DRAGONMOUNT

The Gathering Storm, book twelve of The Wheel of Time, is now available in paperback form in the U.S. from Tor Books. TGS was the first book in the series published after Robert Jordan's death. It was written in large part by fantasy author Brandon Sanderson.   If you are among the fans who were waiting for the paperback to pick up a copy, here's your chance.   Read our reviewMore information about this bookOrder" rel="external nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/dp/0765341530?tag=dragonmount&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0765341530&adid=11BS8HF81P75X9N3DAC1&">Order the paperback from Amazon.com. This link supports Dragonmount   http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=dragonmount&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0765325942&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr&npa=1" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0">

About a year ago, you and I and the rest of the Wheel of Time fan base were eagerly awaiting the release of The Gathering Storm, the twelfth book in the series, and the first one written in large part by Brandon Sanderson, the relatively unheard-at-the-time fantasy writer who was chosen to complete Robert Jordan's epic. The burning question back then was, "Can Brandon deliver?". The answer was nearly unanimous amongst fans: not only did he deliver a good Wheel of Time book, but he delivered one of the most exciting Wheel of Time books yet. The book was a smash success, and by and large fans everywhere took a deep sigh of relief. In my original review of The Gathering Storm (TGS), I called the book one of the finest in the series, and I stand by that statement.   So now the question has become: can Brandon do it again? Is Towers of Midnight (TofM), the penultimate novel in The Wheel of Time series, as good as--or better-- than its predecessor? Brandon gained fan confidence by writing TGS. The bar has been raised. Does this next novel live up to the hype?   Of course it does. It's an amazing novel.   I've had the privilege of reading it, and I'd like to share some thoughts regarding it with you.   But first, I'm once again obliged to give a few disclaimers. My involvement with the WoT franchise is deeper than most fans. More and more, rather than being a passive observer, I'm finding myself actually helping to create content for the Wheel of Time (via my involvement in other parts of the franchise such as games, movies, etc). In this case, I was one of Brandon Sanderson's beta readers. This means that the version of the book I'm reviewing was a version that was still incomplete, and was towards the end of its editing process. More importantly, I provided feedback, both technical and creative, which may have had an impact on the writing. (I say 'may' because I honestly don't know yet whether some or any of my suggestions and feedback were taken.) In addition, I happen to run a large WoT fan site and therefore find myself promoting these books on a daily basis. I've had business dealings with Tor (although I have never been paid to do any of this and I do not accept money for promoting WoT). I'm not here to sell books. I am here to represent you, and share my honest feelings regarding this new book. I realize I can never be truly impartial, but I'll sure do my best. Like you, I'm a fan first, and always will be.   So with all that said, let's cut to it. Towers of Midnight is an outstanding novel, but I wouldn't say it was the finest in the series, nor can I say I personally enjoyed it more than its predecessor. But don't let that fool you. As http://www.tor.com/blogs/2010/09/the-wheel-of-time-towers-of-midnight-advance-review" target="news">Leigh Butler wrote in her recent review, these books are all like family, and so of course I loved it overall. And so will you. It's just that for me, as an individual reader, I personally enjoyed the tighter focus of the previous novel over this one. Viewed in terms of the whole series, there's absolutely no doubt in my mind that TofM fits into the series and successfully sets the stage for the final, explosive novel.   Let's take a closer look.   "To understand something", Perrin notes early in the book, "you have to know its parts." Well, Towers of Midnight is made up of a lot of complicated parts. It makes The Gathering Storm seem simplistic by comparison. The two of them are as different as The Great Hunt is from Lord of Chaos. This surprised me. I expected Brandon to deliver a novel that was just like the last one; to just continue with the same pacing and style as before. But he didn't. Instead, he did what I feel was the right thing and followed the needs of the story. TofM is darker, grittier, and filled with a lot more external conflict than TGS. The prose is consistent with its predecessor, but overall the book has the feel of the later WoT novels. More viewpoints. A wider scope. I loved reading about the increasing threat to the world; the mounting tide of darkness sweeping across the land.   [begin minor spoilers. Some of you will think these aren't true spoilers, and some of you will complain if I don't label them. So I'm playing it safe.]   In TGS, the primary focus of the book was on Rand and Egwene. It was that intense focus on their dramatic character arcs that made me love that novel so much. Although Rand and Egwene have some important roles to play in ToM, the primary focus shifts over to Mat and Perrin. Perrin has a wonderful arc in this book, even if it is just a tad slow to initially get going. (But hey, nobody ever said anything in WoT was fast, eh? Just chew your food and savor the taste). This is balanced by the fact that Perrin probably has the most action in the book. Well, except for poor Ituralde. The man just can't catch a break can he?   Chief among the aspects of this book that I loved is our favorite gambler. I'm happy to report that Mat is back. In a big way. I give Brandon a lot of credit for listening to feedback from fans who thought Mat's character voice was somewhat "off" in TGS. We'll never know how much of the book was personally written by Robert Jordan before he died, and how much was written by Brandon, but the point is that Mat not only sounds right in most of his chapters, but he is in his finest form. Quite simply, Mat redefines the very meaning of Awesome in this book. He's funny, but in a less slapstick way like he was in TGS. His internalized sarcastic humor is contrasted by the fact that he just bloody cares too much about people around him, and that makes him the old Mat we all know and love.   (If you haven't already heard, you can read the first Mat viewpoint chapter from ToM right here on Dragonmount)   I won't tell you what the best parts of the book were, of course, but I'll tell you that two of them were so good, they'll just shred you to pieces emotionally. Both of them are completely unexpected, and they happen to occur in a series of three back-to-back-to-back chapters. (Well, in the version I read. They may have been re-ordered since I read it in manuscript form) One of the chapters involved Perrin. And no… She's not involved. It's not what you think. So stop guessing.   The other scene that rocked me to read is one that completely embraces the spirit of the whole series. It's the epitome of what makes The Wheel of Time stand apart from all other fantasy series. To say that I was moved by it is an understatement. After reading it, I honestly began to question whether this story will actually have a happy ending or not. I mean, let's face it. Most of us assume the series will conclude with a victory at the Last Battle, with maybe a few heroic deaths along the way, right? Well this sequence I'm talking about proves that even victory can be disaster. It shows that even the most noble of intentions can have a butterfly-effect ripple across the Pattern. The sequence was beautiful to behold, and that alone makes ToM worthy of being on the shelf with your other WoT books.   What else?   Ah yes. If you'll excuse some shameless self-promotion, you need to go watch the Towers of Midnight book trailer. Once you've done that, then we can talk about Her.   Yes that plotline is addressed in ToM. But not in any way that resembles the video linked above. (The video was produced before I read the actual book) Some aspects play out as you might expect, but there are a lot of key surprises along the way. I devoured every word, and loved everything to do with it. And of course, it left me wanting more!   One last plot-related item…. Olver. There's a chapter involving him that just breaks my heart. Now maybe it's just me. I'm not talking about a big dramatic scene. (Although it does have another big reveal). Most people might find humor in it. But not me. Maybe I'm just sensitive. Remember what I said earlier about the price of victory? What happens here is both endearing and tragic. On one hand it was logical and inevitable that things would play out this way. On the other hand, I just never saw it coming, and neither will you (not that it will stop you from trying, huh?). I tip my hat to you, Mr. Jordan and Mr. Sanderson. Once again, you've given us a moment that people can debate. For me personally, it'll stick in my gut for a long time.   [END spoilers.]   It occurred to me as I finished this book that this is almost it. After ToM, there's only one more book to go. One last round in the great fight. These characters, this world, they're a part of me. And clearly, they're a part of you and a great many others as well. Some of you are new to the series, and many of you have been reading it for a very long time. Regardless of when we started though, we all see the same looming horizon before us. The inevitable arrival of the Last Battle, and the fabled "Last Chapter" that Robert Jordan spoke of for years. We've reached the sunset of this Age, and after reading ToM, I just don't know how it will end anymore.   This book will always have a special place in my heart. In part for my involvement as a beta reader, in part for the book trailer project, and even for the book's dedication which is a profound and humbling gesture. But mostly, this book will be special to me because it marks the true beginning of the end. Story-wise, the "good guys" are gathered and ready to go. But in fact they're in shambles, just barely held together. But in terms of us, as a community of fans, we are gathered like never before. I'm proud to see our fandom linked in this last year like I've never seen. We all know there's something special about this series, and Towers of Midnight is without a doubt a fine and worthy addition to its ranks. I look forward to riding the storm with you guys one last time to Tarmon Gaidon. One last charge. One last book.   We will meet it with swords raised.   Jason Denzel Jason@dragonmount.com   Pre-Order Towers of Midnight Amazon.com" rel="external nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765325942?ie=UTF8&tag=dragonmount&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0765325942">Amazon.com - This link helps support Dragonmount Amazon.co.uk" rel="external nofollow">http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/184149867X?tag=dragonmount-21&camp=1406&creative=6394&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=184149867X&adid=0NW45FP5BV0BQ4VMJHF3&">Amazon.co.uk - This link helps support Dragonmount Amazon.ca" rel="external nofollow">http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0765325942?ie=UTF8&tag=dragonmount-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=0765325942">Amazon.ca - This link helps support Dragonmount Indiebound.org" rel="external nofollow">http://www.indiebound.org/book/0765325942">Indiebound.org - Find local independent sellers Barnes" rel="external nofollow">http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?EAN=0765325942&afsrc=1&lkid=J25297035&pubid=K170413&byo=1">Barnes & Noble.com Borders.com http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=0765325942">Borders.com href="http://store.tor.com/book/9780765325945">Directly from Tor.com http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=dragonmount&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0765325942&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr&npa=1" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0">  http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=dragonmount-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=184149867X&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0">  http://rcm-ca.amazon.ca/e/cm?t=dragonmount-20&o=15&p=8&l=as1&asins=0765325942&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0">

Distinctions, the prologue to TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT, the thirteenth book in the Wheel of Time series, is now available for purchase in eBook format in the United States. It's available in ebook format and available for all the major readers. The cost is $2.99 US.   Here's the product description:   Towers of Midnight will be released on November 2, 2010. Please continue to check back to our website for regular updated related to this novel.   In addition to the ebook prologue, one other chapter has already been released for free by Brandon Sanderson. That chapter, &quote;The Seven-Striped Lass&quote; can be read right here on Dragonmount.com in its entirety.   When you're all done reading Distinctions, head over to our Towers of Midnight spoiler forum and talk about it with other fans.   Purchase Distinctions, the eBook prologue to Towers of Midnight http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040ZN3M8?ie=UTF8&tag=dragonmount&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN= B0040ZN3M8">Amazon.com - This link helps support Dragonmount   Pre-Order Towers of Midnight Amazon.com" rel="external nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765325942?ie=UTF8&tag=dragonmount&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0765325942">Amazon.com - This link helps support Dragonmount Amazon.co.uk" rel="external nofollow">http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/184149867X?tag=dragonmount-21&camp=1406&creative=6394&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=184149867X&adid=0NW45FP5BV0BQ4VMJHF3&">Amazon.co.uk - This link helps support Dragonmount Amazon.ca" rel="external nofollow">http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0765325942?ie=UTF8&tag=dragonmount-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=0765325942">Amazon.ca - This link helps support Dragonmount Indiebound.org" rel="external nofollow">http://www.indiebound.org/book/0765325942">Indiebound.org - Find local independent sellers Barnes" rel="external nofollow">http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?EAN=0765325942&afsrc=1&lkid=J25297035&pubid=K170413&byo=1">Barnes & Noble.com Borders.com http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=0765325942">Borders.com href="http://store.tor.com/book/9780765325945">Directly from Tor.com http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=dragonmount&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0765325942&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr&npa=1" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0">  http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=dragonmount-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=184149867X&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0">  http://rcm-ca.amazon.ca/e/cm?t=dragonmount-20&o=15&p=8&l=as1&asins=0765325942&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0">

On September 19, 1998 www.DRAGONMOUNT.com opened it's doors to the public for the first time. Over the years we've grown from a very simple website and a couple of community "Organizations" to a very large community website offering a role playing game, Social Groups, the first Wheel of Time podcast, and the latest in Wheel of Time news and info. We've had some high times when a new book gets released, or an author on tour. We've also had some bad times, such as site crashes, message board failure and the death of Robert Jordan. Through it all, we've stayed strong and remained committed to being the number one place on the internet for fans of the Wheel of Time series.   We're a little swamped right now with TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT being released in a couple months and with completing our site redesign. However, it would feel wrong to not mark the occasion with just a small birthday present.   Jennifer Liang (that's me!) is giving away THREE bags full of Wheel of Time and Brandon Sanderson goodies. These are items that have normally only been available at conventions like JordanCon and at signings. So if you haven't been able to get yourself to to one of these events, now is your chance to get these items. The package includes:     A WAY OF KINGS tote bag A "Sly as an Eelfinn" bumper sticker A Wheel of Time logo bumper sticker A JordanCon lanyard A copy of a Wheel of Time comic (issues #00 "Dragonmount") A WAY OF KINGS glow in the dark wristband A TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT bookmark A Brandon Sanderson bookmark A handmade Wheel of Time notecard A JordanCon 2010 program A copy of the Charleston City Paper, featuring an article about Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson and the Wheel of Time series A Wheel of Time poster map A Wheel of Time logo pin   How do you get one of these? Simple. Just post below with your favorite memory of Dragonmount over the last twelve years. We'll pick three winners via a random number generator. Sorry, we can only pay shipping costs within the US. But if you're outside the US and are willing to pay for your own shipping, feel free to enter. We'll announce the winners next weekend.

We've been given all the information for the Towers of Midnight book tour. As with The Gathering Storm tour, the events will kick off with a midnight release party in Provo, UT. Then the tour begins on the West Coast in Sacramento, CA (Dragonmount.com's home town!) and will conclude in New York City on November 8th.   The tour this time will be shorter than last year's due in part to the fact that Brandon just had another recent tour (completed this week) for The Way of Kings, his latest solo novel. But there's a special surprise: Harriet will be attending every one of the book tour events!   Also, just like last year, each site will have a a select group of volunteer fans who will help run the show and document the event. These "Tower Guards" will get a chance to meet with Brandon and Harriet in private before the signing event. Applications to be a Tower Guard will go online on our website in the near future.   Towers of Midnight book signing events     Tuesday, November 2nd - Midnight BYU Bookstore Wilkinson Student Center (WSC) / University Hill Provo, Utah 84602   Tuesday, November 2nd – 7:00 PM Barnes & Noble Booksellers 1725 Arden Way Sacramento, CA 95815 *With special guests Harriet McDougal and Jason Denzel (founder, Dragonmount.com)   Wednesday, November 3rd - 7:00 PM Joseph-Beth Booksellers 2692 Madison Rd Cincinnati, OH 45208 *With special guest Harriet McDougal   Thursday, November 4th - 7:00 PM Borders 10720 Preston Road, Suite 1018 Dallas, TX 75230 *With special guest Harriet McDougal   Friday, November 5th – 7:00 PM Books A Million 7000 Arundel Mills Cir Hanover, MD 21076-1282 *With special guest Harriet McDougal   Saturday, November 6th – 2:00 PM Borders 5871 Crossroads Center Way Baileys Crossroads, VA 22041 *With special guest Harriet McDougal   Sunday, November 7th - 3:00 PM The Harvard Coop 1400 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138 *With special guest Harriet McDougal   Monday, November 8th - 7:30 PM Barnes & Noble Booksellers – Lincoln Triangle 1972 Broadway New York, NY 10023 *With special guests Harriet McDougal, Maria Simons and Alan Romanczuk ("Team Jordan")     Pre-Order the book! Amazon.com" rel="external nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765325942?ie=UTF8&tag=dragonmount&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0765325942">Amazon.com - This link helps support Dragonmount Amazon.co.uk" rel="external nofollow">http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/184149867X?tag=dragonmount-21&camp=1406&creative=6394&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=184149867X&adid=0NW45FP5BV0BQ4VMJHF3&">Amazon.co.uk - This link helps support Dragonmount Amazon.ca" rel="external nofollow">http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0765325942?ie=UTF8&tag=dragonmount-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=0765325942">Amazon.ca - This link helps support Dragonmount Indiebound.org" rel="external nofollow">http://www.indiebound.org/book/0765325942">Indiebound.org - Find local independent sellers Barnes" rel="external nofollow">http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?EAN=0765325942&afsrc=1&lkid=J25297035&pubid=K170413&byo=1">Barnes & Noble.com Borders.com http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=0765325942">Borders.com href="http://store.tor.com/book/9780765325945">Directly from Tor.com http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=dragonmount&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0765325942&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr&npa=1" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0">  http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=dragonmount-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=184149867X&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0">  http://rcm-ca.amazon.ca/e/cm?t=dragonmount-20&o=15&p=8&l=as1&asins=0765325942&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0">

As you might know, Brandon and company have been tantalizing the fandom with The Great Hunt-- a scavenger hunt to decode an exclusive chapter preview from Towers of Midnight, the thirteenth novel in the Wheel of Time series.   The chapter title is The Seven-Striped Lass, and is a chapter featuring Mat Cauthon.   The last clue was placed at a Venice, Italy photo booth. This was discovered entirely due to the collaboration of WoT fans world wide. Unfortunately when our intrepid Italian WoT friend Federico went to get the clue, it had been lost. But he did get a great picture! Brandon took pity and gave us credit for finding it anyway! The Chapter Preview is now completely unlocked at Brandon's site. It's been an amazing experience for all involved, and we all want to thank Brandon, his brother Jordan, Peter Ahlstrom, and TOR Books for bringing us The Great Hunt!   Read the Chapter Preview here at Dragonmount!   See what we've learned so far about The Great Hunt clues.   Discuss The Great Hunt at Dragonmount's Towers of Midnight Spoilers Board   Check out Theoryland's area for The Great Hunt   <strong>Pre-Order the book!</strong> <ul class="bullet"><li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765325942?ie=UTF8&tag=dragonmount&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0765325942">Amazon.com</a></a> - This link helps support <em>Dragonmount</em></li><li><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/184149867X?tag=dragonmount-21&camp=1406&creative=6394&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=184149867X&adid=0NW45FP5BV0BQ4VMJHF3&">Amazon.co.uk</a></a> - This link helps support <em>Dragonmount</em></li><li><a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0765325942?ie=UTF8&tag=dragonmount-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641&creativeASIN=0765325942">Amazon.ca</a></a> - This link helps support <em>Dragonmount</em></li><li><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/0765325942">Indiebound.org</a> - Find local independent sellers</li><li><a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?EAN=0765325942&afsrc=1&lkid=J25297035&pubid=K170413&byo=1">Barnes & Noble.com</a></li><li><a href="http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=0765325942">Borders.com</a></li><li><a href="http://store.tor.com/book/9780765325945">Directly from Tor.com</a></li></ul> <div align="center"><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=dragonmount&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0765325942&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr&npa=1" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>   <iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?t=dragonmount-21&o=2&p=8&l=as1&asins=184149867X&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>   <iframe src="http://rcm-ca.amazon.ca/e/cm?t=dragonmount-20&o=15&p=8&l=as1&asins=0765325942&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe></div>

"The only thing better than a double-cross is a triple-cross"   Ladies and gentlemen, we have successfully out-foxed the master Aelfinn (Brandon) and received the answers to 20 questions!   Here's what happened. Around 4 PM U.S. Pacific Time yesterday, Brandon challenged Dragonmount and Theoryland to compete against each other to find the last hidden clue in his GREAT HUNT. He encouraged us to fight over the bragging right. But we had other plans. He said each site could submit (5) Yes/No questions.   Brandon was giving clues to where the codes were --really obscure clues-- and his assistant Peter would tease the Hunters every once in a while. They thought they were out-FOXING us. But like a certain gambler... it was time to toss the dice and take the fight to the 'Finns.   The first thing we (Jason, Jennifer, Tamyrlin and Frenzy from Theoryland.com) did was get on a conference call. We came up with a plan to trick not each other but BRANDON into giving us even MORE clues.   In public --on our websites and on Twitter-- we declared that we were peacefully working together. It seemed like Brandon was disappointed because he wanted us to FIGHT! But our motives are pure. We want to find this code as fast as possible. We're not totally sure, but it looks like the reward could be a whole chapter's worth of Towers of Midnight content!   So once we collected our 10 questions (5 from Dragonmount and 5 from Theoryland) the Dragonmount team sent Brandon an email, claiming that we had "stolen" their questions.   It worked! Brandon replied with the answer to all 10 questions.   Shortly after that, the Theoryland team followed up with their own email, asking for 5 more of their own questions. And THAT worked too! Not only did Brandon answer those five, but being a fair sport, he then offered to answer 5 MORE for Theoryland, matching the total Dragonmount had.   When all this settled, we now had a total of 20 questions (!!) when we originally expected to only have 5, or 10 at the most!   So here you go people. Dragonmount and Theoryland have been working together to trick the master Trickster himself. Our goal from the start has been to give the entire WoT community a better chance of seeing the hidden prize as quickly as possible. Let this be a point made for all: WoT fans are never divided. We are united in our causes. We uphold the positive ideals set forth by the books. Tai Shar Dragonmount. Tai Shar Theoryland.   Here are all 20 questions and answers. Read them over. And let's get some feet in the ground in these places so we can unlock that hidden prize!   - Jason - Jennifer - Matt (aka Tamyrlin from Theoryland) - Mary (aka Frenzy from Theoryland)     1) Is the code in the northern hemisphere?   YES   2) Is the code in the western hemisphere?   NO   3) Is the code in a country that was one of the original NATO signatories?   YES   4) Is the code located in a country with a population greater than 36 million?   YES   5) Is the code in a city with a population of more than 250,000?   YES   6) Is the code currently in the possession of a WoT fan (someone who has read at least one of the WoT books)?   NO   7) Is the code in a bookstore?   NO   8) Is the code in a capitol city?   NO   9) Assuming each English letter corresponds to a progressive numerical value where a=1 and z=26, does the last word of the most commonly accepted English name for the name of the facility/business the code is located in begin a letter with a value EVENLY divisable by 2?   NO   10) Is the code in one of the following cities: Aalborg Aarhus Abidjan Adelaide Alexandrian Algiers Birmingham Bradford Brisbane Bristol Cairo Calgary Cape Town Casablanca Copenhagen Coventry Edmonton Esbjerg Frederiksberg Johannesburg Kano Khartoum Kinshasa Lagos Leeds Leicester Liverpool London Lyon Manchester Marseille Melbourne Montreal Nantes Nice Paris Toulouse Augsburg Berlin Cologne Dusseldorf Frankfurt Hamburg Kaiserslautern Mannheim Munich Stuttgart Dublin Belfast Limerick Cork Galway Newry Lisburn Waterford Armagh Kilkenny Rome Milan Naples Turin Palermo Genoa Bologna Florence Bari Catania Oslo Bergen Stavanger Trondheim Fredrikstad-sarpsborg Drammen Madrid Barcelona Valencia Sevilla Zaragoze Malaga Les Palmas de Gran Canaria Bilbao Murcia Valladolid Bern Zurich Geneva Nottingham Odense Perth Sheffield Sydney Toronto Vancouver   NO. And that one was pushing it. ;)   11) Is the code in a city north of the Equator?   YES   12) Is the code in a city with a population of more than 500,000 people?   NO   13) Assuming each English letter corresponds to a progressive numerical value where a=1 and z=26, does the last word of the most commonly accepted English name for the City where the code is hidden begin with a letter with a value evenly divisible by 2?   Yes   14) Assuming each English letter corresponds to a progressive numerical value where a=1 and z=26, is the second letter of the last word of the most commonly accepted English name, for the City where the code is hidden, a letter with a value evenly divisible by 2?   NO   15) Assuming each English letter corresponds to a progressive numerical value where a=1 and z=26, is the third letter of the last word of the most commonly accepted English name, for the City where the code is hidden, a letter with a value evenly divisible by 2?   YES   16) Is the code in a fixed location (e.g.: not in someone's possession)?   YES   17) Is the code in a member state of the European Union?   YES   18) Have you ever personally visited or lived in the country where the code is located?   NO   19) When responding to these questions, will you provide us a picture of where the code is located?   YES. Here it is:     10) When responding to these questions, will you provide us with the first name of the individual that possesses or oversees this code?   YES. His name is Ryan.   ------------ Ready to get to work? Start discussing it here on Dragonmount or here on Theoryland.

As many of you noticed, when we switched over to the new Dragonmount website, the links to the 4th Age podcast disappeared. Don't worry though. The podcast is not gone. It will be back very soon.   As a matter of fact, Virginia and her podcast team have some exciting things ahead for you. Tomorrow, for instance, they'll be recording a show with Maria and Alan from Team Jordan. Once that show is edited and uploaded, you can find links to it right here or via iTunes.   Sorry for the temporary inconvenience. Thanks for listening.

Brandon Sanderson is on tour right now to support his latest release THE WAY OF KINGS. While on tour, he's been hiding Wheel of Time bumper stickers with a clue printed on the back in the various stores he's visited and posting the locations on Twitter. When you take it to his official website and input it, it decrypts part of a passage of text. Fans have either found or guessed the majority of the clues and decrypted most of the text. However, one of the final clues has evaded us. Our only hint from Brandon is that it's "outside the US".   Earlier today on Twitter, Brandon announced that he would allow the members of Dragonmount.com and Theoryland.net to ask him FIVE yes or no questions each about the location of the missing clue. Because we want to make sure we get the most out of this opportunity, Dragonmount and Theoryland will be working together to jointly submit a list of ten questions and share the answers with both communities.   With this clue, it's very likely that we'll be able to decrypt the passage (which alert fans have pointed out looks quite a bit like it could be an early chapter from TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT) and have our first glimpse of the penultimate Wheel of Time novel.   If you've got a submission for a question, please post it in our forums or in the corresponding thread on Theoryland. Jason, Matt and I will look over the questions submitted here and at Theoryland and determine the TEN questions with the best chance of getting us the location of the missing clue. The deadline for us to submit to Brandon is midnight CST TONIGHT, so we have to move very quickly.

It's been a long time in the making, but the new Dragonmount.com website is finally here. Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to make this site possible.   You'll find that all your previous Dragonmount username and passwords still work, and that we've preserved all the posts from our old forums.   Please take a look around and enjoy the new layout. But keep in mind that this is an all new site and we're still working out some of the bugs and other oddities.   In the near future, we'll have links to our old forums in case you want to grab some of your recent posts and transfer them over to the new site.