A Memory of Light, Book 14 in the Wheel of Time Released Today!

I couldn't let this momentous occasion pass me by. Today is the release of the final book in the Wheel of Time, A Memory of Light. Over 20 years in the making, this is quite the exciting day. I'm just glad none of my predictions came true.

(Warning: Sanderson gets into some of the final books, not to a great degree, but it's there if you're worried about spoiling anything at all)


Here are some of the reviews that have come out so far (none of which I've actually read!):

Tor (spoiler review)

Neth Space (review) (spoiler reactions) (interview with Brandon Sanderson)

Wertzone (review)

Fantasy Literature (review)

Grasping for the Wind (review)

Video - A Memory of Light, the Final Book in The Wheel of Time

This video got me really excited to jump back into The Wheel of Time. What a great series, even with its slow parts, that manages to be a rich epic fantasy series that encouraged many people's entrance into fantasy reading (and subsequent obsession in some). I've heard Brandon Sanderson does a great job taking over where the legend that is Robert Jordan started. It will be great to finally have an ending, with the final scene written by the man himself, Robert Jordan.

Brandon Sanderson, Harriet McDougal, Tom Doherty, Jason Denzel, and Patrick Rothfuss discuss Robert Jordan's legendary Wheel of Time series.

I like what Brandon Sanderson says at the end of this video. Fans from here on out will be lucky to have the complete series, but we've been lucky in that we've had the chance to wait, to theorize, to get really excited even. I added that last part. :)

May a wind from the north and east propel you on your journey of finishing The Wheel of Time and may that Age leave memories that become legend that turn into myth!

A Memory of Light Excerpt

(not actual cover)

I haven't read this (still catching up), but I thought I'd post it anyway cause I'm pretty excited about it. I keep telling you I can't resist peer pressure!

This year’s JordanCon brought a great deal of information on A Memory of Light to the eyes of the public. Tor Books and Harriet McDougal revealed Darrell K. Sweet’s final cover sketch for the book, and Harriet herself read a passage from the prologue of A Memory of Light, the final book in the Wheel of Time series.

Now, we present that passage in full. Join Bayrd, an Andoran soldier on the wrong side of history, as his tiny corner of the world prepares for the end of all things.

Check out the excerpt here.

A Memory of Light Will See the Light

The final volume in Robert Jordan's (and now Brandon Sanderson's) über-epic series, The Wheel of Time finally has a release date. It's been more than hinted that it would be coming out in November of this year, but I guess that's no longer the case. Says Tor:

The first novel in Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time®, The Eye of the World, was released on January 15, 1990. Now more than twenty years later, Tor Books is thrilled to announce the official publication date for the final novel in the series.

A Memory of Light will release on January 8, 2013, in the final month of the Year of the Dragon. (emphasis added)

To be honest I'm pretty happy about this. I was getting worried I wouldn't be able to catch up in time (I'm just about to finish book 6), but I'm sure most aren't as big of slackers as I am.

EDIT: Here are Sanderson's thoughts on the new release date.

Giveaway Winner: Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson (Signed ARC and Audiobook)

Before we get to the good stuff, I have to do the usual build up. Without this, your anticipation levels wouldn't be nearly high enough to be excited about the winners winning...and we all know you can't just jump to the end. That's out of the question.

Through this giveaway for Alloy of Law, A Mistborn Novel, I found out that Brandon Sanderson has some pretty passionate fans. We always ask for snark and while we received our fair share of snark....

Will the sequel to "The Alloy of Law" be
called "An Emulsion of Torts"? - Frank Nagy

"Let's see, who can we get to whip up a novel quick so we can slap an urban steampunk cover on it and sell a bajillion? I know, Brandon Sanderson. He's not busy right now!" - Todd Tyrna

At least Harriet didn't ask G.R.R.M. to write AMOL. - Zach West

Or was it the novelization of Angry Birds? I can't keep your stuff straight. - Keith Potempa

...I was a bit snarky myself with the subject line (I thought you were working on A Memory of Light), there were plenty who came to Sanderson's rescue and I was very impressed...

You're like Clive Cussler, but without 5 other authors writing with you... - Randy Siedelmann

Branderson has recently acquired the Fantasy Author Beard, though it is a bit wimpy, and I'm starting to wonder if Epicness of Author Beard's Size is converse to output. I mean GRRM and Pat Rothfuss have huge beards and their books are few and far between. Branderson went from being beardless with quite a few books coming out to a new, albeit small, goatee effect, still with quite the output but I think he's slowing down a bit. - Caitrin Clewell

...by the fans who both want A Memory of Light...

Geeze! Why do you have to come out with awesome books like "The Alloy
of Law" when you should be working on aMoL! - Scott hillstrom

Well, this is definitely not A memory of light. Apparently Mat Rand and Perrin can wait a while for the end of the world to come.
At least The alloy of law is already after the end of a world... - Garret Rushforth

I know you needed to develop firearms tactics for Matt in AMoL, but don't you think this is taking it a bit too far? - Alden Stradling

You better start burning that bloody Bendalloy, the flaming 36 and a half thousand new characters in A Memory of Light aren't going to bloody create themselves! Blood and bloody ashes.. Keep going on like this and we'll box your ears! - Erik Thomas

Why on earth would you stop working on the best fantasy in the world ? Oh yeah, to continue the second-best. Go Brandon ! - Marc St. Pierre

"I expect the climax action of AMoL to be in the glossary because that's where all the good stuff ends up." ;) - Emilie Nangle

...and by those who would prefer he work on his own projects...

But frankly I'd rather you keep working on Mistborn. Unless that gets in the way of working on the next Stormlight book! - Nick Chaney

Another 10 years is nothing for a WoT fan! Go on, finish the Stormlight Archive first, we'll still be waiting! - Chris Mowery

I've decided what I need is an allomantic power that collects luck. I would use it all here if I could get this book. I think it would be worth having bad luck on other things, like finding pennies. Just saying. This is worth saving up for years and not finding any lucky pennies. - Emily Younker

Can you imagine how anxious we are all going to be for the final book of the Stormlight Archive? Brandon better be able to finish it. Thank God Mormons have long life expectancies. - Nick Castelli

...and then there's just some random comments, including making fun of us at Only the Best (which I always encourage) I couldn't help but include...

You think you could change your email address a few more times? onlythebestsffseaksstampbloggeratf@gmail.com has a nice ring to it. - Logan Stewart

Snarky comments? So now I'm supposed to "work" to get free shit?
What kinda well-fare system is this? - John Corvino

Arrrgh! (That's pirate for snarky witticism.) - Craig Mulanax

I promise to never again make-out with my cat if I win this book from you. Come on! I read the trilogy and I've been brushing my teeth and flossing every damn night. - Joseph Gervasi

I don't know much about being snarky but I did include the quotations in the subject line out of spite. - Greg McFarland

Exceedingly simple rules shouldn't contain a request for snarky remarks. - Robin Freeman

You should probably give me this book. For a number of reasons, really, but before you dismiss me, you have to hear my story. I have a small child. Mistborn is her favorite. She has a cloak she made all by herself and runs around the house yelling 'Mommy, I'm Vin! Look at me fly!" and then proceeds to throw nickels at me. She heard about this new book and looked up at me with those big beautiful baby blues and I just knew I had to find a way to get her a copy. ...Okay. I don't have a child. That's really just me I'm describing. I really need to stop this lie before I turn my non existent child into Tiny Tim, complete with one working leg, poverty so complete you'd have to have a little compassion. Not to mention tell you terrible things about her having cancer. (Again, describing a younger me. Although with less melodrama. I should have stayed a child, I was worthy of so much more empathy back then.) I don't want to be a monster to even a fictional character, I'm just really, really poor and cannot explain to you how much it would mean to me to have not just Brandon Sanderson lastest masterpiece, but his actual signature in my hands. A girl can dream! I'm sorry. This was going to be the snarkiest thing you ever read, but I suddenly grew a conscience halfway through and just couldn't go through with it. Crap. - Dani Sweet

I may be the only one who thinks it's hilarious that the audio book is the second prize, as that's the only version I can truly appreciate, being a blind guy. Hey, you know what that means, don't you? I have no memories of light. Heheheh. Apparently I could see for a while as a child, but trying to remember that time is like steel pushing a credit card. It just ain't happenin. You might say my memory of sight... Memory of light?... is misty, but then I've already used that joke. Well, since time is a wheel, I'm bound to just use it again. Yeah, my advice is to stop reading this message now, lest your metalminds are overloaded with an infinite loop. Now there's an interesting concept. OK, OK, I'm done, but thanks for the opportunity. - Brandon Cole

Oh, well, I guess you'd like to see who the winners are. For the signed ARC, our winner is:

Travis Bingaman from Shippensburg, PA

And the winner of the Audiobook of Alloy of Light would be:

Owen Salava from T or C, NM (had to look this up, it's Truth or Consequences)

Anyone who's snark has been mentioned in this post has just earned themselves two extra entries into the next giveaway of their choosing. Sorry to all those I didn't include, there was plenty of other great snark, this post was just getting a bit ridiculous.

Thanks for making giveaways fun for me and thanks to all who entered.

Brandon Sanderson Interview On Finishing The Wheel of Time

Brandon recently stopped by Blog Talk Radio for a fairly informal interview to talk about finishing up Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series and to discuss some recent developments in multimedia publishing. I encourage you to listen to the candid interview with Brandon Sanderson, but here are the paraphrased highlights.

When asked to summarize the Wheel of Time for those unfamiliar with the series Brandon laughed a bit and then used RJ's description The series revolves around a central question: "What is it like to be told that you are the one to save the world? That you are a savior doomed to die to protect mankind." I had never tried to summarize the series in a single sentence, but this seems like a pretty good way to do it.

"RJ wrote the last scene before he passed away, and I am just trying to get there". When Brandon arrived at RJ's home after signing the contract for the final three books, he was asked by Harriet if he wanted some soup. He replied honestly, asking instead to read the ending to the series. It was a "reverent and surreal experience" and made him realize just how much he has to do to get from where book 11 ended to that final scene.

Apparently, Brandon would not have undertaken to finish any other series, but he has been following the WoT since the age of 15, and could not say no.

Instead of trying to imitate RJ's style, which would have been impossible, he instead decided to adapt his own style to the series.

There has been every possible reaction by fans to Brandon finishing the Wheel of Time, but he is happy that the only death threats he has received have been "good ones". They are condition in that if he does a good job, he will be spared. He is also surprised that the "hardcore fans" have accepted him so well.

The series is on track to be finished two years from the release of The Gathering Storm, but Brandon doesn't want to even think about the last book just yet, so the schedule is absolutely conditional and might change.

He says that Asmodean was killed by Perrin, who is actually a Darkfriend. Joke.