What The Wheel of Time Series has Done for Me.

[Guest Mephistopheles]

Hello everyone, I've registered today in hopes of letting you know how much I've enjoyed this series and what it has meant to me.

 

In 1992, after high school graduation, I joined the Army and eventually enlisted for 12 years. During this time, I didn't really put much time into reading, as I was more focused on learning, and perfecting, new skill sets that the military teaches us; As well as, enjoying everything that comes along with being single in your teens and twenties. During the later years of my service, I found that my stamina and other physical attributes weren't really up to par anymore and eventually found out thru the hospitals that my kidneys had failed a few years back and they were just running on fumes. With this knowledge in hand, I made a lot of life changes.

 

One of those life changes was to actually pick up a book, not for educational purposes like my GI Bill was giving me, but for pure enjoyment. I started off reading the Drizzt series and continued thru various other series. During this time (around 2005) of exploration into new worlds, I ran across The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan.

 

When I began reading The Eye of the World, the first thing I noticed right off the bat was that it wasn't like all the other series I've read. It was a complete story, one that started me off knowing nothing of the world and as the pages passed by I learned more of the world as the characters did. I immediately fell in love with it. It gathered me into the world so thoroughly that I found myself reading for 5+ hours each day. It was like a magnet to my imagination. The writing captured me like no other series previously or since. What I particularly loved about the books was the fact that they were actually making me feel the honor, integrity and the love that those character were portraying. Everytime I read the series it brings me thru the entire emotional spectrum from laughing at Matrim's antics to crying at the sense of honor that I feel when reading about all these soldiers duties require and how each different person, whether male or female, deals with their decisions.

 

I have found myself, while reading the books after the first time, tangenting off and putting myself into their shoes and what I would do in that circumstance. Would I just push Min away as she is sitting on my lap teasing me (thinking she was just fooling around) or would I shove my lips into hers and kiss her passionately, taking my chances? If I thought that Eamon Valda had abused my mother would I be as controlled as Galad had been or would I just unsheathe my sword and kill him in a fit of pure rage? I have put myself into each character's roles at some point or another and found different strengths and weaknesses in myself. As such, the character's values have reminded me how to make better decisions in my own life.

 

I've now read the entire series of books 5+ times; as well as, listening to the audiobooks at night while falling asleep. The world is just so well put together that you can't help but be entranced by its pure scope and genius. As with all works of genius, the series leaves parts of the world unexplored and past events that just tantalize us with bits and pieces of history. Parts that are so succulent to the imagination that it begs us for follow up series' of their own.

 

This is why I registered on these forums today and decided to share my view of the series which has touched me so deeply. With the ending of The Wheel of Time series in sight, I hope that whoever has the power to make the decision to continue this world in other series does so. I find myself just drooling for more full storylines covering various times and events:

 

Aridhol (Shadar Logoth) and the Ten Nations

How Bel Tine came about coming into the Two Rivers

Stories of The Forsaken and how they went over to the Dark One

More Ogier Stories and How the Steddings came about

The Creation of the Waygates

Borderlander's Stories and The Blight

The Fall of Manetheren

Heroes of the Horn

The Tower of Ghenjei and the Aelfinn and Eelfinn and the game Snakes and Foxes

How the Seanchan were sent across the ocean by Artur Hawkwing

Exploration of The Mountains of Mist

How Hinderstap was cursed by the Shadow

The life of Lews Therin before and up to him going mad and being named Kinslayer.

The story of Slayer and how he came to the Shadow

The lead up to the Fall of the Seven Towers of the Malkieri

More stories of the Wolfbrothers

The lead up to The Breaking of the World

The Green Man's story

Exploration of Shara

 

There is just so much immersion left into this world that it would feel incomplete for me if this world did not continue after A Memory of Light.

 

A heartfelt thank you to both James Oliver Rigney, Jr and his wife Harriet; not only for giving us these books to savor, but to share with our loved ones as well.

[Plan R]

While I cant say my experience mirrors yours. I must say that I felt the same way you did when I began the series. When I began Eye of the World, I fell in love with the world long before I really started to care about the characters. I think that was RJ's greatest strength as a writer. The world he built is the richest world I have come across in any form of media. Even when the pace of the story really started bugging me out, the world always stuck with me. I want to live in this world, no other series ever made me want that.

 

As for more stories from this world; don't hold your breath. Harriet does not want anyone else tinkering with RJ's world after Sanderson finishes the main story arc. Myself I would love to read more about the history of this world. I remember when I was first getting into the series, I had an idea that it would be awesome to get a historical fiction novel like a James Michener or Edward Rutherford type of novel. One that centers on Whitebridge and touches on all the big happenings from the time of the Breaking and continues on into the main series timeline. But I guess that pipe dream is over.

[Naresh]

A great story, and one I thank you for sharing. For me, as Plan R points out, it was the world itself rather than the characters that drew me in. I've always had a historical bend and RJ's greatest strength was his historian background and the greater world-view that he could shape from it. Rand, Mat, Perrin and the lot can all jump in the Pit and burn for all I care- I'll be more interested in what happens to the world itself.

 

Have you read the White Book? ("The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time") While it's more of a historical text than an actual character-driven story, it does address many of the points you've expressed interest in reading further. Particularly the motivations of the Forsaken, the history of the Ten Nations, Aridhol, the Seanchan, and even the Waygates.

[Suttree]

Not likely that we get any further stories as Team Jordan seems to be leaning against it. The best chance we have is for the planned prequels and outriggers.

 

Encyclopedia Wot

Prequels

 

Robert Jordan planned to write a total of three short (for him) novels to complement the Wheel of Time main chronology, the first being New Spring. The second prequel was to be the story of how Tam al'Thor found baby Rand on Dragonmount and returned to the Two Rivers. The third was to be the story of how Moiraine and Lan arrived at the Two Rivers just in the nick of time.

Outrigger Novels

 

In addition to the main chronology and the three prequel novellas, Robert Jordan said that he had an idea that might lead to another two or three novels set in the Wheel of Time world. These would be "outrigger" stories, not a part of the main storyline. He said he had to think about them and flesh out the idea for a couple of years before deciding whether or not they would be worth writing. Later, in his blog, he hinted that the story would be about Mat and Tuon in Seanchan after the Last Battle.

 

I agree with Team Jordan in that these should not be written. Without any comprehensive notes & outlines they would basically amount to glorified fan fic, which does not interest me in the slightest. In terms of stories set in the AoL or the like RJ was always dead set against it. He was also very much against any type of "shared world" scenario.

[Trakand]

I just wanted to add a little. I have just completed my first read through of the wheel of time, and I think the world well built. What drives me is character progression, the characters in this novel are developed brilliantly. You can trace the changes through the events. I dislike when an author does not provide depth to his characters. Without character depth, the world rings hollow to me.

[Elgee]

Welcome to DM, Meph :)

 

I completely agree with you about wishing for more, but as Plan R said, that's extremely unlikely to ever happen. You can always RP your own stories though, if you want.

[silvelix]

wheel of time has been a part of my life ever since I read the books. wot set a high bar of fantasy book reading for me.RJ was one of the best maker of magic system for me as well as laying events and stories, like how a forsaken died, the traps they planned or something like that. And of course I feel like the story is really happening for real.

 

I've read a lot of fantasy books but Wheel of time is still the number one fantasy book for me. I'll make sure that my son and future kids are going to read my wot book collection. I wished for Age of Legends, War of Power and all mephisto's stories that he mentioned but I know it will never happen. all in all I'm very thankful that I came across the story of wheel of time.