in getting the books produced in no time at all. But what Robert Jordan did under the pressure of deadlines – even if he missed them, the pressure was THERE – seems, as I look back, to be little short of miraculous, too.

He began all his books with the wind blowing. Breath, to instill life into his characters. In the Bible, Job 33:4 says, “The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.” When other writers would talk of their characters taking on life of their own, and controlling the story, he said, “I am an Old Testament creator: My fist is in the middle of my characters’ lives.”

Oh, dear, dear man. And what a creator he was! And, as Scott Card said of The Eye of the World, what a powerful vision of good and evil.

On January 8 you will see the final turning of his powerful vision. It comes to you with his love. And mine.

…………………………

From the Tor/Forge January Wheel of Time newsletter. Sign up to receive our newsletter via email.

…………………………

More from the January Wheel of Time Tor/Forge newsletter:

post-featured-image
Author Features

Reading the Final Scene of the Wheel of Time

torforge51 Comments

Reading the Final Scene of the Wheel of Time

Poster Placeholder of - 59

Written by Brandon Sanderson

At signings, I’ve often told the story of reading the last scene of The Wheel of Time. This might not be news to some of you. However, it’s one of the questions I get the most. What did it feel like, some five years ago now, to read that last scene of the book as Robert Jordan wrote it?

Soon after I was tapped to help complete the series, I asked Harriet about the last scene of the book. (The one that Robert Jordan had, over the years working on the series, promised fans he knew in detail.) She told me that he had indeed written that scene—and though there were large swaths of unfinished portions of the ending that he hadn’t had time to work on, he’d been determined to get that last scene on the page.

You can imagine my excitement. I flew out to Charleston for the first time in late 2007—before this, I hadn’t read any of the materials, as Harriet preferred that I come get them in person. After a long flight from Salt Lake City to Charleston, Harriet picked me up at the airport and drove me to her house in the city. We got in at nine or ten, I recall, and she had soup warming on the stove. She asked if I’d like some. My reply was, “If it isn’t too much trouble, I’d like to read the ending please…” Holding my enthusiasm was somewhat difficult.

So, I spent the next hours late into the night sitting in a chair beside Robert Jordan’s computer (it had been moved, by coincidence, out of his office and into the sitting room) reading his ending to The Wheel of Time, then poring over the rest of the notes. I remember Harriet passing by once and asking—with a satisfied smile—“It’s good, isn’t it?”

And it is. As a Wheel of Time fan for nearly 20 years at that point, I found myself supremely satisfied. The ending is the right one. Somewhat unexpected, somewhat daring, but also very well done. I knew that whatever else happened—whatever mistakes I made—at least this ending would be there, as Robert Jordan intended. We’ve put it in almost untouched, with just a few edits here and there at Harriet’s direction.

You’re going to love it.

Brandon

…………………………

From the Tor/Forge January Wheel of Time newsletter. Sign up to receive our newsletter via email.

…………………………

More from the January Wheel of Time Tor/Forge newsletter:

Sweepstakes

Memory of Light Backpack Sweepstakes

torforge

Memory of Light Backpack Sweepstakes

Placeholder of -69

We are offering the chance to win one of five Memory of Light backpacks! Each backpack will include a copy of Forge of Darkness by Steven Erikson, The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, Lamentation by Ken Scholes, Prospero Lost by L. Jagi Lamplighter, Spellwright by Blake Charlton, and The Legions of Fire by David Drake. Comment below to enter for a chance to win.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. You must be 18 or older and a legal resident of the 50 United States or D.C. to enter. Promotion begins December 10, 2012 at 10 a.m. ET. and ends December 14, 2012, 12:00 p.m. ET. Void in Puerto Rico and wherever prohibited by law. Please see full details and official rules go here. Sponsor: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

Sweepstakes

Memory of Light Backpack Sweepstakes

torforge

Memory of Light Backpack Sweepstakes

Poster Placeholder of - 60

We are offering the chance to win one of five Memory of Light backpacks! Each backpack will include a copy of Forge of Darkness by Steven Erikson, Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson, Imager by L.E. Modesitt, Jr., The Sword-Edged Blonde by Alex Bledsoe, Elfland by Freda Warrington, and Shadow and Betrayal by Daniel Abraham. Comment below to enter for a chance to win.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. You must be 18 or older and a legal resident of the 50 United States or D.C. to enter. Promotion begins November 14, 2012 at 10 a.m. ET. and ends November 21, 2012, 12:00 p.m. ET. Void in Puerto Rico and wherever prohibited by law. Please see full details and official rules go here. Sponsor: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

Sweepstakes

Memory of Light Backpack Sweepstakes

torforge

Memory of Light Backpack Sweepstakes

Poster Placeholder of - 67

We are offering the chance to win one of five Memory of Light backpacks! Each backpack will include a copy of Forge of Darkness by Steven Erikson, Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson, Farlander by Col Buchanan, Firebird by Mercedes Lackey, Spellwright by Blake Charlton, and The Legions of Fire by David Drake. Comment below to enter for a chance to win.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. You must be 18 or older and a legal resident of the 50 United States or D.C. to enter. Promotion begins October 22, 2012 at 10 a.m. ET. and ends October 26, 2012, 12:00 p.m. ET. Void in Puerto Rico and wherever prohibited by law. Please see full details and official rules go here. Sponsor: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

Sweepstakes

Memory of Light Backpack Sweepstakes

torforge

Memory of Light Backpack Sweepstakes

Poster Placeholder of - 15

We are offering the chance to win one of five Memory of Light backpacks! Each backpack will include a copy of Forge of Darkness by Steven Erikson, The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, The Sword-Edged Blonde by Alex Bledsoe, Range of Ghosts by Elizabeth Bear, Spellwright by Blake Charlton, and Shadow and Betrayal by Daniel Abraham. Comment below to enter for a chance to win.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. You must be 18 or older and a legal resident of the 50 United States or D.C. to enter. Promotion begins September 12, 2012 at 10 a.m. ET. and ends September 19, 2012, 12:00 p.m. ET. Void in Puerto Rico and wherever prohibited by law. Please see full details and official rules go here. Sponsor: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

Events / What's New

Tor Books Announces Programming for San Diego Comic-Con 2012

torforge4 Comments

Image Placeholder of - 13 Brandon Sanderson, John Scalzi and Steve Englehart as Comic-Con Special Guests!

This year at Tor’s Booth (#2707), we continue our popular *in-booth signings and giveaways, offering you a chance to meet your favorite authors up close and personal. This year we’re pleased to include the legendary

ORSON SCOTT CARD

author of New York Times Bestselling Ender’s Game, soon to be a major motion picture from Summit Entertainment!

Thursday, July 12th

  • 3pm – 4pm Tor Booth (#2707) New York Times bestselling author and Comic-Con Special Guest, BRANDON SANDERSON, will sign copies of The Way of Kings.
  • 2:30pm – 3:30pm Panel: The Dark Knight Rises: Is Batman Broken? Room 26AB
    Strong, smart, and heroic, he’s the Dark Knight we want on our side. But is Batman also out of his mind? Comic-con Special Guest, STEVE ENGLEHART joins Catwoman herself, Lee Meriwether, to discuss Bruce Wayne’s relationships, strengths and weaknesses. Does the Dark Knight have bats in his belfry?
  • 4:45pm – 5:45pm Panel: The Fiction of Halo 4, Room 6BCF
    Halo 4 heralds the return of one of gaming’s most iconic heroes, the Master Chief, in a new, epic sci-fi saga. Expanding and enriching the narrative, 343 Industries, panelists share how the development of stories across the GREG BEAR Forerunner saga, the KAREN TRAVISS Kilo-Five trilogy, Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, Halo 4 Campaign and Halo Infinity Multiplayer have become connective tissue for Halo 4.
  • 5pm – 6pm Tor Booth (#2707) Bestselling, award-winning futurist DAVID BRIN, will sign copies of his new high concept novel Existence, his first major work in over a decade.

Friday, July 13th

  • 10am – 11am Panel: Art of the Thrill Kill, Room 24AB
    From psycho killers and sociopaths to the vast unknowable emptiness of deep space, these authors know that it takes more than just blood and gore to keep their readers awake at night. DAN WELLS joins other top horror and thriller novelists to discuss how they balance ratcheting suspense with perfectly paced creepiness to create stories that are both psychologically and atmospherically disturbing.
  • 12pm – 1pm Signing in the autographing area, AA09
  • 12pm – 1pm Tor Booth (#2707) Legendary science fiction author ORSON SCOTT CARD & co-author AARON JOHNSTON sign Invasive Procedures a taut science fiction medical thriller. Five lucky people will get a chance to receive a signed copy of Earth Unaware: The First Formic War set in the popular Ender’s series, on-sale July 17th!
  • 12pm – 1pm Spotlight on BRANDON SANDERSON, Room 25ABC
    Author, educator, and Comic-Con Special Guest BRANDON SANDERSON talks about his growth from a nonreader in his youth to become one of the most popular fantasy writers working today. Sanderson’s books include his own Mistborn trilogy and his continuation of the late Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Timeseries, which wraps up in January 2013.
  • 2:30pm Duo Paul & Storm join us in the Tor Booth (#2707) to serenade fans as they wait in line to meet New York Times bestselling author and Comic-Con Special Guest JOHN SCALZI! Then at 3pm, John signs copies of Old Man’s War, the book that launched his career!
  • 3:30pm– 4:30pm Panel: Epic Fantasy War, Room 6A
    Brandon Sanderson (The Way of Kings), joins the top names in fantasy fiction to discuss how the key to writing a real epic fantasy novel lies in the word epic-which doesn’t just mean ambitious in scale, scope, and size.
    5:00pm – 6:00pm Signing in the autographing area, AA09
  • 5pm – 6pm Tor Booth (#2707) DAN WELLS will sign copies of his the book that started it all, I Am Not A Serial Killer.

Saturday, July 14th

  • 10am – 11am That 70s Panel, Room 23ABC.
    STEVE ENGLEHART makes a Comic-con Special Guest Spotlight appearance on this panel. Get out your pet rocks!
  • 12pm – 1pm Comics Arts Conference Focus on STEVE ENGLEHART , Room 26AB
    Travis Langley (Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight) moderates a discussion of Englehart’s stellar career writing the adventures of Captain America, Silver Surfer, Doctor Strange, Coyote, Night Man, the Justice League, and dozens of other characters.
  • 12:00pm – 1:00pm Panel: The Naked Truth About Tarzan and Jane: The First 100 Years of Spectacular Tarzan Imagery, and One of Literature’s Best-Loved Couples as They Enter Their Second Century, Room 25ABC
    Bestselling novelist Robin Maxwell (Jane: The Woman Who Loved Tarzan) and author Scott Tracy Griffin (Tarzan: The Centennial Celebration) gather with illustrator Joe Jusko (The Art of Joe Jusko) to discuss these iconic literary characters. Join them for a presentation and Q&A session hosted by Jim Sullos, president of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Incorporated, the official licensing entity for Tarzan and John Carter of Mars.
    Room 25ABC
  • 2pm – 3pm Tor Booth (#2707) Iconic science fiction author GREG BEAR signs copies of Halo: Primordium, Book Two of the Forerunner Saga.
  • 12pm – 1pm Tor Booth (#2707) Father/daughter duo ORSON SCOTT CARD & EMILY SCOTT CARD sign copies of their first writing collaboration, Laddertop, Volume 1.
  • 3pm – 4pm Panel: A Wrinkle in Time, Room 23ABC
    From the far-flung reaches of the Milky Way to the mind-bending possibilities of time travel, let the authors of speculative fiction tell you what they see when they venture to other dimensions. With DAVID BRIN & ORSON SCOTT CARD.
    4:30pm – 5:30pm Signing in the Autographing area, AA09
  • 5pm – 6pm Tor Booth (#2707) STEVE ENGLEHART will sign copies of The Long Man.
  • 5:30pm – 6:30pm Spotlight Panel with JOHN SCALZI, Room 7AB
    Comic-Con special guest JOHN SCALZI (Redshirts) talks about his latest work, his upcoming novel, video game, and film projects, takes questions and generally tries to amuse the hell out of you for an hour. With him as moderator/interviewer/conspirator: Wil Wheaton (Tabletop). It’ll be the most fun you can have while respirating.
    3:30pm – 4:30pm Solo Autographing, AA18

Sunday, July 15th

  • 10pm – 11am Panel: Stunted Fools and Scary-Ass Clowns: Humor in Science Fiction and Fantasy Room 25ABC
    Join in for an irreverent hour celebrating sly wit and unholy humor with some of the most devilish quipsters, wisecrackers, and satirists writing today. JOHN SCALZI (Redshirts) plays ringmaster to some of the best SFF humor writers in the field.
    11:30am – 12:30pm Signing in the autographing area, AA04
  • 2:45pm – 3:45pm Panel: Heroes for the Middle Grade Reader: Books That Will Rock Your Socks Off, Room 5AB
    EMILY JANICE CARD (yes, daughter of THAT Card) teamed up with her famous father to write a science fiction manga, Laddertop, Volume 1 aimed at middle grade readers, and will join a panel discussing adventurers and unexpected champions that we can all cheer for.
    4pm – 5pm Signing in the Autographing area, AA09
  • 12pm Tor Booth (#2707) giveaway, The Omen Machine by New York Times bestselling author, Terry Goodkind.
  • 2pm – 3pm Tor Booth (#2707) giveaway, Dark Companion the YA debut of Marta Acosta.

Make sure to follow @Torbooks on Twitter for up to date information and last minute events!

All Tor Booth signings are on a first come first serve basis and while supplies lasts. Limit one book per person.

What's New

WoT Charity Drive Announced: Chance to Have Your Name Included in A Memory of Light!

torforge

TarValon.net announced Wheel of Time Charity Drive on their website yesterday:

The Robert Jordan estate, Brandon Sanderson and the Wheel of Time community are pleased to announce a fandom wide fundraiser to assist Heifer International, a charity that provides farm animals and training to the worlds poorest populations.

The General Fundraiser and Silent Auction give fans multiple ways to be represented in the 12th book in the “Wheel of Time” series: “A Memory of Light.” These fundraisers will be administrated by TarValon.Net, with the results announced at Jordan*Con in April of 2009.

For more information, please see their charity drive page.

Posts navigation

Newer Posts
The owner of this website has made a commitment to accessibility and inclusion, please report any problems that you encounter using the contact form on this website. This site uses the WP ADA Compliance Check plugin to enhance accessibility.