At 10:00 a.m. this Saturday, August 9th, the World Science Fiction Convention in Denver will host the following panel:

 

449: Rolling up the Wheel of Time

CCC - Room 504

Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series has been rolling on for quite a few years now. Find out how Jordan wanted to finish the series, who is going to write the ending, and how the publishers are making it happen.

Brandon Sanderson, (m) Moshe Feder, Peter Ahlstrom, Tom Doherty.

 

I am not sure why they put me on the panel (that's a daunting group to be in!), but I'd like to make the most of it as a sort of representative of the fans who won't be able to be there. So I'm throwing this thread open to questions, of which I'll try to ask as many as possible.

 

Just a couple ground rules--

• Please don't suggest a question if you're actually going to be there. There should be plenty of time for the panelists to take audience questions.
• Please don't bother asking questions to which you already know the answer will be RAFO. Keep in mind that Brandon is pretty much guaranteed to be even less candid than Robert Jordan would have been in this situation.

 

I'll be paying the most attention to the questions submitted in the next 24 hours, since I'm leaving for Denver on Wednesday morning. As for how you'll get your answers...I'm guessing that at least one podcaster will record the panel, but I'll still take as many notes as I can.

 

[EDIT: My report is posted.]

And how exactly do I get tickets?

Preregistration is over, but you can register on-site. You should know, though, that Worldcon is very expensive.

 

Information at: http://www.denvention.org/

Bummer, I book marked the site, hopefully they will do it again next year and I can get in as a volunteer or something.

Is the prologue part of the 25% he is sending to harriet?

Can we expect it to be released before the book?

After the book is finished will he be able to answer questions about what RJ left in his notes?

Just what his take on what was left. Things like if RJ had explanations for things that might not be covered in the book, but are in the notes.

Most of the other stuff I think would end up as RAFO so I will stop here.

 

Thank you so much for giving those of us who can not get there a possible chance at questions.

OK, I'll definitely ask some of those.

Bummer, I book marked the site, hopefully they will do it again next year and I can get in as a volunteer or something.

Bookmark next year's site—Worldcon's in Montreal next year. (It moves around, much like the Olympics except it's every year.)

Raitlin: I don't think BS has any right to answer questions about wot.

After the last book comes out perhaps Harriet or RJ's editors can answer a few question. they know exactly what RJ said in the past.

BS doesn't know that. He probably will answer wrongly.

Besides it's handy to keep some discussing open ;)

 

 

 

Raitlin: I don't think BS has any right to answer questions about wot.

After the last book comes out perhaps Harriet or RJ's editors can answer a few question. they know exactly what RJ said in the past.

BS doesn't know that. He probably will answer wrongly.

Besides it's handy to keep some discussing open ;)

 

 

 

i do not know if anyone will know the final notes much better then he will after all is said and done. i also think it is more likly we will get a chance to ask him rather then harriet. i would love to here all that she knows also. I just do not know if we ever will.

I really don't agree with that. BS won't know the notes as much as Harriet and RJ's editors. They have worked with RJ, have seen him answering questions etc.

BS also said he will be sending the text to Harriet, so she can check it as well. He will know a bit about the last book, but won't know everything about the series. He can't know how RJ thought about things and wanted everything.

 

Asking BS wot questions is just plain wrong. Than he would be replacing RJ, while he has just been asked to help finish the last book, on which RJ worked a lot!

 

 

The questions need to be answered though; it is part of the buildup to the book being released. He would not be replacing RJ at all. The book needs the attention it deserves, and these interviews and questionings are part of it. Nothing will be spoiled by them.

 

 

Questions I would like to have answered;

 

Are there plans for sample chapters of AMoL to be released?

 

From a readers PoV, is there any character Brandon was dissapointed in? If so who and why?

 

Was Semirhage lying in KoD about the Rand-Lews Therin situation or not? Clarification is needed, simply because I am the only person who thinks the Forsaken can actually tell the truth.

 

So far, many people have been dissapointed by the apparant absentness of Demandred. Will this change in the next book? Is Demandred a big player in AMoL?

3 questions I'd ask:

 

- Does the end-of-2008 deadline still count?

 

- Are there any notes about the outrigger novels and/or the unwritten prequels, and if so, how substantial are those?

 

- Will the book still be published at the same time in Europe as in the US (English version, of course)?

I disagree with Isabel.

 

BS is actually going to write the last book. He cannot do that without thoroughly understanding the characteristics of each character and remembering everything that happened throughout the books.

 

True, he is not RJ- but it is not fair to state that he is not qualified for answering questions. He was, after all, chosen by Harriet to complete the series. That gives him the authority to answer questions that readers put forth.

 

I don't see how you say that he wouldn't know the series well. How on earth can he possibly write the last book without knowing the books well? Though I am pretty sure that he could know them better, I think you are downgrading him too much.

 

Harriet selected him. That is a big +++++

 

All my questions are definitely RAFO so no point there.........

While I disagree with Isabel regarding Brandons knowledge of the books, keep in mind that not only has he been a fan for a long time, he also has access to basically every little piece of information left behind by RJ, I am quite sure any questions about the content of the books would be a waste of time, as Brandons contract most certainly would be quite explicit in prohibiting him from answering any such things. So it is not a matter of whether or not he has the knowledge, it is a matter of Brandon not wanting to violate the terms of his contract.

 

Asking about an early release of the prologue is also most likely a wasted question, since the only influence Brandon has on this is if he manages to finish the prologue early enough to warrant an early release. Whether or not it actually would be released early like the last few prologues is rather something one should ask TOR about.

 

 

The questions need to be answered though; it is part of the buildup to the book being released. He would not be replacing RJ at all. The book needs the attention it deserves, and these interviews and questionings are part of it. Nothing will be spoiled by them. 

 

You are asking also wot questions. BS cannot answer these and should not answer these. He is not the creator of this series and cannot know everything. If he also starts to answer wot questions, than in my opinion he is replacing RJ. Plus whatever he says about wot is not reliable, because RJ could have said things differently and we have no way to know if what he says is correct and what RJ meant to do.

 

I don't see how you say that he wouldn't know the series well. How on earth can he possibly write the last book without knowing the books well? Though I am pretty sure that he could know them better, I think you are downgrading him too much.

 

When you look at the blogs regarding the rereads of the books, you can see that he has sometimes made a mistake about wot. I don't say he doesn't know anything, but he doesn't understand every motive, every little thing that happened in the books, because he is not the writer.

 

When I met RJ it was always fun to ask him questions and try to phrase things differently to get an answer ;) And try to get as much out of what RJ was saying as possible.

Those things, foreshadowing, details are also what made wot special to me.

 

And BS does not have the authority to answer wot related questions unless Harriet gives him permission. He signed a contract and I assume all the rights regarding the wheel of time are still with Harriet.

 

I think BS looks like a nice guy who will do his utmost best to complete wot as good as possible. Only the wheel of time is and will never be his series.

 

I really think that people who want him to answer wot questions and him to continue the wheel of time and to write the prequels have no respect for RJ. They don't seem to care that he isn't there anymore because BS can do everything that RJ did. Just accept that some things aren't possible anymore, because RJ passed away.

I would have loved to read Infinity of Heaven or any dozen other books by RJ, but that's not going to happen anymore.

The same with getting answers on some questions.

 

I have two questions Isabel; are you going read AMoL and can you cite a place the re-read blogs where BS made a mistake?

On Topic, I will just wait for the book to come out or for any answers to be put on Dragonmount.

Yes, I will read aMoL. At first I only wanted a book with what RJ had so far. I still hope that will be published. I do understand why they decided to find another writer to finish it. RJ wanted it to be properly finished and there was still a lot of work to be done. So I am ok with it now. RJ worked also a lot on this book and I really find that amazing and want to read the last scene he wrote.

I also think that BS will to the best he can and he seems to be a decent guy. However it won't be exactly the wheel of time we are used to. I don't expect to read a sentence and than thinking 'hey this is good for this or that theory'. While if RJ had finished the book complete I would look for clues for the Mat and Tuon story ;)

 

I don't remember exactly but BS made a mistake regarding the Moiraine // Lan meeting and also I got the sense when reading the blog he wasn't  as involved as most of the people on the messageboards and so  didn't understand everything.

He just started to read interviews with RJ and I don't think he had any detailed wot discussions. Ofcourse that might be an advantage as well for a writer.So in my opinion he read wot a lot and really liked it, but he wasn't one of the fantatical fans who had detailed discussions.

 

I do realize he has Harriet now and all RJ's notes, but not everything will be in the notes. For example: RJ said two different things regarding Thom's daggers and the White Bridge incident. He told me both were true, and he knows exactly how Thom escaped.

However, is that in the notes? Because RJ also kept a lot in his head. Plus the level of detail we would have asked RJ is not something BS should ever be asked.

 

Anyway, just my opinion. Sorry I react so strongly, but it really upsets me when people seem to be forgetting RJ and glorify BS.

 

Isabel // Emma

Brandon posted his thoughts on the read through very much as a reader, not as the writer who will finish AMOL. And as such, the occasional mistake regarding smaller themes can happen, and it is not such a big deal. After all, we have people here who after years of involvment in our discussions still believe that Taim = Demandred. So just being involved in discussions is not exactly a guarantee for grasping all the details. (And I would say Taimandred is a way bigger deal than whatever minor mistake he might have made with Moiraine and Lan.)

 

As for "when people seem to be forgetting RJ and glorify BS", it is not exactly people chosing Brandon over RJ. There is no choice, RJ is no longer with us to answer any questions, and thus we have to go to Brandon. Who obviously will not answer any questions, but I am sure he would enjoy being able to use the infamous RAFO a couple of times ;D

Most of the other stuff I think would end up as RAFO so I will stop here.

 

RJ said:

 

The major storylines will all be tied up, along with some of the secondary, and even some of the tertiary, but others will be left hanging. I'm doing that deliberately, because I believe it will give the feel of a world that's still out there alive and kicking, with things still going on. I've always hated reaching the end of a trilogy and finding all of the characters', all the country's, all the world's, problems are solved. It's this neat resolution of everything, and that never happens in real life

 

 

Does the end-of-2008 deadline still count?

 

From: mistborn Date: July 12th, 2008 09:59 am (UTC)

 

I won't lie--it's going to be tight. When I first agreed to the deadline, I hadn't seen any materials, and didn't know how long the book was going to be. (I was still hoping to make it around 300k then, as opposed to the 4-500k that it's looking like it will need to be.)

 

The deadline has always been December 31st, not the first, so that gives me more like 5.5 months. I wrote the first quarter in about 2.5 months, but one thing to remember is that I chose one of the most difficult (and least developed) sections to do first. My philosophy is that this section would be the best to get to Harriet for editing first.

 

So, the remaining three quarters should go faster than the first quarter did, as there is a lot of material there from Mr. Jordan. When I say '25% done,' remember that I'm not including the sections he himself wrote but which aren't part of the viewpoint I'm working on. I'm writing this book by plot sequence. That means when I begin work on the next group of viewpoint characters, when I reach section done by Mr. Jordan, I'll read over them and streamline them into the rest of the story, then add those percentage points as being 'done.' That means weeks will come where percentage points go up very quickly.

 

Even with that, there's a chance I'll miss the deadline by a few months. (Though even if I do, I think we'll still be able to get the book out by its November deadline.) I've never been part of a project like this before, and it's difficult for me to judge just how long it will take me to complete the various sections. Quality comes first. If it takes more time, it takes more time, I'm not going to rush out a book. This is the last volume in the series; it needs to be a fitting capstone.

 

That said, I'm going to do my best to get it in by that December 31st deadline. I think I can still make it. A lot will depend on how much I'm able to write during the book tour and the cons. (I wrote when I was at ALA and BEA in June.)

 

Are there any notes about the outrigger novels and/or the unwritten prequels, and if so, how substantial are those?

 

Sanderson has also said that the semi-planned two 'outrigger' novels, of which the Seanchan book is one and the story of Tam al'Thor is the other, had some very detailed notes left behind, not far short of those for AMoL, and if AMoL is well-received and Harriet is happy with the results, he would consider writing those books as well.

 

Are there plans for sample chapters of AMoL to be released?

 

Bs:

 

I do want to post sample chapters from AMoL, but it will have to wait on Tor's approval. In the past, they've actually sold the prologue of Mr. Jordan's works as an electronic download before the actual book comes out. Maybe they'll do this. I kind of wish they'd just let me post it for free, but as the prologue was one of the chunks that Mr. Jordan worked on the most, I think it would be a good piece to release for readers before the book comes out.

 

He was, after all, chosen by Harriet to complete the series. Harriet selected him. That is a big +++++

 

He was the first? Or the second? Or the 39th? Anyway, he is from TOR.

 

 

because RJ could have said things differently and we have no way to know if what he says is correct and what RJ meant to do.

 

From BS:

 

However, we’ve put our time to very good use, working out the outline for Book Twelve. (There were some holes in the plot and questions about characters we needed to work through.) Maria put it best with some of these holes: It’s like we’re putting together a jigsaw.

 

 

He is a real "fan":

As a reminder, I've read these books before, but it has now been some six or seven years since I've read through the entire series from the beginning.

 

 

When you look at the blogs regarding the rereads of the books, you can see that he has sometimes made a mistake about wot. I don't say he doesn't know anything, but he doesn't understand every motive, every little thing that happened in the books, because he is not the writer.

 

 

I find this funny because with a series this massive it would be impossible to keep every fact straight. Even RJ got caught a few times and like you say it's his creation.

 

Anyway, I'd like to know what's going to happen with RJ's notes, not only for AMoL but for the other WoT related works he had planned. Some time after the release of AMoL I would love to be able to see what BS had to work with when he started i.e. what RJ managed to get done.

 

I also want to know if there are any plans to continue writing prequels, whether from RJ's own notes or from another auther, BS or otherwise.

Asking about an early release of the prologue is also most likely a wasted question, since the only influence Brandon has on this is if he manages to finish the prologue early enough to warrant an early release. Whether or not it actually would be released early like the last few prologues is rather something one should ask TOR about.

 

 

 

I believe that Tom Doherty will be on the panel, so this is a valid question.

I believe that Tom Doherty will be on the panel, so this is a valid question.

 

Ah right, I missed that ;D

Well, just make sure to direct the question to the right person then :)

Yes! More questions for Tom would be great. Spread them around. (Though I'm not sure what relevant questions to ask Moshe other than "How does it feel to have your author stolen away by another editor for over a year?" Even then, the answer is pretty obvious.)

 

I did mention Brandon won't be able to answer many story-related questions, and I think it has to be understood that even after the book is out and some questions go unanswered, Brandon would never expect to be asked things as if he were Robert Jordan. Far from calling a desire to ask Brandon things an insult to Robert Jordan, I would call it a testament to Mr. Rigney's lasting legacy.

It would be interesting to hear Tom say something about his first thoughts when RJ presented his idea about such a massive work as WOT. Did he immidiatly jump at it, or did it take some convincing?

 

 

I'd like to know if Brandon has asked for any input from other writers for advice on this process - it isn't like there are alot of examples to draw on for what he has to do.

It would be interesting to ask Mr. Doherty whether AMOL will be published as one volume or two if BS is correct and the final draft is close to 500k. If there is any chance that it would be two volumes then it would be quite interesting to learn howclosely the two volumes would be published.