Will Robert Jordan Die before he finished wheel of time series?

[Laughingman]

Is it just me or does it seem that R.jordan has waffled for about 3 books, and has decided that enough is enough, that he should stop introducing new prophecies and get the damn series finished before he croaks...
If he dies now...well im going to be in some serious need of some closure.


*dear moderator, due to my being too lazy to search the threads for one about r.jordan, it may very well be that someone has posted something about this thread... if so then sorry..*

 

[claybugg]

He's recovering.

 

[BooknaMug]

I hope so! I am really looking forward to the closing chapter of this series.

 

[direstraits]

Well, let's hope not. I care less about him finishing the series than to see him recover after such a brave fight.

ds

 

[Laughingman]

just to clarify... he's not recovering from an illness or anything like that, just that it'd be gay if he died without finishing the series

 

[claybugg]

just to clarify... he's not recovering from an illness or anything like that, just that it'd be gay if he died without finishing the series

Actually he is.


From Wiki:

Illness

On March 23, 2006, Jordan disclosed in a statement[2] in a firm and optimistic tone that he has been diagnosed with primary amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy, and that, with treatment, his median life expectancy is four years, though he says he intends to beat the statistics. He later posted on his Dragonmount blog to encourage his fans not to worry about him and that he intends to have a long and fully creative life, working for another 30 years.

He began chemotherapy treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota in early April 2006.[3] Mr. Jordan is currently enrolled in a study using a drug just approved for multiple myeloma but not yet tested on primary amyloidosis. On September 15, 2006, he added a post to his blog noting good news concerning his condition (though he has not yet gone into remission).

On November 8, Jordan confirmed the report of his progress in a post on the Dragonmount blog, stating that he had experienced a 25% reduction in Lambda light chain levels. The wider results of his test group, studying treatment under the drug Revlimid, is inconclusive showing (according to Jordan) numbers that are "all over the place". The reduction is in spite of the fact that Jordan was taken off the Revlimid due to some kidney troubles believed linked to the treatment. However, with this situation stabilized he is back on the drug and is enjoying the freedom of home-care; sending self-collected blood samples in monthly, receiving medications by mail, and returning to the Mayo Clinic in three month intervals.

On December 22, Jordan announced that his Lambda light chain levels had gone down to a rating of 3.14 (with 1 to 3 being considered normal / healthy).[4] This level refers to the amount of amyloid like material found on examination, and gives prognostic information to physicians.

On January 22, Jordan's blog announced that the Lambda light chain levels had dropped to a rating of 2.70.[5] This reduction was sustained throughout another break in Jordan's use of Revlimid, which he briefly came off again due to side effects attributed to the drug. It should be noted that for the first time since his diagnosis in March 2006 Mr. Jordan's Lambda light chains are within the normal limits.

 

[Laughingman]

omg... i had no idea

 

[direstraits]

Go to his website at dragonmount.com to see his latest news.

ds

 

[Mathius]

There's a lot of stuff in the WoT FAQ that originally said that in his will, it was written that if he died before the series ended, that his hard drive was to be formatted 3X, and that no one was to finish the series in his place.

But recently I read an article that said that his two best friends take ownership of his work on his death, and its left up to them to decide if they should have another author finish it.

Obviously I don't want to see the guy die, but as a reader I have to admit, I sometimes have the stray selfish thought that he can't die before the series is over!

But I seriously don't know his reasoning for it, whether he's just out to prove a point or if he's worried he'll die before the series is over, but I believe he's rushing the story in his attempt to finish in 12 books.

That's the single most disappointing thing in the whole series is the fact that he's going to end it when there is so much more left untold.

Mathius

 

[Bovine_Belle]

I believe that if he stopped describing every minutia and got on with the story, and left off with all the sideways glances, skirt straightening and braid pulling, there would be plenty of space in one of his 1000+ page books to finish everything off quite satisfactorily.

 

[Stewart]

I believe he's rushing the story in his attempt to finish in 12 books.

That's the single most disappointing thing in the whole series is the fact that he's going to end it when there is so much more left untold.

So much left untold? What else could be left untold in twelve frickin' books? I sometimes wonder why it should even take more than one book to tell a story. Then I remember that it's fantasy novels and the majority of authors dabbling in this area seem to think a story takes multiple novels to complete.

 

[Mathius]

So much left untold? What else could be left untold in twelve frickin' books? I sometimes wonder why it should even take more than one book to tell a story.

Have you even read the books? We still don't even know who Asmodean's killer really was, and that happened way back in like book 5.

There's loads of side plots, prophecies, etc. etc. that haven't been explained, or finished.

There's a whole list of unexplained theories and subjects in the WoT FAQ.

Then I remember that it's fantasy novels and the majority of authors dabbling in this area seem to think a story takes multiple novels to complete.

Dabbling? The guy has 12 books, probably all of them on the best seller list.

Mathius

 

[France]

I wish no harm to the man but frankly I gave up caring whether he ever finished the series around book 5, though I did make it half way through the next before i decided that life really is too short to wade through all this detail.

 

[Stewart]

Have you even read the books?

Of course not: it's fantasy.

There's loads of side plots, prophecies, etc. etc. that haven't been explained, or finished.

That's just it. Are they all necessary? Or is it just one overlong project extended on purpose?

Dabbling? The guy has 12 books, probably all of them on the best seller list.

For fantasy fans that love details, you seem to have missed the fact that I never made mention of Jordan when I was referring to 'the majority of authors'. Not all.

 

[Mathius]

Of course not: it's fantasy.

Then why are you wasting space here making negative comments about a series you've never read?

I've participated in two threads with you, and I'm totally astonished with your arrogance and pomp.

What does that statement even mean? "Of course not: it's fantasy."

Are you above reading a book that doesn't have some kind of educational value?

You've never heard of reading just for enjoyment?

Why are you even in the Science Fiction/Fantasy forum then? Big Sci-Fi buff are you?

That's just it. Are they all necessary? Or is it just one overlong project extended on purpose?

I wouldn't dream of answering that question. I'm sure I'm not worthy of giving you a response.

Besides, you're so good you can answer these questions without even reading the books.

For fantasy fans that love details, you seem to have missed the fact that I never made mention of Jordan when I was referring to 'the majority of authors'. Not all.

You seem to miss the fact that you're participating in a fantasy related thread, dedicated to the man, and you made a disparaging comment about his whole genre. TWICE.

Mathius

 

[Stewart]

Then why are you wasting space here making negative comments about a series you've never read?

I'm not making negative comments about a series I've never read. I'm asking questions as to whether twelve (or however many) books is really necessary to tell a story.

What does that statement even mean? "Of course not: it's fantasy."

It means of course I won't read the books because they are fantasy and I prefer something more plausible. (I've mentioned in earlier postings that I find fantasy a cop out - but that's for a different discussion.)

Are you above reading a book that doesn't have some kind of educational value?

No, most of the books I read don't have educational value. Namely the fiction ones.

You've never heard of reading just for enjoyment?

Of course I have. What else would I read fiction for?

Why are you even in the Science Fiction/Fantasy forum then? Big Sci-Fi buff are you?

I wasn't aware that I needed a pass.

 

[mehastings]

So much left untold? What else could be left untold in twelve frickin' books?

I almost posted something along these lines when this thread first started, but I got interrupted and forgot to come back. I totally agree with Stewart. I have a few series that I read because I feel I owe it to myself to see how the story ends. Everytime a book comes out, I wish and wish that it will be the last one, but it never is. I've heard many people comment that they just wish WOT would end so that they can stop reading with a sense of closure, but that Jordan just keeps adding plot lines and dragging it out more and more. Don't worry though. When he finishes the series there could be dozens of additional sideplots and new characters added on in spinoff novels. Look at Anne McAffrey and the Dragonriders of Pern. I loved those books as a teen, and I read them all over the course of a summer. Then, she ran out of the original story, but kept adding on additional novels about people in different time frames, dolphins, etc. I just stopped reading them midway through and I'll never read another. It just go SO boring.

I don't see Stewart as criticizing books he hasn't read, rather commenting on the practice of writing never ending series. I also don't think his comment that he hasn't read something because it is fantasy is "disparaging". If I had made a comment along the lines of "I don't like fantasy, so I haven't read it", nobody would have gotten upset with me. Stewart is a tad more blunt than the rest of us tend to be. It is just his thing. He does, however, have the responsibility of browsing the threads in this forum. All moderators should be reading threads, even those they aren't interested in. It helps us to keep SPAM and other abuse under control.

Either way, sell us on the series! Maybe I'll go out and read one if it sounds good. I know my grandfather loved those books, but he died a few years ago. He tried to get my dad and I to start it (back in High School when I was into fantasy), but neither of us ever did.

 

[Stewart]

Look at Anne McAffrey and the Dragonriders of Pern. I loved those books as a teen, and I read them all over the course of a summer. Then, she ran out of the original story, but kept adding on additional novels about people in different time frames, dolphins, etc. I just stopped reading them midway through and I'll never read another. It just go SO boring.

You can add Anne Rice there as another case in point. Five novels about vampires, completing the story of one vampire's life. But two of those were unnecessary (The Queen Of The Damned and The Tale Of The Body Thief) and then she went on with New vampire chronicles, effectively doing the same thing over and over again but with different lives.

Either way, sell us on the series! Maybe I'll go out and read one if it sounds good.

I see the Wheel Of Time novels when I'm out browsing the stores. There's also the books of forum favourite, Terry Goodkind. And there's George R.R. Martin's bricks. Aside from the law that all fantasy series must now be forty books long, is there also a requirement for them to be around one thousand pages each? Although I wasn't a fan of it, I'll say one thing for Perdido Street Station and China Mieville: at least he managed to tell the story in one book (and have no bloody elves in it!) before moving on to write a new novel set in the same world but completely unrelated. I've got the Martin novel A Game Of Thrones at home - I'm tempted to read it one day to find out for myself whether it's just a massive tangling of worthless subplots.

 

[abecedarian]

As a longtime fantasy fan, I've followed some series for a very long time. But I've just about given up on Robert Jordan's series. What Stewart is not mentioning, perhaps due to lack of experience with this series, is the fact that these are very LONG books..each and every one of them. Unless one wants to devote all of one's reading time for a very long time, just to read them all in order, with no other books in between..there's no good way to keep all those characters and factoids clear in the average reader's brain long enough to have a clue what book number 13 has to do with book number 5..and Jordan tries to cut the reader some slack..he includes the handy dandy glossary at the back for people like me who get all those similar looking names confused. Since I don't want to read that way, I've lost track of who is who and more importantly, I've lost interest.

 

[TheMarine]

As a longtime fantasy fan, I've followed some series for a very long time. But I've just about given up on Robert Jordan's series. What Stewart is not mentioning, perhaps due to lack of experience with this series, is the fact that these are very LONG books..each and every one of them. Unless one wants to devote all of one's reading time for a very long time, just to read them all in order, with no other books in between..there's no good way to keep all those characters and factoids clear in the average reader's brain long enough to have a clue what book number 13 has to do with book number 5..and Jordan tries to cut the reader some slack..he includes the handy dandy glossary at the back for people like me who get all those similar looking names confused. Since I don't want to read that way, I've lost track of who is who and more importantly, I've lost interest.

I recently started the first book in this series. Even within a single book, I find my self going back to that glossary for a reminder. Also, I think he doesn't fully explain some of the names, etc in the story, relying on the glossary. IMO, that's kind of a cop-out. Overall, though, it's interesting enough for me to keep reading.