New Wheel of Time author selected

[Soukyan]

Via Slashdot:

kdean06 writes
"Brandon Sanderson has been chosen by Tor Books to finish the best-selling Wheel of Time fantasy series by the late Robert Jordan. Harriet, Jordan's widow, chose him after reading his Mistborn series. An interview is also available via Dragonmount.com."

Links to the announcement and the interview:
http://www.dragonmount.com/News/?p=326

http://www.dragonmount.com/Books/Memory_of_Light/brandon_interview_01.php


I know that some of you have read most of or all of the Wheel of Time series up until this point. So what do you think? Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I can't say I've ever read anything that Brandon Sanderson has written. Is this one of those, "Who gives a damn" announcements because the series ran for far too long anyhow?

[lamaros]

Is this one of those, "Who gives a damn" announcements because the series ran for far too long anyhow?

Yes. Also it wasn't very good.

[Merusk]

Don't make me sniff at you, lamaros.

Without knowing the author's work, who can say.  In any event, the story went on way too damn long and it could be a retarded chimp that writes it, so long as it just ends and we get to see this scene that inspired Jordan to begin with.

[Triforcer]

Is Dave Wolverton still around?  "The Courtship of Princess Leia" sounds like about the right tone for this 

[Abagadro]

I'm surprised they didn't go with Kevin Anderson.

[Johny Cee]

 

I typed out a large post about how WoT was irrelevant that was eaten by the intrawebs.

[geldonyetich2]

Without knowing the author's work, who can say.  In any event, the story went on way too damn long and it could be a retarded chimp that writes it, so long as it just ends and we get to see this scene that inspired Jordan to begin with.

Ends?  When they've went through the trouble of announcing a ghost writer and everything? 

Let the second series begin!  $$$

[JWIV]

Via Slashdot:

kdean06 writes
"Brandon Sanderson has been chosen by Tor Books to finish the best-selling Wheel of Time fantasy series by the late Robert Jordan. Harriet, Jordan's widow, chose him after reading his Mistborn series. An interview is also available via Dragonmount.com."

Links to the announcement and the interview:
http://www.dragonmount.com/News/?p=326

http://www.dragonmount.com/Books/Memory_of_Light/brandon_interview_01.php


I know that some of you have read most of or all of the Wheel of Time series up until this point. So what do you think? Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I can't say I've ever read anything that Brandon Sanderson has written. Is this one of those, "Who gives a damn" announcements because the series ran for far too long anyhow?

Mostly, I don't give a crap who finishes it (except if it was Goodkind. Then I might go into nerd fury), I just want to finish this damn series and be done with it.

To satisfy my curiosity, I'll probably go ahead pick up one of this jokers books from the library and see what how bad this will be.

[Rasix]

It'll read like bad fanfic, no matter if this guy is an amazing writer or not.  I've read wikipedia entries on the books I've missed.    WoT is just a complete mess.

[Polysorbate80]

I'm surprised they didn't go with Kevin Anderson.

Or Kevin Smith 

To Min/Elayne/Aviendha:  "How many dicks have you sucked!?"

Hell, I'd start reading it again.

[HaemishM]

I'm surprised they didn't go with Kevin Anderson.

Or Kevin Smith 

To Min/Elayne/Aviendha:  "How many dicks have you sucked!?"

Hell, I'd start reading it again.

Shit, THAT would be interesting. I'm laboring to get through book 5 now, and groaning every time another romance novel plot point gets hammered into the ground.

[WayAbvPar]

The end of book 6 makes all the hellish parts worthwhile, imo.

[rattran]

I think I made it to book 4 or so in both WoT and Goodkind's series.

I have no desire to continue reading either of them. Both series started interesting, but quickly devolved into muck..
There are plenty  more books out there to read, no reason to spend so much on padded, wordy crap.

[Merusk]

The end of book 6 makes all the hellish parts worthwhile, imo.

He still never topped that whole build-up and battle scene, though.  Even after having hundreds more male channelers and shit to throw them at.

[geldonyetich2]

I made it about as far as Book 3, realized things were essentially going exactly nowhere, got insulted and stopped reading the series.  Jordan is a pretty good writer, but his prolonged follow-through was on par with turning a book into a grind.

[Lt.Dan]

I hope he continues the trend of strong, realistically characterised women.  I think that's what makes WoT WoT.

</pulls and chews hair>

[SurfD]

I hope he continues the trend of strong, realistically characterised women.  I think that's what makes WoT WoT.

</pulls and chews hair>

If my hair was still long enough to braid, i would braid it just to yank at you.

[Reg]

I see your braid yank and raise you a sniff.

[WayAbvPar]

I cross my arms under my breasts at both of you.

[SurfD]

Sadly, RJ was probably more accurate about the behaviour of many women then we give him credit for.  I should count the number of times that my brothers wife Crosses her arms (under her breasts no less) and sniffs at him over the course of a day when i go down to visit next.  I imagine the total would probably blow my mind.

[WayAbvPar]

He should sever her from the Source. That will teach her.

[Johny Cee]

Sadly, RJ was probably more accurate about the behaviour of many women then we give him credit for.  I should count the number of times that my brothers wife Crosses her arms (under her breasts no less) and sniffs at him over the course of a day when i go down to visit next.  I imagine the total would probably blow my mind.

The behavioral tics are somewhat related to character and interpersonal reactions early in the series.  Later,  Jordan just throws the tics out there as a shortcut to actual interpersonal reaction.

It's sort of like when female authors writing men sometimes shortcut and just have them engaging in male threat posturing as character development.

[acerogue26]

If I could just bottle the win in this thread...

[geldonyetich2]

Take it from me, overplaying personality quirks can drive your readers to neigh-homicidal rage in short order.

[Reg]

He should sever her from the Source. That will teach her.

And it'll turn her into a teenage hottie too!

[Murgos]

Take it from me, overplaying personality quirks can drive your readers to neigh-homicidal rage in short order.

Is that the noise people make as they read one of your posts, come to the conviction that they want to kill you and then realize that they can't?

[Soukyan]

Take it from me, overplaying personality quirks can drive your readers to neigh-homicidal rage in short order.

Tell me why we should take this from you? Are you a well-read author with experience in making this mistake? Are you an expert in the psychological effects of overplaying personality quirks in writing? What basis did you have for that comment? And, for god's sake, did you miss the sarcasm going on?

[Der Helm]

Tell me why we should take this from you? Are you a well-read author with experience in making this mistake? Are you an expert in the psychological effects of overplaying personality quirks in writing? What basis did you have for that comment? And, for god's sake, did you miss the sarcasm going on?

If you have to ask, you do not want to know...

Really, please, for the love of all that is holy...

Do
not
ask

[Soukyan]

Tell me why we should take this from you? Are you a well-read author with experience in making this mistake? Are you an expert in the psychological effects of overplaying personality quirks in writing? What basis did you have for that comment? And, for god's sake, did you miss the sarcasm going on?

If you have to ask, you do not want to know...

Really, please, for the love of all that is holy...

Do
not
ask

I suppose I should have reworded them all to make them rhetorical, eh? Ah, well.

[Phildo]

Hadn't Jordan been working on this book for a long time already?  And it's projected to be released in fall of 2009?  Seriously?  I might have been interested if it wasn't going to be close to three years in between books.  I wish my ex-roommates boyfriend had never told me these books were good to begin with.

[geldonyetich2]

And, for god's sake, did you miss the sarcasm going on?

[rattran]

Just wait until they announce this guy writing the book after this one. With Kevin J Anderson. THE SERIES WILL NEVER END!

[shiznitz]

The WoT would benefit from some R.A. Salvatore and a smattering of Piers Anthony.

[Draegan]

I stopped reading the series around book 10 and figured I'd go through it again when it was finally done so I didn't have to gouge my eyes out over and over.

I think I started reading this series when I was in the 5th grade.  I havn't been in school for almost 5 years now.

[Mazakiel]

It's kind of sad really.  I was given the first three books as a gift in middle school, and then read everything past that I could get my hands on, and the next few new releases after that.  I've been out of college over two years now, and yet despite all the years in between those first books and now, I don't think any compelling developments happened at all in the series past those first three books or so.  I can't even feel bothered enough to read the last two that were released.  And from what my brother's told me of what happened in the books, what development there has been has been a pretty rushed "Oh shit I'm dying, I've gotta come up with something," type of deal. 

There are several authors out there who do the long running series thing a lot better.  Shit either happens that's big, or at the least entertaining.  Jordon got too bogged down in hair pulling, descriptions of who was wearing what, and whole chapters for characters no one gives a shit about.  And for me, that's always been the biggest problem I had with what happened in the later books.  It got away from the core three characters, to having chapters about pretty much everyone BUT them.  And by the time he got back to them, it's like he'd forgotten how to make even them interesting. 

The final breaking point for me was when I spent my weekend reading several hundred pages to basically end up with the time frame moving forward maybe a week, and maybe two semi important things happening for all of it.