we'll miss u

with love

Sorry for your loss Mrs. Rigney. He was a great man.

I feel a great sorrow...

Take my condolences...

will the story go on? will some one pick it up were it was left and bring this great tale to the ending it deserves. will the dragon ride on the winds of time once again?

soren jensen

I'll miss you.

Condolences.

I found my first Conan novel at a corner store where my dad bought cigars. It was the only place I can remember that ever carried Conan novels. Yours was about the fifth one I read, and I knew without a doubt you was the best writer of all the Conan novelists. I was 14.

In college, I walked past a bookstore and saw ‘The Dragon Reborn’ on display. I rushed inside and found the two novels that came before it, and after persuading myself there couldn’t possibly be two Robert Jordans writing novels, I bought them. Reluctantly, I waited to buy a paperback of ‘The Dragon Reborn’ a year later.

I read portions of ‘The Great Hunt’ to my college roommate, Shawn. He decided to start reading ‘The Dragon Reborn’ during exam week. He then decided he’d better finish it before it distracted him too much. Three days later, he was done.

I wrote a book review of ‘The Dragon Reborn’ for our college literary magazine. I was quite proud of it at the time. Today, I’m not so sure of its quality. I wonder if you felt as awkward looking back at some of your early theatre reviews

While working summer jobs at the mine, I lent my ‘The Great Hunt’ paperback to one of my father’s friends. He returned it with a broken spine and said it was “all right.†It was a hell of a lot better than “all rightâ€! I hardly ever spoke to him again, and then, usually in grunts. I sold the busted copy to a second-hand bookstore for ten cents and bought a new paperback.

I vividly recall the day after I purchased the hardcover of ‘The Fires of Heaven,’ Shawn said to me “I accidentally saw a word as I flipped through the pages: Moghedien!†We squealed with excitement, and then argued about whether one should flip pages of an unread Wheel of Time novel. I won the argument, and he never read ahead again. That he told me…

Every once in a while, one of us would say, out of the blue, “Asha’man… Kill.†Or “You? Nooo!†We debated long into the night on many, many occasions. Who killed Asmodean? Who were the other Forsaken disguised as? Was Mat Gaidal Cain? Would they ever catch Padan Fain? How would events play out?

I reread the entire series for each new release. I tried to incorporate Wheel of Time sayings into my everyday speech. I alternated between preferring Shienaran or Aiel funeral arrangements for myself. I saw ‘The Dragon Reborn’ hardcover in a bookstore, and bought it on the spot to try complete my hardcover collection. I somehow now have nearly 30 books of an 11-book series.

I sent my bride-to-be horseback riding in France with a trade paperback ‘The Eye of the World’ to keep her company and remind her of me. We eventually used Perrin and Faile’s wedding vows at our own wedding.

I named my daughter Jaime Nynaeve, after her mother. I never had the second daughter to name Aviendha.

I found Theoryland.com and found new thrills in debating minute details of the series. I loved seeing all the varying points of view and infallible logic that led to three different conclusions for every question. I enjoyed meeting the wide variety of fans from around the world, and learned a lot about my own preconceptions of what those parts of the world were like, and why the people from there acted the way they did. It was like being Rand, or Mat, or Nynaeve, meeting someone from a strange new culture, and being shocked at how they thought, but also coming to terms with the differences between us, particularly in those dark and paranoid years.

At Theoryland, I was all-WoT, all the time. Through intermediaries, I asked questions at conventions and on the question of the week site at Tor. Upon hearing my screen name, you reportedly said “Great Lord of the Dark? There’s someone with a small ego.†My heart swelled with pride that you took time to address our questions. Truly, we were lucky to be fans of the greatest author of our times. For the record, because I can’t say it enough: Moridin killed Asmodean, Mat is Gaidal Cain, and Therava is more like Semirhage than Semirhage herself.

When Tor announced an Internet Hunt to coincide with ‘Knife of Dreams’, I spent hours each week preparing. I was concerned after the first week when it took seven minutes to access the site, but decided everyone else was as far back as I. I won week 3, and received a bookmark, silver Aes Sedai ring, and a signed copy of “The Dragon Reborn†in hardcover: “For Tyler Congratulations on your win. Robert Jordan†I wear the ring every day. I was sorely disappointed when the format was changed to a sweepstakes. I won three other weeks of the remaining eight and never placed lower than ninth, which was only because there was a power outage and I had a friend enter my answer as I explained over the phone. There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that I would have been crowned winner under the original rules.

The effort of competing in the contest was too much. I had Wheel of Time burnout. I read Knife of Dreams, posted my comments a few weeks later, and quietly retired from online Wheel of Time fandom. When the blog began, I checked it once in a while, but never got back into the frenzied postings of earlier years.

I never doubted you would beat the disease RJ. You were Rand against the Dark One, and you were going to win. I never wrote you, I was never scared for you, because you were the Dragon, and the Dragon was going to win.

The world is broken. My heart is broken.

I know, in this turning or any other, you never yielded. Your stories and your life make it so each of us will find it a little easier to never yield. You have been an inspiration, as have your characters. Rand. Perrin. Mat. Nynaeve. Egwene. Aviendha. Lan. Moiraine. Thom. Karela. Michael Fallon. I love them all. I love you. Your presence, both on and off the page, will be missed. Thank you for everything.

I loved thinking that I was your number one fan. I’m happy to share that distinction with the thousands of others whose lives you’ve touched.

Harriet, Wilson, Thank you as well for all you’ve done for RJ, for being his pillars through all the years. I weep for your loss.

I weep.

Tyler Goodier

Great Lord of the Dark @ Theoryland.com

Dearest Mrs. Rigney/Jordan. It is funny that until this very moment that I never knew your husband had any other name than Robert Jordan. I would have bought his novels under any other name. He had a great writing skill. I first 'met' your husband when I was a teenager (and that was over 20 years ago) when I was obsessed with Conan the Barbarian. I had eaten up all of Robert E. Howard's books and was hungry for more. Then I happened upon books by this 'upstart' Robert Jordan. And he captured the world that Howard had created. Then several years later after I joined the United States Navy and was on a ship at sea. I had read everything I brought with me and was looking through the ship's library for something that would sate my desire for sci fi/fantasy. There was this book called 'The Eye of the World' and on the cover were some folks on horses and in armor with swords poking up over their backs. So, I took that book down to my bed and I read it when I had the time. When we pulled back in I trotted over to Walden's books to see if they had more and there were two more out at that time - The Great Hunt and The Dragon Reborn and I eagerly devoured those two. Then for years my wife has had to hear moans and groans from me as the books came out and I waited for the paperbacks to match my collection.

Mrs. Rigley, only yesterday I returned from a 6 month deployment overseas to keep everyone safe from all the badness in the world and today I took some time out from reuniting with my family to check up on all the news that I had been following before I left 6 months ago. Today I found that your husband has passed from this world. When I left I had great hopes and talked to my friends about when he would finish his fight and get back to finishing his great story. This news came to me as a great shock. I had so much faith in his strength and in medicine and science. And today I felt almost a physical blow. It has been almost a week for you, but today, for me, it is a fresh wound.

You have endured so much and we as fans have been on the sidelines cheering you on. Some for our own self-indulgence. Some for sincere caring. But all of us, for whatever reason were there with you. I thank the creators of DRAGONMOUNT for creating this place. And for pushing it on the web. Otherwise I may never have known and may have just gone about my days grumbling about when RJ was going to push out another book, never knowing he had passed. I may never have known about his struggle with this rare disease and his optimistic outlook.

I am sure that someone, someday, somewhere along the line will pick up his mantle and finish his story. But, it won't be RJ! It won't be the same. There will be that which is lacking and there will always be the doubt that in the end was it his intent that the characters end up the way the new writer intends?

Dearest Mrs. Rigley/Jordan you were his wife and I too am married. I can indeed imagine what it is too lose a spouse as my wife is suffering through much now and is slowly slipping away from me. I believe I know how you feel and I empathize with you. The sadness that you felt daily and the happiness when you could bring some joy to your beloved's life, if even for a brief moment. I wish you the best and I wonder what all of our lives will be without him in it. He has had such an impact. A few series of books. A world. A roleplaying game. A card game. He has impacted everyone from the avid reader, to the game player, to the business exec.

I wish you all the best. I do not know what the future holds for you or for me. I do know that it will be somewhat emptier. I grieve. For you and for me. I do not grieve for him. He fought hard and long. I was not there to know, but from what I read in posts, he gave it his all. I celebrate his life and rejoice in all the joy he brought me. It is somewhat funny that just last Christmas, I decided to share the RJ experience with my youngest son, who is an avid fantasy reader and buy him the entire set of books. While I was gone he read all of them. Then yesterday after I came home from my 6 months out, he asks me when RJ is going to come out with the last book. Now I have to break it to him that that book may never come.

I do not know how to close this. So much to say and the best way to share grief and loss is with hugs and tears. But you are not here to share those with. So, know that I share your loss and am sharing your tears. And if you were hear I would hold you tight and share your loss arm in arm as well.

Sincerely,

Tim Roberts

I enjoyed your books immensely every time I read them, and spent many an idle thought wondering what you would write next. Go now, and be with God.

May the hand of the Creator shelter you, and the last embrace of the Mother welcome you home.

All my sympathies to the entire family and fans. I've only discovered RJ's incredible work last summer, and I've never had an author hook me so much as he has. His work was so much above all the other stuff I've read, ever. Thank you RJ for the great pleasure I take every time I open one of your books. I never thought anyone would steer me away from my collection of Star Wars books, but, you have and I've never looked back. Thank you. You will be missed.

May you walk in the Light, and always find shade.

[...] Dragonmount | Robert Jordan’s Blog [...]

I offer my condolences to everyone affected by this.

Thanks RJ - the gifts you have given us all will last forever.

My condolences to the family, friends & fans of a great talent and inspriration to many.

My condolences to the Family and my thanks to RJ. For the Work he did and for the way he handled with his fans. Thank you.

To RJ I found your book when i was ten my brother made me read the eye of the world i am glad he did sence then ive read them at least 9 times. i canot exprese the sadness that i feel that your are gone but i also well never forget how your books enspired me and aloud me to experens the adveture ive always wanted. when i read these books i enter the void. To your family and frends i send my Sympathies. My you find peace and rest under the avandasora tree you deserve it god bless.

its very rare to pick up a book, and quite literally fall in love with it. To get lost within its pages so completely that the rest of the world ceases to turn for a few hours. it even more rare to find a book of such scope and complexity written with the talent and integrity that the wheel of time series has shown.

my sympathies to the family, my sympathies to the friends, my sympathies to the fans. RJ, you will be missed by millions, just as you where loved by millions. Thank you, for spending so much time for the rest of us producing something so incredible.

Thank you.

May you find water and shade where ever you walk

Julian.

Oh no... I couldn't believe this when I read it... Since I first picked up "Eye of the World" RJ has been like a hero to me. He was who inspired me to write, and hearing of his passing is causing me great sadness. I can hardly imagine what those close to him must be feeling now. My deepest sympathies to everyone, and RJ... you shall be missed...

Cant believe that youve gone RJ. Your books were almost an obsession to me, and to hear that youv'e passed on is so sad. Rest In Peace RJ.

May the hand of the Creator shelter you, and the last embrace of the Mother welcome you home.

My heart and the heart of millions break with the passing of such a beloved storyteller. His ability to take the light as well as the dark and blend them into such an intricate web was unmatched. He is the only author that I have ever seen take something "Tolkienesque", and from that create a masterpiece that even Tolkien would have a hard time matching. My first response at his passing was a mute one because of the shock involved because everyone was of the belief that this was not going to beat him. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Mr Robert Jordan, you promised us a second breaking through your elaborate story. We had no idea that by passing before your time, the breaking would be our hearts. May you alway be sheltered in His hands and may the people that mattered to you the most be sheltered by His and ours. Love to your family and to the rest of this comminty. I only hope that in His infinite wisdom, that God allow someone to complete R.J.'s work to bring closure to all of us. Thank you for your time.

I will just post a small quote form "The Eye of the World" I believe it was........."Sometimes even Heroes die......"

For the story that will stay with me for a lifetime....thank you.

My condolences to his family and friends. RIP James Oliver Rigney.

To the family of Robert Jordan, I know its a pen name, yet it is who he is to me. I am certain he was much more than a story teller for all of you. But I would like to thank you for sharing Robert with me. I know writing the amount of pages he did must of taken him from you alot, just to entertain me. His writings have been with me through the birth of two of my children, five years I spent in the military, several rainy, cold, hunting trips, and numorous other outings I have endured over the years. I have read his books several times. I love them. My son is ten, and when he is old enough, he wants to read them also.

For some men, the thought of leaving this world, sits better knowing they left behind a Legacy. Something they have done so their name will live on after them. To always be remembered. Robert has done this. Be proud knowing you lived in the company of a legend. Be proud to of know him, to of loved him. He accomplished what so many only dream of accomplishing. Thank you again for sharing him with me. God bless you all

Josh

My condolences to the family and friends of Robert Jordan. This is a great loss to the literary world, as well as to those his life personally touched. With the recent losses of Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and Robert Jordan, the world of great living authors dwindles.

I would like to posthumously thank the dragon, and only hope he is to be reborn.....

Hehe, I wonder if paradise is Randland for RJ. I wonder if he'd be one of the characters or perhaps a new character or diety?

Robartal Jorr'uldan, the smacker of asses! The great sandcastle prince of the empire beyond the great seas. Rob Jorrad, gleeman extraordinare?

Think he'll risk Harriets wrath by getting himself a harem like Rand?

Even without the harem I think hes having a great time.