A Memory of Light To Be Released January 8, 2013 228
First time accepted submitter Hotawa Hawk-eye writes "Tor Books has announced that the release date for the final volume in the Wheel of Time series of books, A Memory Of Light, will be January 8, 2013. [Barring a Mayan apocalypse, of course.] The fantasy series, started by Robert Jordan and continued by Brandon Sanderson after Jordan's death, will span 15 books and over 10,000 pages."
Re:Finally (Score:4, Informative)
In all fairness, there's been a helluva lot less of that since Brandon Sanderson took over. In fact, I think the series has much improved overall since he took all those loose threads and have been tying them down, it may have taken him 3 books and almost a million words - 25% of the total length of the series - but he's done it. I was more than suspecting that Robert Jordan would never get around to doing it or would do so poorly, since the only thing he seems to know is to start new subplots and side arcs while milking the fans and if he hadn't fallen ill and died I suspect it would have continued. Sucks for him of course, but I suspect the series didn't get any worse for wear - in fact possibly quite a lot better.
Re:Doorstops (Score:5, Informative)
I hate to say this, but George R R Martin is a fat, old, unhealthy man with 8-12 years of writing still to finish his particular series.
Re:Praying for (Score:5, Informative)
the Mayan apocalypse..
Hey, come on. The last book was pretty good. Sanderson kicked up the pace, didn't devote three entire pages to a description of the trim on a dress (and then two more pages on the fabric).
I'm actually happily anticipating the book. Of course, it's good that this particular adventure will end. Enough IS enough.
Re:Looking forward to it (Score:4, Informative)
After Sanderson took over the books have tremendously improved, almost back to the initial volumes.
I both agree and disagree. Sanderson certainly brought back the pacing from the early books, which is nice (since that means the series will finish). And he has a great respect for the series and is a good writer in his own right, so I really don't think there is anyone better they could have picked to finish it up.
On the other hand, Sanderson is not as good technically, lacks most of the subtlety, and tends to use lots of neologisms that just don't fit. It will be nice to finally get it finished (hell, I've been reading the series since circa 1993 or 1994), but it is a pity that Jordan didn't manage to finish off the series in his lifetime.
Oh, if anyone wants the Cliff-notes version rather than going back to read all 10,000 pages before the final book comes out, here [tor.com] is a fairly voluminous re-read that might actually have a chance to be completed before Memory comes out now that it has been pushed back.
Re:Summary please (Score:5, Informative)
I rather liked the magic system. Magic power comes in 3 varieties: The One Power divided into male and female parts, and "True" Power from the evil side which is so dangerous it's not used much and doesn't play much of a role. Each magic user has some mysterious upper limit on the amount of power they can wield, and it varies greatly by individual. Most people are of course unable to use any magic at all.
There's not much to say of the general plot. Very stock fantasy in many ways, which becomes very tiresome thanks to the length. At the start of the series, the past is a lost golden age of much greater power and knowledge than the present, the male part of the One Power is tainted since the end of that Age of Wonders, male mages are rare and not trusted, and are cut off from the power if the women catch them. 3 boys (really, just 1 boy, the Dragon Reborn who can wield more of the One Power than anyone else), and 2 girls from a completely ordinary village rise to become the great heroes who will save the world, spending the rest of the series running all over the world fighting evil and treachery sometimes by bluffing but usually by applying superior force, and collecting power, followers, knowledge, advice, scars, and honors, and trying to get the dozens of kingdoms to pull together and cooperate to fight evil with the favored method for accomplishing that last being to have the monarchs swear obedience or in the case of queens, love to the Dragon Reborn.
Re:eBook release (Score:4, Informative)
OCR what? Its the 21st century, authors don't write books using typewriters anymore.
They haven't for many decades.