The Wheel of Time

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For the philosophical and religious concept, see Wheel of time.

The Wheel of Time (abbreviated tWoT or more commonly, WoT) is a bestselling fantasy book series written by Robert Jordan. It is known for the extreme density of its plot, the intricate detail of its imaginary world -- known as Randland by fans -- and lifelike complexity of relationships and interactions between characters, both individually and collectively. There are 11 books in the series so far. Books 8, 9, and 10 each reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and many of the books have been on the list at one time or another. The series has spawned various game adaptations, including a video game, released by Atari for the personal computer and a tabletop role-playing game, released by Wizards of the Coast and based on d20 rules. Another popular game came in the form of a MUD or Multi-User Dungeon. WoTMUD has been around since the early 1990's.

Robert Jordan has repeatedly said that the main sequence will conclude with the yet-to-be-named twelfth book--which Jordan has now given a working title as A Memory of Light. At least twice he said that he will hold to this statement even if he has to make the last book 1500 pages long. However, Jordan plans to write two other prequel novels in addition to New Spring and possibly two or three other side-plot novels (dragonmount.com).

Contents

       
The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan

Prequel: New Spring
Book 1: The Eye of the World
Book 2: The Great Hunt
Book 3: The Dragon Reborn
Book 4: The Shadow Rising
Book 5: The Fires of Heaven

Book 6: Lord of Chaos
Book 7: A Crown of Swords
Book 8: The Path of Daggers
Book 9: Winter's Heart
Book 10: Crossroads of Twilight
Book 11: Knife of Dreams

Characters | Places | Events | Concepts

The premise

In the beginning, the Creator made the Wheel of Time, which spins the Pattern of the Ages using the lives of men as its threads. The Wheel has seven spokes, each representing an age, and it is rotated by the One Power or the True Source, a source of magic. The One Power is divided into male and female halves, saidin and saidar, which work in opposition and in unison to drive the Wheel; those who can use this power are known as channelers.

The Creator imprisoned Shai'tan, known as the Dark One, a powerful, evil being, at the moment of creation, sealing him away from the Wheel. At some point, however, the Dark One was given purchase in the world through the machinations of well-meaning people and began his efforts to conquer the world, creation, even the Wheel itself. To counter this threat, the Wheel caused the Dragon, the champion of the Light and a channeler of immense power, to be born.

Due to the cyclical nature of the Wheel of Time, there can be no definitive victory for the forces of the Light; the war has been fought innumerable times since the dawn of Creation. The Dragon would defeat Shai'tan and seal him from the Wheel, only to have his work undone millenia later, necessitating his occasional rebirth to counter the continuing threat.

Robert Jordan's novels concern themselves with one incarnation of the Dragon in particular. Three thousand years have passed since the last war between Shai'tan and the Light, which the Dragon (known as Lews Therin Telamon in that life) ended by patching the hole in the Dark One's prison with the help of a group of other male channelers known as the Hundred Companions. Unfortunately, the Dark One managed to taint saidin, the male half of the One Power, with a counterstroke which brought madness and a wasting sickness to any man who channeled it. The taint quickly overcame Lews Therin and his companions and eventually drove every male channeler to insanity, with catastrophic results that changed the face of the world.

The rebirth of the Dragon, then, is viewed with hope and fear. On the one hand, the Dragon Reborn will be a channeler of saidin, vulnerable to the taint which Broke the World once before, and the prophecies promise that his rebirth will bring similar upheavals. On the other hand, he is the only one capable of defeating Shai'tan, who is once again reaching beyond his prison.

References and similarities

Perhaps the most obvious borrowing is the Aes Sedai symbol, which is a modified Yin-Yang solid white on one side, black on the other. The name Aes Sedai is suggestive of the Irish Aes Sidhe. Other references of similar effect include the game of stones played by several of the characters, which is very much like Go. Another is the saying of the Borderlands: Death is lighter than a feather, but Duty is heavier than a mountain. This is an oft-quoted part of the code of the Samurai.

There are also similarities to various martial arts, especially with respect to sword-fighting techniques. In the books, the swordmasters practice and use specific moves that are representative of the behavior of animals and natural phenomena. Each of the moves has a stylized name which is very similar to many East Asian combat styles and traditions (for example: kung fu and samurai). Finally, perhaps most tellingly, the Sword Masters' swords are very similar to a katana.

When creating names in the series, Jordan used names and words of foreign languages, religions, mythologies, and even English, such as with Shai'tan (the prime evil force of the series, also known as the Dark One), and especially visible in names of Trolloc clans (Dha'vol, Kho'bol, etc).

To other literature

Jordan includes several references to J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, such as an inn named "The Nine Rings" (chapter 21, TGH) and "The Nine Horse Hitch" (chapter 11, TFoH), hinting at the rings that enslaved the Nine Riders who sought the One Ring at the Prancing Pony inn. A minor character, Karldin Manfor, uses the pseudonym "Underhill" (prologue, CoT) which is Frodo's traveling name in The Fellowship of the Ring. Perrin's name can be seen as an amalgam of the names of Merry and Pippin, two of Frodo's hobbit companions.

The Aes Sedai have some similarities with the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood of the Dune series; both are orders of women with special powers, both seek to influence politics and powerful individuals, and both are sometimes referred to by other characters as "witches". The Dragon Reborn, like the Kwisatz Haderach, is a male with powers normally reserved for the women of those organizations. Men could and still channel, though because of the taint on the saidin, they are often "gentled" before the talent blooms and they begin to go mad.

To myth and legend

The series also borrows from various myths and legends, most notably Arthurian legend, Irish mythology, Hindu and Norse mythic cycles, and even Christian imagery (the Dragon Reborn, principal hero of the piece, has over the course of the story received woundings similar to stigmata). Noticeably, many of the names are borrowed nearly the same as Arthurian legend:

Sa'angreal is clearly borrowed from Sangreal, the Holy Grail, etc.

Certain individual characters may have other influences on them as well. Mat Cauthon, for example, seems to be quite Odin-like. He is a general; one of Odin's domains is war. Odin hung for days with a spear in his side to gain the knowledge of death; Mat was hanged from a spear propped across two tree branches, as part of a payment for a gift of knowledge. Mat has been prophesied to "give up half the light of the world to save the world", and has been seen in Egwene's dreams placing his eye on a balance scale; Odin gave up his eye for knowledge. Mat uses a spear; Odin used a lance. And both are associated with ravens.

Robert Jordan himself once said: "The characters in the books are the source of many of our myths and legends, and we are the source of many of theirs. You can look two ways along a wheel." [America Online chat, June 28, 1996]

To our world

A number of references occur in The Eye of the World, Chapter 4:

  • Queen Elizabeth: "Alsbet, queen of all" (changed to Elsbet in later editions)
  • Ann Landers: "The Thousand Tales of Anla, the Wise Counselor"
  • Mother Theresa: "Materese the Healer"
  • John Glenn, The Eagle, Sally Ride or Salyut: "Tell us about Lenn," Egwene called. "How he flew to the moon in the belly of an eagle made of fire. Tell about his daughter Salya walking among the stars."

And several more in The Shadow Rising:

  • Mercedes Benz hood ornament: "A silvery thing in another cabinet, like a three-pointed star inside a circle, was made of no substance she knew; it was softer than metal, scratched and gouged, yet even older than any of the ancient bones. From ten paces she could sense pride and vanity." (Chapter 11, What lies hidden, p. 147)
  • Moscow, America, ICBMs, superpowers: "Did Mosk and Merk really fight with spears of fire, and were they even giants?" (Chapter 20, Winds Rising)
  • Gautama Buddha: "Ghoetam under the tree of life" (Chapter 24, Rhuidean, p. 277)

The intended impression is that the world in which the series is set might be our own world at some -- probably later -- point on The Wheel of Time.

A list of more real-world inspirations can be found in The Wheel of Time FAQ, section 3.

Fan opinion

Although the series has generally gained popularity over time, the consensus among fans is that while earlier installments (books 1 to 6, possibly 7) are exemplary epic fantasy, the later ones have degenerated into pulp. Many feel the plot has ground to a near-standstill in recent installments, becoming mired in details, minor politics and the activities of background characters. The tenth book, Crossroads of Twilight, in particular has been widely criticized for adding almost nothing to the overall story, and moving the plot forward less than a single chapter might have in earlier books.

Nevertheless, Jordan never misses an opportunity to say that he has complete control over the story and that it's progressing exactly the way he intends. About the eleventh book, Knife of Dreams, he said it "will have enough incident to satisfy anyone", and "You'll be sweating by the time you reach the end of it."

With the release of the prequel novel New Spring, its comic adaptation, and recently Knife of Dreams, it would appear the series has been given new life. Knife of Dreams has received new acclaim, and has the pace of the earlier books. It is a growing opinion that the lull in books 8-10 was a necessary calm before the storm.

Books in the series

Title Pgs. Chs. 1st Edition Notes
1. The Eye of the World 832 53 15 January 1990
2. The Great Hunt 736 50 15 November 1990
3. The Dragon Reborn 704 56 15 October 1991
4. The Shadow Rising 1008 58 15 September 1992 No Prologue
5. The Fires of Heaven 992 56 15 October 1993
6. Lord of Chaos 1024 55 15 October 1994 First with an Epilogue
7. A Crown of Swords 896 41 15 May 1996
8. The Path of Daggers 704 31 20 October 1998
9. Winter's Heart 800 35 7 November 2000
10. Crossroads of Twilight 864 30 7 January 2003 Also has an Epilogue
11. Knife of Dreams 783 37 11 October 2005 Also has an Epilogue
12. A Memory of Light - working title expected in 2008

All page totals given are for the most widely available paperback editions, except for Knife of Dreams which is still hardcover only.

There is also a prequel novella, "New Spring" in the Legends anthology edited by Robert Silverberg. Jordan expanded this into a standalone 400 page novel, New Spring, that was published in January 2004.

In 2002 the first book, The Eye of the World, was repackaged as two volumes with new illustrations for younger readers: From the Two Rivers, including an extra chapter before the existing prologue, and To the Blight with an expanded glossary. In 2004 the same was done with The Great Hunt, with the two parts being The Hunt Begins and New Threads in the Pattern.

There is a short story available on the web, "The Strike at Shayol Ghul", which predates the main series by several thousand years. That story is also found in The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time (ISBN 0-312-86219-9), an official hardcover guide to the Wheel of Time published in November 1998.

Prologue Ebooks

  • Snow: The Prologue to Winter's Heart (September 2000)
  • Glimmers: The Prologue to Crossroads of Twilight (July 17, 2002)
  • Embers Falling on Dry Grass: The Prologue to Knife of Dreams (July 22, 2005)

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan

Prequel: New Spring
Book 1: The Eye of the World
Book 2: The Great Hunt
Book 3: The Dragon Reborn
Book 4: The Shadow Rising
Book 5: The Fires of Heaven

Book 6: Lord of Chaos
Book 7: A Crown of Swords
Book 8: The Path of Daggers
Book 9: Winter's Heart
Book 10: Crossroads of Twilight
Book 11: Knife of Dreams

Characters | Places | Events | Concepts
Retrieved from "http://en.freepedia.org/The_Wheel_of_Time.html"


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