Brandon Sanderson to complete The Wheel of Time

[VionesspXmoone]

Tor announces that the final novel in bestselling Robert Jordan’s legendary Wheel of Time® fantasy series will be completed by author Brandon Sanderson.

New York, NY: Friday, December 7, 2007

Tor Books announced today that novelist Brandon Sanderson has been chosen to finish the final novel in Robert Jordan’s bestselling Wheel of Time fantasy series. Robert Jordan, one of the greatest storytellers of the 20th and early 21st centuries, died September 16th after a courageous battle with the rare blood disease amyloidosis.

The new novel, A MEMORY OF LIGHT, will be the twelfth and final book in the beloved fantasy series which has sold over 14 million copies in North America and over 30 million copies worldwide. The last four books in the series were all #1 New York Times bestsellers, and for over a decade fans have been eagerly awaiting the final novel that would bring the epic story to its conclusion.

Harriet Popham Rigney, Jordan’s beloved wife and editor, said of her decision to have Sanderson complete the last book in The Wheel of Time series: “I have chosen Brandon Sanderson to complete Robert Jordan’s great work, and I am absolutely delighted that he accepted. I will of course be editing this book as I have all of the other books of The Wheel of Time.”

President and Publisher of Tor Books, Tom Doherty, also expressed his happiness with Harriet’s decision, saying: “I am delighted that Harriet has chosen Brandon to complete Robert Jordan’s magnificent and timeless epic.”

It is the perfect match for Sanderson, who gratefully acknowledges the role Jordan played as an inspiration to him as a writer. In the tribute piece “Goodbye Mr. Jordan,” posted on his blog, Sanderson writes to Jordan: “Personally, I feel indebted to you. You showed me what it was to have vision and scope in a fantasy series–you showed me what could be done. I still believe that without your success, many younger authors like myself would never have had a chance at publishing their dreams. You go quietly, but leave us trembling.”

Like Jordan, Sanderson was an avid reader and writer from an early age. His debut novel, Elantris, was an unagented gem discovered after Sanderson, then a college student writing during his late night shift at a local hotel, approached Tor editor Moshe Feder at a fantasy convention. Several months later, after reading the manuscript and deciding he had to have it, Feder tried to find the author, who had since moved. Using the internet, he tracked down Sanderson through a campus directory—and the rest is history.

Sanderson has since gone on to establish a loyal fan base as the author of three critically acclaimed fantasy novels: Elantris, Mistborn, and The Well of Ascension, as well as a YA novel, Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians. Publishing trade magazines Publishers Weekly and Library Journal gave Elantris starred reviews and it was the winner of the Romantic Times Award for best epic fantasy. The Washington Post also praised Sanderson for his creation of “a fascinating world” in Mistborn.

Sanderson will have large shoes to fill in his role bringing A MEMORY OF LIGHT to publication but will work very closely with Jordan’s longtime editor, Harriet Rigney, to be sure that the writing stays true to Jordan’s voice. Jordan himself worked on the novel almost daily for the last few months of his life and according to Harriet: “Some scenes were completed by Robert Jordan, and some exist in draft form; he left copious notes and hours of audio recordings.”

Jordan had known the ending of the series for a long time and, according to a blog posting by his cousin, Wilson W. Grooms, Jr., on the popular Jordan fan site dragonmount.com]`Dragonmount` Jordan had a few months ago revealed secret details about the end of the series to close members of his family which he had never discussed before. Grooms wrote: “During a recent family sit around, he [Jordan] became the Gleeman and told the bones of it ALL to Harriet and me. You read that right, I did say ALL. Don’t ask, ain’t telling. Two and a half hours of story telling by the Creator himself went by in the twinkling of an eye.”

Sanderson knows that fans are very anxious to read the last novel in The Wheel of Time series and says, “I’m both extremely excited and daunted by this opportunity. There is only one man who could have done this book the way it deserved to be written, and we lost him in September. However, I promise to do my very best to remain true to Mr. Jordan’s vision and produce the book we have all been waiting to read.”

At a recent Toastmaster’s address at the World Fantasy Con this past November, author Guy Gavriel Kay saluted Jordan’s enduring legacy, stating that his “impact on the place of fantasy in the culture is colossal.”

Jordan has also often been referred to as Tolkien’s heir and in an article about The Wheel of Time series, The New York Times lauded Jordan for his extraordinary story-telling ability: “The books’ battle scenes have the breathless urgency of firsthand experience, and the ambiguities in these novels—the evil laced into the forces of good, the dangers latent in any promised salvation, the sense of the unavoidable onslaught of unpredictable events—bear the marks of American national experience during the last three decades, just as the experience of the First World War and its aftermath gave its imprint to Tolkien’s work.”

John Clute said of Jordan’s magnum opus, “when complete, the sequence will almost certainly constitute one of the major epic narratives of modern fantasy.”

Now Brandon Sanderson has signed on to complete A MEMORY OF LIGHT, with scheduled delivery of the manuscript in December 2008 and a planned publication date of Fall 2009. “The Wheel of Time turns and ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow. Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time…”

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I actually got to meet him tonight. (One of the many perks od working at a bookstore ) He said he was in the area and offered to sidn our stock we had of his. I got a personalized Mistborn out of it, so that's great. I have yet to even start the series, I bought a few last month, but have been working on other things. I was still excited, I love to meet authors, even the ones I have never read their books. All that I have met are great, interesting people. Anyway, i thought i would share this since I didn't see it posted yet. Meeting him reminded me I saw it announced.

[Talysia]

I posted something along those lines here, but I only posted a link. It's good to have it there for everyone to read.

A Memory of Light

You got to meet the new author? Sounds like an interesting challenge for him!

[VionesspXmoone]

Ah, sorry to re-post. I guess I didn't look hard enough. I was so tired. He was a really nice guy, he gave me one of his business cards too, which I'm keeping with the book. He seems really excited and very confident about working on this. I am sure with Jordan's widow and everything it will be great. He said he had just been to the Jordan residence speaking with her, I assume he was making unannounced promotional stops on the way home. I wish we would have had more of his books on the shelf for him to sign. I wanted the copy of Elantris, but we only had four of his books and he had already personalized one for me, I didn't want to be greedy.

[Talysia]

Not to worry about reposting - for those who like the books, it's good news.

I really must take a trip to my local library and see which of his titles they've got.

[power to the J]

At first I was really against this selection (I'd only read Elantris) but then I read Mistborn (the first in the series) after hearing about it and was really impressed. He has obviously improved since his publication, and I feel much more optimistic.

[GOLLUM]

Let's hope he does a good job. Sounds as if he's going to have plenty of people around who knew Jordan and his style well which is probably a good thing.

[power to the J]

Originally Posted by GOLLUM

Let's hope he does a good job. Sounds as if he's going to have plenty of people around who knew Jordan and his style well which is probably a good thing.

Yeah. While I really want to know the ending, I'd rather have it be something close to Robert Jordan's way of telling the story than just the notes, or Brandon Sanderson bringing in his own style. That would definately make it a less enjoyable experience, no doubt about it.

[Boaz]

I thought I read a post here in late Sep-early Oct that Mr. Jordan did not want the Wheel to be finished. After reading the OP, I'd say Jordan did want it finished and that post I remember (or mayhaps misremembered) was just false rumor. Now how much input did Jordan have in choosing a successor? Was the selection left to his editor and the executors of his will? Or was Sanderson specifically chosen by Jordan before he died? Or was the discussion for the writer of the twelfth book still open when Jordan passed away? I'm curious if anyone knows.

[purple_kathryn]

I'm glad to hear it. I'm only as afar as book 5 at the mo but it would be such a shame to see such a work unfinished

[Rahl Windsong]

The books I have read by Brandon Sanderson are some of my most recent favorites. So when I learned he had been chosen to complete The Wheel of Time series I was delighted by the news. I think he will do a very good job and A Memory of Light will be the conclusion WoT fans have been waiting for...