Wheel of Time

[Ryk Rakham]

I'm sure The Wheel of Time has been discussed before, but I just started the first of the final three books (The Gathering Storm) and have loved travelling through Robert Jordan's WOT world. I'm excited and saddened that the series is coming to an end, but at last we will see the final battle fought. I admit the middle books in the series bogged down a little, but all in all it has been a great series which has filled my last 2 years as far as my reading has gone. Brandon Sanderson and Jordan's wife and his cousin have all worked using notes and unfinished manuscripts to complete the final three books (a series in itself) and they say it is Jordan's story and that the final battle was written fully by Jordan, as was the fate of all the characters.

Okay, the reason for my post. I would love to hear from other WOT readers and fans. And did you know that the first book has almost completely been converted to screenplay? Universal Studios and Red Eagle Pictures are working to hopefully get the first in a series of up to 6 movies (Eye of the World, then the next 4 books, the next 3 books, the next 2, then the last 3 split into 2 movies) going. The tentative date for Eye of the World is the holiday season 2011. Here's hoping they do the story justice when putting it on film. May the Light be with you....Ryk

[*Teach*]

I bought the latest book as soon as it came out and LOVED it. Brandon Sanderson did a fantastic job of picking up the pieces and continuing the story from Jordan's notes.
This series was one of my first "serious" and favorite fantasy series to read and lose myself in. I started reading them when the first book came out (around 1990 I believe) and have bought them as soon as they have been available. I was worried when Jordan had his first illness and the waits between books became longer. With his passing I thought I would never know the end. Sanderson has done an excellent job of keeping the same feel for the series.
As far as movies go. I heard of them being possibly in the works but didn't realize they had gotten as far as having a screenplay almost ready to go. I will be very hopeful that they are succesful with them but I am always scared when a favorite series or book becomes a movie or TV series.
For examples:
Battlefield Earth was a fantastic book but they made a horrid movie from it that barely stuck to anything from the novel.
The Sword of Truth is probably my favorite series but the tv series they made from it has pretty much only the names in common.
On the other hand, the LotR movies were absolutely perfect (well, I missed not getting to see Tom, but I can understand cutting the length down)

*Rum toasts and good wishes for the movies to equal the books*

[Ryk Rakham]

Amen, they did great on LOTR and hope they do justice to the Hobbit. I will add Eragon as another that was unfaithful to the book and a big disappointment.

Just yesterday, Universal did announce that there WILL be an "Eye of the World" movie and they are working on how the handle the rest. Here's hoping.

[Rani Zemirah]

Wonder who will direct it...? 

I was so worried that the last books wouldn't even resemble Jordan's work, but Teach has assured me that it really is Jordan, just not his actual hand, that's guiding the new books, so I'll reserve judgment until I've at least gotten the first chapter read... 

I know every person in the series, and they're all either personal friends... or bitter enemies, and I don't want to say goodbye to them until it's time.  It's been a loooong ride, but one I don't want to get off of until it comes to a complete stop... and they pry me out of my seat with a crow bar!!! 

[Ryk Rakham]

Same here. I have strode alongside Rand, Mat, Nynaeve, Egwene and Perrin ever since they left The Two Rivers, felt the anguish of Faile, Tuon, Elayne and all of the characters on the side of the Light and hated the Dark Lord and his Forsaken and Darkfriends. It has been a long, wonderful ride and I too will miss it when it's all done. The books are Jordan's work. His wife and Sanderson have promised that the final books are his story and that the final battle and the characters' fates are all what he had written or recorded. The WOT (Dragonmount, WOT) sites have statements from them. The Gathering Storm, I have just started and it reads so far as if Jordan wrote it. I understand that Sanderson has completed 85% of "Towers of Midnight" and hopes to have it available for purchase by Summer 2010 and then he says he will complete "A Memory of Light" by late fall or early winter and have it published by early 2011. So, I'm reading "Storm" slowly, although I haven't read "New Spring" yet so that'll fill a little time. I'll check with you guys later, may the Light be with you....

[meauho]

I haven't managed to read the latest installment, but I'm not that worried about the writing.

Brandon Sanderson had major writing roles in a couple of previous WOT books before Jordan died so he could be certain that he had the right person - and per Jordan's own words, Brandon was by his hospital bed day and night for months - with pen, paper, video cameras, and tape recorders - getting everything down so that the story could be completed the way it was supposed to be.