Robert Jordan. Where can I possibly start?
Robert Jordan was the pen name
of James Oliver Rigney, Jr., under which he was best known as the author of the
bestselling The Wheel of Time fantasy series. According to the author bio
inside his books, he taught himself to read at age three and was reading Mark Twain
at five (or something like that – my books are in storage!). That has always
impressed me.
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| Robert Jordan |
I was eleven when I first encountered the work of Robert
Jordan. That’s right, eleven. At that time (1992) there were four books available
in his Wheel of Time series, with the fifth, The Fires of Heaven
released around that time or shortly after. Now, in 2011, aged 30, I am still
awaiting the conclusion to The Wheel of Time. That makes me a fan of The
Wheel of Time for two-thirds of my life. If you’ve been a fan for a greater
proportion of your life, please leave a comment to let me know you’re out
there!
The Wheel of Time was one of the things I shared with
my Dad as I grew up. We read the same books and of course the epic proportions
of The Wheel of Time loaned itself to the wasting of many hours
discussing the multitudinous possible outcomes, guessing at the identities of
villains reborn, villains concealed, the identities of prophesied heroes, and
the love lives of the many characters. I still remember wandering down a dirt
track on horseback speculating about the revelations to be had in the next
book.
I know some people tired of the story, either because it was
too big, or too complex, or just dragged on for too long. But I never did. Was
it my age? A child’s endless fascination or the ability of my brain at that age
to grasp and keep up with the many plots, subplots, tangents and secrets?
I don’t know but I love the books and I don’t see that ever
changing. I have lost count of the number of times I have read them. As a
general rule, I reread them every time a new book comes out. There are thirteen
books and there were four when I started, which means I have read some of these
books as many as nine times. It’s probably more, because for a while there I
would reread them every year and it was about two years between books.
As a writer, I am in awe of Robert Jordan’s sweeping epic.
To write a story of that complexity on such a grand scale boggles the mind.
Although there have been many criticisms of his writing (particularly
over-detailed attention to irrelevant scenes), credit is due just for the sheer
scale, complexity and genius of the story alone. I could not conceive of
imagining a story of such reach and scope. My modest aspirations include only a
six book series, which is technically two connected trilogies. Fourteen books? This
is the point where I feel I should get down on my knees and worship.
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| The Wheel of Time turns... |
It is true that fourteen books could be fourteen books of
crap but it’s not. Robert Jordan gets credit just for keeping his stories
straight. And while his technical writing could maybe have done with a
brush-up, there are many other elements of genius. Like the moment of awe you
get when you realise a revelation in book ten, for example, was foreshadowed
four books earlier. There are plot twists and secrets, the foundations for
which were laid in the very roots of this story, that aren’t revealed for many
books.
And that’s maybe where my awe really lies. To write a
simple, straightforward story that spans fourteen books is one thing. To write
a story as complex as this, with so many secrets, plots, misdirections,
prophecies, players and vested interests, is something else again. The words
even escape me to describe the sheer complexity of this tale. If you’ve read
it, you don’t need me to tell you. Love it or hate it, I don’t think you can
deny the work that went into keeping the story straight.
Someone once said to me they didn’t believe Robert Jordan
knew where his story was headed, that he didn’t know where it would end.
They were wrong.
On March 23, 2006, Robert Jordan announced he had been
diagnosed with cardiac amyloidosis and that with treatment
his median life expectancy was four years. Though he said he intended to beat the statistics,
he died on September 16, 2007.
He spent the last weeks of his life dictating all the major
plot points and twists in the remaining volume (later decided to be split in
three) of The Wheel of Time. In other words, he dedicated his last time
on this earth to ensuring that someone would have everything they needed to
finish The Wheel of Time the
way it had always been intended. Clearly he knew exactly where his story
was going.
I also don’t believe a story this complicated could have
held together if he didn’t know how it would end and how to get there. I
believe, when we learn how it ends, we will discover it was foreshadowed in the
very first books. His blood on the rocks of Shayol Ghul... If you’re a reader,
you know what I mean. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about how that will
turn out. For the record, I don’t believe Rand will die (or at least,
not die and stay dead). What do you think?
Did Robert Jordan dedicate his last hours to preserving his
story because he couldn’t stand the idea of leaving such an epic work
unfinished? Dedication to his fans? I don’t presume to know. Maybe it was a bit
of both. But only death could part this writer from his passion.
I still remember the day of his death, when I learned he had
passed away. It was a shock to the system. I don’t presume to say I was as grief-stricken
as his family, or as grief-stricken as I would be about my own family. It would
presumptuous to say the least if I were to assert that. But I definitely felt
that someone I knew was gone and they weren’t coming back. I had shared, at
this point, The Wheel of Time journey
for fifteen years. It was akin, I suppose, to learning that your local baker,
or doctor, someone you had known since you were a child, had died. I even went
so far as to shed a tear.
It was a profound moment. And of course, though many mourned
his passing, I am sure the next question on the lips of many was what would
happen to The Wheel of Time?
Fortunately the decision
was made to have someone else finish it using the notes and details Robert
Jordan had left. The man chosen was Brandon Sanderson and a fine choice it was.
Though I can clearly see the difference in the writing styles, the characters
have been executed true to themselves. I don’t read the books thinking ‘But if
Robert Jordan had written it he would have done this.’
Two books have been
completed by Brandon Sanderson and he is working on the last book now. I can
hardly wait though I wonder what my life will be like without the next Wheel of
Time book to anticipate. I have been doing it for so long you see.
But to the memory
of Robert Jordan – a toast. A great mind and a great man have gone, a genius I
dare not aspire to match. But it is clear that while he was here he loved his
writing and his worlds with a fierce passion.
Most of all, I
thank him for being generous enough to take us along for the ride. He is one of
my greatest influences.
Would I be a
different person if The Wheel of Time never existed?
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| A dragon, Wheel of Time style, as depicted on the banner of Lews Therin Telamon |
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