DRAGONMOUNT

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.

Sorry for not getting an article up for the last few weeks; I ran into a few problems. But now it's Friday again and I will continue on with the Architecture and Scenery feature. This week has artwork from some mysterious and secret places.   Rhuidean is a city shrouded in mystery. For centuries it remained under a dense fog. No man could go into Rhuidean more than once, and no woman more than twice. This was until the weaves over Rhuidean were destroyed in the fight between Rand and Asmodean.   The White Tower is the home of Aes Sedai. Aes Sedai are known for their mysteriousness and secrecy. The image is of the Hall of Sitters.   The last image is of Dragonmount. Dragonmount's peak and upper slopes are places where no one has gone and come out alive to tell of it.   The introductions done, the artworks are...   Rhuidean at Night by kaikonen   Chamber in Rhuidean by kaikonen   Hall of the Sitters by RShara   The slopes of Dragonmount by robchristianson

Hello, friends! The Wheel has turned all the way around to Thursday again, which means two things: the weekend is not too far away, and it's time for our Rotating Features blog! This week, I'm resuming a series of articles which will continue to be written in this feature roughly once per month, in which I will write a brief review of another book or series of books I have read. Now, I don't intend to write here a literary critique, but a little summary and taste of the fiction, with the purpose of perhaps tantalizing you into giving it a try if you're looking for something other than The Wheel of Time to read. As you may have guessed from the title of the article this week, our subject matter is His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik, which was first published in 2005. In the UK it was published under the title Temeraire. Dragons. Napoleon Bonaparte. Naval Warfare. Gentlemanly behavior and acts of valor! His Majesty's Dragon has it all. This is the first book in the Temeraire series, which is an alternate history/fantasy series set in the Napoleonic wars, with one not-so-subtle difference: the inclusion of enormous flying beasts which fight in the air even as the Navy and the Army wage warfare on the ground! The concept is so simple and yet so brilliant that you wonder that it wasn't thought of before. What if there was an Air Force, long before airplanes were invented, an Air Force composed of mythical creatures and their riders? I thoroughly enjoyed the first novel in the series and intend to read further. I imagine it will appeal to anyone who liked the Pern series, the Hornblower books or television series, and a lot of fantasy readers in general. It is perhaps gentler in its tone and a little more easy going than large portions of The Wheel of Time and certainly than A Song of Ice and Fire (currently made famous as A Game of Thrones, the television series), but I found it to be such a fun concept and well written regardless that I didn't regret the time I spent reading it at all. As an added note, it has been reported that Peter Jackson, who is famous for directing the Lord of the Rings movie adaptations, is a big fan of the series and has optioned the movie rights, although he has since considered making it into a mini-series instead. Watch this space, I guess! If you're looking for something a bit different, then I definitely recommend to give it a go. Have fun! Until next time, friends!

He thought he'd left the Great Game behind   Thom "I don't care about this crap anymore, I'm out.  I'm going to leave and you're not going to be able to stop me."   His past didn't agree with the song he was singing   Mysterious masked female "Thom. Thom, my friend, you know that's impossible.  You'll find out you can never truly leave. It just doesn't work like that."   And when a young man set to change the world needs your help   Rand "Look, I need to do this. I need to get them to listen to me. I need to know what you know." You find the one thing you can't run from is yourself   Thom "Fine, Kid. I'll teach you, but don't expect me to stick around.  And if you get yourself killed, it ain't my fault."   Rand "What a caring point of view."   Thom "You'll find it's the ones you think care the most that will back stab you first."   Intrigue around every corner   Rand "How did you know he was working for her?"   Thom "Some people never change."   Once it's in your blood, you'll never be the same   Female voice from out of the shadows "Welcome back, Thom.  You're as sharp as ever, I see."   Thom "Well, you always said I was a natural."     Clint Eastwood   in    Patchwork Cloak   Thom "Your move."

Hello, and welcome back to "WoT If?".  For this week's discussion, I want to look at the idea of immortality and how it might pertain to dark prophecy we've seen.  Please remember:   SPOILER WARNING.  This will include content from A Memory of Light.  Please DO NOT read this if you have not completed the book.   This topic came up in the "After the Last Battle" panel at JordanCon.  I'm not sure who posed this question, but I want to give credit where credit is due—it wasn't me.  The person speculated that Rand might be immortal after his battle with the Dark One, and this hypothesis comes from the dark prophecy in the dungeons of Fal Dara.   Before we jump into the prophecy, though, I want to show that dark prophecy is just as true as light prophecy.  It's been asked of Brandon Sanderson in an interview posted on Theoryland's Interview Database.     Though it's in the footnotes, I'll agree that all prophecies will be fulfilled is what Brandon is actually saying.  That means all the dark prophecies are just as relevant for finding clues about what will happen during and after the Last Battle.   Now, onto the prophecy:     This is such an easy thing to overlook.  Notice that Rand (the man who channels) has two roads.  One to death, one to life.  At the end of the series, Rand lives.  He avoided the path that lead to death beyond dying (which would have happened if he had given in to the Shadow); does that mean Rand has life eternal now?   There are a few directions this can go.  If we say yes, Rand is now immortal, it raises the possibility of other people being immortal.  I think this would be a great way to explain what and who Nakomi is.  Robert Jordan didn't want to go into the possibility of there being a female Dragon—a soul that is equal yet opposite to Rand.  But if it did happen, and a female Dragon in Ages past was able to seal the Dark One in the same manner, she could still be alive today, helping nudge the Pattern and the current Dragon to do what must be done.  And she could coach Rand through the body-swap that she completed before (if time is a circle and all things come again).   There's also the fact that after the Last Battle, Rand's will is law.  He is able to light the pipe by thought.  Therefore, it seems logical to conclude that he could will himself to live as long as he wanted.   However, the body-swap also throws a wrench into the gears because Rand's body does die.  And perhaps Moridin, in Rand's body, does complete the "death beyond dying" part.  Since Moridin is connected to the Dark One, would the Dark One still be able to collect Moridin's soul even though he is resealed?  If the Dark One had Moridin's soul sealed in with him (as well as all the other Forsaken once they die), I'm sure he would make them suffer horribly.  The phrase "death beyond dying" would surely fit.   Each of the Forsaken has a link—perhaps even a bond—to the Dark One.  A Tor Q&A says, "In exchange for their oaths in Shayol Ghul, the Forsaken receive a mark from the Dark One.  This mark is visible only to certain Shadowspawn and it gives the Forsaken some measure of control over them."  Because of this strong bond, one that might surpass the seals, I think it's quite possible the Dark One will collect the souls of the Forsaken, and maybe others—like the Black Ajah, since even Verin says, "The process of making those oaths to the Great Lord was... distinctive" (The Gathering Storm, Chapter 39, "A Visit from Verin Sedai").   So, does Moridin's death in Rand's body count as death beyond dying, or is Rand destined to be immortal?  Of the two options, I think the former would be more in line with the world and its limits.  I think it much more likely the Dark One can access his bonded souls rather than having a person—or even a deity in human form—that's immortal.  But this would be an interesting question for Team Jordan.   That's all for this week.  Let me know what you think.  For next time, we'll speculate what exactly Artur Hawkwing said to Tuon at the end of A Memory of Light.  Thanks for reading!

Paul Bielaczyc, co-owner of Aradani Studios and well-known within the fandom for his Rand al'Thor costume, recently had another photoshoot featuring a new Trolloc costume.  These photos were taken by Dim Horizon Studio.         The entire gallery can be viewed here.  And last year's photoshoot can be found here.   Paul has also added a tutorial on how to make the Trolloc helmet on Aradani Studios' website.  

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To honor Robert Jordan's military service, Ta'veren Tees is donating 10% of its new Challenge Coin proceeds to the Wounded Warrior Project.           Jim Rigney (Robert Jordan), Soldier in uniform  

Hello, and welcome back to "WoT If?", Dragonmount's weekly theory blog.  Today's topic is the Talent of Singing.  There's an interesting phrase used by Lews Therin in The Eye of the World prologue about "the Voice," and I wonder what its connection is to Rand and some of his abilities in A Memory of Light.  But before we start:   SPOILER WARNING.  This will include content from A Memory of Light.  Please DO NOT read this if you have not completed the book.   In The Eye of the World, after Lews Therin has killed his whole family, Elan Morin arrives to try and bargain with the Dragon.  Driven insane by the Dark One's backlash, Lews Therin doesn't recognize Elan Morin and instead treats him as a causal visitor.  Here's where it gets interesting.  Lews Therin says, "Ah, a guest.  Have you the Voice, stranger? It will soon be time for the Singing, and here all are welcome to take part."   At JordanCon earlier this month, I got to talk with Maria and a few other fans—including Matt Hatch of Theoryland—and one of the things we discussed was Rand's ability to make plants grow.  Rand demonstrates this skill several times throughout A Memory of Light.  In Chapter 7, he makes a dozen trees grow that are "towering, healthy, huge-limbed, beautiful trees, hundreds of feet tall with massive trunks" ("Into the Thick of It").  And Rand did this within a couple of minutes.  But when he meets with Empress Fortuona, we actually see him singing.     Here, we see that the growth is associated with singing, that Rand has to sing in order for the plants to grow.  Our discussion at JordanCon brought up the idea that Rand may have been singing to make things grow since his epiphany on Dragonmount (The Gathering Storm, Chapter 50, "Veins of Gold").  For example, when Rand makes the apple trees bloom in Towers of Midnight, he could have been using his singing abilities even then (Chapter 1, "Apples First").  Or when he made the grain the Sea Folk brought to Arad Doman become unspoiled (Chapter 14, "Return to Bandar Eban").   This brings me back to Lews Therin and his talk of "the Voice."  We know seed singing was used in the Age of Legends to help the crops grow faster, larger, and to be inherently insect free.  This is done only by Aiel, Ogier, and the Nym, according to The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, Chapter 3, "The Age of Legends."     And Ogier, in the current Age, have Treesinging.  Loial is a Treesinger, and is able to fashion items from tree trunks by singing to them—we see this happen in The Great Hunt, Chapter 15, "Kinslayer."  During that event, Rand even thinks, "It seemed so familiar, that song, as if he should know it."   Loial also talks of the Tinkers' desire to learn the Treesongs, and says, "I taught the Tuatha'an what they could learn, but the trees never listen to humans" (The Eye of the World, Chapter 42, "Remembrance of Dreams").  Yet, in direct contradiction to that, Rand seems to be able to sing to the trees.  They do listen to him. The question is do the trees listen because he knows the right songs, or do they listen because he is the Dragon Reborn?   In the Age of Legends, Lews Therin speaks of the Singing, and in his house, "all are welcome to take part."  This implies that in other places, not everyone is welcome.  Which would suggest that Singing is something similar to a Talent, that only certain people are gifted with the ability.  And is this Singing different from seed singing?  It must be.  Albeit, Lews Therin is so insane at this point in The Eye of the World's prologue, but he must have some grasp on the way the world works.  And what would be the purpose of seed singing at his estate?  Only Aiel, Ogier, and Nym do that.   That must mean that Singing would be for some other purpose.  Could it be used on any living thing, or only plants?  What about non-living things?  Could Singing be used on sacks of grain to make them become unspoiled?  Could Singing be what gave life to the Nym during the Age of Legends?  Could Singing change more of the world, like lighting a pipe?   Our discussion at JordanCon didn't provide any answers, only more questions.  Robert Jordan's world is so large and encompassing that no one can say for certain how all of these abilities work.  Either way, I think all of these Talents are so similar they are probably just different names for the same things.  Loial's use of Treesinging in the Blight had seed singing effects—he said, "The Blight will not have Treebrother" (The Eye of the World, Chapter 53, "The Wheel Turns"), showing the tree that marked the Green Man's grave will be strengthened and not give in to the poison of the Blight.  And Ogier, in an uncharacteristic display of pride, assumed they were the only ones who could do Treesinging, though humans can too—Rand is proof of that—they just forgot how.   And I think it is this forgotten Talent that let Rand manipulate the world around him.  There is the idea that "the Dragon is one with the land," which could have aided Rand in certain situations—but he had to have the ability born inside him to use it whenever he wanted for the ultimate effect on the world.  He needed this Talent to convince Tuon to side with him.  He needed it several times throughout the last few books.  It might even be something that is free of the One Power, something that lets his will become one with the land—because even though the Last Battle is done, Rand is still the Dragon, tied to the land.   That's all for this week.  Next time we'll discuss the possibility of Rand being immortal.  Thanks for reading!

Hello, friends! The Wheel has turned all the way around to Thursday again, which means two things: the weekend is not too far away, and it's time for our Rotating Features blog! For many readers of The Wheel of Time, the Blademasters are some of the most interesting characters in the books. Sure, we may fantasize about what it would be like to wield the awesome power and the fine subtleties of saidin or saidar, but skill with the sword, a master of the blade, is something very relatable, something we can cross reference with history and other fantasy series, and even something we can experiment with in real life. The whole notion of being a Blademaster is a fascinating one. The sword forms are, I think, one of the most interesting concepts that Robert Jordan introduced into the series, and one I can't off the top of my head think of something similar to in another work of fantasy fiction (feel free to leave a comment below if you can think of a parallel idea in another book or series). And the sword forms, it should be noted, whilst possibly learned and of some use to an experienced fighter, are actually the Blademaster's forms, designed to be learned by those seeking to reach mastery of sword fighting, duelists and purists in the use of the the katana-like curved swords of Jordan's world. One only becomes a Blademaster if they either defeat in single combat another known Blademaster or are judged on their skill by a panel of five Blademasters, being declared as one only by unanimous vote. There are said to be fewer than 100 Blademasters within the Westlands. A big part of the fantastical desire to earn this title for myself (and, I am confident, many other readers) is being able to carry a Heron-marked sword, one which is designed to proclaim to all your skill as a weapon, a wielder of the sword. You can imagine that to carry one would be the kind of thing to cause a room to fall silent as you enter, to cause your opponents to reassess you with a vague uncertainty, to strike fear into the hearts of your foes. "He carries a Heron-marked sword. Blademaster! Blademaster!" The whispers would almost certainly go along in your wake wherever you passed. Sublime. So. Where can I get me one of those? I have selected a link for you to take a look at. I have chosen one from Amazon because it is an officially licensed replica, seems to be at a saving, and of course Amazon is an international supplier. Leave a comment below if you know of a better place to find one or a wider selection online. If you want to own your very own Heron-marked sword, then have a look online, there are plenty out there. Not only will you look and feel like a total boss, but it would be great for meets and conventions, and in general, anyone who recognized the significance of it would be another Wheel of Time fan, and that would be a great way to meet new fans. If you do get one, or have one already, please be sure to sign up here at Dragonmount to the forums and spread pictures of you with your gorgeous blade! I would certainly like to see it over at the Warder's Guild! Have fun! Until next time, friends!