Robert Jordan's public decline

[dusematic]

http://www.dragonmount.com/RobertJordan/


Does it strike anyone else as inappropriate that he goes into every little detail about his sickness?  Chronicling his death almost.  Maybe it's just me. 

[Big Gulp]

I was going to make a snarky comment, but really, why bother?  When you get right down to it fantasy authors are every bit as bad as Harlequin romance novelists.  Actually, worse.  Romance novelists know they're hacks, and don't go in for pretensions.

[dusematic]

While that certainly has an element of truth to it, and I cringe reading Jordan's hackneyed expressions and trite "southern gentleman" schtick, I am not one of those people who hates Jordan.  True, there is a significant decline after the first three books; but to put it another way, there are people on this website who absolutely love R.A. Salvatore, who strikes me as a writer for 15 year olds, after yawning through one of his novels.  There are also people who love Buffy The Vampire Slayer, so again, maybe it's just me.

[bhodi]

I didn't hate him until I met him in person. Fuck you jordan, finish your fucking series.

[dusematic]

Yeah that's what I was saying above, his blog makes him seem like a douche.  I don't think his writing is utter crap like some people though.  But if you cut out the first three books, then yes, his writing isn't very remarkable.  It's just that I'm committed at this point.  I need resolution, I've been reading this shit since 7th grade.

It all comes down to money, he's just a greedy terd who decided to milk the series for all it was worth.  It's probably what I'd do, but that doesn't change the fact that he's a greedy terd. 

[geldonyetich]

Curse you, cruel death.  Curse you!

Why couldn't you have taken Piers Anthony too?

[Margalis]

Geldon!
!
!

[geldonyetich]

Yep, 'tis me alright.  I was summoned by Harrison Ford's immodesty and have stayed for lack of a better alternative for my Saturday.

To be on topic, I couldn't stomach Robert Jordan's work after the first three books.  His is the gaming treadmill of fantasy reading.  Piers Anthony, however... he's more of a botter.

[Llava]

there are people on this website who absolutely love R.A. Salvatore, who strikes me as a writer for 15 year olds, after yawning through one of his novels.

Woah, there are?

I'm the only one I know of who has come forward and said that I used to enjoy the books when I was 12-14.  That's not the same as saying I love his work now.  I have fond memories, sure, but I have fond memories of the first Matrix movie- largely because I refuse to go back and examine it too hard, because I know I'll only be disappointed.

[Ironwood]

 but to put it another way, there are people on this website who absolutely love R.A. Salvatore,

True.  I mentioned my liking for his works by suggesting he was hung up by his own intestines.

Don't think I remember anyone 'loving' him.

[Roac]

The guy is dying, cut him some slack.  Maybe for him blogging is theraputic.  If it bugs you, treat the blogs the same way I treat his books: don't read it.

[geldonyetich]

I wonder if he'll take the time to actually finish his books off or leave them as a perpetually unfinished wonder of the world.

[stray]

The guy is dying, cut him some slack.  Maybe for him blogging is theraputic.  If it bugs you, treat the blogs the same way I treat his books: don't read it.

Alternatively, maybe some of the people in this thread are dying too. Maybe bitching about Robert Jordan is therapeutic. One need not read any of it either.

[dusematic]

True.  But I'm not annoyed by it.  I'm just taking a statement like " RJ is being highly creepy in chronicling his death in an open forum" and throwing it out there.  If you don't like it, throw it back (I think you just did).  Also, if enough people say they don't think it's weird, I'll be swayed by the tide of public opinion.

[geldonyetich]

The way the wikipedia spins it, he's not really chronicalling his death.  He's actually feeling pretty confident he'll recover.

Granted, if he were chronicalling his death, he'd be no more guilty of grasping with futility to his own mortality than I am often with my own Blog. :P

[dusematic]

Everyone who has that disease dies.  He's just blustering.

[Nebu]

Everyone who has that disease dies.  He's just blustering.

Fixed that.

[dusematic]

Nice, but you know what I mean.  "Beating" it means he has like 2 years instead of 6 months.

[geldonyetich]

Possibly, but with enough treatment and a bit of luck, some sufferers of nasty cancers manage to eeke out decades.  At that point it gets a bit intistinguishable from the typical causes in terms of longevity.

Granted, Robert Jordan's built up a lot of bad karma for dragging out the Wheel of Time Series so much.  Luck might not be with him!

[Strazos]

I only made it as far as maybe 10% into book 2.

[dusematic]

Yeah but that could be your failing rather than his, as most people (I think?) seem to feel the first three were pretty cool.  Anyway, not dissing the guy, just seemed weird to me him talking about every aspect of being sick to random people.  Whatever floats your boat I guess.

[Lantyssa]

Yeah but that could be your failing rather than his, as most people (I think?) seem to feel the first three were pretty cool.  Anyway, not dissing the guy, just seemed weird to me him talking about every aspect of being sick to random people.  Whatever floats your boat I guess.

Whether it's death or something more minor, discussing it makes many people better able to accept what they are going through.  That he has a large following which cares is a bit unusual, but he won't be the first or last that does it.

[Cadaverine]

I've never read any of his books, so I can't speak to his writing ability.  However, thanks to an allergy to a common food product, I know very acutely what it feels like to be way to close to death.  As such, I can't say I read his blog as trite sentiment and southern gentleman shtick, so much as a man dieing, knowing he will die, and soon at that, and making the best of what little time he has left, clinging to whatever shreds of hope he could find to keep himself going, if even for one more day.

Maybe I'm alone in this, but I am, frankly, scared of dieing.  Not in a religious, 'I don't want to go to Hell' kind of way, so much as a 'No matter how shitty it gets, I really like being alive' kind of way.  As such, I can't really blame anyone for getting a bit starry eyed on their impending deathbed.  Truthfully, I can't think of anyone, or anything I wouldn't sacrifice to postpone my death.  Maybe it's selfish to say so, but I have no macho bullshit aspirations about death.

Not that that should stop anyone from bashing him, or anything.  Just presenting a slightly different take on things.

[stray]

Robert Jordan threads should never be so morbid.

[Strazos]

Yeah but that could be your failing rather than his, as most people (I think?) seem to feel the first three were pretty cool.

Oh, I'm sure there's a cool story in there somewhere. I actually liked the first book, as well as the second....

But god damn if that isn't a grind of reading if ever I've seen one. I don't need a second-to-second play-by-play recounting of the story. I've read history books that were less dense than Jordan's stuff.

[Llava]

I picked up two different Robert Jordan books in the library when I was in high school.

I replaced them both shortly thereafter.

Then I went and rented a Salvatore book, so it may not be that they were bad books, just that I could not get through them... or into them.

[Righ]

I actually think its pretty cool. I also thought it was pretty cool when Ivan Noble of the BBC wrote a "tumor diary" after being diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. If you have a talent for writing, and recording the events and your thoughts of your demise doesnt cause too much more emotional distress, it can help other people who are going through the same thing, and help educate people about things they'd often rather not think about.

That said, I'm not a fan of his work.

[Xerapis]

~insert joke about the chronicals of his death being just like his writing in WOT here~

Now that that is out of the way, if he dies before finishing book 12, I'm going to hunt him down in the afterlife.

Seriously, this would be worse than when I was younger and Louis L'amour died before ever writing a sequel to The Walking Drum.

Also, the only thing I could see about potential release date for book 12 mentioned 2008. 

That worries me greatly.

[Big Gulp]

Also, the only thing I could see about potential release date for book 12 mentioned 2008. 

That worries me greatly.

I have a feeling that his family would scrape together all his drafts and string the series out further in the event of his untimely demise.

[WindupAtheist]

If I were him I would just go ahead and die, and let all my fans go fuck themselves.  If I write book twelve, it's just some shitty book that everyone will be over soon enough.  If I die with book twelve unwritten, it's the book people will wonder about forever.

[Margalis]

I'm with Big Gulp. He'll be like Tupac and keep releasing shit a decade after he dies after some family member discovers an index-card worth of notes and milks that into three more books.

[Abagadro]

I'm with Big Gulp. He'll be like Tupac and keep releasing shit a decade after he dies after some family member discovers an index-card worth of notes and milks that into three more books.

This is what is known as the "Herbert Protocol."

[Big Gulp]

I'm with Big Gulp. He'll be like Tupac and keep releasing shit a decade after he dies after some family member discovers an index-card worth of notes and milks that into three more books.

Or maybe they'll go the Nietzche's sister route and start putting in anti-semetic/anti-darkie stuff, which will lead to some European nation declaring itself the master race and gallavanting all over Europe.

Damn, forgot my medication.

[Triforcer]

I still like R.A. Salvatore.  Does that make me a bad person?  Everytime I read one of his works I think I have enough talent to write commercially, but then I read one of earth's other authors and I lose hope  :-(

[dusematic]

Nah, I'm happy as long as people are reading (generally).