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Orly? Yah rly. This week's Fan Art Friday is all about the lols. Last year, Theoryland started a "Wheel of Time Lolcat" thread that was pretty amazing. The meme migrated it's way to Dragonmount not long after and here I have culled the ones that made me laugh the hardest from both threads. If you like what you see, definitely check out both threads to see what didn't make the cut. Since there won't be much commentary this time, I'll even through in a few extras.     Noes!11 They be cleansin may Taint!     You really can't go wrong with a classic videogame reference.     Mat works strangely well as a cat.     Aww. Poor Logain.     Hee!     And this one is just cute.   How about you guys? Any that I missed that you enjoyed?

The 4th Age podcast presents a short news update, looking at and analyzing the popular 2011 Suvudu Cage Match between characters from various fantasy books, and Spencer reveals a heretofore hidden Talent! Andrew, Spencer and Virginia are your hosts for this episode. Check out Dragonmount.com" rel="external nofollow">http://www.dragonmount.com">Dragonmount.com for forums, comments and all the latest news in the Wheel of Time world. Also, don’t forget JordanCon is coming soon! April 15-17 in Atlanta, GA – tickets and rooms rates are still available. Check out http://www.ageoflegends.net/" target="_blank">AgeofLegends.net for all the details! ATTENTION! THERE MAY BE TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT SPOILERS! Also, spoilers on ALL the other books are VERY likely! Yes, there will be spoilers for ToM! If you haven’t read all the way through the Wheel of Time, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS of all previous books! In this podcast, probably spoilers of other series, too. Did we mention that there will be spoilers….? Links to the current Cage Matches as of 3/30/2011. Vote now! Quick" rel="external nofollow">http://sf-fantasy.suvudu.com/2011/03/cage-match-2011-quick-ben-versus-perrin-aybara.html">Quick Ben vs Perrin Aybara http://sf-fantasy.suvudu.com/2011/03/cage-match-2011-quick-ben-versus-perrin-aybara.html http://sf-fantasy.suvudu.com/2011/03/cage-match-2011-quick-ben-versus-perrin-aybara.html">http://sf-fantasy.suvudu.com/2011/03/cage-match-2011-quick-ben-versus-perrin-aybara.html href="http://sf-fantasy.suvudu.com/2011/03/cage-match-2011-jon-snow-versus-vin.html">Jon Snow vs Vin http://sf-fantasy.suvudu.com/2011/03/cage-match-2011-jon-snow-versus-vin.html Hosts:" rel="external nofollow">http://sf-fantasy.suvudu.com/2011/03/cage-match-2011-jon-snow-versus-vin.html">http://sf-fantasy.suvudu.com/2011/03/cage-match-2011-jon-snow-versus-vin.html Hosts: Andrew, Spencer, Virginia Editor: Spencer Download" rel="external nofollow">http://www.dragonmount.com/Podcast/Media/dm-WYSK-003.mp3"> Download this Episode now Music by: Josh Needleman His website is at www.joshneedleman.net" rel="external nofollow">http://www.joshneedleman.net/">www.joshneedleman.net and he has the music available to hear on his MySpace page at www.myspace.com/joshneedleman." rel="external nofollow">http://www.myspace.com/joshneedleman">www.myspace.com/joshneedleman. It’s title is Floodgate. Thanks, Josh! Download" rel="external nofollow">http://www.dragonmount.com/Podcast/Media/dm-WYSK-003.mp3">Download this Episode nowhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/4thAge/~4/hGE9ef4jEPE" height="1" width="1"/>

There are two intense tournaments raging right now, and both of them feature entries from the Wheel of Time. No, we're not talking about the NCAA March Madness tournament either.   Suvudu Cage Match In this year's Suvudu cage match, which pitches various heroes from the fantasy genre against each other, Perrin Aybarra is representing the Wheel of Time series. As of this news article, we're currently in the fourth round of the tournament. Perrin has defeated. Tasslehoff Burrfoot, Paul Atreides, and Martin the Warrior. Currently he's taking on Ben Adaephon Delat (aka "Quick Ben") from the The Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson.   Please go vote for Perrin!   Last year's tournament champion was Rand al'Thor, who defeated Jaime Lannister from George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire in what was surely one of the most exciting showdowns in years.   The 4th Annual Audible.com Tournament of Audiobooks The other tournament happening right now is Audible's Audiobook tournament. Celebrating outstanding performances in four categories (Best Sellers, Critically Acclaimed, Customer Favorites, and Editors' Picks), the competition is a bracket-style, single-elimination tournament where customers and fans vote to decide which books advance from week to week. It all leads up to the final week, when the winning book will be crowned Audible's Champion of Audiobooks to stand beside past winners including last year's champion: The Gathering Storm.   This year all the excitement began on March 23 and continues until the champion is announced on April 26. Representing the Wheel of Time is Towers of Midnight, one of the bestselling books of 2010. ToM has already made it through the first round and the second round voting goes until April 4.   Go here to vote for it!   So there you go. Two popular tournaments. The Wheel of Time is the returning champion for both of them. Let's tell the world that our fandom and our favorite series deserve to be #1 again this year.

This week for Fan Art Friday, we're going to take a look at the Black Tower. The Asha'man uniform is a black, high collared coat. As they gain rank, they earn pins that can be worn on the collar. Don't ask whether the Dragon is on the right or the left, because that topic has completely derailed every discussion on men's costuming we've ever attempted at either Dragon*Con or JordanCon. Seriously.   But fannish arguments aside, let's take a look at some art:     A nice, generic Asha'man by Katerina Borovikov. Note that the Asha'man pin is silver in this piece, instead of the canonical gold and red enameled described in the books. That's something you see in Wheel of Time costuming as well, because the sterling silver version of the Dragon pin that Badali sells is far more affordable than the red and gold version.     I love this one. It's pretty simple and to the point. "Asha'man! Explode stuff!" DeviantArt user liruchen describes this as "Saldeaen Asha'man", which explains the mustache. Pretty fabulous use of line and form on this one too.     This one is a really nice study of an Asha'man. I think one of the reasons the Black Tower has become so popular in fandom isn't just that you get to dress in black and set fires with your mind, it's the sense of struggle the Asha'man have. To save the world, they have to embrace the part of themselves that's terrible and destructive. They risk madness to learn how to channel. It's a tremendous sacrifice they make. This piece by solitarium captures that feeling.     Another juxtaposition you see frequently is Asha'man with sisters of the Red Ajah. The Reds as a whole get a bad reputation in the books. They come off as man haters, even though there are several Reds who enjoy men and one even openly wishes for a Warder. The Reds, however, are the first Aes Sedai to really understand what the Black Tower means and offer to bond them as Warders. This is without knowing that saidin has been cleansed or what might happen to a woman bonded to mad man. It's an incredible act of courage for them to say "Men who can channel are our responsibility" and take that so seriously.   Anyways, I'm editorializing and it has very little to do with this picture by gala-maia of Logain with one of the Reds he bonded against her will. I personally prefer the idea of the Reds and the Asha'man standing together against the Shadow, rather than one side victimizing the other.

It's time for another edition of The Wheel of Time video news on Dragonmount. This week our host Kristen Nedopak focuses on JordanCon, the upcoming convention for fans of the Wheel of Time series.   http://www.youtube.com/embed/oBflGf5H0OI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>   JordanCon takes place in Atlanta, GA April 15-17. Pre-registration is $55 until April 3rd, $65 at the door. Hotel rooms are still available at the convention rate of &107 a night at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia. Guests and featured program participants include David B. Coe, Eugie Foster, Jana Oliver, Jason Denzel, Jennifer Liang, Matt Hatch, Linda Taglieri, Leigh Butler, Maria Simons, Alan Romanczuk, Brandon Sanderson and Harriet McDougal.   You can view the tentative schedule online (PDF).   Highlights of the convention this year include exclusive panels with Team Jordan, the "Last Theory Panel Ever", and even auditions (Yes, that's right.) for Dragonmount's next Top Secret WoT video project. (Details to come in a future news article about that). The three day event will also feature the annual costume contest, a Darkfriend Ice Cream Social, as well as numerous panels, workshops and discussions exploring the Wheel of Time series and fantasy writing.   Simply put, this is the BIGGEST annual event related to the Wheel of Time, and you don't want to miss it.

This week Fan Art Friday we're going to deviate a little bit from strictly fan art and show off some pieces from the Japanese translations of The Wheel of Time. We are, of course, very saddened by the recent earthquake in Sendai and tsunami that affected the Pacific Rim. We hope that any Japanese fans out there reading this are safe and know where their loved ones are.   For those who aren't aware, the entire series has been translated into Japanese and published with new covers and interior art by Toshiaki Katou. As is common with translated books, each one has been split into several smaller volumes. The Japanese editions average between four to five volumes per book. The official website for the Japanese editions is hosted by Japan Contents.   src='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_91/gallery_2_91_40184.jpg' alt='Eye of the World 2' />   This is from the second volume of The Eye of the World. It's Moiraine and Lan, looking spooky and foreboding. I'm sorry that we don't have a better resolution scan of this. The detail on these pieces is incredible.   src='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_91/gallery_2_91_90182.jpg' alt='The Dragon Reborn 2' />   This is from the second part of The Dragon Reborn. Nynaeve is pretty easy to pick out with her braid, but did you notice that Elayne is rising out of a lily? And her personal sigil is a golden lily? Like I said, attention to detail. I don't know what those feathers around Egwene are supposed to be though.   src='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_91/gallery_2_91_14624.jpg' alt='A Crown of Swords 7' />   Rand, from towards the end of A Crown of Swords. If I was a guy, I'd totally use this as my forum avatar. FEAR ME!   src='http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_91/gallery_2_91_56080.jpg' alt='A Crown of Swords 5' />   And finally, Moghedian, the Spider. Chilling, huh? Too bad she's such a wussy Forsaken.   To see more Japanese covers check out our recently upgraded Art Gallery. And if you'd like to donate money to help fund relief efforts in Japan or the Pacific, the White Tower Social Group has helpfully collected some links.   http://american.redc...ainDonateButton http://www.redcross....id=2372&tid=032 The UK red Cross   Or you can donate via text message: America - text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 Canada - text ASIA to 30333 to donate $5

Ta'veren Tees, an official endorsed website for purchasing Wheel of Time t-shirts is now open. They currently have a small (but growing!) selection of shirts you can buy in both mens' and womens' sizes.   Here's their press release:     You can find their selection b visiting www.taverentees.com

This week. let's look at the central figure of the Wheel of Time series: Rand al'Thor.     Rand, from the beginning of the series. This is one of the early chapters of The Eye of the World, where he first sees the black rider. It's by James Beveridge, who once had a project to draw an illustration for each chapter of the series. He only got through the early chapters of the first book, but the art was incredible. You can see the whole project here.   I wanted to start with this one, because when you Google "Rand al'Thor", pretty much every single picture you see is of the PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWERS Rand. I wanted to see the farm boy from the Two Rivers Rand too.     See, this is what I'm talking about. Fire! Explosions! Shirtlessness! Still, I really like this picture by DeviantArt user Dmantz. There's a nice level of detail to it. He's got the wound that never heals, the Dragons on his forearms and everything is nicely textured. It's a good portrait.     Another shirtless Rand. This one by fan favorite Seamus Gallagher. The reason I comment so much on the shirtlessness is that I just don't recall Rand wandering around half naked all the time. But according to the fans, he's the Matthew McConaughey of ta'veren. I guess it's like Mat and his green coat, you get described that way once in this series and that becomes your default outfit.     Ah, good old Mark Bray. I knew I could count on you to draw some clothes. I also like the detail on his tattoos.   And because I've been awfully silly in this update, let's go for broke with this amazing video.   http://www.youtube.com/embed/N9Ujp5Ur_i8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>   Be sure to check out the new and improved DM Gallery!

The Dragonmount Fantasy Review The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss   I get asked a lot what books I’d suggest Wheel of Time fans read whilst they’re awaiting A Memory of Light, to such an extent that I thought it might be fun for everyone is we had a regular review of other fantasy novels on the site, fantasy novels which hold something similar to the spirit of Mr Jordan's work--be that in terms of scope, style, themes or whatever. With that in mind I thought that a monthly WoT-oriented look at some of the other shining stars of fantasy could be worth some time.   This month's entry will be on the Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss. The first book, entitled The Name of the Wind, was released in 2007 and the second book, The Wise Man's Fear, was released worldwide on the first of March 2011.   What are the Kingkiller Chronicles About?   The Kingkiller Chronicles tell the story of a man named Kvothe. Or, perhaps more accurately, tell the story of a man named Kvothe telling the story of a boy named Kvothe. It begins with a historian seeking out the older Kvothe to get from him the true story of his infamous youth, which Kvothe finally agrees to. From there, over the next three days (each day at the inn being one of the books in the trilogy) Kvothe tells the historian his story. And what does that story cover? I'll let Kvothe tell you himself...   My name is Kvothe, pronounced nearly the same as "quothe." Names are important as they tell you a great deal about a person. I've had more names than anyone has a right to. The Adem call me Maedre. Which, depending on how it's spoken, can mean The Flame, The Thunder, or The Broken Tree.   "The Flame" is obvious if you've ever seen me. I have red hair, bright. If I had been born a couple of hundred years ago I would probably have been burned as a demon. I keep it short but it's unruly. When left to its own devices, it sticks up and makes me look as if I have been set afire.   "The Thunder" I attribute to a strong baritone and a great deal of stage training at an early age.   I've never thought of "The Broken Tree" as very significant. Although in retrospect, I suppose it could be considered at least partially prophetic.   My first mentor called me E'lir because I was clever and I knew it. My first real lover called me Dulator because she liked the sound of it. I have been called Shadicar, Lightfinger, and Six-String. I have been called Kvothe the Bloodless, Kvothe the Arcane, and Kvothe Kingkiller. I have earned those names. Bought and paid for them.   But I was brought up as Kvothe. My father once told me it meant "to know."   I have, of course, been called many other things. Most of them uncouth, although very few were unearned.   I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.   You may have heard of me.   These stories are themselves compelling, but in many ways it is in Rothfuss' skill as a writer, combined with the fact that Kvothe himself is not the most reliable narrator, that the true value of this book comes forth. Kvothe tells the story he wants to tell, and Rothfuss has him tell it beautifully. And, mixed between, interludes in which we get tantalizing glimpses of the modern Kvothe, and see both how the stories inform the man that comes to be--and at times more intriguingly, how they don't.   Why Do I Think This Would Appeal To WoT Fans   The Story; A Tale of a Boy That Grows Into a Wizard-Warrior   Whilst Jordan's story has been around long enough to set the archetypes these days, it doesn't do to forget that he told something original, something which had not been done before. Taking the classical story of the provincial young boy thrown out into the world at the whims of evil powers to learn to be a fantastical hero and leader in the war--only Rand's magic was not wondrous so much as scary, his role was not heroic so much as it was hopeful that when he was done destroying things, something might be left. His sword in the stone was flawed, his wise magical helpers were self-involved and childish, and he was--as heroes go--given a rather shoddy lot of it.   Rothfuss also takes the archetypal image of the hero, and plays with it. Through the stories of Kvothe's achievements an image is built, and then through the sardonic storytelling of the elder Kvothe that image is cut down again and again. Kvothe the Bloodless, to proud to bleed. Kvothe the Arcane calling lightning from the sky--if you have expectations on what should happen, they won't. And the few times they do, Kvothe Elder quite disdainfully refuses to tell the story.   Indeed, Rothfuss not only plays on what you want to see, but on what you don't. There were several times I found myself thinking 'ok, come on Rothfuss, we get it--Kvothe is cool' then reading the next chapter and practically feeling Rothfuss giving me a little slap on the face and saying 'come on man, you didn't think I'd be that obvious, did you?'   So what are the differences, and the downsides? Difficult question, as everyone appreciates stories differently. I will note, for instance, that people often complain about the abruptness of Jordan's climaxes. Battles built across books occurring in a smattering of pages. With that in mind, the WoT Fan should be warned--Kingkillers is definitely a story that is sold in the telling. The style of Rothfuss' writing (portrayed in the first person narration of Kvothe) is engaging, but also bound to Kvothe's inner nature. Thus, Kvothe is far more interested in telling the story of his fascination with a puzzle in a book, or the day spent trying to track down his girl, than he is in depicting his glorious and epic victories.   In effect, if you're looking for epic battles, you won't find them. That's not the story that's being told here, and if you're like me, that's fine. Something is being built, slowly and carefully--the juxtaposition between Kvothe Younger and Kvothe Elder is enough to show that, and for that I am content to wait, and enjoy the journey.   The World, A Home Fit For A King   Worldbuilding was one of Jordan's great skills--the scope and size of the Wheel of Time is something that many fans cite as being the element that draws them back to the Wheel time and again. Now Rothfuss only has two books out, so it’s impossible to compare to a twelve book series, but I will say this, based on the world he has shown so far, I do think Rothfuss has worldbuilding skillz. With a Z.   The Adem, for instance, a military society every bit as rich as the Aiel, with customs and language quirks that are amongst the most interesting things I've read in fantasy in a great long time. I'll leave you to discover those for yourself, however, and end with this note: his world is expansive, and his skill in showing us that world is, if anything, growing.   One other parallel I would draw is this--Patrick likes to use songs and stories to tell the history of the world. A tool Jordan also uses from time to time, though not as heavily--and like Jordan, he uses it to mess with the reader. The same story can be told in different places with different endings or the same endings told in stories with different players, and from this a picture of the past, confused and fuzzed, begins to emerge, tantalizing us with the depth of the world.   It's hardly a technique unique to either of them--but it's one I like, so you'll just have to live with me telling you about it. :D   Mr Rothfuss Brings New Life to a Style Tolkien Created and Jordan Revolutionised. Or Something.   Ok, so yes--that title is a bit wanky. Sounds like it came off a dustjacket of a b-grade book--or at least that was what I was hoping for. But I'm sure there is a rule somewhere that says all new fantasy authors have to be compared to Tolkien in a review, and I'm not one to break the rules--besides, there is a point I wanted to make, and that is this--it's all about the magic.   As a lead in to making this point, I would direct you to a blog entry Brandon Sanderson wrote on the subject of magic systems which he calls Sanderson's First Law. It rather excellently covers the various types of magic systems in fantasy stories, and the roles they subsequently play in the telling of the story. It's a worthwhile read.   But for simplicity here, let’s say there are two types. Hard Magic, which has its own set of clearly defined rules which are shown to the reader. I may be biased, but I've always regarded Jordan as the best Hard Magicist (Hard Magi?) about. The One Power with all its (post tSR) clearly defined rules and limitations is the perfect Hard Magic system, to my incredibly loyal mind. Tolkien's soft magic system, on the other hand, is beautiful. It's mysterious, invoking in us a sense of wonder that is not often felt in this modern world of hard science. The days in which maps ended with marks saying 'Here Be Dragons' are past, but they have an appeal which lingers, and are explored in the fantasy genre.   And here's the thing, Rothfuss does both, and well. Between the clearly defined sympathy, which Kvothe studies like a science, to the mysterious weaving of moonlight that is a gesture of magic from the Faen, to the Naming of Names which hangs between (or perhaps below, propping it all up) Rothfuss depicts a world which has both the intellectually intriguing element of hard magic with the sense of wonder that we so often feel at the prospect of anything fae and unknown in soft magic.   So should we put 'the love child of Jordan and Tolkien' on the dustjacket? I think so, if just for the spluttering that would result. But irrespective I'm sure you all take my point--others do hard magic. Other's do soft. Rothfuss has done something that is new--for me, at the least. He's dabbled in both, and it works well. Very well.   Production Times; A Cautionary Tale   Ok. So did you notice at the beginning that I said The Name of the Wind was published in 2007, and The Wise Man's Fear in 2011. Yeah... Rothfuss takes his time. The thing is, so did Jordan. And, though I worry about the parallels, so does Martin. And what I notice about all three is that they all produce really good books.   There is a sense of polish to The Wise Man's Fear, a sense that each word, however innocuous, adds to the insights of the world, the characters--or even just adds to the smooth flow of the writing itself, a thing that is subtle but which shouldn't be underestimated in terms of its value. If that takes time to produce (and I believe there is quote somewhere saying Jordan usually did somewhere between 8 and 11 drafts per novel) then so be it.   I brought this up because I know a lot of you find the wait between new books annoying. Not so for me--tell me an author takes his time, and I'll come to the table full of wide-eyed excitement. But that's me, and I can be somewhat odd.   General Thoughts and Conclusions   Rothfuss' storytelling is engaging and interesting. Though it is not what you would picture as a standard Epic Fantasy series, it is nonetheless deeply engaging. He uses many older techniques that I have not seen in some time--a story within a story, the switchback between first person and third person prose, the impact of a narrator’s personality on the portrayal of the story--and thus the inherent truthfulness of the narration itself--but he uses them all in a fresh, new way which in effect rejuvenates them.   I think the Kingkiller Chronicles will appeal to anyone who enjoyed the scope of the Wheel of Time. Rothfuss is most certainly not Jordan 2.0, but rather, like Jordan has begun something new, and all of his own, and it gladdens me that even as the Wheel ends, new Fantasy epics are rising to keep the genre alive and well.   Check out Patrick's official website     Hope you enjoyed all that. This is the first time out, so feel free to leave feedback on what you liked and didn't like.

Dragonmount is proud to announce the launch of the Wheel of Time video news! Hosted by Kristen Nedopak, this regular series of brief videos will attempt to showcase some of the exciting events happening in the WoT community.   For right now, you can subscribe and get updates when a new video is posted by visiting our YouTube channel. We will provide other methods of downloading and subscribing at a later time. (Once we figure them out)   Here's our first episode: http://www.youtube.com/embed/O2gCpMa7Uvo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>   About the video team Kristen Nedopak is an actress, show hostess, and huge WoT geek. You may recognize her from the video coverage she did for our Towers of Midnight book trailer. You can see more of her work at Nedopak.com.   The Wheel of Time video news was edited by Jonathan Barbato. In addition to video editing, Jonathan is a script supervisor working on set for various film productions.   Give us feedback! We'd love to hear back from you about this video. What did you think? What sort of news would you like to see us cover?