The twelfth book in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series was released today; posthumously, and with the writing assistance of Brandon Sanderson.  According to the product description on Amazon, this book "begins [the Wheel of Time series'] dramatic conclusion."  Whoa!  Begins?

When I ran across this news item, I had to stop and reminisce for a little while.  The first Wheel of Time novel was published in 1990, just as I graduated from high school and started college.  I was actually passing out of my fantasy phase then, but The Eye of the World was a huge blockbuster hit (within the genre) and everyone told me I had to read it.  I picked it up, enjoyed it, and read the next few novels in the series as well.

I actually don't remember anything about the books, except that the characters traveled a lot, and at great length.  I also remember it felt like a fitting tribute to Tolkein's work, for a world where Tolkein's output was not nearly enough.  Sometimes we want more, and we just don't get it, and that's life.  But in the case of Robert Jordan's novels, they definitely helped to scratch that itch.

I'm not sure exactly when I fell off the Wheel of Time wagon.  I know I'm not the only person to do so, suffer from Wheel of Time Fatigue, but clearly there are plenty of people who haven't.  The series as a whole has sold over 44 million copies worldwide, and Wikipedia reports that there is a movie of the first novel tentatively in the making.

To call the Wheel of Time series "ambitious" is to understate the case considerably.  It makes the Lord of the Rings series look anemic, both in size and in scope.  The Wheel of Time books have lapped Tolkein's output three times over, and there are still two more books (after this one) to go before the series will be complete.  Jordan himself has openly admitted that he had the Lord of the Rings series firmly in mind when he created his characters and plots, and has made several changes to the series so that it resembles Tolkein's masterpiece more closely.

When Robert Jordan was diagnosed with a fatal disease at the end of 2005, he had enough time and energy to write out copious notes on how he wanted his series to finish.  He clearly meant for another author to pick up where he would have to leave off (which makes the transition seem a little more honorable than, say, Blade Runner 2).  Jordan's widow herself chose Brandon Sanderson to carry the torch, and early reviews of Sanderson's work have been positive.

Although Jordan had intended to finish out his series on the twelfth novel - presumably because "12" is handily linked with the concept of time, which runs through the series - the publisher has opted to split it into three separate books.  Which is probably a good decision on their part, considering the massive heft that single book would have entailed!