What will it be like in ten years?

[Demiandre]

Tower of Midnight's release take place in a month and a day. I happened to read Jason's review of the book just minutes ago. I'm confident I'll enjoy the book. I expect a lot.

Then, A Memory of Light will come out (Spring 2012, if I'm correct?). It will be the very last. There will not be more to the serie! Or maybe apart novels. Outriggers? Prequels? Off-side story? It won't be exactly the same in my humble opinion.

 

I am thinking about what it will be like, after the last release of a Wheel of Time book. Whatever the nature if it. What will the whole Wheel of Time mean after? Will the book be well-known? Will the Serie be even more successful? Will they disappear from the shelves of libraries? What is the future of this treasure?

 

And a last concern, what will it mean to me? Will I stop thinking about the different plots, the hints at Demandred's identity, the murder of Asmodean and how we argued about who did it? Will I remember the favorite scenes I have? All the jokes and wild theories I read or wrote on this board? Will I remember all the guesses I had? Will I be satisfied with the End? Will I forget everything? Or thinking about what could different characters from the books be doing at the moment?

 

 

I personally fear I'm going to forget the Wheel of Time. Maybe, when I'll be white-haired, I'll never remember all I like in the books. Not out of sickness, like Alzheimer, but out of age. We see in the Wheel that as time pass, memories fades. I fear I'll never have the same joy, the same eagerness about a universe I've started to dicover only five years ago.

 

Do you have the same fear?

[Corlock]

"Memories fade to legends, legends fade to myths, and even myths are long forgotten by the time the age that gave them birth comes again."

 

We've got a long time before the Wheel of Time fades from memory altogether. I have a feeling that once the series is completed, it'll get the literary recognition it truly deserves. Remember, The Lord of the Rings wasn't considered a literary classic until after Tolkien's death, if I'm not mistaken. WoT is epic enough, and contains enough masterful writing in terms of foreshadowing and other literary techniques that it will be used to teach kids about such techniques in the future. Probably also to help them pass the New York State Regents test, as there is, or at least was, an essay question on that which asked one to write about a conflict between good and evil within the context of a book. The typical book used for this today is The Fellowship of the Ring.

[Al Jenn Mael]

Nope it will forever be in my memory as I continue reading fantasy and compare new authors to old ones. However writing styles will get better and better and the Wheel of Time will become a classic, a foundation of the genre, and an icon for authors to live up to. However I do imagine in 20 years when my children are reading fantasy they'll read through Wheel of Time and complain about how old, outdated, and boring it is >.<. By that time though books will have probably evolved into something more...

[mossman87]

I'll move onto Brandon's new epic, and WoT will be like LOTR.

 

I'll miss the theorycrafting, but there will always be enough to talk about.

[Chezz]

Of course I'll be worried that the Wheel of Time is going to come to and end....but as we all know:

 

"Memories fade to legends, legends fade to myths, and even myths are long forgotten by the time the age that gave them birth comes again."

 

Good things all have to come to an end. As we move on with our lives, our past will definitely be forgotten to some extent, which is something deserving of sorrow, but on the other hand, new experiences will never come without old ones leaving.

 

Perhaps WoT will inspire a new series of novels by a budding author inspired by them? We will never know...

 

My only worry is that, as Demiandre mentioned, WoT will be forgotten in the depths of time, will no one left to appreciate it. Already I see that bookstores in my region don't really carry much books of this genre anymore, and that is truly worrying.

[Al Jenn Mael]

Really? Seems like the fantasy genre has been growing ever since I was a kid. More and more authors are actually writing for this genre.

[Chezz]

Uh...well. It depends on how you look at stuff. Most things nowadays are simply going commercial-commercial-commercial. Everything that people do, all goes down to mindless popularity (e.g. music these days...)

 

The same goes with books. There are tons of 'rubbish' books that simply create a craze for some time but in fact have no actual content (think Eragon. Sorry for the criticism but after WoT Eragon's narration seemed flat, even childish). Those kind of content are in focus nowadays, instead of true classics. Sorry if I was slightly unclear in my previous post.

[Al Jenn Mael]

There are also some good series that have and are coming out. Have you read the Malazan book of the Fallen series?

[Kaznen]

I think with RJ's notes there could be series on top of series based on WoT world. Between the breaking and Modern Randland there has been about 3500 years. And that 3500 filled with epic stories. I think most of the "gleeman's tales" were based off, what was at one time, earth shattering events.

 

Even if Harriet never green lights the other two prequels or the "out rigger novels" there could be stories set during the Compact of Ten Nations, Trolloc Wars, Hawking, The Hundred Years Wars, the wars concerning false dragons, and schemes in the White Tower leading them to become what they are today.

 

These are concepts that could be relooked at and expanded, as long as they don't contradict Randland Cannon, and could be very successful.

 

I would love to see a comic book series about the original Band of the Red Hand during the Trolloc Wars.

[Durinax]

I could see WoT becoming more like Dragonlance, in the fact that after the original series was finished it opened up to other authors who where inspired by the books. then we could see a whole bunch of cool stories about all facets of the WoT. My only hope would be that Harriet would still be the main editor person for the books to keep them true to the WoT

[Al Jenn Mael]

That would be a lot of work for her.

[Kaznen]

I was also thinking about Star Wars and the books about the Jedi before where the movies start. And all the stories after the movies (although I think they went overboard after a while.)

 

But, The Wheel of Time is owned by a single person, not a gaming company wanting to give one of their campaign settings depth. That's the rub. When he was alive RJ didn't want others playing in his sandbox and Harriet isn't to keen on letting other authors play with her late husband's toys. She took convincing to approve the completion of the series and she hand pick BS herself.

 

We could have just ended up with the plot outline for MoL with the already written scenes (a' la The Silmarillion and other uncompleted works by Tolkien)

[Lynchgrinch]

It's a scairy thought realy, Wheel of Time has been such a HUGE part of my life these last 5-6 years. yeah there could be spin-off's and things but it's the core series of the 14 AMAZING books that realy matter. Wheel of Time is almost like a second life to me, but one that it seems will abruptly...well not end, but diminish greatly in the next 2 years or so.

 

I envy and always will, the people who are starting to read these truely AMAZING books for the first time, it's increadable realy how much of my life has been dedicated to reading and re-reading and re-rereading the WoT. I'm absorbed by it, it's part of me.

 

I go back and read things like Harry Potter which i loved, and still do before i was put onto some realy fantasy writing. And it makes me sad to re-visit those books and remember nights awake at 3 in the morning pouring over the pages letting my immagination be part of the tale infront of me. I remember finishing Harry Potter for the fist time and thinking..."wow, nice one harry.....but now I kind feel almost empty".

 

All the characters i got to know so well didn't exist anymore, they were just memories that reminded me of my childhood and early teens. and that was only Harry Potter.

 

WHAT THE HELL IS THE END OF THIS GONNA BE LIKE?

 

I swear i'll cry when i finish A Memory of Light, probably because it will be so good. But also because it means another huge chapter of my life will be over. And while all good things die, i'll still be devistated. The Harry Potter syndrome I had will increse infinitely. I'm so attached to these characters that it'll be like loosing a best friend!

 

Well i hope that didn't sound too morbid or overly emotional, but it's true. I'm gonna be gutted beyond belief!

 

I'll read other books and create wacky theorys for the Stormlight Archive or whatever is the next big thing. But THIS, THIS is what real Epic Fantasy is all about. And i can't realy ever seeing things being the same once it's done and gone.

 

I wish there was an emoticon for "distraught"

[Sid]

This series, when it's over, will be the one that I compare every other fantasy series to that I read. GRRM's ASoIaF was actually tops on my list for awhile (Pre-KoD) but since he's taking so long to get the books written and since KoD freakin' rocked, WOT is tops. Unless the ending is a supreme disappointment, which seems ridiculously unlikely, it will stay that way unless some new author comes up with something spectacular. And it'll have to be more spectacular in characters, prose, nuance, history, 'magic', humor... let's just say it'll have to really be something else to unseat WoT.

 

It'll actually be a relief once it's done, and I try to wrap my head around all the plotlines that wrapped up (or were left unfinished), and discuss all the stuff I didn't quite understand the first time here, and see what was hidden to the casual observer, and appreciate it on as many levels as I need to for closure. I can shelve it, bring it back when I feel like enjoying a few good chapters (and probably see some foreshadowing I missed) and marvel at the job Jordan and Sanderson did, and then I can put it back on the shelf and not have to wonder HOW IT ENDS BECAUSE I'll ACTUALLY KNOW.

[bigWalt]

Tower of Midnight's release take place in a month and a day. I happened to read Jason's review of the book just minutes ago. I'm confident I'll enjoy the book. I expect a lot.

Then, A Memory of Light will come out (Spring 2012, if I'm correct?). It will be the very last. There will not be more to the serie! Or maybe apart novels. Outriggers? Prequels? Off-side story? It won't be exactly the same in my humble opinion.

 

I am thinking about what it will be like, after the last release of a Wheel of Time book. Whatever the nature if it. What will the whole Wheel of Time mean after? Will the book be well-known? Will the Serie be even more successful? Will they disappear from the shelves of libraries? What is the future of this treasure?

 

And a last concern, what will it mean to me? Will I stop thinking about the different plots, the hints at Demandred's identity, the murder of Asmodean and how we argued about who did it? Will I remember the favorite scenes I have? All the jokes and wild theories I read or wrote on this board? Will I remember all the guesses I had? Will I be satisfied with the End? Will I forget everything? Or thinking about what could different characters from the books be doing at the moment?

 

 

I personally fear I'm going to forget the Wheel of Time. Maybe, when I'll be white-haired, I'll never remember all I like in the books. Not out of sickness, like Alzheimer, but out of age. We see in the Wheel that as time pass, memories fades. I fear I'll never have the same joy, the same eagerness about a universe I've started to dicover only five years ago.

 

Do you have the same fear?

If memory fades then you can always reread the WoT as if for the first time.

[Moiraine777]

I've read the series four times and I still forget a lot of stuff. Imagine when I haven't read any wot for 15 years! Of course I will remember the major events, but still, how awesome will it be to re-read after so much time has gone by?! It will ROCK!!

Of course, I will still cry when the last book is over. No doubt about that.

 

Does anyone else find it at all entertaining that the final book/Tarmon Gaidon will be happening in 2012? With all the hoopla... heh. Come on. It's pretty great.

[Khan]

I want the Karaethon Cycle published. And WoT will never fade from my memory. :)

[Lynchgrinch]

published Karaethon cycle would be BEYOND awesome.

[Thor]

it'll get made into series and films and totally butchered.

[Demiandre]

Well I stick with what I fear. That I'll one day forget about the Wheel. How much reread before I remember it too well, and decide to drop the universe for too long a time?

 

Even new publications will one day disapoint me - almost certainly if not based on notes RJ left - and then it will not be oblivion but disgust, and I hope fervently it won't resort to that.

 

But yeah! A published Karaethon Circle would be wonderful.

[Crael123]

Wheel of Time is what i compare all books i read now a days too. man this book was great! but it sucks compared to WOT! HURRY UP DAMN IT NOVEMBER!!!!

 

WOT will always be a in my memory. who could forget the the boob descriptions, all of it! not me my friend. not me.

[TheDecline01]

I think that we can safely assume that enough plotlines will remain opened by the time AMoL is done and over for all us freaks to build theories on for years, waiting for books to be written based upon the notes left by RJ.

And of course, it will have some kind of LoTR effect, gaining new fans, inspiring new writers etc... Obviously the hype will fade but it will never completely disappear, and come on, we evolve as human beings, we'll be glad to have new reading experiences (since WoT takes so much time) and remember the good ol' times when we are grandpas (and grandmas). In French, we call this being "vieux con", roughly translated it'd be "old fool". Yeah, that sounds good.

[Wheel of Thyme]

Hi all...

 

I dont believe the ending of this series will take away my enjoyment regarding it. Some things will change; we will know what happens at the end, and now, we only guess and theorize, and that is fun. But, I still very much enjoy LOTR, and I know how it ends. I have a feeling these boards will continue to exist and postulate speculations on characters motives, and plot lines not full revealed. Hell, we may even STILL debate Asmodean's killer.

 

Sincerely,

Wheel of Thyme

[OptimusPrime]

I'll move onto Brandon's new epic, and WoT will be like LOTR.

 

I'll miss the theorycrafting, but there will always be enough to talk about.

 

I agree with this. My next intended read will be Way of Kings

 

 

Really? Seems like the fantasy genre has been growing ever since I was a kid. More and more authors are actually writing for this genre.

 

Thats why its so hard for the rest of us to join their ranks! There is a lot of competition these days

[Demiandre]

And full of rubbish. How many books are really good? How much books published can hold the comparison with tWoT, Mistborn, Eddings series, or others?

 

I think that we can safely assume that enough plotlines will remain opened by the time AMoL is done and over for all us freaks to build theories on for years, waiting for books to be written based upon the notes left by RJ.

And of course, it will have some kind of LoTR effect, gaining new fans, inspiring new writers etc... Obviously the hype will fade but it will never completely disappear, and come on, we evolve as human beings, we'll be glad to have new reading experiences (since WoT takes so much time) and remember the good ol' times when we are grandpas (and grandmas). In French, we call this being "vieux con", roughly translated it'd be "old fool". Yeah, that sounds good.

You know what? When I see my father, I really hope never to end as a "vieux con". Where are you from by the way? I wonder if such expression is not typical to our country. It seems like it is a strong french personality trait :)