[kcf]

Tor made it official today, the release date for A Memory of Light, the final Wheel of Time book is January 8, 2013.

Thoughts? Reactions? Reflections?

[Terez]

It will get moved up, I'm sure. It always does by a week or two, and they seem serious about this Year of the Dragon business.

[QuickTidal]

Whatever day it is, I'll be there to pick it up and devour it.

Bring on the Last Battle!

[JLV]

^ Seconded. Can't wait to read the conclusion.

[McLovin]

Weirdly, I feel vaguely sad about it.

[LadyMTL]

McLovin, on 16 February 2012 - 07:38 PM, said:

Weirdly, I feel vaguely sad about it.

I do too! I think for me it's because I started EoTW when I was sixteen and now I'm in my 30's...so it sort of feels like a part of my life will be wrapping up along with the series. Leaving childhood behind and the cat's in the cradle and so on and so forth, hehehehe. That said, I am very excited to see how it ends but if I have to plow through 468 more chapters about Elayne and the politics of Andor to get to the actual Last Battle I might actually (gasp) skip ahead.

This post has been edited by Maia Irraz: 16 February 2012 - 07:59 PM

[Tattersail_]

I started to read tEotW today planning for a November release date

[QuickTidal]

Maia Irraz, on 16 February 2012 - 07:59 PM, said:

McLovin, on 16 February 2012 - 07:38 PM, said:

Weirdly, I feel vaguely sad about it.

I do too! I think for me it's because I started EoTW when I was sixteen and now I'm in my 30's...so it sort of feels like a part of my life will be wrapping up along with the series. Leaving childhood behind and the cat's in the cradle and so on and so forth, hehehehe.

^^This. Yeah, I can't help but feel sad about it ending after 20 years.

[Jade-Green Pig-Hog Swine-Beast]

[Terez]

Come to think of it, the previous Tuesday is still the 1st, which is still 2013. I wouldn't be surprised to see it moved up to that date, with Brandon doing a midnight release party on New Year's Eve to kick off the tour. The previous Tuesday is Christmas, so it won't be released then, or any time in the month previous because no one tours during Christmas holidays. And it's still the Year of the Dragon until February 9. So I also wouldn't be surprised if this date holds, but I still think it's likely it will be moved up to the 1st.

[Cobbles]

Hasn't he already finished the book?

Uh I just checked, he finished the first draft and is 90% through the revision. That seems like an awful long time to publish a book which is that advanced. Anyway, I'll pick it up when it comes out.

I'm excited and sad that it ends.

[Terez]

He's 90% through his first revision.

[Cobbles]

Terez, on 20 February 2012 - 08:27 AM, said:

He's 90% through his first revision.

Sure, it's the first revision and there will be a few more of those, but you'd also think the amount of work done in each revision will be less and less. Anyway, I'm not blaming the guy, he's writing his behind off with WoT, Stormlight, Mistborn etc. I would understand if he needs a break from writing.

[Terez]

Cobbles, on 20 February 2012 - 05:32 PM, said:

Terez, on 20 February 2012 - 08:27 AM, said:

He's 90% through his first revision.

Sure, it's the first revision and there will be a few more of those, but you'd also think the amount of work done in each revision will be less and less.

Theoretically. This revision is all on his own, though. It's going back through and taking what he knows is bad writing—he writes that way intentionally on first drafts—and fixing it. He's sending chunks of chapters or scenes to Harriet and Team Jordan, and what they are sending back to him will be the beginning of the second revision. He hasn't gotten to that yet because he's still doing the first revision. So the second revision will take far longer than the first one does because it's a very recursive thing, and involves some discussion between Brandon and the Team, and sometimes involves trying to figure out how to fix inconsistencies, etc. In the past, especially on TOM, Brandon has minimized the discussion aspect in order to meet a deadline, and those of us who are really hardcore generally are quite happy he's taking the extra time for the last book. Even when discussion was minimized this process took a few months.

Quote

Anyway, I'm not blaming the guy, he's writing his behind off with WoT, Stormlight, Mistborn etc. I would understand if he needs a break from writing.

If anything, I'd say Brandon is probably anxious to get on with Stormlight. He feels bad for putting his own fans (those most loyal to him) on hold for a bunch of crazy WoT fans who are perhaps overly picky. Not that he really says as much publicly. It's just easy to deduce. Publicly he says that Harriet has asked for this time, but it's also easy to deduce that she insists on taking the blame for it, since she doesn't have to deal with crazy fans nearly as often as he does. So again, we are quite happy Brandon is willing to take the time. We know it's a lot more than he signed up for in the beginning, but as a longtime fan, he should have known better. (And we're glad he didn't choose to boil it all down to one book as well.)

[acesn8s]

"I am al'Lan Mandragoran, Lord of the Seven Towers, Defender of the Wall of First Fires, Bearer of the Sword of the Thousand Lakes! I was once named Aan'allein, but I reject that title, for I am alone no more. Fear me, Shadow! Fear me and know. I have returned for what is mine. I may be a king without a land. But I am still a king!"

[Cyphon]

Hopefully this will have a purge of a few annoying characters. No last battle is a proper battle without some proper fatalities.

[Terez]

I'm pretty sure Cadsuane and Gawyn are going to die. I happen to like Cadsuane, but she's on a lot of hate-lists. And so is Gawyn. Pretty sure Egwene will live, though. And since Guinevere-becomes-abbess-of-convent is Arthurian and was planned from the beginning, I'm pretty sure that's the main inspiration behind the Warder Bond (and the effect it has on Aes Sedai when the Warders die).

[Black Winged Lord]

Good to have a firm date.

Hey Terez, I've seen mention on dragonmount and round the place that a prologue has been released. Seen comments from people who've read it etc, but can't bloody find it anywhere. Do you happen to know of some magical link to said goodness?

[Terez]

Black Winged Lord, on 24 February 2012 - 03:55 AM, said:

Good to have a firm date.

Hey Terez, I've seen mention on dragonmount and round the place that a prologue has been released. Seen comments from people who've read it etc, but can't bloody find it anywhere. Do you happen to know of some magical link to said goodness?

Nope, the prologue has not been released. I'm not sure what you're talking about on DM. And while Jason and Jenn are previous beta readers and it's possible they've already read the prologue, I really doubt it, since Brandon has just started working on Team Jordan's revisions. That's alpha-level. And if they'd posted anything about the prologue, I'm sure I would have heard of it.

Brandon said that he was expecting us to get some advance material beginning in the summer, but I wouldn't personally expect anything before August at the earliest, since Brandon said that before the new date was chosen. September/October is probably more likely.

[Terez]

I have a feeling this is about cover art:



And if it's Michael Whelan, that would explain why the release date was pushed back. It just seems strange that they would put Brandon through the mill on this when they could have explained up front and saved him the fanrage.

Edit: I suppose it's possible they felt it was important to separate Whelan from the release date. People might have felt they should choose someone else, and since Brandon is the big Whelan fanboy, that would be a good incentive for him to take that hit.

This post has been edited by Terez: 24 February 2012 - 10:36 PM