Why are all my favorite author's dying??

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gBy7pK1U-kIvTHx4PYeiI8rqBkmg

May the Light be with you my friend. We shall sorely miss you Mr. Jordan.


(In other news he was working on the last book. He put a great deal of it on audio tapes and typed part of it and was working on it every day to try to finish it. It has been said he gave the meat and bones of the story to his brother and wife and they promised to continue the story if anything was ever to happen to him as this was his greatest wish.)

Bummer. I have always been a big fan of the Spenser novels.

Tank (who actually has an autographed Robert Jorden hardcover)

I thought Spenser was written by Robert Parker?

You're right. I was afraid that I had him mixed up.

Tank (who has been a few books behind in the Wheel of Time series)

Well, this is sad news. I knew he'd been ill for some time, but you never really expect things to turn out for the worst, somehow.

Like many WoT fans, I'd grown disenchanted with RJ drawing out the story over the last five, six novels and the days are long gone where I'd rush breathlessly into the book store for the next novel in hardback the minute it was released.

But, still, even at its worst, this series was still far and away one of the best fantasy works I've ever read and there's nothing to beat the sheer magical genius of the first half dozen books, imo.

I do hope that they are able to cobble together a final book to finish off the series properly and let it stand as a complete legacy to RJ's remarkable talent.

LabRat

Martin was alwas an interesting author. I remember even his Conan work fondly.
Labrat, haven't you read GRR Martin's "A Song of Fire and Ice"?

(I see my old post didn't stick.)

I'm sad to hear about his passing

My hubbie is going crazy for the last book (despite the series being a bit wonky for a while). At least he recorded the plot.

Nope. Should I have?

LabRat

Yes,in my not so humble opinion the best fantasy series ever written. I suppose on a world building scale Tolkien tops it but I'm a sucker for characters with depth and cracking dialogue, both things Martin supplies by the truckload. Westeros is an adult gritty fantasy world with a real medieval edge where people you care about gets hurt. There are couple of psychopaths, but most evil people are understandable. One of Martin’s greatest feat is how he turns around one of the main villains in the first book to a fan favourite in the third simply by allowing the reader his experience his atrocities from his point of view. Another is his ability to surprise without sacrificing internal consistency.

I always liked Jordan because of the world building, the one power, and how it worked, but his characters tended to run together. Especially the whiffing braids and skirt tugging female clones that populate his world. Many accused him of stringing out the story for financial reasons, but I think his world got so big he lost control of the story.

Anyway he was very talented and the trailblazer for the commercial multi volume fantasy series. RIP

That's such a shame. I'm currently reading the 4th Wheel of Time book and I'm really enjoying the books so far.

Gasp! /me lower lip wobbles.

Such a tragedy. I loved the WoT series and have to say that it was my first fandom back in the day (that would be about the time Fires of Heaven came out, I think). I even own the Big Book of Bad Art.

I agree with what LabRat said - it's a fantastic series, especially the first 7 or 8 books. I haven't rushed for the new installment since "PoD", but still dearly loved the series. I had hoped Mr. Jordan would be able to overcome his illness, but I guess it wasn't to be.

Peace to you, RJ, where ever you are now.

Alisha said: Oh, "The Shadow Rising" was my favorite book in the series. Enjoy!

BJ