Hello Dragonmount!

[John Mann]

I started reading WoT in 1991. The Eye of the World was in paperback and The Great Hunt was in hardcover. I remember picking up the paperback of EotW and liking the length, the plot description and the cover. I remember Perrin being my favorite character. I remember the wait between books 2 and 3 seeming like forever. I remember reading The Dragon Reborn in the car on my way to college. I remember meeting Robert Jordan at a book signing in NYC in 1993 for The Fires of Heaven and getting a Read and Find Out to my question. I remember hating Nynaeve. I remember hours and hours of reading and posting on the rasfwr-j newsgroup in the mid to late 90's. I remember printing out the FAQ, all hundred pages of it. I remember emailing an editor at Tor who was active online my displeasure with the cover of Lord of Chaos, and they responded that they saw a bowlegged little person and a Safeway checkout girl. I remember The Great Hoax, The Loy, The FAQ Queen, and Novak rightfully telling me I didn't know what I was talking about. I remember the endless speculation between books. I remember the gap between books 6 and 7, thinking it was forever. I remember Mat being my favorite character. I remember the slog. I remember the PLOD. I remember loving Nynaeve. I remember the news of Jordan's illness. I remember being so happy with Knife of Dreams. I remember hearing of RJ's passing. I remember hearing that Harriet had selected an author to finish the series. I remember running out to buy Elantris and being pleased. I remember hearing that there would be three books. I remember thinking Sanderson didn't quite get Mat right. I remember thinking that Sanderson got Mat right. I remember receiving A Memory of Light and knowing it was the end. I remember having a page in the book have a print issue so bad that I was sent a second signed copy and taking a picture of it to send to Tor trying not to spoil myself because I wasn't done yet. I remember making my wife drive home from work so I could keep reading the seemingly endless Last Battle chapter. I remember Rand lighting the pipe. I remember my gratitude that my favorite series by my favorite author was completed because my favorite author and his wife cared enough about his work and his audience to make sure it happened. I remember hoping, but not really expecting that a TV series would be made someday. I remember Winter Dragon airing at 1:30 AM. I remember Amazon announcing a series. I remember my excitement at the casting announcements. I remember watching the pilot and the dread I felt when Moiraine said "There are rumors of four ta'veren in the Two Rivers." I remember my disappointment at the end of season one. I remember my hope for season two. I remember...

 

I was 17 when I first picked up this series and now I'm almost 50. WoT has been a big part of two thirds of my life. While there won't be any more books, I have high hopes for the TV series. I continue to enjoy deep discussions about the series with friends and family. I have 3 kids who I hope will dive into the series someday.

Edited January 9, 2023 by John Mann

[Arie]

Thank you for sharing all of that. Many of us have such strong memories, and I hope you find many others of the like here. 🙂