It's News To Me #22

Is it Wednesday already? Last week felt like it dragged and suddenly this week's flying by. I'll never understand it.

Heading to California this weekend (back home) to see some fam and for my mom's wedding. I apologize in advance for those people on the plane listening to my crying baby. We have some plans to subvert that, but you never know.

Cover Art

I wasn't a huge fan of the new mmpb cover at first, but then Mark Charan Newton mentioned on his blog that that's exactly how he pictured the character. So, who am I to say. Obviously it's spot on.

News


Wheel of Time fans be excited! I'll let the Tor announcement do the talking, just remember this was posted Monday and hasn't gone live yet:

How’s this for a Great Hunt?

Tor Books has just announced that, starting tomorrow, an exclusive secret from the Wheel of Time will go live on Brandon Sanderson’s website!

But it won’t go live without a fight: the page will be completely encrypted. (As of Tuesday morning it's not yet live, sorry.)

To unlock it, fans will have to hunt down the many unique digital codes, printed on the back of Wheel of Time bumper stickers that Brandon will hide inside copies of The Way of Kings along each stop on his tour. (Which kicks off tonight!)

Each bumper sticker/code will unlock a piece of the secret and it will require the work of many fans in many cities to unlock the entire page. The Great Hunt begins!

On a similar note, The Way of Kings is out (like you didn't know) and Sanderson has a great post on his blog that links to all the free chapters in one place.

Blogs

A Fantasy Reader recently did a couple posts comparing the American/UK covers with German cover art. Really interesting stuff, especially with the different translations for the titles. Some are exactly the same while others completely different. I guess it makes sense to a degree - some things wouldn't make sense with a literal translation, but some of the titles are completely different and I wonder why.

Oh and there was this big deal about fantasy being inferior to other literature.

And that's the news...at least to me.

News: The Gathering Storm Prologue and Blurb

Old News for Some, New to Me

     When browsing the Dragonmount forums I came across a across a synopsis of The Gathering Storm, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. BenTGainden explains that JordanCon asked people not to record the synopsis of The Gathering Storm, so this is the best we have access to for the moment. If you know of an actual audio copy, don't be scared to spread the love, discreetly. From the description, it is pretty clear to me that people are being called/drawn to the last battle, and are heading "north" to Tarmon Gaidon. 

     Additionally, before Mr. Jordan's recorded reading was presented to the audience, it was introduced by a little blurb, shedding light on the structure and some of the major plot lines. You can find all that underneath this, courtesy of WoTWiki:

    

     In this epic novel, Robert Jordan’s international bestselling series begins its dramatic conclusion. Rand al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn, struggles to unite a fractured network of kingdoms and alliances in preparation for the Last Battle. As he attempts to halt the Seanchan encroachment northward—wishing he could form at least a temporary truce with the invaders—his allies work in desperation to forestall the shadow that seems to be growing within the heart of the Dragon Reborn himself.
      Egwene al’Vere, the Amyrlin Seat of the rebel Aes Sedai, is a captive of the White Tower and subject to the whims of their tyrannical leader. As days tick toward the Seanchan attack she knows is imminent, Egwene works to hold together the disparate factions of Aes Sedai while providing leadership in the face of increasing uncertainty and despair. Her fight will prove the mettle of the Aes Sedai, and her conflict will decide the future of the White Tower—and therefore the world itself.

     If you are a fan of the series make sure to pre-order The Gathering Storm, or you will end up chewing through your fingers when your local bookstore doesn't have it in stock. I can pretty much guarantee that I will have this read and reviewed the day its out, so here is to hoping that the 23 different points of view in the book don't ruin in.