DRAGONMOUNT

Regular observers of our boards probably have been aware of all the fun happening with our Wheel of Time cage matches. Well, we learned from the best: Suvudu. "For the past few years, Suvudu has been the home of Cage Match, where we pit fantasy and science fiction characters against each other in a March Madness-style bracket."   March Madness? Wait a moment--is that not precisely the month we are in? Yes it is, so it is once again time for the epic Suvudu cage matches. For a list of which characters have been chosen to participate, you can have a look at the Character list. To see who will be competing against whom, you would be best served by looking at the Bracket.   Since it's far into March already, the competition has advanced to the 3rd Round, which will determine who makes it into the Round of 8. Current combatants are Saphira vs Zaphod Beeblebrox, who are standing in a very close lockdown in regards to votes, and Anomander Rake vs Bast, with Anomander taking the lead. The winning combatants of those two battles will in turn be fighting against each other in the next round. Moiraine Damodred vs Jardir is one to fuel our Wheel of Time pride, seeing as Moiraine is taking the lead and the other battle in that bracket is Kelsier vs Ray Lilly, with Kelsier taking the lead. On the other side, we have Revan vs Mr. Wednesday, with their votes being but 1 or 2% apart, and Granny Weatherwax vs Napoleon (on a dragon), with Granny taking the lead. In our last bracket we have Julia Wicker vs Kylar Stern, with Kylar taking the lead by far, and the last match is between Erevis Cale vs Rachel Morgan, with Erevis narrowly taking the lead by 1%.   The voting for the Round 3 cage matches closes ON THURSDAY, MARCH 22nd, 2012, AT 5 PM, EST. That's later today, so if you're not liking one of the current winners, you'd better rally your voters and see if you can change the outcome.   Now, we all know that the original knock-out stages are never as fun as the more important battles. As such, I think reading the next set of battles, with the voting due to start on the 26th of March, will be quite the fun activity. So, be there or miss out!

It's time for more wallpaper! Remember, during the weeks between Brandon Sanderson's "musings" on each Wheel of Time book, Tor.com will post eBook art wallpaper for each of the books.   This week, the featured eBook wallpaper is for The Shadow Rising. The artwork is by Sam Weber. 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 this week?

Check out this press release for some exciting news:  

Today's roundup will be a little shorter than usual because my Internet is being mean to me and running extremely slowly. I still made it here, though!   I'm still accepting applications for the Fan Art Friday blogger position. Remember, you have until Sunday, March 25th to apply.   There's still time to send in your Empy Award nominations. Nominating will end soon, so don't forget to stick around for the voting phase of the process.   The Wolfkin Social Group is discussing travels this month. Have you moved a lot or lived in any interesting places?   Our role players are re-opening the Haus of Three. Come see what all the fuss is about!   The JordanCon programming schedule is now posted! I'll be there, and I'm looking forward to what they have in store for us.

It's time for another Tor.com feature! This week, Brandon Sanderson shares his thoughts on The Shadow Rising. You can read the full article here.   Next up will be an eBook wallpaper for The Shadow Rising.

It's that time of the week again! I hope you are excited about the audiobook giveaway I started on Wednesday. That's what I was referring to earlier in the week when I said I had something up my sleeve.   Speaking of opportunities on the front page, I'm looking for a new Fan Art Friday blogger. Jenn sadly no longer has the time to devote to it. She did a great job with it, so please feel free to comment and let her know she'll be missed. You can visit this thread for application information if you're interested in the position.   Now that the Hollywood awards season is winding down, it's time for our annual Empy Awards! These are our membership awards, where we like to honor people from all parts of the site for various things. Head over to the link I posted above to participate.   The Aiel Social Group's March discussion is all about books! What are your favorite books and series? What recommendations would you make to people?   It's time for another Shockwave Competition at the Black Tower Social Group. Many of you know the drill by now, but if not, instructions are in the thread. You have until March 24th to nominate a game.   The Wolfkin Social Group invites you to play Animal Pictionary. Sounds intriguing, right? If you want to play, or even if you just want to see how they manage to run a Pictionary game online, check it out!   Imagine waking up in the morning not knowing where you are or how you got there. For some people, this situation is all too common, and for others, it is a downright scary thought. Either way, the role play The Morning After sounds like it's worth a read.   Well, now that my roundup is done for the day, I'm off to nominate people for the Empy Awards. I hope to see you all there!

So, seeing as doomsday is ticking closer day by day, I thought it would be fun to have a look at the other books written by Robert Jordan.   There are quite a few other works out there. Personally, I always thought that all he ever created was The Wheel of Time since it seemed more than enough of a legacy, but there is more. In addition to the main sequence of Wheel of Time books, there are a few additional ones. I would say the most well known is New Spring, in which we follow Moiraine's journey as Accepted during the time of the Aiel War and birth of the Dragon. I would have to say that it is definitely a book you should read. Moiraine and Lan meeting is priceless. One also gets more of a glimpse into the life of Lan and comes a little closer to understanding him. The other book that gets mentioned a lot is The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, also known as the Big White Book. This is essentially a reference book with all you need to know about the world that our characters inhabit. Also included in this book is a short story by Robert Jordan called "The Strike at Shayol Ghul". Both the Big White Book and New Spring are books that are a definite must have for your Wheel of Time collection.   Have you ever wanted to let your younger children read The Wheel of Time? Apparently, it is possible, at least for the first two books. Both The Eye of the World and The Great Hunt were repackaged into four books suitable for a younger market. There are also the three graphic novels that have been published so far, which are definitely worth a look.   The other series by Robert Jordan I was surprised to discover are Fallon (which was written under the pen name Reagan O'Neal), Conan the Barbarian, and a last novel called The Cheyenne Raiders (under the pseudonym Jackson O'Reilly). Fallon is a historical romance series set in the American Revolutionary War era that revolves around a central character Michael Fallon who becomes an indentured servant, begins his fight against poverty, and falls in love with a woman who will never be his. Conan the Barbarian returns Robert Jordan to the world of fantasy, where he essentially revives the classic legendary sword and sorcery of Conan. The last book, The Cheyenne Raiders, is kind of a western story. It's about a normal, urban man who gets involved with the mysteries of the Indian tribes and gets dragged into their world.   While I will definitely read the Wheel of Time based novels and those about Conan, I'm not really into romance or westerns, so I'll give them a pass. Nevertheless, one thing that this expedition has taught me is that Robert Jordan was definitely a man of very many talents.   Happy reading, folks!

It's time for more wallpaper! Remember, during the weeks between Brandon Sanderson's "musings" on each Wheel of Time book, Tor.com will post eBook art wallpaper for each of the books.   This week, the featured eBook wallpaper is for The Dragon Reborn. The artwork is by Donato Giancola. 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 this week?

Macmillan Audio has partnered with us to bring you an amazing opportunity once again. We are going to give away free copies of each audiobook in the Wheel of Time series between now and when the final book is published.   On the first Wednesday of each month (and on the first and third Wednesdays of the month once we get to the final few books), I will post an audio clip for one of the audiobooks. The book featured in the clip will be the one we're giving away at the time.   As each clip is posted online, we will randomly select three winners to receive either a free digital audiobook download or a free CD. This contest is open to anybody world-wide, but non-US residents can only receive the digital download.   Entering to win is simple. Every time I post an audio clip, I will post a topic for discussion. Just post a response to the discussion question in the comments section of each news article. The winners will be randomly selected from the comments section exactly one week after I post the article.   There can be only one entry per person each time I put up an article. You cannot win more than once for this audiobook promotion.   If you are selected as a winner, I will PM you to notify you and request your contact information. Make sure to check your PMs, because if I still cannot reach you after two weeks from the date of my first PM, your prize will be given to another randomly drawn winner.   This month, we will be giving away a copy of The Eye of the World. Here's a clip from the audiobook: http://www.upload-mp3.com/files/337183_gv2tm/TheEyeOfTheWorld_Ch2webclip.mp3   This month's question is: Who is your favorite character in The Wheel of Time? You have until Wednesday, March 14 to answer in the comments section. Good luck!

Welcome back, everyone! Let's see how the various sections of Dragonmount are kicking off the month of March.   If you visit our General Wheel of Time Discussion forum, you'll encounter a question that's sure to inspire interesting comments: Who thinks Rand is insane? Those of you who enjoy theories should take a look at this.   These days, everyone's talking about Skyrim, and our Movies and Games Discussion forum is no exception. Have you played the game? If so, how do you like it? Would you recommend it to a newer gamer?   For their March Challenge, the Artists, Crafters, and Writers Guild brought back a popular theme from last year. The challenge is to create a work a week. Are you up to the task?   Speaking of making things, it's Arts & Crafts Month at the Kin Social Group. Visit the thread above for a guide to the month's events.   The Red Ajah from our White Tower & Warders Social Group is celebrating International Women's Week. The activities they have been doing are a lovely homage to strong, intelligent, capable women everywhere. This event is very dear to the Reds, so make sure to stop by!   What's this? The First Weaver of the Yellow Ajah is suddenly leaving the Tower in the middle of the night. Is she up to no good? Find out in the new role play Stabbing the Dark.   That's all I have for now. Keep your eye on the front page, because I've got something else up my sleeve that I'll be revealing soon!