The Wheel of Time (abbreviated by fans to WoT) is a bestselling fantasy book series written by Robert Jordan, and quite possibly the best damn fantasy series ever written. It establishes its own detailed imaginary world, and a complex cast of characters. Twelve books have been published in the series, inculding a prequel. A thirteenth book, expected to be the final book of the series, is currently being prepared. Books 8-11 in the main series have each reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. As of 18 September 2007 the series has sold over 30 million copies worldwide and has spawned several games and a soundtrack.
Contents |
In the beginning, Creator deity| the Creator made wheel of time|the Wheel of Time, which spins the Pattern of the Ages using the lives of men and women as its threads. The Wheel has seven spokes, each representing an age, and it is rotated by the One Power, which flows from the True Source. The One Power is divided into male and female halves, saidin and saidar, which work in opposition and in unison to drive the Wheel. Those who can use this power are known as channelers; one organization of such channelers is the Aes Sedai.
The Creator imprisoned Shai'tan, known as the Dark One, a powerful, evil being, at the moment of creation, sealing him away from the Wheel. However, in a time called the Age of Legends, the Dark One was given purchase in the world through the machinations of people who opened his prison, and began his efforts to conquer the world, creation, and even the Wheel itself. In response to this, the Wheel spun out the Dragon, a channeler of immense power, to be a champion for the Light. Due to the cyclical nature of the Wheel, there has been no definitive victory for the forces of the Light; the war has been fought innumerable times since the dawn of Creation. The Dragon would defeat Shai'tan and seal him from the Wheel, only to have him come close to breaking out (or being released) several millennia later, forcing the Dragon to be reborn and repeat the entire process.
Jordan's novels concern themselves with one particular incarnation of the Dragon. About 3000 years have passed since the last war between Shadow and Light. This war ended when the Dragon, then born as Lews Therin Telamon, led a daring raid to Shayol Ghul and sealed the breach in the Dark One's prison with the help of a group of other male channelers known as the Hundred Companions (female channelers, due to recent gender politics and the extreme risk of the strike, refused to assist). Though Lews Therin succeeded, the Dark One managed to spread a taint on saidin itself, bringing madness and a wasting sickness to any who channeled it. The taint quickly overcame nearly every male channeler in the world, including Lews Therin and his companions, with catastrophic results that Events in the The Breaking of the World radically changed the face of the earth. From then onwards, Lews Therin was also called the "Kinslayer", as one of the last results of his madness was to destroy everyone who carried his blood as well as everyone he loved.
For these reasons, the return of the Dragon is a cause for both hope and fear amongst the populace. On the one hand, the Dragon Reborn is the only person capable of defeating Shai'tan, who will inevitably begin to escape his prison. On the other, the Dragon Reborn will still be prey to the madness caused by the taint of evil in saidin, and is a harbinger of the horrifying fact that Shai'tan is once more breaking free.The only man who can save the world is also the man most likely to destroy it. He must not only work to unite the civilized world against the Dark One, but struggle to stay alive—for, while prophecy indicates he will be reborn, it says nothing as to whether he will succeed...
The Wheel of Time Series focuses on three main characters referred to in the series as ta’veren – Rand al’Thor, Matrim Cauthon & Perrin Aybara. Ta'veren are people who either pull the world to meet their needs or are forced by the Wheel to follow a path. The three young men’s lives are all intertwined in this way. Rand, Mat & Perrin are led from their home of Two Rivers by an Aes Sedai, Moiraine and her Warder, al’Lan Mandragoran. The three young men are also joined by Egwene al’Vere and Nynaeve al’Meara who are also residents of the Two Rivers. Though author Robert Jordan often enjoys involving a wide array of characters and plots within the Wheel of Time series, they are all centralized upon The Dragon Reborn, Rand al’Thor.
| # | Title | Pgs. | Chs. | Words | 1st Edition | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0. | New Spring | 332 | 26 | 121,815 | January 2004 | |
| 1. | The Eye of the World | 832 | 53 | 305,902 | 15 January 1990 | |
| 2. | The Great Hunt | 736 | 50 | 267,078 | 15 November 1990 | |
| 3. | The Dragon Reborn | 704 | 56 | 251,392 | 15 October 1991 | |
| 4. | The Shadow Rising | 1008 | 58 | 393,823 | 15 September 1992 | No Prologue |
| 5. | The Fires of Heaven | 992 | 56 | 354,109 | 15 October 1993 | |
| 6. | Lord of Chaos | 1024 | 55 | 389,264 | 15 October 1994 | First with an Epilogue |
| 7. | A Crown of Swords | 896 | 41 | 295,028 | 15 May 1996 | |
| 8. | The Path of Daggers | 704 | 31 | 226,687 | 20 October 1998 | |
| 9. | Winter's Heart | 800 | 35 | 238,789 | 7 November 2000 | |
| 10. | Crossroads of Twilight | 864 | 30 | 271,632 | 7 January 2003 | Also has an Epilogue |
| 11. | Knife of Dreams | 793 | 37 | 315,163 | 11 October 2005 | Also has an Epilogue |
| 12. | A Memory of Light | (working title) | due Fall 2009 | To be completed by Brandon Sanderson | ||
All page totals given are for the most widely available paperback editions.
In 2002 the first book, The Eye of the World, was repackaged as two volumes with new illustrations for younger readers: From the Two Rivers, including an extra chapter (Ravens) before the existing prologue, and To the Blight with an expanded glossary. In 2004 the same was done with The Great Hunt, with the two parts being The Hunt Begins and New Threads in the Pattern.
There is a short story available on the web, "The Strike at Shayol Ghul", which predates the main series by several thousand years. That story is also found in The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time (ISBN 0-312-86219-9), an official guide to The Wheel of Time published in November 1997.
The online game WoTMUD is the oldest authorized game based on the series (started 1993), and various commercial game adaptations have also been spawned, including Wheel of Time a video game released by Atari for the personal computer, and The Wheel of Time Roleplaying Game, a role-playing game based on d20 system rules released by Wizards of the Coast. There is also A soundtrack for the Wheel of Time. There was a The Wheel of Time collectible card game based on the books, but it has been out of print since 2002.
In a 2000 chat on CNN.com, Robert Jordan mentioned that NBC had purchased an option to do a miniseries of "The Eye of the World."
On July 1st, 2008 Dabel Brothers Publishing announced that they will be responsible for adapting The Wheel of Time into graphic novel format. The first volume of which is slated for release in December of 2008.
Jordan had repeatedly said that the main sequence would conclude with the twelfth book, with a working title of A Memory of Light. Numerous times, including most recently at ComicCon 2006, he said he would hold to this statement even if it has to be 1500 pages long. Before his death Jordan had planned to write two more short prequel novels, an encyclopedia, and possibly two or three other side-plot novels.
With Jordan's death on September 16, 2007, the conclusion of the series was in question. On December 7 of that year, the publisher, Tor Books, announced that fantasy author Brandon Sanderson would finish A Memory of Light, using notes, written chapters, and audio recordings of the story provided by Robert Jordan before his passing.
Sanderson has said on his website he has begun writing the final book in the series. He also stated that he wants to finish the series in the final book as planned.