The Pattern

Tor Books announced today that novelist Brandon Sanderson has been chosen to finish writing the final novel in Robert Jordan's bestselling Wheel of Time fantasy series. Jordan--described by some as Tolkien's heir--died Sept. 16 from a rare blood disease. The new novel, A Memory of Light, will be the 12th and final book in the fantasy series which has sold more than 14 million copies in North America and more than 30 million copies worldwide. The last four books in the series were all #1 New York Times bestsellers.

Harriet Popham Rigney, Jordan's widow and editor, chose Sanderson to complete A Memory of Light--which Jordan worked on almost daily for the last few months of his life--and will edit it. Rigney said some scenes from the book were completed by Jordan before his death, and some exist in draft form. "He left copious notes and hours of audio recordings," she said. He also revealed details about the end of the series to close members of his family.

Sanderson, who acknowledged Jordan as an inspiration to him as a writer, has established a loyal fan base as the author of three fantasy novels: Elantris, Mistborn and The Well of Ascension (Tor), as well as a YA novel, Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians (Scholastic Press). Sanderson said, "I'm both extremely excited and daunted by this opportunity. There is only one man who could have done this book the way it deserved to be written, and we lost him in September. However, I promise to do my very best to remain true to Mr. Jordan's vision and produce the book we have all been waiting to read."

A Memory of Light is scheduled for publication in fall 2009.

Brandon Sanderson på Westeros wrote:
Ah, Westeros. This place is always so fun to visit. It's actually kind of refreshing--there's never a lack for determined opinions.

I will make no claim on being anywhere as near as good an author as Mr. Jordan. However, in my opinion, there are very few authors out there who are that good. Mr. Martin could have done it, I'm sure--but it would have put a serious delay on his own books, which are already very delayed.

These are big shoes to fill, and--to be honest--I don't think I'll ever fill them. However, it IS a dream come true to be able to work on this project. I'm honest when I say I've loved these books since I was a youth.

Pat, my style is different from Mr. Jordan's intentionally. Both Mistborn and Elantris are reactions to the current fantasy market, as I try to add to the discussion without retreading ground others have already covered. That doesn't mean, however, that I don't appreciate a more densely-descriptive, introspective style like the Jordan books. I hope that, in several years time, you'll find you agree with Harriet's choice.

Just a quick note to thank you all for your good wishes. I just wanted to let you know that I have now seen the notes, and while I can't say anything specific without breaking my NDA, I will say that the notes are in far better shape than I had expected. Mr. Jordan's staff are very skilled, and they have complied an outline for me that goes scene-by-scene. After reading through it, I'm confident we can produce a book that Mr. Jordan would have been pleased with.

Also, I DO finally know who killed Asmodean, and I promise to include it in the book to finally answer that question for you.

Also, I WILL be more detailed in my descriptions for this book. I may need a fleet of people to help me get the clothing descriptions down, but I'll do it!

I may need a fleet of people to help me get the clothing descriptions down, but I'll do it!

Morten wrote:

I may need a fleet of people to help me get the clothing descriptions down, but I'll do it!

Oh crap.

rand al'thore wrote:er jo tross alt Tarmon Gai’don som boka skal handle om