Robert Jordan, the author of one of my favorite fantasy series, the Wheel of Time, passed away yesterday. He was diagnosed with a terminal illness last year, so I guess it’s not really a surprise, but I really thought he had longer than that. He started writing the Wheel of Time in the early 90’s, and I picked it up for the first time when I was a freshman in high school. I read through book 8, which had been published by then and since then have waited diligently for each new installment to appear. The twelfth and last book was slated for 2009. I don’t doubt that it will eventually appear, written by his wife (who was his editor) and a collaborator from Jordan’s notes…but it’s a shame he didn’t get to see it all the way through. It’s been kind of a huge project.
I like the Wheel of Time because it’s such a fun world to visit. These books are way up there on my list of things to read for pure enjoyment. Sure, the characters can be cardboard-y sometimes, and the clichés get old after a while, but the plot is exciting and intricate and just…fun. It’s a fairy tale kind of world, where there are lots of main characters with somewhat-superhuman powers to root for, and the difference between right and wrong is never blurred, or at least very rarely. It’s been a great and sometimes much-needed haven for my mind over the past few years, and if you haven’t read it and like fantasy novels, I would highly recommend it!
