Since the debut of Robert Jordan's internationally bestselling series in 1990, The Wheel of Time has transported readers to a world so strikingly real, so rich in detail and complexity, it seems to rise from memory rather than a printed page. This essential companion to The Wheel of Time is for the millions interested in the history and the background of this incredible series-never-before-told legends, previously unknown peoples and lands, exotic beasts, and portents of what may come to pass.
With more than seventy new full-color paintings that include stunning new world maps, portraits of the central characters, landscapes, objects of Power, and national flags, this comprehensive guide is indispensable to any Robert Jordan fan
Robert Jordan was born in 1948 in Charleston, South Carolina. He taught himself to read when he was four with the incidental aid of a twelve-years-older brother, and was tackling Mark Twain and Jules Verne by five. He is a graduate of The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, with a degree in physics. He served two tours in Vietnam with the U.S. Army; among his decorations are the Distinguished Flying Cross with bronze oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star with "V" and bronze oak leaf cluster, and two Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses with palm. A history buff, he has also written dance and theater criticism and enjoyed the outdoor sports of hunting, fishing, and sailing, and the indoor sports of poker, chess, pool, and pipe collecting.
Robert Jordan began writing in 1977 and went on to write The Wheel of Time®, one of the most important and best selling series in the history of fantasy publishing with over 14 million copies sold in North America, and countless more sold abroad.
Robert Jordan died on September 16, 2007, after a courageous battle with the rare blood disease amyloidosis.
Robert Jordan: Thank you for having me.
Robert Jordan: Yes. There's almost nothing that is in the new book that is in the other books. There are things that are mentioned in the books and greatly expanded, and they contain a great deal of information that are nowhere in the novels.
Robert Jordan: I became fascinated with women at the age of three. It's a long story -- too long to go into here. But I quickly realized that for everything that was the same about men and women, there seemed to be at least two or three things that were different. Once I had decided that I wanted to use the One Power in the way that I was using it -- that is, divided into a male half and a female half -- it became obvious to me that the differences between men and women themselves should also play a part.
Robert Jordan: Well, thanks. As far as the westerns go -- yes, I wrote a western once. A little out of the ordinary, set in the 1830s and with only one major character who was not a Cheyenne Indian. I might do a western one day or more historical novels. History and the American West in general interest me greatly. But for the moment, the Wheel of Time takes up all of mine -- time, that is.
Robert Jordan: I wanted to write a fantasy that reflected the real world, with characters who reflected real people -- not specific people, but characters who were real people. And there are things about the real world that I wanted, such as that people who end up heroes very rarely set out to be heroes, and heroic journeys consist mainly of sleeping rough and going hungry, wondering how you are going to pay for the next meal and wonder exactly what it is you are supposed to do and how are you going to get out of it alive.
Robert Jordan: Well, Mayene is based culturally on the cities of the Hanseatic league, as well as Venice and Genoa when those cities were world commercial powers and city-states in themselves. Of course, I didn't put anything into the guide that I wanted to come as a surprise in the books. You have to remember that. Which is one reason I gave quite as much as I did about the history of the world and considerably less about the "present day."
Robert Jordan: I wanted to put different names on different kinds of books so there would be no confusion. I didn't want anyone to pick up a book because they had liked my last book only to find that they had bought something they didn't want to read.
Robert Jordan: I drew from everything that I have read in the past 40-odd years, including the Bible. It's very hard for me to say -- in most cases -- exactly what the sources were in any particular instance.
Robert Jordan: Yes, I have an idea for what I intend to write after I finish the World of Time, but I have not put anything down on paper, and I will not until I have finished the Wheel of Time. Until then, the next work exists only in the back of my head. As for Chang Lung, I don't think there is any source anywhere except for my files, and I'd just as soon leave them there. There are few things more boring than 10-year-old dance reviews and theater criticism.
Robert Jordan: No. Except for the possible occasional divergence -- except for Rand's excursions to Seanchan when he chased after Aviendha. I was willing to put as much as I did into the guide because I will not be using those things in the books in the same way that I used Kandor or Saldaea.
Robert Jordan: I knew the beginning, that is, the opening scenes; I knew the final scene of the final book; I knew the very general line that I wanted the story to take from the beginning to the end. And I knew a number of major occurrences that I wanted to take place and a number of relationships that I wanted to develop. I left open how I would get from one major occurrence to the next to allow for fluidity in writing. I did not want to set anything in stone. Sorry for the pun, but that does lead to rigidity.
Robert Jordan: I've never done a short story, except that I am at the moment working on one which will be in a collection called MASTERS OF FANTASY, which Robert Silverberg has put together. Actually, I'm not certain it really counts as a short story -- more of a novella.
Robert Jordan: No. I usually avoid the net. It's too addictive and I don't have the time. Occasionally, though, people will send me printouts of the latest FAQ or send it to me on disk, and I do enjoy browsing through that. Let me add: I haven't seen one in about a year (hint hint).
Robert Jordan: Read and find out.
Robert Jordan: I don't manage to read over 400 books a year now. I'm not certain that I even manage to average a book a day. About half of what I read is nonfiction, half fiction. And the fiction takes in everything. As for recommendations, I assume you mean in the field, so try John M. Ford, C. S. Friedman, Guy Gavriel Kay, Terry Pratchett, George R. R. Martin, and a slew of others -- too many to name. You can find them.
Robert Jordan: Not with the form of healing that is generally known. With the newly rediscovered forms of healing, it would be quite possible, but with the newly rediscovered forms of healing people would learn how to do it because everything is healed differently with the new way.
Robert Jordan: A good bit. But on the other hand, history is a hobby of mine, in particular the American Revolution in the South and the southern move west, which went through Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California.
Robert Jordan: Too true. Too true. But when I find out that something I wanted to be obvious isn't, I do look around to see if I can find another place to slip in a hint.
Robert Jordan: I believe my publisher intends for me to tour for THE PATH OF DAGGERS. But I have no idea which cities will be included. As far as conventions go, I attend far fewer than I would like to because three days at a convention are three days I'm not writing.
Robert Jordan: There are some 880 basic words -- maybe 900. I got a list of what is considered basic English, which are the 800 odd words of a basic English vocabulary, removed the words that were of no use in the context of my world, came up with words in the Old Tongue in each of those English words, and then added those words that did have a specific context in my world.
Robert Jordan: About THE PATH OF DAGGERS: nothing. Read and find out (RAFO). As far as who I like best, it's whoever I happen to be writing at the moment. I try to get inside the skin of the point-of-view character, whether it's Rand or Nynaeve or Semirhaje. As to who I am most like, I think I am probably a combination of Rand, Mat, and Perrin. On the other hand, I'm afraid my wife says that I am Loial.
Robert Jordan: Asmodean went for the long jump in that scene.
Robert Jordan: The hot line at Tor was my idea. And you reminded me -- I have to record a new message. It's been a while since I've recorded one. A lot of what's on that is outdated now, I'm afraid. That is, if you mean the message that I've recorded at Tor Books.
Robert Jordan: When I create a character, I know as much as possible about them -- as much as I can possibly conceive. Characters do not go in directions that I don't expect, because I am the writer, after all. Sometimes I will see a possibility that I didn't expect to use a character in a different way, and I do like to do that, especially if it's something I don't think people will expect.
Robert Jordan: I have approved several fan clubs who wrote to me and asked me to endorse them. I don't approve anybody exclusively. As far as Darrel goes, he was selected by the publisher.
Robert Jordan: The Enlightenment would have been a fine time to live, I think. And there are a few others. But by and large I am happy right where I am -- and when.
Robert Jordan: Certainly not. In the first hundred pages of THE EYE OF THE WORLD, I did try to invoke a Tolkienesque feel. But after that I have certainly not tried to reflect in any way Middle Earth. As a matter of fact, beginning back in that very early part of THE EYE OF THE WORLD, I deliberately took off in a very different direction from Tolkien, and I've been running hard in that direction ever since.
Robert Jordan: Imperial China. Japan during the shogunates, with strong dollops of the Persian Empire and the Ottoman.
Robert Jordan: Yes. There is an explanation: a change that was supposed to be made in manuscript in THE EYE OF THE WORLD and did not get set into type and which I thought had been corrected. I have been trying to get that changed since I discovered that THE EYE OF THE WORLD had been published with the erroneous information. I hope they are still not printing the books with it.
Robert Jordan: A rumor. I very seldom confirm my very own existence.
Robert Jordan: I do intend to do an encyclopedia, if you will, at the end of the series, but I don't want to do too much about what is in the books until the series is finished.
Robert Jordan: My first book was accepted by DAW and then rejected by DAW 20 years ago. Whereupon I immediately resigned my position as an engineer. The first year I made nothing, the second year I made $3000, and the third year I made twice what I had made in my best years as an engineer. I have been earning my living with my pen ever since.
Robert Jordan: Given that time is cyclic, you must assume that there is a time when the prison that holds the Dark One is whole and unbroken. There is a time when a hole is drilled into that prison and it is thus open to that degree. And there is a time when the opening has been patched in a makeshift manner. But following this line, the cyclic nature of time means that we have at some time in the future inevitably a whole and unbroken prison again. Unless, of course, the Dark One breaks free, in which case all bets are off -- kick over the table and run for the window.
Robert Jordan: Some facets of being Aes Sedai are being carried out by all Aes Sedai. That is, a Blue sister might dig out an old manuscript and old knowledge. A Brown sister might take on a man who can channel. And a Red sister might engage in political manipulation. But the fact is, to the world at large, one of the primary functions of Aes Sedai is to protect the world from men who can channel. That means that a fair number of young women who go to the White Tower go thinking that this will be one of their major functions as Aes Sedai. So the Red Ajah and the Green Ajah are the two largest.
Robert Jordan: Read and find out.
Robert Jordan: Well, thanks for having me. Thanks for coming, guys. It's been good talking with you. Goodnight.
Anonymous
Posted August 20, 2005
This book is a must for all WoT fans. It fills in so many holes that the books leave with history and how the world was made and runs. This book gives you a much better understanding of the world that Robert Jordan has created and just shows the depth and enormity of his creation. It proves that Robert Jordan spent a lot of time on this series. For those of you who critize it because of illustrations i must say...that is not what the book is for. If you want pictures...read a childs book. Robert Jordan and many other auther's write so that you use your own imagination to create your own mental picture of characters and places. If you are unable to use your own imaginations then you probably should stick to your childhood picture books. Sorry for my speel...anyways...its a great book, it was easy and enjoyable to read and very informative...a must have.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 14, 2012
Avid fans like myself will want this book for the information in it--it was really enlightening about the history of the world. However, as other reviewers have said, don't buy this book for the art. I agree with the earlier reviewer who said te Myrddral isn't scary at all, but the portrait of Loial may well haunt my nightmares for a while.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Bucknut92
Posted February 22, 2010
If you are like me, stories such as Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time are more of an adventure then just something you read. With that in mind, The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time is a perfect companion to help the reader become more immersed in this adventure. I've found myself constantly referring to this book for details on something read in the series. I would highly recommend this book if you enjoy the series.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Jordon creates his world and keeps the reader's interest as he weaves plots on plots and stories in stories as he moves forward to the unknown . . .
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This book is full of great explanatory information but be forewarned: 1) if you haven't read deep into the series, there are going to be plot spoilers, and 2) most of the illustrations are horribly amateurish! Whatever other reviewers have said, there is NO excuse for that!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 29, 2005
When I saw this book in B&N, I wanted to read it to hopefully find out more about the history of the WoT series. Instead, I found that there weren't enough details about some components of the story (the Seanchan), while there was too much information about others (the Whitecloaks, etc.). The artwork was nothing to what I had imagined. Overall, this book is alright at best.
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Posted December 8, 1999
This book is really worth it's price, and everything the pictures are great. the pictures, though, are not so good. there are several places where they are rubbish. A must buy for a WoT fan.
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Posted July 22, 2001
It`s a must have for WOT readers but fell short on the art side. I kind of expected more like it in the great book covers. For those of you who fell like me, check the art of Sarah Ellerton at {www.arts-angel.com} she`s a talented artist.
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Posted March 19, 2001
The book was indeed very informative. I didn't even know that this book existed until I saw it on my computer. It gave me a full understanding of the world of Robert JOrdan. Although,I'm not complaining or anything,but the illustrations were nothing close to what I thought they looked like. But there is a lot of useful information in this book that you won't get in the series. The illustrations on the creatures weren't so bad though. The Myrdral looked cool enough though. I didn't picture Brigget or Nynaeve, or Mat, or any of them for that matter, the way that they were drawn. But it is a really good book that will explain a lot and give some good details about certain areas you have trouble with.
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Posted March 24, 2001
I bought this book hoping that the images of the characters and history would help me to imagine the happenings in the books. I was very disappointed. The images of the characters and of eventful scenes are childish at best and seem to have been done in watercolor. The history is okay, but only parts are intriguing. I must emphasize my disappoinment at the images. I knew the cover art of the books could use some work, but these pictures make them seem photographs. Awful.
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Posted February 14, 2001
It ties up a lot of loose ends with the differant civilizations exspecialy the Aiel and seafolk. The book also gives a lot of history you can't get anywhere else, or is only hinted at. Any WoT fan will like this book.
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Posted February 2, 2001
If you're seeking to put faces with names, this is not the volume to do it with. I would have expected the quality of the illustrations to rival the jackets of the books, and they fall far short. The text, however, gives a fairly complete explanation of the ages, societies, regions and practices that are depicted within the series, and make for a fairly good reference if you are just getting back into the series after an hiatus. I think that we may be able to get a better virtual scene if the characters involved appeared on high quality trading cards. Butt, I believe that the illustrator of this book did not read the entire series prior to embarking on drawing the characters and other scenes. In other words, I don't believe that adequate research was done to produce true depictions of images within this series. JMHO, I'm just another reader and follower of the Wheel of Time series with a livid imagination... ;-D
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Posted February 19, 2000
If you read the Wheel of Time series this book will allow you to dive into the world that Jordan creats to such a degree that the stories almost seem to go from fiction to historical fact. A colorfull, {the pictures could be better}, journey through a world full of lavish settings and amazing plots. A must have for any Jordan fan.
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Posted January 13, 2000
This book is a must have!! It gives you details on some of the Chosen that you don¿t get in the book. It is also nice to be able to compare your ideas of what someone looks like or a what creature looks like to that of the illustrator.
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Posted January 14, 2000
THIS WAS A TRUE LETDOWN PICTORALY THE TEXT INFORMATION WAS VERY GOOD AND THE MAPS WEREN'T TO BAD BUT THE DRAWINGS AND PAINTINGS WERE WORSE THAN TERRIBLE THE FADE PICTURE LOOKED ABOUT AS SCARY AS MY CAT.. SPARE ME PLEASE, ALSO I GOT THE IMMPRESSOIN THAT THEY HELD BACK SOME FACTUAL INFORMATION IN ORDER NOT TO GIVE AWAY ANY OF THE UPCOMING BOOKS WHICH IS FINE, HOWEVER THEY SHOULD HAVE WAITED UNTIL THE END OF THE SERIES TO MAKE A MORE COMPLETE REFERENCE VOLUME NOW I'M GOING TO HAVE TO BUY ANOTHER ONE LATER... COINCIDENCE?
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Posted January 16, 2000
This was one of the most exceptional books I have had the joy of reading. It was a phenominal experience.
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Posted June 2, 2009
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Posted September 16, 2009
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Posted June 25, 2009
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Posted December 22, 2008
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Overview
Since the debut of Robert Jordan's internationally bestselling series in 1990, The Wheel of Time has transported readers to a world so strikingly real, so rich in detail and complexity, it seems to rise from memory rather than a printed page. This essential companion to The Wheel of Time is for the millions interested in the history and the background of this incredible series-never-before-told legends, previously unknown peoples and lands, exotic beasts, and portents of what ...