The Wheel of Time
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The Wheel of Time (abbreviated WoT or less commonly, tWoT) is a bestselling fantasy book series written by Robert Jordan. It is known for the extreme density of its plot, the intricate detail of its imaginary world, and complexity of relationships and interactions among characters. There are 11 books in the series so far. Books 8-11 have each reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and most of the books have been on the list at one time or another. The series has spawned several games, and even a soundtrack.
Robert Jordan has repeatedly said that the main sequence will conclude with the twelfth book, with a working title of A Memory of Light. Numerous times he has said he will hold to this statement even if it has to be 2000 pages long. At some point in the future Jordan plans to write two more short prequel novels, an encyclopedia, and possibly two or three other side-plot novels. [1] However, Jordan's illness may interfere with these plans.
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[edit] The premise
In the beginning, the Creator made 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 True Source from which the One Power, a source of energy, is drawn. 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 channelers is the Aes Sedai, a name meaning "Servants of All" in the Old Tongue.
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. At some point, however, the Dark One was given purchase in the world through the machinations of well-meaning people who unwittingly encountered his prison, and began his efforts to conquer the world, creation, even the Wheel itself. In response to this, the Wheel spun out the Dragon, a channeler of immense power, to champion the Light.
Due to the cyclical nature of the Wheel, there can be 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 be reborn and repeat the process several millennia later.
Robert Jordan's novels concern themselves with one particular incarnation of the Dragon. About 3000 years have passed since the last war between Shai'tan and the 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 had refused to assist, believing the risk of backfire too great to chance. Indeed, though the Dark One was re-imprisoned, he managed to spread a taint on saidin itself, bringing madness and a wasting sickness to any who channeled it. The taint quickly overcame every male channeler in the world, including Lews Therin and his companions, with catastrophic results that radically changed the face of the world.
For these reasons, the return of the Dragon is a cause for both hope and fear. On the one hand, the Dragon Reborn is the only person capable of defeating Shai'tan, who is once again reaching beyond his prison. On the other, the taint on saidin has not been countered, and the Dragon Reborn will still be prey to madness. The only man who can save the world is also the man most likely to destroy it. His name is Rand al'Thor, and the series chronicles his struggles and those of his friends with international politics, the One Power, and of course, against the Shadow itself.
[edit] Books in the series
| # | Title | Pgs. | Chs. | Wrds. | 1st Edition | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n/a | 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 | 11 October 2005 | Also has an Epilogue | |
| 12. | A Memory of Light | (working title) | ||||
All page totals given are for the most widely available paperback editions.
There is also a prequel novella, New Spring in the Legends anthology edited by Robert Silverberg. Jordan expanded this into the standalone novel New Spring that was published in January 2004.
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.
Prologue ebooks
- Snow: The Prologue to Winter's Heart (September 2000)
- Glimmers: The Prologue to Crossroads of Twilight (July 17, 2002)
- Embers Falling on Dry Grass: The Prologue to Knife of Dreams (July 22, 2005).
[edit] Offshoots
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 a video game released by Atari for the personal computer, and a tabletop role-playing game based on d20 rules released by Wizards of the Coast. There is also a soundtrack album. There was also a collectable card game based on the books, but it has been out of print since 2002.
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Robert Jordan's blog
- A Wheel of Time Wiki
- Wheel of Time FAQ
- Encyclopaedia WoT
- Chronology of The Wheel of Time
- Wheel of Time websites Past and Present
- Wheel of Time - The Third Age Online
| The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan | |
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Prequel: New Spring |
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| Characters | Places | Events | Concepts | |
