For the last tour of a Wheel of Time book, ever, I had to make sure to attend.  Add in Jason Denzel, creator of my beloved Dragonmount, and there was no way I would miss it!

I was able to get a few days off work and make the drive over to San Diego from my home in Arizona.  My husband wasn't able to take the time off too, so I did the only logical thing: invited my parents.  It was like reverting back to childhood—except that Mom and I shared a beer.  We did all the touristy things around the harbor; we took the ferry to Coronado, my dad and I rode the roller coaster at Belmont Park, we walked up and down Mission Beach.  It was a blast!

But as fun as all that was, it paled in comparison to seeing Harriet McDougal, Alan Romanczuk, Maria Simmons, and Jason Denzel at the signing.  

The location was the Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore—a place I've heard a lot about but hadn't visited before.  The store was amazing!  A booklover's paradise!  The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful.  The amount of signed books they had was impressive.  I almost picked up a signed copy of Shadows of Self.  

Once the event began, Harriet started by reading her favorite entry in The Companion: Bela.  I'm not going to give any spoilers, but if you have a copy of The Companion, be sure to read that entry.  It had me near tears.  Then there was the general Q&A session.  Many topics were covered, like whether there would be any other Wheel of Time books coming out—the answer was, of course, "No"—and if there would likely be a sequel to The Companion—again, the answer was "No."  But, Alan did mention that the Team Jordan Google+ Page (Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time) has released a couple entries that were cut from The Companion.  So, while we won't have any new content in books, we still have Harriet, Maria, and Alan to give us more of what we crave.

After that, Jason surprised us with unreleased bonus content from Mystic; he read the prologue to the novel, which had been cut for various reasons.  It told a part of the tale of Saint Brigid, a character of legend who lived thousands of years before the story took place.  It was a fascinating addition to the lore, and I hope that more of Brigid will be revealed as the series continues!

There were a lot of Wheel of Time fans there, and it always makes me happy to see so many together.  The thing I love most about fans of the series is that you can jump into a conversation with any of them, and be perfectly welcomed.  The only thing that ever makes waves is how you pronounce character names.  I spoke with several people—one fan, I believe, was visiting from the Netherlands.  The man who stood behind me in line had every single copy in the series (The Eye of the World through Knife of Dreams) signed by Robert Jordan.  It's amazing the stories you'll hear!

Once I was able to get my copy of The Companion signed, I did have a question for Team Jordan.  I asked them if there was ever going to be a more complete compilation of Wheel of Time artwork.  Maria said that Ta'veren Tees is thinking of something along those lines.  But my real desire comes from owning a copy of volume one of the Japanese The Eye of the World.  The Japanese publisher has amazing manga-style artwork added into the story.  I would love to see all of it!  But, with foreign publishers having the rights to the artwork, Maria said it would be too difficult to have any of it added to a compilation book. I guess I'll just make it my goal to buy all the Japanese versions to see for myself.  (For just a taste of many of the foreign covers, you can look at the Wheel of Time Wikia.)

I left the signing absolutely thrilled.  Not just because the store's staff was welcoming, or that the other fans were welcoming, but that Jason, Harriet, Alan, and Maria were so welcoming.  These are people who really appreciate and embrace their community.  It's amazing the amount of attention they give, the personal touch they add to each fan they greet.

I love encyclopedias. Absolutely love them. I read my Junior Britanicas cover to cover when I was a kid. I read Wikipedia for fun. I play trivia games. I even competed in the Geography Bee state finals as a kid.  So as a Wheel of Time fan and lover of encyclopedias and trivia, I am the perfect target audience of this volume. There was absolutely no way I’d dislike this volume. An alphabetical listing of every person, place or thing ever mentioned in the series? Sold. Who do I give my money to? Whether or not other Wheel of Time fans enjoy it depends entirely on what they were expecting from it.

First off, this volume is almost overwhelming in its completeness. I’m not kidding when I said it lists nearly every noun used in the series. Even minor characters get an entry. The random historical references Birgitte makes that no one understands get entries. Some of these entries are slight, because there’s not much known about that character. Others are almost too complete. (You will never guess, for example, which prominent Aes Sedai worries about the size of her bottom.) The articles on Aes Sedai, the White Tower and the Seanchan were the most detailed, reflecting the amount of work Jordan put into building these aspects of his world. There are some surprising bits of trivia about the Red Ajah and their pogram against male channelers after the Aiel War. Someone could probably put together a more detailed history of those events after a close reading of those articles and those of individual Red sisters. Even the article on humble, sweet Bela has an extra detail that will probably make you smile.

There’s a few things that I wish were organized differently. The Old Tongue section has a list of every word appearing and it’s meaning. That’s super handy. I would have liked to see the same thing with sword forms and had a list of each form and it’s description, if known. All of the herbs are included, but not as one entry. There’s a few places where I’d like to see a family tree, such as any of the entries on the Damodreds and Trakands.

But none of these extra details shed any light on what happened after the Last Battle. If you were hoping for, say, confirmation on whether or not anything from Aviendha’s visions came true, you aren’t going to find it here. Team Jordan says very firmly in the foreword that this volume is meant as a companion and reference to the novels, so there’s nothing in it that  moves any of the plot, characters or setting beyond what we already know.

My only real disappointment with the Companion is the art, or lack of it. There are a few illustrations by some noted Wheel of Time artists, as well as the maps that appeared in the series. But none of this is new art commissioned specifically for this book. Instead, it’s re-publications of art already used in the Wheel of Time wall calendars and playing card decks produced by Ta’veren Tees. It’s all good art and I’m sure there’s still plenty of people who haven’t seen it, so it will be new to them. But for a series that’s so well noted for it’s detailed descriptions of, well, everything, a few more visuals would have been nice. I do think it’s important to note that the PDF copy I read was over 800 pages, so they probably included all they possibly could and still keep it to one volume.

I’d love to see the whole thing converted into an app at some point and become a searchable database. I have a cookbook that was converted in that way on my phone and it’s one of my most useful apps. Having a searchable database to consult while re-reading would be a very handy thing and would get around the whole “you have to actually print and bind this” issue.

Overall, I think the Companion is a great thing for hard core Wheel of Time fans who want a quick reference to consult while re-reading or arguing on the internet. A more casual fan probably doesn’t need this, unless you absolutely have to have a complete book shelf.

Egwene by fee-absinthe

Tor released another expert from The Wheel of Time Companion, this time an in depth entry on sitting Amyrlins.  Some entries are short, others longer and more detailed.  Many are of interest and speak of the secret histories the sisters whisper about throughout the series.

For example, here's a snip-it from the entry for Sereille Bagand:

As Amyrlin, she ran the Tower in many ways as if she still was the Mistress of Novices, and every sister was a novice, or at best Accepted. She expected obedience and no arguments, and she got obedience and no arguments; those who argued soon came to regret it, with the possible exception of Cadsuane Melaidhrin. Claims that even Sitters flinched when she looked at them and broke into tears when she frowned cannot be confirmed, but the fact remains that during her reign, the Hall of the Tower was firmly in her grasp.

 

When the Hall first tried balking her, she unchaired the entire Hall. The Ajahs then returned the same Sitters, only to have her unchair them immediately. This continued for nearly half a year before the Ajahs realized that for all that time Sereille had been ruling solely by decree and would continue to do so. A full year passed before Sereille allowed a Hall to sit, and by that time the Ajahs had, in desperation, begun choosing women they believed Sereille would accept. By the time she allowed a Hall to sit, every single Sitter was a woman Sereille would accept; in effect, she had chosen her own Hall, and she never had trouble with them again. After Sereille’s death, the Hall passed a law saying that if the entire Hall was unchaired, the new Hall had to sit for ten days before it could be unchaired again.

Tor has been revealing experts from The Companion since June.  If you've missed any of them, now is a good time to catch up!

Besides Companion entries, Tor has also featured many articles relating to different aspects within the series.  There's a fantastic write-up on Aviendha's trip through the ter'angreal in Rhuidean, and an analysis of whether time travel is possible within Randland (both written by the brilliant Chris Lough).

Even though the series may be completed, there's still so much to learn, discuss, and embrace.

With the release of The Wheel of Time Companion just around the corner, Tor.com has kept us tantalized with fan-suggested sneak peaks into the excerpts we're anxiously awaiting.  But now, we have something that's a bit more meaningful, the Forward to the Companion, written, of course, by Harriet McDougal—Robert Jordan's widow, and the editor of The Wheel of Time series.

When I began editing The Eye of the World, I started a list of proper nouns, keeping them in a file known as “Raw Glossary.” It is a thing copy editors do—and I had been one, many and many a year ago, in a kingdom by the sea called Manhattan—with the idea that it is useful to have a canonical list of the spellings in a series. This “Raw Glossary” expanded through—oh I don’t know—about the first seven books; I then turned its care and maintenance over to Maria Simons, and the stalwart Alan Romanczuk.

 

This is not an extension, or an update, to the earlier reference called The World of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time. Instead, this is an alphabetized adjunct that will allow the reader to check on characters, locations, herbs, kinship structures and many other things that appear in the series.

 

Now I, Harriet, join Maria and Alan in the comforting, cozy, editorial “we.” We hope that this Companion will be useful for those reading or rereading the series, or those just wishing to refresh themselves about some aspect of the series. To those new to The Wheel of Time, though, we offer the following warning: there are SPOILERS in here! In fact, this volume might be called The Big Book of Spoilers because there are so many of them. Tread lightly, novices.

We in no way claim that each entry exhausts its subject. We had no desire to do so, mainly for practical considerations—the book’s size would be prohibitive. If you want detail beyond this Companion, we refer you to various impressive online efforts, such as Encyclopaedia-WoT.org and TarValon.net.

 

We also don’t claim that this book is without errors. Our entries draw as much as possible from Robert Jordan’s abundant notes, in order to show the reader what the writer wished to note for his own reference. One can infer that what Robert Jordan noted were points that were particularly important for him in the manuscripts; in some cases this was true. On the other hand, you can see that there are backstories on and descriptions of the various quirks and motivations of many characters, things that never made it into the books, but that informed the writer and helped him bring the characters to life.

 

Some entries were pulled directly from Robert Jordan’s notes with little alteration, to give you the flavor of his writing for his own personal use. As you will see, his phrases could be amusing at times.

 

While we hope that the reader will find a lot that is new and interesting here, we make certain disclaimers about the material. In some instances, the descriptions may vary from what is in the books. Writers constantly change their minds about characters, events and places in their creations, and adjustments often fail to be made in background notes. We have tried to correct all discrepancies of this sort, but sometimes let the more interesting ones stand, to show a change from the writer’s original intention compared with what finally arrived on the printed page. Or, the error remained because of our own oversight.

 

If this seems like a sneaky way to avoid taking responsibility for any error found here, well, maybe it is; that’s for you to decide.

 

We at Bandersnatch Group wish to thank past, present and future fans of the Wheel of Time series for your devoted interest. You are the ones who have kept and who will continue to keep alive the world created by Robert Jordan. He said many times that he wished these books to be read for decades to come, and to be as relevant to future generations as they are to readers today. He sincerely loved his fans, and was always just a little humbled by the positive worldwide reception of his books. Thank you for staying through the whole set, all the way to Shayol Ghul.

Speaking of endings, we also wish to thank the talented writer Brandon Sanderson, who accepted the daunting challenge of seeing the Wheel of Time series to completion after Robert Jordan’s untimely death.

 

And most of all, thanks to Tom Doherty, publisher of The Wheel of Time, who stuck his neck out on this series many years ago, and never flagged in his support and belief. Without him and Brandon Sanderson, you would not be reading these lines today.

 

Onward.

In addition to this, Tor.com is also giving us a taste of a more detailed Old Tongue dictionary.  You can see all the past entries they've released, as well as some insightful essays on the series, on Tor.com's Wheel of Time Companion page.

Tor.com has released another teaser entry to the Wheel of Time Companion, due for publication November 3, 2015.  And the theme this time is the Oath Rod and the Nine Rods of Dominion.

We know from several interviews that the Nine Rods of Dominion were actually governors of the regions—Lews Therin's ability to summon them showing his authority even over the laws and governments of the land.  And, we know that the Rods of Dominion are not linked in anyway to the Oath Rod, which is a binder ter'angreal.  Two very different things, according to interviews Robert Jordan gave in the past, as well as other members of Team Jordan recently. 

Here's one question and answer that is still relevant:

WOTMANIA:  What happens to objects left in Tel'aran'rhiod? Could an Aes Sedai free herself from the Three Oaths in Tel'aran'rhiod by creating an Oath Rod?

 

ROBERT JORDAN:  The only way for an object to enter Tel'aran'rhiod would be for it to be carried there by someone who entered physically rather than through a dream state. If left there, it would remain until it was retrieved by someone else who entered physically. And, yes, an Aes Sedai could free herself of the Three Oaths with an Oath Rod created in Tel'aran'rhiod, but remember that relatively few sisters actually have access to the World of Dreams, and for those who do want to remove the Three Oaths—sisters joining the Black Ajah—there is the Oath Rod in the White Tower to serve that purpose.

With the leaps and bounds made prior to the Last Battle, many Sisters, and even Novice and Accepted, know how to make ter'angreal.  The possibility of binders being made and used in Tel'aran'rhiod is much higher than before.  Of course, with the Bore sealed again, perhaps the Darkfriends and any Black Ajah members will silently slink away.  

And I always thought this question, and Brandon Sanderson's answer, was interesting because it showed how easily the Oath Rod could be beaten:

QUESTION:  Is Mesaana still in the Tower?

 

BRANDON SANDERSON:  Egwene makes some deductions about this at the end of the book. Egwene is not incorrect.

 

QUESTION:  She could swear that she's not a Darkfriend on the Oath Rod, right?

 

BRANDON SANDERSON:  As long as she believed it to be true. Every remaining Aes Sedai in the Tower has retaken the Three Oaths. You should be thinking about ways to defeat the Oath Rod. There is a way to do it.

A person's perspective on things is so easily swayed—especially to a group of women who have been taught to be evasive in the first place.

I also thought it would be fun to examine fanart of the Oath Rod.  But, I was unable to find very much.  Here's an Oath Rod pendant, made by Dragonmount's own Elaevia for a Wheel of Time craft event in the Tuatha'an Social Group.

Oath Rod Pendant by Elaevia

Even though the Oath Rod is pretty non-existent in fanart, there are several other ter'angreal that make an appearance.  Here is a 3D version of Egwene's Dream ter'angreal.

Tel'aran'hriod Ring v2 by Shrakner

Another 3D representation of the Choedan Kal.

Choedan Kal by CorellaStudios

This is a beautiful work that shows the end of the Time of Illusion.

With the Choedan Kal - Saidar by JaredtheDragon

And here is the archway ter'angreal used to test Accepted.

Terangreal by anonymous

And though not a ter'angreal, I thought this picture of Rand with his angreal to be really impressive.

Rand with angreal by FiF

Make sure to check Dragonmount's Facebook page and Twitter account for more up-to-date news on The Wheel of Time Companion.

Tor.com has posted a preview of "The Creature That Had Once Been Padan Fain", one of several art pieces that will be included in the upcoming Wheel of Time Companion. "Padan Fain" is by Chesley award winning artist Paul Bielaczyc. The Companion is scheduled for release November 3rd, 2015. 

Paul Bielaczyc might be a familiar name to some of you. In addition to his award winning art, he and his brother, Mike and sister, Sara form Aradani Studios, who are popular vendors at conventions and renaissance festivals around the south eastern United States. If you've ever bought a pair of elf ears at DragonCon, Paul or Mike were probably there to glue them on for you. Paul is also the co Director of the JordanCon Art Show where he works with artists from around the country to build JordanCon's Art Show into an attraction of its own. An avid cosplayer, Paul is best known to Wheel of Time fans for his Rand al'Thor cosplay or his award winning Trolloc cosplay (that was so good, someone called the police!)  

His art can also be found on some of Ta'Veren Tees shirts and "Padan Fain" is also featured in this year's Wheel of Time calendar.  Paul was also the mastermind behind the hilarious "Rand on the Run" prank in 2014.

Oh, you don't know that one? Settle back, this is a good one. 

JordanCon owns a cardboard cutout of Rand al'Thor. You might recognize it from this picture with George R. R. Martin from ConCarolinas last summer.

In 2011, the cutout disappeared from JordanCon and was thought lost. We were all sad, and then Rand mysteriously resurfaced at the JordanCon Opening Ceremonies in 2014. After the convention, Paul wanted to keep the mystery going and took Rand home with him and created a Facebook account to chronicle it.  The cutout was the star of many adventures, some more plausible than others. 

As you can see, Paul Bielaczyc is a fantastic artist and longtime fan of The Wheel of Time. We are incredibly pleased to see his art featured in The Wheel of Time Companion and can't wait to see what other artists are included.

Curious about what's in the forthcoming Wheel of Time Companion? So are we! 
 
If you haven't heard, the Wheel of Time Companion is a supplemental book to the series. Taken from Robert Jordan's unpublished notes and edited by Harriet McDougal, Robert Jordan's wife and editor, and Jordan's two assistants, Maria Simons and Alan Romanczuk, the Companion will contain new details on characters, locations, the One Power and more. New, never before seen art has been commissioned for this book as well. The Companion is scheduled for release November 3rd, 2015.
 
Tor.com is running a fun contest to determine what content is previewed this summer. From Tor.com: 
 
Every few weeks Wheel of Time fans and Tor.com readers will get a chance to SPIN THE WHEEL. Here’s how it works: Leave one comment in this “Spin the Wheel” post with the Companion encyclopedia entry that you’d like to see revealed. (Such as “Aginor” or “Eelfinn” or “sniffing.”) We will close the thread for this post at 1 PM Eastern Standard Time on Friday, June 19 and randomly select a comment using a random number generator. The entry specified in that comment will be revealed the following week!

Be sure to comment on Tor.com, not here. Comments posted here are NOT eligible.

Dragonmount received word earlier this week that the first draft of the Wheel of Time Companion (previously known as the Wheel of Time Encyclopedia) was completed and delivered to the publisher. The Companion is currently scheduled for a November 2015 release. We previously reported that it's expected to be about 350,000 words (about the length of one of the series novels) and will be illustrated with new artwork and maps. It'll be written from a post-A Memory of Light perspective and will be considered a definitive source of information on the series. 

We'll have more information about the book as we receive it, including information on the artwork. 

Last weekend at WorldCon, Harriet McDougal, the editor of the Wheel of Time series and Robert Jordan's widow, announced that the Wheel of Time Companion (formerly known as the Wheel of Time Encyclopedia) will be published sometime next year, likely November 2015. According to Adam Werthead, the panel moderator and a long time blogger and friend of Dragonmount, the Companion will be around 350,000 words and contain new artwork and maps previously not seen in the series. There will also be an Old Tongue dictionary of about a thousand words and complete profiles on every character (including Bela!).  Harriet and Team Jordan have promised to update us when the Companion manuscript heads to Tor for publication. 

For more details on the Companion and tidbits from the Wheel of Time panel at WorldCon, please visit The Wertzone.

We all know that Brandon Sanderson completed The Wheel of Time based off of Robert Jordan's notes. We know that those notes were so extensive that Harriet McDougal, RJ's wife and editor, claimed there were easily more words in the notes than words in all the books.  Many of those notes, along with many original items from Robert Jordan's office were donated to The College of Charleston Special Collections department. An entire blog exists to showcase some of the items in that collection. From their website:  

The collection includes early and edited manuscripts of the Wheel of Time series and manuscripts from his other works – including his work on the Conan the Barbarian series and the Michael Fallon novels about a fictional Lowcountry family during the American Revolution. The collection also includes swords and scabbards, video interviews, an early Apple computer loaded with 4,000 pages of his notes, and first editions of his works in dozens of languages.

 Recently, our good friend Terez had the opportunity to explore these archives. In particular, she had the opportunity to read many of Robert Jordan's detailed notes and early outlines for the series.  While she's unable to share everything she saw (out of respect to the College, and to Harriet), she was able to give us a peek at several exciting things.  Here's what Terez had to say: 

In 2012, Harriet donated RJ's papers to the Addlestone Library at the College of Charleston, where archivist Joshua Minor has since been processing the collection. Marie Curie and I have been planning a trip to the library for over a year, and we decided to make it happen after JordanCon this year. We started work yesterday, and there was much more interesting material than we expected, though I was told Maria Simons [Harriet's assistant] has yet to hand over many files, some of which are probably material intended for the Encyclopedia. With the exception of certain restricted files, the collection is publicly accessible, but the number of things appropriate to post online is limited according to copyright and Fair Use standards. I tweeted out a bad photograph the day before yesterday of the page below (Mss 0197, fox 4, folder 2), and I am told it has made the rounds, so Jason asked if I would post a clear copy here. It appears to be the first page of RJ's 6-book pitch to Tom Doherty--or perhaps the last stage of that pitch--along with another file in the same folder which is a more detailed, 2-part outline of The Eye of the World. Both documents were probably written no earlier than 1984, no later than 1988, and closer to the former. It is clear from other bits in the notes found in that same folder that RJ eventually opted to have Rand fight Ba'alzamon (believing he was the Dark One) rather than having him attempt to confront the Dark One directly in the beginning of the story, and fail.

 Here's a look at that page from Robert Jordan's notes. (Click to enlarge) 

Here's the text from the page:

The title of the document is "Notes on Books Two Through Six." As Terez mentions above, this document was written well before the publication of The Eye of The World. Back then, Robert Jordan had been given a six book deal from Tor, so this outline was his vision for the entire series at the time.  Note that the last paragraph closely resembles the ideas used by Brandon in the final books. 

There are other many interesting tidbits found through these archives. Rand was originally named Ryhs. Elayne was originally named Elyn. Galad was originally going to turn to the Dark One. Morgase was going to be Rand's lover for a time. 

To read a little bit more about what Terez found at the archive, visit this link from Theoryland.

If we're able to post more photos or information like this, then we'll do so. In the meantime, tell us what you think, and be sure to visit the resources above. 

A Wheel of Time Encyclopedia is currently being developed by Team Jordan. Much of the information from Robert Jordan's notes will be included in it. No release day has been announced, but the common expectation is that it will be completed this year, and possibly be released in early 2015. Dragonmount will have more information as it becomes available.

Harriet McDougal, Robert Jordan's widow and the editor of The Wheel of Time series, recently told Dragonmount that she expects the WoT Encyclopedia to be handed into Tor Books for publication later than originally expected.

While attending the first annual JordanCon In 2009, Harriet said that she was under contract with Tor to create an Encyclopedia which described the world, its characters, and its history in greater detail (!). Also likely to be included are things like ranking lists of channelers, and rosters of Aes Sedai Ajahs.  Harriet also said that the Encyclopedia was due to be handed into Tor "one year after A Memory of Light was completed".  If that were true, then the Encyclopedia would be handed into Tor by January, 2014, and likely published a few months later. 

But Harriet is now saying that she currently estimates the Encyclopedia will be handed into Tor around June of 2014, for a later summer or Fall 2014 release. This timeframe is by no means set in stone, but that's currently where things are at.

We'll have more news as it comes in.

On June 25, a short story called River of Souls will be published in the Unfettered anthology from Grim Oak Press. Unfettered is a collection of short stories from some of today's best fantasy writers including Patrick Rothfuss, Terry Brooks, Tad Williams, Naomi Novik, Peter Orullian, Lev Grossman and more. It's edited by Shawn Speakman, an up-and-coming writer and cancer survivor who is raising funds through sales of this book to help pay for his medical treatments. 

If you don't want to know anything more, you can go the Grim Oak Press website and order your copy. You can also pre-order the eBook version through our online store. Like all eBooks we offer, Unfettered is available in DRM-Free formats for all major e-readers (including Kindle, Nook, iPad, Android, etc.) Click here to learn about our store and the formats we support.

About River of Souls

River of Souls is a short story written by Brandon Sanderson and set in the Wheel of Time world. It's a collection of four scenes that were cut from A Memory of Light. In an  introduction to the story, Brandon explains the reasons these scenes were removed. The basic argument is that he and Harriet felt that this sequence revealed too much about a new part of the world at a time when they were trying to wrap the saga up.  

Chronologically, River of Souls could be read in between Towers of Midnight and A Memory of Light, although some fans may prefer to finish AMOL before reading it. 

What's it about?

Warning: minor spoilers! 

....

....

....

In a word... Demandred. Brandon revealed at JordanCon last month that the story will shed light onto what the Forsaken was up to during his time in Shara. The story begins with a character, Bao, who is on the verge of fulfilling prophecy and claiming the title of the Wyld. Originally the scenes were written in a way that the reader is left to wonder who Bao is, while gradually revealing more and more clues to his true identity. 

Having read it, I can say that the strongest aspect of the story is that it shows Demandred as a possibly redeemable character. Most of the Forsaken are so steeped in their evil ways that we never question whether there's anything but darkness within them.  But with this story, we get a glimpse of Demandred's full potential. We've always known that he was the second most accomplished male Aes Sedai during the Age of Legends, second only to Lews Therin.  In this story, we see a man who possibly could have been the true hero of his world except for his one immense flaw: his hatred of Lews Therin.  

Strange as it often seems, the entire Wheel of Time saga takes place over only period of a few years. During these three years or so, we watched Rand and Egwene, Mat and Perrin all rise to power while making new friends and enemies. River of Souls shows us that the same has been true for Demandred during the same time period. He has a father figure, along with a gruff companion who calls him a friend, and even a potential love interest. Brandon points out in the introduction that there probably could have been a full fourteen book series chronicling his adventures in Shara!  (Don't get your hopes up to actually read it.  But oh, the fan fiction we'll have for years to come!)  Each of Demandred's companions have brief mentions in A Memory of Light. In the stand-alone book, the characters are a little flat, but when viewed through the context of River of Souls, they come to life and we're able to empathize with them much more. 

Is it any good? Should I read it?

Oh yes, it's very enjoyable. Brandon considers the events in this short story to be canon. It provides an interesting and refreshing look at a compelling antagonist we've always wondered about.  But if you're looking for Robert Jordan's voice, it's all but absent here. Brandon makes it clear that these scenes were written entirely by him, even if the overall concept possibly came from Robert Jordan's notes. The Sharans refer to the world in ways very different than others do (for example they talk about the Great Tapestry rather than the Pattern).  There's nothing wrong with these differences, but it underlines the fact that this slice of the story came from Brandon and not from Robert Jordan. And while Brandon has certainly earned the right to say that a large and very important part of the Wheel of Time series is his and no longer just Robert Jordan's, purist readers who appreciated Brandon's attempts to maintain a tone appropriate for the series will find that it slips here somewhat, and we get a voice more similar to his own books.  Again, don't get me wrong; I love Brandon's other books. But these scenes feel like pure Brandon rather than anything Robert Jordan would have done. Perhaps that may have been another reason he and Harriet decided to remove these scenes from AMOL.

The only actual criticism of the story I had is that the exciting external conflict happens "off screen." We're told that there's a difficult challenge and narrow escape, but it largely happens in between scenes. There's also some odd moments where you think, Well, why didn't he just balefire that?  (Because, come on... balefire solves everything) But I don't actually fault Brandon because you have to remember the context of which the scene was originally written. These were scenes designed to go in between other chapters in the book. It wasn't fully intended to be a stand-alone story when it was written. I have a strong suspicion that if Brandon had written this specifically as a short story, then certain things --like the big conflict I mentioned--would have been described in more detail. 

Another reason you'll want to read this is that this is likely to be the last piece of canon Wheel of Time you ever read. There are no plans to ever make the "outrigger" novels or more prequels. (Harriet said there are only 2 sentences of notes for the outriggers. Not enough to make an actual book out of without being exploitative). Sure, there's an Encyclopedia coming, but that will only be reference material, with little to no story included. There might be video games or movies or other media spin-offs someday, but after River of Souls is released, there won't be any more written prose set in this world. It is, in many ways, the final breath of the Book Age of the franchise.

Conclusion

River of Souls is a fun story to read. It will satiate your desire to learn about an interesting character, and expand the world in a fun and unexpected way. There's some nice treats in here for fans, and it really gives the Sharan scenes in AMOL a lot more context. In addition, by purchasing a copy of the anthology, you're supporting a good cause, and you'll also receive a dozen or so other great short stories from some of the top fantasy writers today.

Pre-Order your eBook copy here in our store, or purchase a printed copy from the Grim Oak Press website. And when you're done reading, be sure to come back and discuss it with other fans on our forums.

Tor Books unveiled a brand new book cover for the print edition of A Crown of Swords.  The artwork is by Tyler Jacobson and depicts the scene where Rand meets Cadsuane for the first time.

Here's the full image. Click to see a larger version in our Gallery:

Be sure to check out the full feature on Tor.com.

This new edition matches the style Tor has been using for the series over the past few years. Most of the second edition book covers feature the same artwork from the ebook editions, but this new artwork is brand new.  

Wheel of Time second edition book covers:

Grim Oak Press announced today that it will be publishing Unfettered, an anthology of short fiction from an amazing collection of fantasy writers. One of the included short stories is River of Souls, a short story based in the Wheel of Time world. It's listed as being written by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson.

The anthology will be available in Spring, 2013, after A Memory of Light is released. Proceeds from the book will benefit Shawn Speakman, a notable member of the fantasy community, who has been struggling to pay the overwhelming costs of his medical bills. About twenty-four well-known authors are contributing their talents to help him out. From the Grim Oak Press website:

Brandon has confirmed that "River of Souls" will provide deeper background and motives for a character we already know. THe short story will consist of several scenes that were written for AMOL, but cut for various reasons including pacing, and the fact that Harriet felt they weren't appropriate to be included in the full novel. Here's a video of Brandon talking about River of Souls:

This will likely be one of the last times we get new WoT material. After AMOL and this short story, the only planned book to be released containing WoT material is the Encyclopedia, which is currently being developed by Team Jordan. Both Harriet and Brandon have repeatedly said that there will be no stories set in the WoT universe after the encyclopedia is released.

The print copies of the Unfettered anthology are now available for pre-order. More information will come later regarding the eBook editions.

Dragonmount is pleased to announce that we've opened a DRM-free eBook store! Available now through our website is Tor's entire catalog of 2,500+ eBook titles, including the entire Wheel of Time series. After 14 years of serving the WoT community, we're excited to finally be able to directly sell you not only your favorite Robert Jordan books, but a giant selection of other titles from one of the world leaders in fantasy publishing.

Although Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson's books will always have a special place in our store, we're especially excited about selling the books of hundreds of other authors. Over the next few months, we hope to showcase some of these authors for you, perhaps even introducing you to somebody you've never heard of before.

In fact, we've already started! If you're not doing so already, follow us on Facebook or Twitter and look for our "DRM-Free ebook of the Day."

In addition to Tor's eBook collections, we plan to showcase some high-qualtiy, independently-published titles you may enjoy. The first entry in this category is The Black God's War by Moses Siregar III.

While we may not be as big as Amazon or Barnes & Noble, one of the advantages of buying eBooks through our store is that with each purchase you get both the Kindle and generic "EPub" versions. With those files, and with the lack of restricting DRM, you'll pretty much be able to view your eBook on any e-Reader for many years to come.

Visit the DM eBook Store now!

For more information on DRM, ebooks, and why we're doing this, check out our eBook FAQ.

Tor Books announced today that From the Two Rivers, the first half of the first Wheel of Time novel, is available immediately in eBook edition for $0.99. This price promotion will last until the release of A Memory of Light, sometime later this year. (Read our speculation on the AMOL release date.)

Originally released in this form in 2002, From the Two Rivers is an illustrated edition of The Eye of the World up until Shadar Logoth.

The $0.99 ebook edition is clearly geared towards encouraging new readers, as well as giving old fans a launch point for a re-read. From the Two Rivers contains an additional prologue, written by Robert Jordan, called "Ravens". It focuses on a 9-year-old Egwene and foreshadows much of her future personality.

Buy it Now: Amazon Kindle | Barnes & Noble Nook | iTunes (iPad)

For the first time since their original publication, the first three Wheel of Time novels will be published with new artwork on the covers.

Tor Books announced today via Tor.com that The Eye of the World, The Great Hunt, and The Dragon Reborn will be re-released in trade paperback form with new cover designs.

From Tor.com:

As Harriet MacDougal and Brandon Sanderson work to complete A Memory of Light, the final volume in the series, the timing is perfect for millions of Wheel of Time fans to go back to the very beginning, when five kids from Emond’s Field had little idea of what lay ahead. Whether you’ve read the series once, a dozen times, lapsed after book eight, or are just coming to it fresh for the first time, these new editions are a perfect jumping off point for a fresh readthrough.

The new editions will be released this summer, beginning with The Eye of the World in May, followed by The Great Hunt and The Dragon Reborn in June and July, respectively.

Each cover features artwork originally introduced for the eBook editions. Check our eBook Gallery for the complete set of covers.

So, what do you think? Will you pick up these fresh copies for your latest re-read? They make great gifts for friends who would appreciate a good story and compelling modern book covers.

src='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_166/gallery_2_166_61535.jpeg' alt='The Eye of the World' />

 

src='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_166/gallery_2_166_1415.jpeg' alt='The Great Hunt' />

 

src='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_166/gallery_2_166_9742.jpeg' alt='The Dragon Reborn' />

]]>262Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:30:00 +0000https://dragonmount.com/news/book-news/orbit-limited-edition-eotw/

Orbit Books, the UK publisher for The Wheel of Time, announced today on their "Turn the Wheel of Time" Facebook page that they will be publishing a limited number of leather-bound editions for The Eye of the World. Only 2,000 copies will sold worldwide. The hardback book comes in a high-quality slip-case with a gold foil WoT logo on the outside of the case and gold foil lettering and logo on the spine.

 

These limited editions will not be available in the United States or Canada. However, some US citizens have reportedly been able to pre-order it from Amazon UK.

 

If you are somebody who lives in a country or territory where Orbit Books are sold, please contact a local bookseller near you and ask them to special order this book. Give them the ISBN number: 9780356501529. If your local bookseller is unable to do this for you, then try the Amazon link provided here.

 

According to Orbit's announcement, the UK retail price will be £35. Specific price will vary depending on who you purchase it from, and what currency you use.

 

Pre-Order this book from Amazon UK

]]>207Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:40:00 +0000https://dragonmount.com/news/book-news/winter39s-heart-audiobook-giveaway33-r94/

Dragonmount is excited to partner with Macmillan Audio to celebrate the release of Winter's Heart on audiobook. Now if that sounds strange to you, there's a good reason. After years of being out of print, the physical CD edition of Winter's Heart --Book 9 of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series--can now be found wherever books are sold. Macmillan Audio is honored to complete the WoT series on audio with this re-release of fan favorite, read by series' narrators Michael Kramer and Kate Reading.

 

To help celebrate this, check out our very first Wheel of Time video news segment, hosted by Kristen Nedopak:

 

To celebrate all this new stuff, we're partnering with Macmillan Audio to give away some fun prizes. Our grand prize is a copy of Winter's Heart on audio CD, along with a copy of Towers of Midnight on audio CD and signed by Brandon Sanderson, Harriet McDougal and Michael Kramer. Secondary winners will receive copies of Winter's Heart on audio CD.

 

To enter, reply to this post with your favorite scene from Winter's Heart. The contest ends at 11:59 PM (U.S. Pacific time) on Tuesday, March 15th. This contest is open only to residents of the United States and Canada. (Sorry, folks.) One entry per person, please. We'll draw the winders from a random selection.

 

Be sure to visit Macmillan's Facebook page, where they have a dedicated Wheel of Time section.

 

(Comments are now closed! Thanks to all who entered.)

]]>94Tue, 08 Mar 2011 06:45:00 +0000https://dragonmount.com/news/book-news/wheel-of-time-re-read-time-r89/

Since 2011 will not see the release of a Wheel of Time book, many fans are taking this as an opportunity to re-read the series so it will be fresh in their minds for the anticipated 2012 release of A Memory of Light. Some of this was prompted by Brandon Sanderson beginning his own re-read before starting work on A Memory of Light and posting his thoughts on Twitter. We thought we'd compile a list of some of the re-reads going on so you can join in.

 

Leigh Butler's Re-read is the grand-daddy of all re-reads. It's been going on since January 2009. She posts twice a week and has just completed Crossroads of Twilight.

 

Ranting Dragon, a fantasy news and review blog began a re-read this year. They just posted their re-read on The Eye of the World.

 

The Ogier Social Group on Dragonmount also began a re-read last month. You can join in the conversation on our forums.

 

Brandon Sanderson began re-reading the series in January and posting his thoughts on Twitter. You can see archives of his tweets on his blog. Wheel of Time fan Terez has been following along on her blog and posting her thoughts and theories.

 

If you are on Twitter, you can join in the re-read conversation by using the #wotrr hashtag.

]]>89Mon, 07 Feb 2011 05:00:00 +0000https://dragonmount.com/news/book-news/new-spring-giveaway33-r81/

On January 18th, Tor Books plans to release the complete graphic novel, New Spring. New Spring is a prequel to the Wheel of Time series. It was first published as a short story in 1998, then expended to a full novel in 2004. A comic book adaption followed shortly thereafter, though it was plagued with production and delivery issues. The story focuses on Moiraine Damodred, an Accepted in the White Tower and Lan Mandragoran, an officer in the Aiel War.

 

Tor has given us five copies of the graphic novel to give away here on Dragonmount. To enter just post below with your favorite memory of Lan and/or Moiraine from any book (Towers of Midnight spoilers allowed) by midnight Saturday, January 15th Eastern time. We regret that this contest is only open to fans in the United States.

 

You can pre-order the book now from Amazon.com or find it at your local bookstore.

 

]]>81Tue, 11 Jan 2011 05:00:00 +0000https://dragonmount.com/news/book-news/complete-new-spring-graphic-novel-due-in-january-r76/

Tor Books will be releasing the full and complete New Spring graphic novel on January 18, 2011.

 

New Spring is the only published prequel to The Wheel of Time. Written by Robert Jordan, it was originally published as "short" story in 1998 as part of the Legends" rel="external nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765300354?ie=UTF8&tag=dragonmount&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0765300354">Legends Anthology, edited by Robert Silverberg.

 

The original short story focused on Moiraine and how she met and bonded Lan. Robert Jordan later expanded the story into a full novel (published in 2004). Shortly after that, in 2005, Robert Jordan began working with well-known comic book writer Chuck Dixon to adapt the novel into a series of comic books (produced at the time by Red Eagle Entertainment and Dabel Brother productions). This graphic novel is the culmination those efforts to finally publish the entire collection into a single book.

 

Here's what Tor's press release says about it:

n the last few years before his death, Robert Jordan worked closely with Chuck Dixon and Mike Miller on the graphic adaptation of New Spring.

 

The eight full-color issues of New Spring, released between 2005 and 2010, tell the story of the search for the infant Dragon Reborn and of the adventures of Moiraine Damodred, a young Aes Sedai, and Lan Mandragoran, the uncrowned king of a long-dead nation. Adapted by noted comics writer Chuck Dixon with the full cooperation of Robert Jordan, and illustrated by artists Mike Miller and Harvey Tolibao, New Spring will delight any of Robert Jordan's millions of readers.

 

Tor is proud to collect all eight issues of New Spring in a single volume, which will also include developmental art, script pages, and correspondence between Jordan and Dixon.

 

You can pre-order the book now from Amazon.com or find it at your local bookstore.

 

 

In somewhat related news, Tor Books also announced today that they will be publishing two new novels by Brandon Sanderson next year. These novels, which include a new Mistborn short novel and a young adult title, will be released in 2011. More information will be released about these on Brandon" s rel="external nofollow">http://www.brandonsanderson.com">Brandon's website. Their release will not impact the publication of the final WoT novel. Book 14, A Memory of Light is estimated to be published in early 2012.

]]>76Wed, 01 Dec 2010 20:40:00 +0000https://dragonmount.com/news/book-news/towers-of-midnight-ebook-jan-31-r73/

Tor Books recently announced that the digital eBook edition of Towers of Midnight will be available on January 31. Here's what they http://torforge.wordpress.com/2010/11/12/towers-of-midnight-e-book-coming-in-january-2011/" target="news">wrote on their blog:

 

As with all our other digital editions of The Wheel of Time, Art Director Irene Gallo will be commissioning new cover art for the e-book. Please follow Tor.com for more details as the project develops.

 

Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson is the thirteenth book in Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time Series and a #1 NYT bestselling novel.

 

The eBook will be available from all the normal vendors including Amazon, BN.com, Borders, etc.

]]>73Sat, 13 Nov 2010 16:38:00 +0000https://dragonmount.com/news/book-news/about-robert-jordans-signature-r46/

It wasn’t long after Brandon Sanderson had agreed to finish Jim’s (aka Robert Jordan's) work that he made it clear that he wanted his name to fall under Robert Jordan on the book. His wish was even more proof to me that Brandon was the right man for the monumental task. I offered that with the by-line we might also insert a Robert Jordan autograph. Brandon agreed.

 

So began the search through my Robert Jordan signatures for the perfect copy that I could scan and email to TOR. Michelle Horn, a coworker of many years, and fan girl long before that suggested that she had just the book.

 

In the early 2000s, I was visiting in Charleston, the Two Rivers. Jim and I were in his office late in the afternoon. I recalled that Michelle didn’t have a signed copy of The Eye of the World or any other of Jim’s works for that matter. I asked Jim if he could sign one for her. He took a copy off his writing desk and signed "For Michelle Horn, Best Wishes, Robert Jordan." All these years later, Michelle handed me her cherished book to see if the autograph would work. It was perfect. Then, the significance of that signature hit me: it was in the first book, it was from Jim’s collection, it was signed on his writing desk, and I was privileged to watch him do it. Still, the best laid plans can and will go awry. In the whirlwind of events to get The Gathering Storm to press, a file copy was accidentally substituted for the signature I sent. It’s a great example of Jim’s strong signature, but carries no real personal connection. With the help of Harriet and Paul Stevens at TOR that error is now corrected. What was will be. The Wheel turns and the signature that is in the first will be in the last.

 

Wilson

Brother/Cousin

4th of 3.

 

]]>46Tue, 26 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000