DRAGONMOUNT

If you're looking for a way to dress up your Facebook page and show your love for The Wheel of Time, Tor.com is here to help! Each day this week, they will post a different banner featuring art from the eBooks. Here's their press release:   Prepare for the Last Battle with Wheel of Time Facebook Banners   To prepare for release of A Memory of Light, the final volume of The Wheel of Time, Tor.com will be releasing special Facebook Timeline banners this week! Click the image to see it full size, drag it to your desktop, or Save Image As to post it on your Facebook profile.   Five characters in total will be depicted as they gear up for The Last Battle, beginning with the Prince of Ravens himself, Mat Cauthon. (What can we say? It's a Mat kind of Monday.) Visit Tor.com or the A Memory of Light index each morning for a new reveal!   We'll also be posting links to the images right here in this article as they are released.   Monday: Mat Cauthon   Tuesday: Moiraine Sedai   Wednesday: Perrin Aybara   Thursday: Rand al’Thor     Friday: Egwene al’Vere

We're back! If you haven't seen my recap of Dragon*Con yet, look here. Those who attended had a wonderful time.   Speaking of Dragon*Con, we've got plenty of people offering opinions about Chapter 11 from A Memory of Light in our A Memory of Light Spoiler Discussion forum. Go here if you want to participate.   It's time for the next season of Doctor Who! Have you seen the first episode of the season yet? Come flail excitedly with us like a fanboy or fangirl in our TV Show & Sports Discussion forum.   The Crafters from our Artists, Crafters, and Writers Guild have a unique challenge this month. Using electricity as a modern day substitute for the One Power, can you either craft something with it or make a tutorial explaining how a gadget using it might work? See this thread for more details on how to play.   The Aiel Social Group has tackled another hot button topic this month--race/gender preferences at universities. Should such restrictions exist? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this admission method?   It's an Ogier role play! I haven't seen one of these in awhile. Follow a young Ogier's first trip outside his Stedding in The Yellow Brick Road.

This year marked the end of a dedicated Wheel of Time fan track at Dragon*Con. As we know, this wasn't the ending of Wheel of Time programming at Dragon*Con, but an ending. If there is enough interest from fans, there will be some future Wheel of Time panels in the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Literature track. I will give more information about that at the end of this article. For now, let's celebrate, because we had a blast at Dragon*Con this year! Here are pictures highlighting some of my favorite moments.     Although Friday was filled with great panels and trivia games, things started getting truly insane once the Saturday morning parade began. Since this was the last year of our track, we wanted to go out in style. Check out the swagger on these three ta'veren!       We even made signs! Here's Uno holding one of them:       Our shenanigans on Saturday night began with the raunchy frolic through the books that only tWoTcast can provide. As of this posting, they haven't put up that podcast on their site yet, but watch this space so you don't miss it when they do. The night culminated in one of our best Winespring Inn parties ever. Brandon Sanderson was in a playful mood during this event. When he wasn't being protected from a Lanfear attack by a gallant Asha'man...       ...he sang karaoke with us!       Our most popular event was Sunday's preview of A Memory of Light. Brandon treated us to a reading of Chapter 11, followed by a Q&A session. Don't fret if you missed this, because you can read it and watch it online. Some of you know that two of the most well-known Wheel of Time fans have cameos in this chapter. They're none other than track director Jennifer Liang and her husband, James Liang! I loved watching the expressions on Jenn's face as she listened to Brandon read about her character.       People were in high spirits as they headed from the reading to the Wheel of Time costume contest. We had many wonderful entries this year. One of the favorites was Graendal with her "entourage":       Another favorite, and the winner of the contest, was a frighteningly realistic Trolloc. Can you tell that it's really artist Paul Bielaczyc under there?       Monday was bittersweet. We wallowed in nostalgia and told stories about our track through the years. Even though it's sad to say goodbye to the track, we're glad that it's been such a success. Also, remember that this is only an ending. If you have Wheel of Time panel ideas or simply want to support such programming in the future, you can contact the director of the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Literature track, Sue Phillips, at scififantasylit@dragoncon.org.   Before I sign off, I'd like to thank Jennifer Liang for all the blood, sweat, and tears she has put into our Wheel of Time track at Dragon*Con. Without her, we wouldn't have had the track or the fond memories associated with it. Thanks for being awesome, Jenn!

I mentioned in an earlier post that Egwene is one of my favorite characters. Now, I'm well aware that a lot of Wheel of Time fans love to hate on Egwene. And all of you who hate her have a point. Yes, she tends to criticize others and not herself. Yes, she can be entitled and overbearing.   But here's why I love her anyway. In a fantasy setting that sometimes feels a little too black-and-white (compare Robert Jordan's approach to good and evil to the complex morality of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire), Egwene's role as Rand's opposition on the side of the Light is a refreshing twist on an age-old tale.   That's not to say their tense relationship doesn't have grounding in some age-old themes itself. In the ancient symbol of the Aes Sedai, he is the Dragon's Fang and she is the White Flame. Where Rand brings chaos, Egwene brings order. The obvious origin of this symbolism is of course the yin-yang, which symbolizes the interdependence of opposing forces (oh, just go read the wikipedia article).       It's no coincidence that Rand and Egwene develop the ability to channel at approximately the same time, and it's no coincidence that Rand resists his fate with as much passion as Egwene pursues hers. Even though the series is full-to-bursting with characters and events, their relationship is a key thread in the Pattern Robert Jordan wove. It's appropriate, then, that Egwene and Rand are the two characters that get prologues in The Eye of the World--even if Rand (at least, his soul) first appears as the four-hundred-year-old Dragon and Egwene first appears as the nine-year-old water carrier (note that Egwene's prologue was written for the young adult edition released by Starscape Books in 2002).   Egwene and the Raven by Charles Vess       Part of the reason I'm so fond of Egwene is that she goes after her goals with great gusto. Of all the Two Rivers folk, she alone chose their adventure, pursuing it with a bright-eyed innocence that I both admire and pity.   Left: Egwene al'Vere by ~Forbis Right: Egwene al'Vere by *fee-absinthe (Tanya Wagemann)       Unlike many of the other characters, she never falters in her convictions. She has a genuine (if occasionally overwrought) love of the One Power and the White Tower, as well as a deep-rooted passion for understanding both.   Tel'aran'rhiod by ~Mizutori       She and Rand have both suffered manipulation and subjugation. Unlike Rand, however, she has truly thrived in these situations. The path she took to reunite the Tower under her rule (first as the Salidar "puppet," then as Elaida's prisoner) is a perfect example of this.   Above: Egwene in Salidar by ~Snunad (Egwene being raised on a platform of air as she is declared Amyrlin of the Salidar faction, Lord of Chaos Chapter 36, "The Amyrlin is Raised") Below: WoT Scene by *RoseMuse       Although as readers our immediate response to the tension between Egwene and Rand is to pick a side, I prefer to view their relationship as a tenuous balance. Both the Amyrlin and the Dragon have an essential role to play in the fight against the Shadow.   Left: Egwene al'Vere, the Amyrlin Seat by Liz Stephanoff (faerLinden on Dragonmount) Right: WoT card teaser--Egwene by ~ReddEra (Ariel Burgess)  

I was at the book store a little while back and happened across the manga version of 5 Centimeters Per Second. I flipped through it a bit because I had never heard of it, and it seemed pretty interesting.This week's article is going to be about the touching story that it told.   The story begins in Tokyo. Akari is a new transfer student in Takaki's class. The two start talking in the library and realize they have a lot in common. Besides moving around a lot, they like the same books and the same places. Naturally, the two start to fall for each other, but Akari's family moves away shortly afterwards. They start writing to each other so that they will stay in touch, then Takaki's family has to move farther away, so he takes a train to go see Akari. Despite several delays, he finds her waiting for him at the designated meeting point. They share an unforgettable evening together just staying beside one another. After moving, Takaki meets a girl named Kanae who falls for him and is too shy to tell him. She always feels that he is looking far off and not seeing the things right in front of him.Takaki had cut himself off from others waiting for Akari, so he wasn't able to connect with the world around him. In the end, after he graduates, he moves back to Tokyo, gets a job, and meets a woman named Risa. In an attempt to move on with his life, he dates Risa for three years. The relationship never progresses; she would try to get close, but he was disconnected from the world. Takaki and Risa break up and he quits his job. Akari had moved on with her life and was engaged. Kanae tries to move on but has regrets, and decides to head to Tokyo for one last attempt to talk to Takaki. Takaki himself was alone, filled with loneliness, but resolved to accept the distance he put between himself and the world so that he could open up to someone in the future. This is essentially how the story ends.   I liked the story; my only issue is there is no real closure for Takaki. You follow his story throughout the entirety of the manga, but finish out in Kanae's, and are left to assume that the guy who just walked by her was Takaki. The story just makes you want to sympathize with Takaki, putting everything on hold for a love that would never be. I almost cried at a few points in this story, and recommend that everyone give it a read or watch the animated movie if they have the time.

It's time for another audiobook giveaway! Here are the rules again for those who aren't familiar with our giveaways:           This month, we will be giving away a copy of A Crown of Swords. Click here for a clip from the audiobook.   This month's question is: If you could bond someone from the Wheel of Time series as your Warder or Aes Sedai, who would it be and why? You have until Wednesday, September 12th to answer in the comments section. Good luck!

It's time for more wallpaper from Tor.com! This time, the featured eBook wallpaper is for Crossroads of Twilight. The artwork is by Greg Ruth. Here is the image:     Go here to download different sizes of the wallpaper and to read more about how this art was created. How do you like the art for this eBook?

Macmillan Audio is giving away free iPhone cases to the first 2,000 people who notify them of their pre-order for the A Memory of Light audiobook. To be elligible, you'll need to send them a scanned version of your pre-order receipt, or a copy of your confirmation email from an online vendor.   The promotion is happening until December 7th. It's valid for US residents only.   The AMOL audiobook will be released along with the hardcover on January 8, 2013.   Contest details can be found here.   Those 2,000 cases are likely to go quick. So get your pre-order in quickly. Here are some links to order via Amazon, and help support Dragonmount   About A Memory of Light   Dragonmount will feature complete coverage of AMOL. Check back regularly for updates as well as exclusives such as our early review of the book. In the meantime, there's plenty for you to enjoy:   Read the opening portion of the AMOL prologue. Read the opening portion of Chapter 1. Read the opening portion of Chapter 11.(New!) Visit our complete AMOL info page. Discuss A Memory of Light on our forums.  Follow us on Twitter or "Like" us on Facebook.     Please consider pre-ordering the book through one of our international Amazon affiliates, and help support our website.       

With apologies to Sweet, performers of "Ballroom Blitz":     Are you ready, Asmodean? Uh-huh   Rhavin? Yeah   Be'lal? Okay   Alright Fellas...Let's Goooooooooo!   Oh, we were locked away so long But now the end has come, we're finally free, aha They think they'll be the ones in charge But everybody knows it will be me   Oh, there's a man with a scowl And a plan most foul, as his eyes burn like twin fires And a lady in white, will put up quite a fight For Therin is the one she desires   Oh, yeah, it was quite frightening Everybody was fighting And the power was flowing And their plans started growing Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah   And the man with the scar Was killed by Mashadar as he fought to be called Nae'blis And the woman in the gloom Was planning al'Thor's doom, as she tried to be named Nae'blis   Named Nae'blis Named Nae'blis Named Nae'blis Named Nae'blis   They're gathering up their power To serve the Dark Lord's will at Shayol Ghul Oh they will pout and glower If they're not the one who is allowed to rule, aha   Now the woman that's sadistic In ways that are artistic will make you scream till you die And the vamp in the dress will make your mind a mess She'll compel you with a wink of her eye   Oh yeah, they did assemble To make the world tremble And the group started scheming to stop al'Thor's breathing Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah   And a few were brought back Cause they were cut a little slack, in the fight to be called Nae'blis And the girl once a man Said I'll still do what I can, in hopes of being called Nae'blis Called Nae'blis     Oh, yeah, it was quite frightening Everybody was fighting And the power was flowing And plans all started showing Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah   The man with spots in his sight Was the one that won the fight and got the title of Nae'blis On the stones of Shayol Ghul He'll show the Dragon is a fool, now he's earned the right to be Nae'blis   Be Nae'blis Be Nae'blis Be Nae'blis Be Nae'blis   Ooh, he's, he's become Nae'blis he's, he's become Nae'blis he's, he's become Nae'blis Yeah, he's a called Nae'blis

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.