For many...for millions,
The Wheel of Time is the definitive sci-fi fantasy series of the last decade-and-a-half. There are
Game of Thrones fans out there who would take issue with that statement (indeed, message board threads on the very subject can be downright nasty) but
the two writers were friendly acquaintances and The Wheel of Time has sold somewhere upwards of 45 million copies since
'The Eye of the World' debuted in 1990. The series doesn't posses an abundance of grim deaths and medieval-political maneuvers like you'll find in one of George R.R. Martin's novels. Instead, The Wheel of Time is more in-line with the sweeping, quest-focused traditional sword and sorcery epics of the
Tolkien variety. The two fantasy series are more like apples and oranges than anything else, unlike Game of Thrones which starts off very mature, The Wheel of Time is a series that hooks you at a young age and matures with the reader as the years pass. The books follow the exploits of Rand al'Thor, Matt Cauthon, and Perrin Aybara, three farm youths who have increasingly dangerous and exciting adventures as they maneuver towards a looming showdown with ultimate Evil. Across thirteen novels, you see these three grow into the stuff of legends but there are still plenty of small moments filled with laughter, love, sorrow and betrayal. Many fans that cut their teeth on the
LOTR trilogy find their growing fantasy appetite sated within the Jordan's world of
Aes Sedai magic wielders and their stone faced, sword wielding
Warder partners.
On September 16, 2007, Robert Jordan succumbed to the rare heart disease primary amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy with the then-finale 'A Memory of Light' yet to be written. Many fans feared that the series would remain forever unfinished but Jordan knew his illness was terminal and made preparations for someone to carry the series across the finish-line if he should pass before wrapping up his masterwork. Signing over the rights to his wife Harriet, she selected then-relatively unknown sci-fi author Brandon Sanderson after reading his moving eulogy on Jordan. Two years later, the finale that was originally planned to be one book was split into three and tomorrow, the last book will be released and
The Last Battle will be fought.
There have been numerous attempts to expand the fantasy series into other mediums including comic books, video games, television and film. In 2000,
NBC optioned the rights to
The Eye of the World for a fantasy series but things didn't progress beyond the development stage as key personnel involved with the project left the company. In 2008,
Universal purchased the film rights to the series but there hasn't been much in the way of development.
Dynamite Entertainment currently publishes the comic book adaptation of the series which is written by
Chuck Dixon and features art from
Francis Rafael Nuguit.
A Memory of Light goes on sale January 8th, 2013. You can pre-purchase your copy by clicking
HERE.
"“The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come to pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past…”