DRAGONMOUNT

Over the last several months, there have been many exciting announcements about A Memory of Light, the highly anticipated final volume in The Wheel of Time series. In case you've missed our previous coverage, here's what we know so far.   Brandon Sanderson finished the first draft of the book on December 21st, 2011. It was immediately turned over to Team Jordan for review. Brandon anticipates needing at least a dozen drafts before the book is ready for publication.   Tor announced that the hardcover and audiobook releases will be on January 8th, 2013. The eBook release will be April 9th. If Tor follows their usual pattern, the paperback mass market release will be approximately one year after the hardcover release.   We anticipate that Brandon and Harriet McDougal will both go on a signing tour for the hardcover release, however no cities have been announced yet.   Also in December, series artist Darrell K. Sweet passed away, leaving the cover art for A Memory of Light unfinished. You can view his draft on our A Memory of Light info page.   Michael Whelan was announced as Mr. Sweet's replacement. More info about Mr. Whelan's cover can be found here. Tor.com has posted the full cover, as well as notes from Whelan on the process and some of his rough sketches.   Orbit Books, the UK publisher who publishes the WoT books, has also released their cover.   At this year's JordanCon, Harriet read to us a portion of the prologue of A Memory of Light. While no recordings were allowed, Tor and the Jordan estate have graciously allowed us to reprint the text of the preview. If Tor follows their usual pattern, there will be an eBook version of the complete prologue available for purchase sometime between now and the release date. Orbit has also released the jacket text for the book. We believe the same text will appear on the US editions as well. We have reprinted the text here for your convenience:       A Memory of Light information and discussion A Memory of Light discussion forum. (Beware, some threads have prologue spoilers!) A Memory of Light info page Listen to or read Chapter One of A Memory of Light Our friends at TarValon.net are re-reading the series and giving away free audio books in preparation for the release. Follow us on Twitter: @dragonmount or "Like" us on Facebook.Please consider pre-ordering the book through one of our international Amazon affiliates, and help support our website.

I hope everyone is doing well this week.  I just celebrated my birthday, so I'm feeling great!  Let's see how the various sections of our site are kicking off the month of June. I just posted a call for applications for two new bloggers, so if you haven't seen it yet, take a look.  I'm looking forward to seeing lots of you applying! As a person who enjoys mythology, I just have to pimp out this thread in the Structured Wheel of Time Discussion forum.  Robert Jordan wove threads of numerous mythological traditions into his books.  Come discuss those mythological inspirations here.  Remember, this particular forum has rules that you need to read before posting. The June Challenge in the Artists, Crafters, and Writers Guild is Exploration.  Whether you're exploring a new geographical location, an area of space, a new career, or yourself, they'd like you to share it using your favorite artistic medium. Speaking of exploring, the Aiel Social Group would like to explore the topic of religion for their June discussion.  If you want to join in, be sure to read the rules listed in the first post of this thread, and don't forget to be respectful of others. June is the Kin Social Group's birthday month!  They have parties and exchanges going on already, and the month has barely begun.  Check out this handy guide to the month's events and come party with them! If you want more menagerie madness, check out the role play Trouble in Paradise.  This role play has just started, so I'm eager to see how it unfolds. Alright, it's time for me to eat more birthday cake and time for you to fill up my inbox with blogger applications.  I look forward to hearing from many of you!

I am calling for applications for two people to join my staff as bloggers. Applications for these positions will be open until Friday, June 15th.   Description of the Job Positions:   1. The first open position is for a new Theory Blogger to take over for Despothera, who sadly no longer has time for this position. This person will be responsible for a short weekly column about WoT theories. You can read Despothera's old articles here if you need to see examples. You do not need to make the blogs as long or detailed as he did, but you can if you wish.   2. The second open position is for a WoT Humor Blogger. This blog is brand new and will be a regular feature on Wednesdays. This person will be responsible for a short weekly column featuring a combination of existing WoT humor from around the Internet (e.g. Mat's Inbox, the WoT lightbulb jokes, the WoT Lolcats) and creating their own WoT humor content.   Job Duties for Both Front Page Blogger Positions:   1. Bloggers are expected to produce content in their respective areas for the front page once per week. They must be able to meet deadlines in a timely manner.   2. Bloggers occasionally will be called upon to assist the Front Page Admin with brainstorming new ideas for features.   3. Bloggers are expected to dedicate time each week to the Front Page Bloggers Staff Board and the DM Staff Board. As members of DM Staff, they act as representatives of the members of DM and their input is vital in the decision making process. Bloggers should be actively engaged in discussions on staff boards.   4. Bloggers must be able to give at least a 6 month commitment of approximately 5 hours per week. LOAs will come up, of course.   Anyone who thinks they can fulfill the requirements may apply. Strong candidates are people who possess the following qualities: efficiency, writing ability, organizational skills, creativity, maturity, and the ability to work well with others.   The Application Process:   If you are interested, please send an email to frontpage@dragonmount.com.   In each application, please include:   * Your DM Handle. * Some details about who you are in real life, including anything you think will have prepared you for leadership (including past online leadership experience). * A sample of your writing consisting of at least three short paragraphs. This can be in the form of a brief essay, a blog, a school paper, a newspaper article, a forum post, a short story, or a role play. You do not have to write something new for this application; in fact, many of you already have forum posts that are long enough to count. I mainly want to get an idea of your writing style. * Anything else that you think would set you apart from other applicants.   Note: Please specify the position for which you are applying (Theory Blogger or Humor Blogger) in your application.   If you have any questions, please feel free to ask and I will try to answer them.   --Dwyn

TarValon.Net just announced that they have begun taking applications for the 2012 Robert Jordan Memorial Scholarship!  This annual scholarship awards $500 to an undergraduate student at an accredited college or university.  This opportunity is open to all Wheel of Time fans, so you do not have to be a member of TarValon.Net or attend school in the USA to enter.   More information can be found in their site announcement and on the application form.  Applications are due July 6, 2012 and a recipient will be chosen by August 3, 2012.  Good luck!

Warning: This post contains significant spoilers up through and including Towers of Midnight.     We all remember the moment we discovered Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time. I started reading the series in seventh grade, after I stumbled across a copy of From the Two Rivers: Part One of The Eye of the World in the young adult section of Barnes & Noble. I picked it up on a whim because I liked the cover art, which just goes to show that some things never change.   Still, just about everything else has changed since then. I'm married and in grad school. That old book is still on my shelf, but the pages have turned yellow and it smells like my version of heaven. And whether you started reading the series a year ago or in 1990, I'm willing to bet you've changed since then too.   The greatest thing is that the characters have changed right along with us. By the end of the thirteenth book, the three ta'veren are virtually unrecognizable as the country boys Moiraine convinced to run away from home. In hindsight, Egwene's characterization of the three in the prologue of From the Two Rivers ("Ravens") is brimming with sad irony:   "I'd like to be a king," Rand was saying. "That's what I'd like to be." He flourished his arm and made an awkward bow, laughing to show that he was joking. A good thing, too. Egwene grimaced. A king! … "A king of sheep!" Mat hooted. He was smaller than the others, always bouncing on his toes. One glance at his face, and you knew he was looking for mischief. He always looked for mischief. And usually found it. "Rand al'Thor, King of the Sheep." … "It's better than saying you want to run off and never have to work," Rand said mildly. He never seemed to get angry. Not that she'd seen, anyway. "How could you live without working, Mat?" … "I'll rescue an Aes Sedai, and she'll reward me," Mat shot back. "Anyway, I don't go around looking for work when there's more than work enough without looking." He grinned and poked Perrin's shoulder.   Perrin rubbed his nose, abashed. "Sometimes you have to be sensible, Mat," he said slowly. "Sometimes you have to think ahead." Perrin always talked slowly, when he talked at all. And he moved carefully, as if he was afraid he might break something.   Let's see how far the boys have come. The art on the left is from my copy of From the Two Rivers (illustrations by Sally Wern Comport and Wizards of the Coast, Inc.). On the right (scroll! -->) are recent fan interpretations of the characters.     Rand al'Thor: From shepherd to Dragon Reborn (and, as an afterthought, King of Illian). Not quite as mild-mannered as he used to be. Art on the right by Astriex.         Mat Cauthon: From the son of a horse trader to the Prince of the Ravens, commander of the Shen an Calhar, and sounder of the Horn of Valere. At this point, he may have saved one too many Aes Sedai for his own good. Art on the right by Swedish artist G-a-t-i-n-h-a.         Perrin Aybara: From blacksmith's apprentice to Wolfbrother and Steward of the Two Rivers. Art on the right by Bulgarian artist Lims-Kraghma.  

I hope Memorial Day has been going smoothly for everyone so far.  Things are a little quieter around here than usual because of the holiday, but we still have plenty for you to do.   First up, our General Wheel of Time Discussion forum residents have posed an interesting question.  If you could be any character from the Wheel of Time or any character from another book series, who would you be?   Do you know if your favorite television shows are returning in the fall?  If not, take a look at the list of 2012 tv show renewals and cancellations in our TV Show & Sports Discussion forum.   If you're familiar with the Eurovision Song Contest (or if you just like listening to Europeans belting out the occasional silly, strange, or sugary song), come discuss the contest in the Band of the Red Hand Social Group.  If you don't know what Eurovision is, it's sort of like American Idol, but with Europeans instead of Americans and the songs themselves being voted on instead of the singers.  Some well-known artists and groups, including Celine Dion and ABBA, were launched into the international spotlight after their songs won Eurovision.    The Ogier Social Group has started a series of monthly history topics.  May's topic is ancient coins.  It's amazing what you can learn about a civilization from one small coin.   It's been awhile since I've seen a role play set in the Threefold Land, so I was excited to stumble upon one today.    Rhuidean trips are quite intriguing, and this one is no exception.  Check out Would Have Never...   JordanCon has recently announced next year's Guests of Honor.  The author Guest of Honor will be Seanan McGuire.  The artist Guest of Honor will be Michael Whelan.  Go here for more information on these eminent guests.  

Our friends at Ta'veren Tees have unveiled a creative new campaign and a new Mat shirt!  Check out this awesome press release:

Two weeks back, I featured a handful of less-than-dignified yet irresistibly adorable artistic reimaginings of the slimy, sightless fiends known as Myrddraal. Sadly, it appears my desire to first invent and then snuggle with the entire collectible set of the Dark One's Army stuffed animals is something of an idiosyncrasy. In honor of your requests for fairer treatment of these petrifying creatures, I've decided to give the Halfmen a second chance.   Ladies and Gentlemen, the Lurks are back by popular demand!       1. Myrddraal by Josh Hass:   To the best of my knowledge, this is the only Wheel of Time art Josh Hass has ever created. Maybe if we show him lots of love in the comments we can convince him to make more. I love how he puts us in the position of the fallen soldier.       2. Fade by Jeremy Saliba:   Jeremy Saliba is one of a handful of licensed Wheel of Time artists. He's contributed cover art to the comic book adaptations of The Eye of the World and also sells prints separately. In fact, if you want this bloodstained monster hanging from your bedroom walls, you can purchase a print here.       3. Myrddraal by solitarium:   I've featured solitarium before and I'd bet a Tar Valon mark against Mat that I'll do it again. I love this stylistic representation, though I do think a darker crimson background would have a creepier effect. Then again, maybe I just need to adjust the color balance on my Mac.       4. The Host by Ashley Luttrell (PollyUranus):   For some reason, photomanipulations rarely impress me. When they do, PollyUranus often turns out to be the artist. My fascination with this one crept up slowly. Something about the sickly-colored landscape and the Fade's confident march really freaks me out. I wasn't initially sure how I felt about the pumpkins, but after you stare at it a while, they just seem to belong there.

Inspired by last week's Fan Art Friday article, I've decided to reintroduce a feature. Before, I showed you where you could buy Wheel of Time clothing articles, but now, I shall bring you their fashions and you can let that lead you wherever you wish. Today, I'll be having a look at the fashion of the Borderland nations.   If you want to have a field trip as an Arafellin, don't forget your bells! In the books, we're told that bells play a key part in Arafellin fashion sense. They are worn in the hair, on the clothing, or on boot tops. In regards to their actual clothing, not much is said, but since we could compare the Third Age to the time before the Industrial Revolution, I guess one could see their clothing following that general pattern. All we know is that they wear boots with their tops turned down that reach to the thigh, and that the men wear their hair in two braids, with one braid over each ear.   Have you ever needed an excuse to wear one of those sheer veils behind which you can seductively bat your eyelashes? Well, then let your inner Kandori out! The style of dress for women is brightly colored dresses that are clinched under the breasts. There is embroidery along the belt under the breasts, the cuffs, and the hem. In contrast to the color of the noblewomen in Kandor, the noblemen wear very dull colors with chains and earrings as their accessories. Their one definite feature are their forked beards, so if you want to pull off their look, you need one of those.   Kandori woman   Now, we've heard all sorts of things about the Saldaean farm girls, so perhaps your next sexy costume will be one of those? Let's have a look at what you would need. We are not actually told anything about what they wear, as far as I know, but we are aware of the dress of the nobles. Noblewomen in Saldaea wear high-necked dresses with narrow skirts and wide sleeves. Perhaps we can assume that in an effort to rebel against those quite uptight noble fashions, the farm girls wore more revealing clothing. There is little worse than working and getting hot because of your clothing. If you're wanting your man to wear a matching outfit, all you need do is put him into a short coat and baggy trousers, and have him clean shaven or let him grow one of those dreadful handlebar mustaches.   Saldaean woman   Our last nation I'm going to be looking at is Shienar. There's quite a bit more to these people than their warriors' topknots! The men wear tight breeches and shirts that are wide, but with narrow cuffs and high-collared coats. An image that immediately pops into my mind is that guy from Pride and Prejudice, whatever his name was. The women also have a belted dress, like the Kandori, but their dress is belted at the waist with the chest area often having embroidery of flowers on it. A favored design is to have slashes of colors in the skirts.   Shienaran woman   I think if you were to look at the descriptions and compare them to the fashions found in various historical periods, you might just be able to find the sources of inspiration.

This is the 111th episode of The 4th Age Podcast, in which we continue our read-through of Towers of Midnight with Chapters 8-12. Your hosts for this episode are Andrew, Virginia, and Spencer. Chapter 8 – The Seven-Striped Lass Chapter 9 – Blood in the Air Chapter 10 – After the Taint Chapter 11 – An Unexpected Letter Chapter 12 – An Empty Ink Bottle Warning: SPOILER ALERT! (This episode, like most of our talks, is chock full of spoilers if you haven’t read Towers of Midnight yet!) Be sure to check out Dragonmount.com for forums, comments, and all the latest news in the Wheel of Time world. ATTENTION! THERE ARE NOTHING BUT TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT SPOILERS in this podcast! Also, spoilers on ALL the other books are VERY likely! If you haven’t read all the way through the Wheel of Time, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS of all the previous books! There may be spoilers of other book series, TV series, and movies as well, too, or anything ELSE we can think of in the known and unknown universe. We will try to give warning. We can make no guarantees, however. Hosts: Andrew, Virginia, and Spencer. Editor for this episode: Richard F. Download this Episode now Notes and Addendum: Contact us about the podcast anytime at podcast@dragonmount.com. If you don’t hear from one of us in a day or two, please try again. Normally one or more of us will respond immediately, but if the RW is being difficult, sometimes we do miss things. A HUGE thanks to all our editors, past and present, from all of us here at Dragonmount! We couldn’t make this happen without your help and technical expertise. We are usually in need of editing help, so please, contact Andrew or Virginia at podcast@dragonmount.com if you are interested in volunteering. We aren’t formally holding auditions for podcast co-hosts at this time, but if you are really up on the Wheel of Time and related trivia (or if you just plain know more than we do, LOL), and you love to geek out discussing it, send us an email and a sample mp3 and we’ll give it a listen. In anticipation of future needs, we would like to be prepared, so meet us on the virtual Field of Merrilor and we’ll see what transpires! Music by: Josh Needleman. His website is at www.joshneedleman.net and he has the music available to hear on his MySpace page at www.myspace.com/joshneedleman. Its title is Floodgate. Thanks, Josh! Download this Episode now