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Adam's Wheel of Television: Season 2 Wrapped

Adam Whitehead is Dragonmount's TV blogger. Adam has been writing about film and television, The Wheel of Time, and other genre fiction for over fifteen years, and was a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer in 2020. Be sure to check out his websites, The Wertzone and Atlas of Ice and Fire (including The Wheel of Time Atlas!) as well as his Patreon.
 
The Wheel of Time has wrapped production on its sophomore season on Amazon Prime. Amazon made the formal announcement today.
 
 
 
Season 2 began shooting on 19 July 2021, meaning the production of the second season took ten months in total.
 
That’s a huge improvement on Season 1, which shot for twenty months from 16 September 2019 to 14 May 2021. The immense shoot was, of course, delayed by the COVID19 pandemic, which resulted in two breaks in production for lockdowns and filming suspensions.
 
Despite rumours circulating, Amazon has not so far formally greenlit a third season. They have also not confirmed yet when Season 2 will air.
 
The second season is always an interesting time for a TV show, either allowing it to build on the successes of the first season and become even bigger or failing to maintain the audience and excitement from the debut season, which can put it on the path to cancellation.
 
Second seasons can be rough. Producers and writers might have several years to write the first season (or the pilot) and just months or even weeks to write the second season. Sometimes writers just want to repeat themselves from Season 1, leading to accusations of resting on their laurels (the fate of many a Star Trek sophomore season). Sometimes writers decide to throw in a whole ton of new characters, sometimes at the expense of the original cast, leading to criticism (arguably the fate of Lost and Heroes). Sometimes the writer will go really left-field and set the second season in a different location to the first, following different storylines and leaving behind characters and stories from the debut. David Simon pursued this course with The Wire, to the annoyance of not just fans and critics, but also some of his best actors who found themselves with a lot less to do. Of course, in the long run the move was vindicated. For True Detective, which changed absolutely everything including the entire cast, it was not.
 
Other shows thrive in their second season. They take on board the lessons learned from the first, tighten up the storytelling, maybe lose the stand-alone scene and character-setting episodes from the debut year and move forward with greater verve and confidence. Shows like Babylon 5 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer made absolutely massive strides from their first to second year, upping the quality of writing and storytelling in a huge way and sometimes delivering a season that would go on to be regarded as the best of the whole show. Agents of SHIELD – on which a certain R. Judkins worked as producer and writer – famously had a divisive first season followed by a blistering second season which threw together a whole bunch of great concepts (Hydra, Inhumans and two factions of SHIELD) and moved with tremendous pace and skill, and was credited with saving the show and ensuring it went on for a full seven-year run.
 
For The Wheel of Time, it’ll be interesting to see how the scales fall. And, of course, as an adaptation of a book series, it has its own unique challenges to handle.
 
The first challenge will be integrating the new cast of characters with the cast from the first season. To some extent this problem has been reduced because many characters who debuted in the second novel have already shown up in Season 1: Siuan Sanche, Liandrin and Alanna Mosvani are good examples of that. This means that Season 2 can focus on introducing a smaller cast of new characters, since some of the heavy lifting has been done for them. There are a few counter-examples though, of Book 1 characters who have been delayed to Season 2 (like Elyas Machera and Elayne Trakand), and even Book 3 characters who are being introduced this season (most notably Aviendha). With only eight episodes to work with, the show has to be careful on how it divides its attention between its existing cast and the newcomers. Part of this will also be integrating Dónal Finn as the new actor playing Mat Cauthon (after Barney Harris’s departure during the filming of Season 1), giving him time to settle into the role.
 
To this end, Wheel of Time can take some tips from the second season of Game of Thrones, which also brought in a substantial number of new characters (Stannis, Melisandre, Roose Bolton, Davos, Margaery Tyrell, Brienne) and was able to make them as popular and enjoyable to watch as the (quite large) existing Season 1 cast.
 
However, Wheel of Time has a bigger challenge as well. With the show likely to only last seven to eight seasons of eight episodes apiece, the show has more than twice as much book material as Game of Thrones to cover in fewer episodes. With Season 1 almost wholly restricting itself to material from The Eye of the World, Season 2 will probably cast its net further afield and adapt elements from not just The Great Hunt but also The Dragon Reborn, and maybe even other books in the series. Doing so in a coherent manner will be challenging to the writers.
 
It will also be a challenge to some of the fans. The first season of The Wheel of Time attracted reasonable critical reviews and a strong audience for Amazon, but some devoted fans of the books struggled with the deviations from the text, in characterisation, the changing of plot points or worldbuilding details. Season 2 will probably have no choice but to take the TV series even further away from the books in terms of fidelity to the source material, as it has to adapt a broader range of material from more books. Inevitably, fan-favourite characters and storylines will not make the cut.
 
Season 2 should benefit in one area: how it handles production during a pandemic. Season 1 was three-quarters shot when the COVID19 pandemic shut down production for several months, before shooting on Season 1 could wrap under heavy quarantine restrictions. It’s clear that the crew were scrambling to implement restrictions and make them work whilst also maintaining a crisp and efficient filming schedule. For Season 2 they were much more prepared for this kind of filming, which hopefully should have helped make things go more smoothly.
 
The second season of The Wheel of Time does not have a release date yet. As usual, we will keep you informed of all the relevant details. For more information, visit our TV show section of the website. 
 
As usual, please continue to follow developments on our casting and news pages, and the forum, and stay tuned for more info as we get it.
  • Teaser Paragraph:

    The Wheel of Time has wrapped production on its sophomore season. Let's look at the wrap news and also the challenges faced by any show heading into its second season.

Werthead
Werthead

Interview with Maria Simons

JordanCon 2022 wrapped up a few weeks ago, but that doesn't mean we're out of content!
 
Kitty Rallo got an opportunity to sit down and chat with Maria Simons, of Team Jordan, to get some inside information.  Maria shared her start with joining Robert Jordan as an office assistant, and how her role evolved over the years.  
 
You can check out the full video here:
 
 
 
For those who have been fortunate enough to chat with Maria, you can easily see how much of a treasure she is!  
 
Do you have a meeting Maria story you'd like to share?  Let us know in the comments!
  • Teaser Paragraph:

    Kitty Rallo sat down with Maria Simons--of Team Jordan--to talk Wheel of Time, Robert Jordan, JordanCon, and the Amazon Prime Video's TV adaptation.

Mashiara Sedai
Mashiara Sedai

Rajiv’s Threads In the Pattern: The Quiet Parts

Rajiv Moté is Dragonmount’s book blogger with a lens on the craft of fiction writing. When he’s not directing software engineers, he writes fiction of his own, which can be found catalogued at his website.
 
As the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse rampage across the news headlines, there is a trend in fiction circles gaining traction with those who seek respite in imaginary worlds. “Cozy fantasy” is a sort of comfort food genre where conflict is minimal, the stakes are low, and endings (if not beginnings and middles) are, well, cozy. Travis Baldree’s Legends and Lattes is about an Orc barbarian who retires to open a coffee shop. Wyngraf, a new, online fantasy magazine is devoted to cozy fantasy and explains the genre’s parameters and inspiration on their site. An upcoming fantasy magazine, Tales & Feathers, plans on publishing “slice of life” fantasy to “luxuriate in the vignette and celebrate quiet beauty.”
 
Fans of the fantasy genre know that the quiet moments have long been a secret pleasure in even the most high-stakes, battle-to-save-the-world stories. The journey is long, hard, and dangerous, but there are places of safety and comfort--however temporary--along the way. It’s usually when our heroes have time to reflect and gather themselves that they find the courage and stamina to press on. Other Dragonmount articles discuss treatments of home and how prologues and epilogues help address the smaller, beloved plot beats. (I have a cozy, quiet story published in Wyngraf #1 called “Epilogue” that explores the themes in those two Dragonmount articles.)
 
“Cozy” often works in a story as an antidote for hardship. It is the contrasting texture that keeps an otherwise grim tale from numbing the reader. We, like the characters, require rest and solace, a chance to give our adrenal glands a break. We need a reminder of the good in the world worth fighting for. Samwise Gamgee said it best in the movie adaptation of The Two Towers.
 
 
It remains to be seen if a purely cozy fantasy can stand on its own without a contrasting aesthetic to “earn” it--in the story itself or in the reader’s real life. But in a rich, textured story, the quiet parts are often the ones that stay with us and reveal the most about our favorite characters.
 
The Wheel of Time has many quiet, cozy moments that remain among my favorite scenes. It’s interesting to examine them to figure out why they’re so effective, so I’m going to put one such scene under the lens for each of our major protagonists.
 
Rand al’Thor
 
One of my favorite sequences in The Eye of the World, if not the entire Wheel of Time, is where Rand and Mat are on the road to Caemlyn, surviving on their wits, modest skills, and sheer luck. A Myrddraal is in pursuit. It has seemingly killed their protector and mentor, Thom. Darkfriends are everywhere. A stop along the way is the Grinwell farm, which the Amazon Prime adaptation rendered as a horror sequence, but the book rendered rather cozy. In exchange for a day’s labor, the farm became a place of safety and comfort, but only temporarily.
 
 
Rand and Mat, through hard work and new skills they’ve learned from Thom, manage to earn a hot meal and a bed, but Mistress Grinwell is firm that they get an early start the next day. The stakes--food, shelter, and safety--are basic. The threats--an amorous farmer’s daughter and her protective mother--are gentle. Still, there are moments of healing, mourning, joy, romantic tension, and resignation to the danger yet to be faced. It gives us a look at Rand’s proper upbringing, and a sense of how he’s growing as an independent man under his own steam.
 
I’ll give Rand two scenes, on account of Lews Therin. Near the end of the series, this scene is a different kind of quiet: a fascinating encounter with his Ages-old enemy.
 
 
No threats, temptation, or bullying from the Betrayer of Hope this time around. All that remains is the Last Battle. Moridin/Ishamael/Elan Morin Tedronai is tired, and has nothing left but despair and nihilism. The hope that Ishamael betrayed first was his own. There is no reconciliation or sympathy here: Rand and Moridin remain enemies bent on each other’s destruction. But it’s still a moment of understanding more than open conflict. The scene quietly reveals what the Dragon and the Nae’blis represent: hope vs. despair.
 
Perrin Aybara
Quiet moments are where Perrin shines, and he has many beautiful ones. His return home in The Shadow Rising, and his marriage to Faile, are what made Perrin my favorite character of the series. But the moment I chose is earlier, in The Dragon Reborn, when he takes some time to work in a smithy, and Faile sees him for who he truly is.
 
 
The scene (edited for length, as are all of them) is full of blacksmithy details, from the perspective of a young man who wanted this life. It reveals so much about his character through point of view and action. One of my favorite ways for characters to be revealed is to show them operating inside their expertise, even (or especially) when that expertise is tangential to their destiny. The world and the Wheel have chosen a different path for Perrin, but here we see Perrin take a rest by immersing himself in the work he loves, and being the man he is. Best of all, Faile sees Perrin for what he is, at his core--the hidden stakes of this scene. Not only did Perrin acquire a hammer to counterbalance his axe, but he gained a person who understood what he was, apart from what he must be. This is the scene that cemented Perrin’s character in my mind, and made him my favorite.
 
Mat Cauthon
Trouble and conflict always seems to follow Mat, even when he’s out trying to enjoy himself. Mat is often the comic relief as he drinks and gambles with his friends, especially Birgitte, but the most “Mat” moment for me was when he and his men indulged in a night of dancing.
 
 
The only stakes here are Mat’s pride in front of his men with a woman who can talk circles around him. In this kind of “battle,” Mat manages it so everyone wins. It’s a fun scene that takes care of a lot of exposition about Mat’s memories from other men’s lives and the results of his encounters with the Aelfinn and Eelfinn. But it’s also about Mat flirting and having fun, being thrown off balance by a savvy barmaid, and evening the scales by dancing with her well. It sets up Mat, the military genius, the master of shifting tactics, in a light, joyful scene. This is another scene of a character operating inside their expertise: Mat intuitively uses all his knowledge and luck to change the dynamic to his advantage. It manifests later in his courtship of the Daughter of the Nine Moons, and in every battle he leads.
 
Egwene al’Vere
Before she became burdened with duty and politics, Egwene had some wonderful scenes with her friends in the White Tower, supporting each other, conspiring together, and having each other’s backs. But I always return to Egwene from The Eye of the World, having her first taste of independence away from home by the Tinkers’ fires. There are parallels with Rand’s time on the road--indeed, Rand and Egwene are on parallel journeys--but Egwene embraces the world, and learns anything and everything she can from the cultures she encounters.
 
 
Egwene was the one member of the Emond’s Field Five eager to go out into the world. At this point, she is all but betrothed to Perrin’s best friend Rand, and they don’t even know if Rand is alive. Perrin sees what Rand saw, interpreting her eagerness for the wider world as a rejection of the smaller one they cling to, and it hurts. But Egwene won’t be constrained by sentiment. Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey may require the hero to be initially reluctant, but Egwene’s Heroine’s Journey has her answering the call to adventure without a backward glance.
 
Nynaeve al’Maera
While Nynaeve mustering the Borderlanders in preparation for Lan’s journey to Tarwin’s Gap was quietly epic, the scene that made me understand (and love) Nynaeve was in The Dragon Reborn, where she matched her knowledge of “the craft” with an herb woman to win her trust.
 
 
This scene is another example of characters operating within their expertise, and it’s especially poignant with Nynaeve, because her pride in her expertise as a Wisdom blocks her from starting as a beginner in the Aes Sedai arts. It’s harder because she gets a lot of mileage out of what she already knows. She can gain Mother Guenna’s trust, she can speak in coded language in a country where women are persecuted for being connected with the Power, and she’s confident enough in her knowledge to admit ignorance on certain details (which confirms her expertise). The stakes are not only gaining an ally and place to stay in Tear, but Nynaeve’s own self image and confidence. Ironically, the more she wins as Nynaeve the Wisdom, the farther she gets from Nynaeve Aes Sedai, and the realization that she has much to learn to reach her potential.
 
What are your favorite quiet moments in epic fantasy?
  • Teaser Paragraph:

    Cozy Fantasy is a subgenre that’s gaining popularity in our troubled times. But quiet, cozy scenes have long been a cherished pleasure in epic fantasy. Here are some favorites from The Wheel of Time. Minor SPOILERS throughout the books.

MahaRaj
MahaRaj

TarValon.Net's 2022 Robert Jordan Memorial Scholarship Now Open

The annual Robert Jordan Memorial Scholarship is open at TarValon.Net.  Each year, TarValon.Net offers $500 scholarships to those pursuing higher education.  Here are this year’s details:
 
 
You can apply by following this link.
 
Let us know how you’d be a Servant of All to your community in the comments below!
  • Teaser Paragraph:

    TarValon.Net's annual Robert Jordan Memorial Scholarship is open for applications.

Mashiara Sedai
Mashiara Sedai

JordanCon 2022 Day 3 Recap

JodanCon Day 3 is the saddest!  It’s time to say goodbye to friends and family.  It’s time to leave the hotel that offered us sanctuary for the past few days.  It’s time to put our costumes in the closet until next year (or the next local con).  Sunday feels bitter-sweet.  Looking back over the weekend, we had the time of our lives, but all good things must come to an end.
Here are some highlights from today.
 
Matt Hatch recorded a live Dusty Wheel episode in the lobby.  This amazing event—with lots of fan participation—is worth a watch.  You can see all of Matt’s JordanCon videos here.
 
The Wheel of Time Track had a panel on ranking our favorite scenes in the Amazon Prime Video television show.  Our own Kathy Campbell, as well as Maria Simons, gave their expert opinions.
 

 
 
 
The Charity Auction and Art Show Auction wrapped up.  Winners collected their items, or suffered the bitter taste of defeat.  I was so so happy to win a beautiful mixed medium artwork called “The Colors of My Sisters,” crafted by Lori of Morrow Makings.
 

 
I was looking forward to teaching a cross-stitching class and it did not disappoint!  We had a great turn out and got to pass along our Wheel of Time 8-bid designs.  We’ll have to do it again next year.
 

 
Finally, JordanCon is a charity.  Any money raised is donated.  This year’s recipient was the Mayo Clinic, to aid in the research of amyloidosis, the disease that took Robert Jordan from us.  This year, $19,800 was raised!  $13,500 was from the charity auction!  The signed script page was auctioned for $1,055.  We did amazing!  I love how the fandom cares so deeply about giving back.
 
If you attended the con, please make sure to leave feedback by following this link.
 
Now the con is over and it’s back to our daily lives.  Hopefully we’ll be getting season 2 of the television show to tide us over until next year.  Until then, keep up to date with Wheel of Time news and announcements by following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
  • Teaser Paragraph:

    A recap of the events of the last day of JordanCon 2022.

Mashiara Sedai
Mashiara Sedai

JordanCon 2022 Day 2 Recap

JodanCon Day 2 is the best!  It’s the only full day (unless you count CouchCon after the closing ceremonies) and that means it’s packed from morning to evening.
 
The annual costume contest falls on Saturday, so the cosplayers were out in droves.
 
Wheel of Time cosplays are expected.

https://twitter.com/AielMelindhra
 
Brandon Sanderson and cosmere are expected.

 
And at JordanCon, other fandom tie-ins are also expected.

https://www.facebook.com/42bananas?__tn__=-UC*F
 
Nothing is off limits for this fandom!  Keep that in mind for next year.  If you're hesitating over a costume idea, don't.
 
And speaking of the costume contest, here are the highlights.
 

Judges' Choice:
Judge Leslie: Jessica Jones as Pregnant Elayne
Judge Redfield Designs (Kathryn Paterwic): Ruth Carnejo as Egwene at the Last Battle
Judge Deana: Ris Harp as Blackbeard (from Our Flag Means Death)
 
Found Object:
tWoTCast and Taffy Bennington as The Best Hedge Rand and Mat Slept Under
Workmanship Award:
April Davis as a Nym
 
Winners:
Novice: Liz Willoughby as Bright and Fun Tinker
Journeyman: Chris Orndorff as Steampunk Ursula
Master: Seth Lockhart, Kate Helmly, Stephen Helmly, and Steph Greear as Heralds (from Rhythm of War)
Best in Show: Marcos Romero, Sita Romero, Theo Romero, and Brandee Anderson as Logain Ablar, Liandrin Sedai, and Red Aes Sedai
 

https://twitter.com/LeisaSedai
 
Justin Gerard—one half of this year's Artist Guest of Honor—had a live drawing panel.  The end result was an amazing Trolloc.
 

 

 
Dragonmount's own Rand al'Thor made an appearance.  Check out TikTok for all the videos.
 

 
Another Rand variant also put on a display.  Paul Bielaczyc reenacted the (in)famous cover of Lord of Chaos.
 

 
I spent my time today talking about detectives in urban fantasy and attempting to crochet a Doomslug—well, technically a friend of Doomslug.  One amazing thing about this convention is there is something for everyone. 
 

 
Tomorrow, I am teaching a Wheel of Time cross-stitching class in the Makers Track.  I can’t wait to show pictures from that!
 
Sunday’s coming on fast, but there’s still plenty of JordanCon left to indulge in.
 
Follow along to see me and other Dragonmount staff on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
 
Which costume contest participant was your favorite?  Let us know in the comments below.
  • Teaser Paragraph:

    A highlight of the major events happening on the second day of JordanCon 2022.

Mashiara Sedai
Mashiara Sedai

JordanCon 2022 Day 1 Recap

JordanCon 2022 kicked off today in Atlanta, Georgia.  Despite a smaller, in-person gathering last summer, this feels like returning home after a long hiatus for many of us.  Reuniting with friends and family I haven’t seen since 2019 was an amazing experience.  So many familiar faces are here.  And, so many new ones.
 
Although this may be JordanCon’s biggest attendance so far, the quality of people is still on par for what we expect from this intimate convention.  Today, I spoke to three random JordanCon first-timers and all of them were welcomed with open arms.  It’s good to know that a large audience won’t break the spirit we strive for: a feeling of family.
 
And while all JordanCon members feel like family, it’s also a great place to hang with literal family.
 

Our own Kitty Rallo and her sister Aleena.
 

My sister, Maggie, and I posing with our “not today, Shai’tan” shirts.
 
Speaking of Kitty, keep an eye out for a Q&A with Maria Simons, from Team Jordan.
 

 
It was a busy day for panels today.  After opening ceremonies with Toastmaster Rhed, I was grateful to be on the “There are books?? (The Wheel of Time for Beginners)” panel.  We got to talk to new readers and new JordanCon members and share non-spoiler aspects of the series we love. 
 

 
After that, I was a guest on the highly anticipated “A New Turning of the Wheel: Why Changes are Necessary in an Adaptation” panel.  Since JordanCon goers are the best, all discussion aspects and questions were civil.
 
Naturally I was busy and missed the huge cast announcement!  If you missed it, check out the Ayoola Smart as Aviendha article or our own Ebony and daughter Aviendha discussing this breaking news!
 

 
Tomorrow is a full day, so I’m looking forward to another adventure.
 
Follow along to see me and other Dragonmount staff on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
 
Have you attending JordanCon before?  Plan on coming next year? Are you here now?  Let us know in the comments below!
  • Teaser Paragraph:

    A daily recap of some of the events happening at JordanCon 2022.

Mashiara Sedai
Mashiara Sedai

Ayoola Smart Cast as Aviendha

Rafe Judkins, the showrunner for Amazon Prime Video's Wheel of Time TV adaptation announced today during a pre-recorded video for JordanCon attendees that Ayoola Smart will play the role of Aviendha beginning in season 2. 
 

 
Here's our announcement video, given by our video host Ebony and her daughter Aviendha:
 

 
Ayoola ("eye-oo-la") Smart is an Irish actress with extensive theater and TV credits for her young age. She's had notable roles in Killing Eve, Smother, and the BBC's adaptation of Les Misérables. 
 

 
You can view a showreel of some of Ayoola's work here.
 
View the season 2 officially announced cast so far. 
 
What do you think of this casting announcement? Let us know in the comments or on our forums.  
 
 
  • Teaser Paragraph:

    Ayoola Smart has been cast in the iconic role of Aviendha for Amazon Prime Video's Wheel of Time TV show. 

Jason Denzel
Jason Denzel

Wheel of Time Cast Will Answer Fan Questions

JordanCon is hosting an event where cast members from Amazon Prime Video’s Wheel of Time television show will answer fan questions.  Here are the details from JordanCon’s Facebook page:
 
 
 
Time is running out!  Make sure to submit your questions as fast as possible.
  • Teaser Paragraph:

    JordanCon is hosting and event to have cast members from Amazon Prime Video's Wheel of Time television show answer fan questions.

Mashiara Sedai
Mashiara Sedai

The Wheel of Time Video Game (1999) Available on GOG

The Wheel of Time video game, originally published in 1999 by GT Interactive and developed by Legend Entertainment, is now available for purchase on GOG.
 
GOG ("Good Ol' Games") is a website that publishes both classic and modern computer games. Older games like The Wheel of Time are made available to be played on modern computer systems. In this case, The Wheel of Time is available for Windows 7, 8, 10, and 11.
 
Our blogger Adam Whitehead did a full retrospective review on The Wheel of Time game in 2019 for its 20-year anniversary. 
 
In addition, The Wheel of Time video game producer, Glen Dahlgren, who is also a fantasy novelist published a 20th-anniversary retrospective, an in-depth account of the making of the game, and the game's original design document. 
  • Teaser Paragraph:

    The Wheel of Time video game, originally published in 1999, is now available on GOG.

Jason Denzel
Jason Denzel

Review: The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

Aleksandra (Ola) Hill is a Polish-Canadian writer and the founder and editor-in-chief of khōréō, a magazine of speculative fiction by immigrant and diaspora writers. She won the grand prize in the 2019 Writer’s Digest Popular Fiction Awards and is currently pursuing an MFA in writing at The New School. You can find her on Twitter at @_aleksandrahill.
 
#
 
TL,DR: The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake is a fast-paced, high-tension magical mystery perfect for those who dream of having the knowledge of the world at their fingertips. The first in a series, it sets up a large, twisted world that will keep the reader guessing throughout. Especially recommended for fans of dark academia (such as The Secret History, Ace of Spades, or The Magicians) and authors like V. E. Schwab and Leigh Bardugo. 

#

I came into The Atlas Six knowing too much about it, though I'd only read the publisher's blurb. Thus, my first recommendation to you is: if you haven't read The Atlas Six yet, put this review away and go read it now. Not the Goodreads summary; not the jacket copy; not this review. Just read the book.

Still here? Need a little more?

All right: in a version of our world where magic exists in the open, once a decade, six of the world's most talented magicians are selected for the chance to become members of the Alexandrian Society. Entrance to the Society will allow a magician to access knowledge beyond their wildest dreams—but they must make it through a year of study, first.
Now, if you haven't read it yet, I beg you: go away.

#

The remainder of this review won't include spoilers, but will touch on aspects of the novel that may be better savoured while reading, so please tread carefully.

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake follows six of the world's most powerful, unique magicians: Libby Rhodes and Nico Ferrer de Varona, bitter rivals who can manipulate physical matter; Parisa Kamali, a telepath and seductress; Reina Mori, an historian with a difficult relationship with plants; Tristan Caine, an ambitious businessman with a penchant for seeing through illusions; and Callum Nova, a calculating trust fund baby who always gets what he wants. Each is recruited by a mysterious figure named Atlas, the Caretaker of the Alexandrian Society, which these six now have the chance to join. There's a catch, though: only five will become full members, and each candidate will have that year to prove they should be selected.

The novel is an excellent blend of suspense, action, and drama. It uses the mystery of a secret society to its fullest potential; while the six initiates are able to access the library of the Alexandrian Society, for example, they are not able to access all of the books—their requests can be denied, and frequently are. That both the characters and reader have the sense of seeing just a sliver of the whole is incredibly enticing and also serves the book well as a set-up to a series. 

The magic system is also exquisite, in that it is unknowable without being unbelievable. Each magician—the most powerful of whom are called medeians—has a specialty, which can range across fields from physical (manipulating fire) to mental (telepathy) and, presumably, anything in between. The vast landscape of the possible with magic means that the author can throw any number of twists at the reader effortlessly; Blake's talent lies in the fact that none of them feel like deus ex machina. None of the characters understand the true extent of magic's power or abilities, and so, even as they use their various skills and knowledge to help and hinder each other, they are constantly surprised by what they can do. The constant delight in learning what else is possible kept me reading, mostly in one sitting, so if you're going to pick up this book, I recommend clearing your calendar.

Throughout, the author also challenge's the tropes of the genre in which she is writing. I find it easy to get swept away in stories like this one: it's too easy to imagine myself as a powerful magician selected for a secret society where I'll have the world's knowledge at my fingertips. So easy, in fact, that I don't think to question too much of what the Society does, and the answers that it provides on its history—that it was founded to preserve the knowledge of the Library at Alexandria before it was burned—is enough. Yet the author managed to pull me up short without ruining my immersion: early on, the reader learns of the existence of societies "not unlike" the Alexandrian (p. 107), some of which believe "that knowledge should not be carefully stored, but freely distributed" and "greatly misunderstood" the work that the Alexandrian Society does. Later, the initiates make a discovery but do not share it with a greater world based on Atlas' oft-repeated warning: "most forms of knowledge [are] better reserved until it [is] certain that such revelations [won't] be abused" (p. 118). My spidey senses were tingling: these are colonialist talking points so frequently repeated by the British Museum and its ilk. While we don't wrestle with this too much in The Atlas Six, I hope (and trust) that we'll get to it thoroughly later on.

As quickly as I devoured the first half of the book, I found my interest waning later on—not because the book loses steam or control of its plot, but because the world grows vaster in a way that I had suspected it might, but hoped it wouldn’t. To be clear, that isn’t to say that the evolution is bad; it’s just that the risk posed by an opportunity of such vastness means that there will be a squillion plot possibilities, not a single one of which will make all the readers happy, but only one of which the author can choose and still write a cohesive story. I think I’m probably the one reader who was hoping for the story to go in a different way—and I'm still planning to keep reading the series and look forward to The Atlas Paradox's release in October 2022. There’s just too many questions that I want answered to not keep going.

In summary, The Atlas Six is a fantastic, fast-paced read for fans of dark academia, libraries, and twisty-turny plots. I recommend it wholeheartedly and look forward to continuing the series. 

The Atlas Six is available in the Dragonmount eBook store. Find it here!
  • Teaser Paragraph:

    TL,DR: The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake is a fast-paced, high-tension magical mystery perfect for those who dream of having the knowledge of the world at their fingertips. The first in a series, it sets up a large, twisted world that will keep the reader guessing throughout. Especially recommended for fans of dark academia (such as The Secret History, Ace of Spades, or The Magicians) and authors like V. E. Schwab and Leigh Bardugo. 

Ola Aleksandra Hill
Ola Aleksandra Hill

Loss and Grief in The Wheel of Time

Jason Denzel joined a “WOT You Feeling?” panel on mental health focusing on the effects of loss and grief within The Wheel of Time series.  The “WOT You Feeling,” made up of members Ryan, Miki, and Christine, delves into sensitive issues on mental health and how they relate to the world Robert Jordan created.
 
You can follow them on Twitter, or see all their YouTube videos here.
 
Identifying grief within the series is pretty easy.  Jason points out that Robert Jordan considered the world dangerous and not an ideal place to live.  Many of the characters experience grief throughout the series—Tam never loving another after the death of his wife, Kari, or even Lanfear holding on to the grief of a breakup over a thousand years ago.  In fact, the Forsaken seem to be knee-deep in unprocessed trauma.  On the other hand, Rand’s “Veins of Gold” moment shows a great moment of expressing and releasing those emotions.
 
Jason also reflects on his own writing experiences and how mourning, or not mourning, plays a role in a character's story arc.
 
You can watch the whole video below.
 

 
This show was a fascinating look at the mental health issues our beloved characters face.  Like what you see here?  You can support “WOT You Feeling” and The Way of the Leaf on Patreon here!
  • Teaser Paragraph:

    Jason Denzel joined a “WOT You Feeling?” panel on mental health focusing on the effects of loss and grief within The Wheel of Time series.  The “WOT You Feeling,” made up of members Ryan, Miki, and Christine, delve into sensitive issues on mental health and how they relate to the world Robert Jordan created.

Mashiara Sedai
Mashiara Sedai

Rajiv's Threads In the Pattern: Homecoming

Rajiv Moté is Dragonmount’s book blogger with a lens on the craft of fiction writing. When he’s not directing software engineers, he writes fiction of his own, which can be found catalogued at his website.
 
Early in the Covid-19 pandemic, the editor of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction C.C. Finlay noted that the stories submitted to his magazine had shifted away from the common themes of finding or returning home. He reasoned that writers were getting cabin fever, and the idea of “home” had lost its romance during the extended lockdown. (Finlay also noted that loneliness had become more of a thematic motivation in the stories he received, and more stories were culminating in a kiss.)

It’s an interesting shift for fantasy fiction. For those of us whose introduction to epic fantasy was J.R.R. Tolkien, “home” has a powerful resonance in the genre. “There and back again” is almost a structural expectation for a story. In Tolkien’s world (and in Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey), “home” is the beginning and end of the adventure. Preserving home forms the ultimate, most personal stakes, and the return illustrates how much the protagonists have grown. “The Scouring of the Shire” is perhaps the truest of the many endings of The Return of the King. It shows that, for the Hobbits, the War of the Ring was basically preparation for the battle for the once and future pastoral paradise of the Shire.

When I read and reread The Wheel of Time, I often think of the New York Times blurb about the series.
 

I like that quotation for the comparison, but I think it misses the mark. The Wheel of Time isn’t an extension of The Lord of the Rings, even a spiritual one, but it is certainly in conversation with it. Robert Jordan’s Emond’s Field was a pastoral paradise just like Tolkien’s Shire, but Jordan used it to say very different things about “home.” Where British Tolkien, writing in an era of waning empire, saw the War of the Ring (and the Scouring of the Shire) as a restoration of old glory and monarchical status quo, American Jordan, writing at the cusp of a new millennium, saw the end of the Third Age as a time of technological progress, cultural intermixing, and unpredictable change, for good and ill. In The Wheel of Time, you can never go home.

 

Even in his pre-Wheel swords and sorcery novel, Warrior of the Altaii, Robert Jordan was interested in themes of a rapidly changing world, where people needed to adapt or go extinct. There is no going back to past glory, there is only going forward into something new. In The Eye of the World, Emond’s Field is portrayed as cozy and idyllic, and the young protagonists (except Egwene) leave it with reluctance. But where The Lord of the Rings was a story about going off to war to protect one’s home, The Wheel of Time is a bildungsroman, forging maturity and power from youth and innocence. “Home” is the nest that the fledglings must leave. Most make a place for themselves in the larger world. Of the Emond’s Field Five, only Perrin returns. His chapters, reminiscent of “The Scouring of the Shire,” are not about restoring home to its old status quo, it’s about transforming it into something suited to the times. After evicting the Whitecloaks and eradicating the Trollocs, Perrin musters the Two Rivers and leads them to war. The beard Perrin grows is the not-so-subtle symbol of him becoming a man.

Egwene does briefly return home in the World of Dreams, looking for a place of safety, and even in that reflection of Emond’s Field she sees that it is changing.

 

The Two Rivers is on its way to transforming from a forgotten district of Andor to a nation of its own, with banners, an army, a manor house, and a lord.

For all the moral starkness in Robert Jordan’s cosmology, change is not a fork in the road, with one path leading into darkness, and the other into light. Change is chaos, everything moving at once, with three unintended consequences for every intended one. But as a world view, it means that there will always be new opportunities for growth and wonder. As a story, it means the tale is never over. There is always another adventure beyond the final page, something more to discover. On this, Jordan and Tolkien agree: the road goes ever on.
 
  • Teaser Paragraph:

    For J.R.R. Tolkien, “home” is the beginning, end, and the stakes. But Robert Jordan agrees with Thomas Wolfe: you can never go home again. (Minor book SPOILERS for the Emond’s Field Five, and their relationship to home.)

MahaRaj
MahaRaj

Review: Limited Edition Wheel of Time Watch from Tockr

Dragonmount founder Jason Denzel recently got a hands-on look at the official, limited edition Wheel of Time watch from Tockr. Here's the full video:
 

 
We'll be working closely with Tockr going forward, and perhaps giving you a chance to interact directly with the designers so that you can share your constructive feedback with them. 
 
After you view the video, let us know in the comments or on the forums what you think of the watch!
  • Teaser Paragraph:

    A closer look at the limited-edition Wheel of Time watch from Tockr. 

Dragonmount.com
Dragonmount.com

Book Announcement: Origins of The Wheel of Time

Tor Books announced today the forthcoming release of Origins of The Wheel of Time: The Legends and Mythologies that Inspired Robert Jordan by Michael Livingston. The book is scheduled for publication on November 8, 2022. 
 

Here's the book description:
 
We'll provide early previews and a review, and possibly some give aways. 
 
Origins of The Wheel of Time is available for pre-order in ebook format from the Dragonmount store. You can also pre-order print and ebook copies from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or your local independent bookseller. 
  • Teaser Paragraph:

    A forthcoming book from author Michael Livingston chronicles Robert Jordan's inspirations. 

Dragonmount.com
Dragonmount.com

Rafe Judkins interview on Empire Spoiler Special podcast

Katy is a news contributor for Dragonmount. You can follow her as she shares her thoughts on The Wheel of Time TV Show on Instagram and Twitter @KatySedai
 
 
The Wheel of Time Showrunner Rafe Judkins joined podcast host Helen O’Hara on The Empire Spoiler Special podcast this week. 
 
They discussed the first season, including clarifying some questions many book readers might have on some controversial choices. They also chatted a bit about season two and when and what we can expect. 
 
There’s been plenty of hopeful speculation about the timing of season two. Rafe said that it will be a while before we see it, and that there will be some time between Amazon’s new Lord of the Rings show and The Wheel of Time. Lord of the Rings will release on September 2nd 2022, which has some fans speculating we won’t see season two until early 2023. Rafe’s wording was vague enough that it’s hard to say when exactly we could see the second season. Rafe did mention that we can expect some cool content to tide us over in between the seasons, so keep an eye out for that!
 
Rafe confirms that Aviendha is cast and that we will see more Aiel than expected in season two. Season two will also explore what happened to Moiraine whether she was stilled or shielded, Rafe has been avoiding saying either way outright. The second season will also include story lines from books two and three, with Mat following his book three journey. Rand’s adventures will include most story beats and characters from books two and three, but mixed together. 
 
It seems as we move into the second season fans can expect even more changes than in season one. This definitely doesn’t sound like a word for word adaptation. 
 
Most of the interview focused on season one including certain story lines about the Two Rivers five, how well Dónal Finn is taking over as Mat, that Nynaeve burning out/fake out death, more about Suian and Moiraine, and a bit about the Age of Legends scene. 
 
A couple points Rafe clarified: 
Emphasized again that this is the story of all five of our main characters, so some changes (Perrin’s wife, Mat’s backstory) are meant to set up the characters from the beginning. Mat especially needed more background. Amazon sent Rafe a 250 page document with survey data from book readers - those who finished the series, those who stopped mid-way, and those who started and didn’t make it very far. Every group agreed that Mat’s personality doesn’t really show up until book 3.  Many book readers misread the Nynaeve burn out scene, so Rafe emphasized that death cannot be healed. He said that the misunderstanding is on them and not healing death will be made clearer in season two.  Suian and Moiraine were using a ter’angreal to meet, but the exact metaphysics or location is still a bit of a mystery. Rafe said that they worked with Sarah Nakamura to ensure their private meeting place would work in-world.  The oath scene between Suian and Moiraine were purposely meant to feel like marriage vows. And Rafe said that as a queer person he thought their relationship was explicit in the books.  Helen and Rafe chatted about the reasoning behind not showing the fever dream early, was both to leave some mystery to draw in viewers, but also to explore what it means to be the Dragon Reborn.  About Lews Therin and the Age of Legends - nothing was misspoken in that scene. Some fans have pointed out what they see as inconsistencies between the show and the books, but it sounds like we will have to watch and find out where they go!   
 
To listen to this excellent interview you’ll need to subscribe to the Empire Spoiler Special Film Podcast here.  A subscription is £2.99 a month. 
 
What did you think of this interview? Anything surprising?  Let us know in the comments and be sure to join the discussion on our forums.  And be sure to check our TV section of the website. 
  • Teaser Paragraph:

    New information about season two, and some thoughts on season one!

Katy Sedai
Katy Sedai

WoT Were They Thinking?

Matt (@MalkiersKing on Twitter) debuts his video series, “WoT Were They Thinking?”: a respectful analysis of each episode of Amazon Prime Video’s Wheel of Time TV show. 
 
In this first episode, Matt is joined by Kristy Leigh Lussier from The Successful Screenwriter and Lauren from Unraveling the Pattern.  Together, they examine Episode 1, Season 1 "Leavetaking" and discuss some of those controversial moments that fans are reacting to.
 

 
Need more content?  You can see Dragonmount's initial review of Episode 1 here, and don't forget the Podcast discussion here.  All sorts of other tidbits can be found on Dragonmount's TV overview page here.
 
Are you on board with the changes so far, or are you struggling against the current?  Let us know in the comments below.
  • Teaser Paragraph:

    Matt (@MalkiersKing on Twitter) debuts his video series, “WoT Were They Thinking?”: a respectful analysis of each episode of Amazon Prime Video’s Wheel of Time TV show. 

Mashiara Sedai
Mashiara Sedai

Interview with Kate Fleetwood

Recently, the Dragonmount Podcast had the chance to talk to another amazing actor.  Join producer Kathy Campbell and co-host Rajiv Moté as they sit down with Kate Fleetwood, who plays Liandrin Sedai of the Red Ajah in The Wheel of Time Amazon Prime Video television show.
 

 
Or, you can check out the episode on Incomparable here.
 
Are you looking forward to more White Tower and Red Ajah intrigue with Liandrin in Season 2?  Let us know in the comments below.
  • Teaser Paragraph:

    The Dragonmount Podcast sat down with Kate Fleetwood, who plays Liandrin Sedai of the Red Ajah in The Wheel of Time Amazon Prime Video television show.

Mashiara Sedai
Mashiara Sedai

Review: The Starless Crown by James Rollins

Aleksandra (Ola) Hill is a Polish-Canadian writer and the founder and editor-in-chief of khōréō, a magazine of speculative fiction by immigrant and diaspora writers. She won the grand prize in the 2019 Writer’s Digest Popular Fiction Awards and is currently pursuing an MFA in writing at The New School. You can find her on Twitter at @_aleksandrahill.
 
#

 TL;DR: The Starless Crown by James Rollins weaves together multiple storylines into a tapestry about family in all its forms, nature, and surviving foretold doom. The book's strength lies in its interest in humans' relationship with nature and is a good match for anyone looking for plot-heavy science fantasy.

Please note: This review contains very mild spoilers (first ~15% of the book). The spoilers are marked in the text and should be easy to skip.

#

The Starless Crown by James Rollins is a long book by any count; clocking in at about 560 pages, it felt longer in the reading.

Part of this is the complexity of the tale. The author chooses four primary point-of-view characters: a young, blind student named Nyx; a thief who stumbles upon an alchemical secret while escaping the mines in which he has been imprisoned; a wayward prince living in the shadow of his older and evermore talented twin brother; and a knight who has broken his oaths. The author takes a page from Robert Jordan—whom he thanks in the acknowledgements—by adding in further, smaller POVs.

The pacing of the novel is as rapidfire as its shifts between narrators. I hadn't heard of the author before, but his publications seem to tend to the thriller genre, and this influence is clear. The story moves along with constant twists and turns; there is no situation that can't possibly get worse. There is death, violence, and betrayal; anything that can go wrong, will, especially in the case of our mainest main character, Nyx. 

Because of the combination of points of view and breakneck pace, I found it difficult to root myself in the book and feel like I was a part of the world. The signposts of the worldbuilding were certainly interesting; the action takes place on a planet called Urth, whose denizens worship the Father Above (the Sun); the Mother Below (the Urth); and the Son and Daughter (the faces of the moon). One part of the Urth is eternally in shadow, the other eternally in light: as you may have guessed, the world is a tidally locked Earth—and, as we learn throughout the story, a planet that natural catastrophe is yet to truly strike.

The question of humans' ability to understand and control nature is central to the book. Most clearly, this appears as the central Big Bad of the book: convincing other humans that this natural disaster will come to pass—and all of the politicking that goes along with that—and then deciding how to act in the face of impending doom. However, throughout the novel, natural phenomena feature as impediments at least as frequently as other humans do. Animals have evolved into unfamiliar and often dangerous beasts; there are few scenes in the wilderness, and even among civilization, that don't feature an animal behaving in an unexpected way. Some characters have unusual and deeply special links with various creatures—and even of the protagonists that don't, we still see an overarching care for other living things: cognizance of never hunting more than their allotted share; pain at the suffering one's actions bring. 

In spite of this theme, which intrigued me deeply, I found myself wanting more as I read. While the world had a lot of potential, I was ultimately left unsatisfied by how much is unchanged between our current society and this world's—not because I was looking for a utopia, but because it made the world feel incomplete. For example, young women are expected to be virgins to enter their Ninth Year at the Cloistery, but young men are not; the reason for this is unclear, aside from being a familiar callback to our own society's puritanical values. 

In addition, certain fantasy tropes are also inserted into the story without due consideration, and often pulled me from immersion in the book. For example, a character named Pratik, who was imprisoned only to make another character's life more difficult, is described:
 
 
A POC-coded character defined by the violence done to his body is suboptimal at best, even without the cliché of uniquely coloured eyes. Furthermore, the society from which this character comes is described as cruel and bloodthirsty, but the character's face is "placid, as if he had accepted such cruelties as part of life." His ‘goodness’ is signaled by this stoicism and further emphasized by Pratik’s response when a character accidentally causes a number of Pratik’s countrymen’s death: "Despite the tragic outcome, there was wisdom in your plan." (p. 193) This benign goodness flattens everything that Pratik could be and places him as one-dimensional support. At best, these descriptions and character choices are thoughtless regurgitation of antiquated tropes; at worst, it’s something far more harmful. I’m still not sure if the author’s use of the phrase “noble savagery” (p. 246) was ironic or oblivious or had some other intent. This uncertainty isn't comforting. 
 
All told, it feels as if this book was written with an eye to diversity without wanting to engage in what diversity means. This goes beyond race and gender. It is somewhat rare, for example, to see disabled protagonists in fantasy; thus, I was really excited to follow Nyx's story. A seventh year student in her town's monastery, Nyx is visually impaired: though not fully blind, she has never seen more than the shadows of the world around her. 

#############
SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST 15% OF THE BOOK
#############

I was surprised—and not a little disappointed—to discover that she's miraculously cured early on in the book. While her healing reveals something for the larger plot, her disability felt a little like a dangled carrot that got quickly snatched away (I will note here: while I can’t see more than a foot in front of me without my glasses, I am not blind myself). 
 
As an aside, her new sight also draws larger sociopolitical issues to mind without fully resolving them. For example, the head of the Cloistery where Nyx studies, Prioress Ghyle, is "darkly complexioned, her skin far darker than Nyx had imagined" (p.72) —yet there's nothing in the world of the book that suggests this might be surprising and why. It felt more like the author's hand drawing the reader's eye to racial representation in the book than a natural elucidation of social structures in the book's world.

#############
END SPOILERS
#############

Lastly, this book felt like it needed another editing pass. In some parts, the prose is purple and rhythmless, so focused on using a thesaurus for each word that the sentences lose their poetry; in others, it's jarringly direct ("She was shapely of form and generous of bosom", p. 336). Often, a word is repeated multiple times within a sentence or two. While these certainly aren't dealbreakers—and only came to mind in some parts of the book—readers who are particularly sensitive to language may want to come into this story with their loins girded. 

Ultimately, this book did not rise to its promise on the jacket copy: this is not “a fantasy series unlike any attempted before.” It doesn’t feel like it’s tried covered much new ground at all. Still, there are images in the world building—the grandiosity of the structures; the overwhelmingness of nature—that will appeal to certain types of readers, especially those who want a lot of plot decorated with a lot of pretty things. It will be particularly enjoyable for those who love a good bit of wilderness in their stories. 
 
The Starless Crown is available in the Dragonmount eBook store. Find it here!
  • Teaser Paragraph:

     TL;DR: The Starless Crown by James Rollins weaves together multiple storylines into a tapestry about family in all its forms, nature, and surviving foretold doom. The book's strength lies in its interest in humans' relationship with nature and is a good match for anyone looking for plot-heavy science fantasy.


    Please note: This review contains very mild spoilers (first ~15% of the book). The spoilers are marked in the text and should be easy to skip.

Ola Aleksandra Hill
Ola Aleksandra Hill

Amazon Launches Augmented Reality Apps with Wheel of Time Content

Katy is a news contributor for Dragonmount. You can follow her as she shares her thoughts on The Wheel of Time TV Show on Instagram and Twitter @KatySedai
 
Dragonmount Exclusive Reveal
 
Amazon has released a new app for IOS and Android that brings The Wheel of Time TV show to life on your phone or other mobile devices. There are thirteen augmented reality experiences including creatures, artifacts, and locations from the TV show.
 
March 2022 update: Amazon has temporarily removed these apps from the App Stores. They're focusing on building new experiences for WoT and other shows. These Wheel of Time experiences are expected to return, probably as we get closer to Season 2. 
 
For example, the interactive app places a Trolloc in your living room (don’t get too close or it might snarl at you). You can get a bird's eye view of Tar Valon in your kitchen, or explore the ruins of Shadar Logoth in your basement. You also can learn about weapons and jewelry from the TV show. 
 
The app allows you to save and share your own video clips and photos from the app. If you share on social media, then tag us @dragonmount_ on Instagram or @dragonmount on Twitter. 
 
Head over to Dragonmount’s YouTube channel to learn more. 
 
Ready to try it? Get started with the iOS app or the Android app and then let us know in the comments or on our forums below what fun things you found! 
  • Teaser Paragraph:

    Amazon launched new Amazon AR apps featuring experiences from The Wheel of Time.

Katy Sedai
Katy Sedai

Beyond the Two Rivers - New Alexa Skill from Amazon

Katy is a news contributor for Dragonmount. You can follow her as she shares her thoughts on The Wheel of Time TV Show on Instagram and Twitter @KatySedai
 
Dragonmount Exclusive Reveal
 
Not ready to leave the world of The Wheel of Time quite yet? If you have an Amazon Echo Dot or other Alexa-enabled device you can discover the new Alexa Skill, Beyond the Two Rivers.  Although the experience is best used with an Amazon Echo device, this will work with mobile devices using the Amazon app as well. 
 
This interactive tour allows you to experience the people, places, and music of the Two Rivers as seen in Amazon Prime Video’s The Wheel of Time TV show. The experience puts you in touch with a retired Gleeman who will explain information and trivia about the world. 
 
To begin this journey, first enable to Alexa Skill on the Amazon website. Make sure to do this with the same Amazon account that your Alexa-enabled device uses. 
 
Next, say “Open Beyond the Two Rivers” to your Alexa-eaned device. This will begin your guided conversation about The Wheel of Time. You can say things like “Tell me about Bel Tine” or “Let’s meet Rand.” There’s lots to explore including information about Tinkers, Aes Sedai, and Darkfriends! 
 
We've created a video showing you how it all works:
 
 
Ready to try it? Get started here and then let us know in the comments or on our Forums below what fun things you found!
  • Teaser Paragraph:

    Amazon launched "Beyond the Two Rivers", a new Alexa Skill that explores Season 1 of the TV show

Katy Sedai
Katy Sedai

Interview with Taylor Napier

In a special episode of the Dragonmont Wheel of Time Podcast, producer Kathy Campbell had the opportunity to speak with Taylor Napier, who plays Maksim—one of Alanna's warders—in the Amazon Prime Video Wheel of Time television series.
 

 
Or you can view it on YouTube here.  
 
You can also listen to this episode of the podcast here!
 
Kathy was able to finally tackle that burning question on all our minds: why does Alanna have so many snacks? (And we're not just talking about her warders.)
 
The Dragonmount Podcast has an episode of discussion for each of the television show episodes, with more interviews and speculations coming soon.  Keep up to date with all the podcast episodes here.
 
Would you enjoy seeing Maksim featured as a more central character as the series progresses?  Let us know in the comments below!
  • Teaser Paragraph:

    Kathy Campbell got to chat with Taylor Napier, who plays Maksim—one of Alanna's warders—on the Amazon Prime Video Wheel of Time series.

Mashiara Sedai
Mashiara Sedai

Adam's Wheel of Television: Book to Screen - Paaran Disen

Adam Whitehead is Dragonmount's TV blogger. Adam has been writing about film and television, The Wheel of Time, and other genre fiction for over fifteen years, and was a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer in 2020. Be sure to check out his websites, The Wertzone and Atlas of Ice and Fire (including The Wheel of Time Atlas!) as well as his Patreon.
 
The Wheel of Time first season finale gives us the first look at the Age of Legends, the storied era of history that ended in the Breaking of the World and the corrupting of the male half of the One Power, some 3,400 years before the start of the main story in the books. It’s only a brief glance – we have less to go on here that during our previous deep dive on Tar Valon – but it’s an interesting look at one of the more intriguing parts of the backstory.
 
It appears that this city is Paaran Disen, the greatest city of the Age of Legends. During the Second Age, the idea of nations and kingdoms disappeared and the whole world was united under a single global government, albeit a relatively loose one. That government was based in Paaran Disen, which was also the location of the Hall of the Servants, the ancient equivalent of the White Tower. The Hall of the Servants was merely the headquarters of the worldwide guild which was the Aes Sedai in that Age, rather than being the home for all of them as the White Tower is. With 3% of the population serving as Aes Sedai, their numbers ranged comfortably into the millions, if not tens of millions, and most lived in their own homes, pursuing careers which may or may not have been related to the Power (Lillen Moiral – Moghedien – was an investment banker, despite being a powerful channeler, whilst Mierin Eronaile – Lanfear – was an advanced researcher into new applications of the Power).
 
Paaran Disen was effectively the world’s capital, although it is unclear that the population of the world in the Age of Legends was, if it was comparable to our own (with more than 7+ billion people) or if improvements in birth control, medical technology, Healing and sustainability meant the population was less than during our age. This may explain why Paaran Disen appears to be a somewhat small city by our standards, though still enormous by the standards of the Third Age. Of course, the building where Lews Therin meets Latra Posae might be on one edge of the city and the city sprawls for a considerable distance in the opposite direction which we don’t get to see.
 
In the books, Paaran Disen had many of the hallmarks of civilisation in the Age of Legends. Many of the streets and parks were lined with chora trees, which gave a sense of peace and well-being to those who sat in their shade. The buildings were tall, ornate and beautiful, many built of elstone, which made them shimmer in the light. The entrance to the Hall of the Servants was flanked by tall columns. The city was divided by roads along which vehicles such as jumpers and jo-cars could travel. As the grandest city in the world, Paaran Disen was also served by transport such as sho-wings, great delta-winged vehicles capable of carrying up to hundreds of people anywhere in the world in short order. The city also had numerous locations marked for Travelling, allowing Aes Sedai to open portals directly to wherever they wanted to go.
 

Above: Paaran Disen in the opening of the first episode. Below: The same city in ruins in the prologue to the season finale.
 
During the War of the Shadow, Paaran Disen served as the base of operations for the Light against the Dark One’s forces. Lews Therin Telamon, First Among Equals of the Aes Sedai and effective military commander of the forces of the Light, the man history calls “the Dragon,” seems to have made his stand in Paaran Disen, indicating it was located far from the front lines of the war, at least when it began.
 
At a key point during the war, the forces of the Shadow reached Paaran Disen and achieved a major victory. However, Lews Therin was able to defeat Elan Morin Tedronai, known as Ishamael, before the gates of Paaran Disen, indicating the Shadow was not able to exploit its victory and hold the city. Be’lal later led an assault that managed to at least partially destroy the Hall of the Servants, although enough of the building survived for it to continue to serve as the Aes Sedai’s headquarters.
 
Later, during the closing stages of the war, Lews Therin’s strike on Shayol Ghul gave hope that the conflict was about to end. Although the assault successfully patched the Dark One’s prison and cut off the entity from its followers, the Dark One was able to corrupt saidin, placing a rotting taint on the male half of the True Source. Every male channeler in the world started to go insane. Within days or weeks, people were fleeing the city en masse. Several former male Aes Sedai apparently levelled the city with the One Power afterwards in their insanity. Whatever survived was obliterated in the Breaking of the World. By the end of the Third Age, not a single trace of Paaran Disen remains and its relative location in the new world is completely unknown. It might be at the bottom of the ocean or buried under the Spine of the World.
 
In the TV canon, whilst the War of the Shadow has curiously not been directly mentioned so far, it is unclear how much of this remains true. The city appears more peaceful than you might expect at the end of a ten-year war (and a century-long societal collapse preceding it) which has seen the city attacked several times already, and there are more jo-cars and jumpers and hoverflies in the sky then apparently was the case at the end of the war, when the Shadow overrunning or destroying factories and industrial areas had forced many of the armies of the Light to rely on swords, bows and horses instead.
 
The name of the city is also interesting. “Paaran Disen” suggest “Paradise,” whilst “Paaran” means to mate or to pair in German, potentially a reference to the gender parity of the Aes Sedai in this Age. “Disen” may be derived from the Dísir of Norse mythology, a vein of myth that Robert Jordan mined for many ideas and names in The Wheel of Time.
 
In the TV image you can also see a sports stadium, roads and plenty of tall buildings whose shape and size are echoed in the White Tower of Tar Valon, built three to five centuries later with the last vestiges of knowledge from the Age of Legends. The vibe is a sort of timeless Greco-Roman elegance, fusing the old and the futuristic, which certainly seems to fit what Robert Jordan describes in the novels.
 
More interestingly, if you go back to the end of the prologue to the first episode, we get to see the same city in a state of dilapidated disrepair in the modern age. Most of the buildings map 1:1 on the buildings from the later image, with a few exceptions which were destroyed or have been lost to the overgrowth of trees and vegetation. The buildings’ outer shells have been stripped away or destroyed, leaving behind only the cores.
 
This is of course a deviation from the book situation, where Paaran Disen was destroyed by crazed male channelers and then whatever was left behind was completely obliterated in the Breaking of the World. It is no longer possible to say where Paaran Disen was in relation to other locations. In the TV show, the ruins of the city are still standing, though it is unclear where (it is from this location that Moiraine and Lan set out to travel to the Two Rivers, but it is not said if that was a lengthy journey across the entire continent or a closer location). This immediately sells the “post-apocalyptic” vibe more obviously than the books do, as the books wait a while before bringing in ruins and artefacts from the Age of Legends, or even our Age which precedes it.
 
The production team have indicated we will see more of the Age of Legends later in the series, and it’ll be interesting to see how they continue to realise it on-screen.
 
As usual, please continue to follow developments on our casting and news pages, and the forum, and stay tuned for more info as we get it.
  • Teaser Paragraph:

    The Wheel of Time Season 1 finale gave us our first look at the Age of Legends. But how does it compare to the books?

Werthead
Werthead

Interview with Hammed Animashaun

In a special episode of the Dragonmont Wheel of Time Podcast, producer Kathy Campbell had the opportunity to speak with Hammed Animashaun, who plays Loial in the Amazon Prime Video Wheel of Time television series.
 

 
Or you can view it on YouTube here.  
 
You can also listen to this episode of the podcast here!
 
The Dragonmount Podcast has an episode of discussion for each of the television show episodes, with more interviews and speculations coming soon.  Keep up to date with all the podcast episodes here.
 
How satisfied are you with Hammed Animashaun's performance as Loial so far?  Let us know in the comments below!
  • Teaser Paragraph:

    Kathy Campbell got to chat with Hammed Animashaun, who plays Loial on the Amazon Prime Video Wheel of Time series.

Mashiara Sedai
Mashiara Sedai

Review: Mordew by Alex Pheby

Aleksandra (Ola) Hill is a Polish-Canadian writer and the founder and editor-in-chief of khōréō, a magazine of speculative fiction by immigrant and diaspora writers. She won the grand prize in the 2019 Writer’s Digest Popular Fiction Awards and is currently pursuing an MFA in writing at The New School. You can find her on Twitter at @_aleksandrahill.
 
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TL,DR: Mordew by Alex Pheby is a grim, subversive fantasy about a young boy, Nathan, who lives in the slums of the eponymous city and bears a magical Spark. It's a solid read for those who aren't looking for a lighthearted escape, who are comfortable with stories that don't give all the answers and are told at an emotional distance.
 
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  Mordew is a hefty first entry of the Cities of the Weft trilogy written by Alex Pheby. It follows Nathan Treeves, a young boy living in Mordew with his mother and very sick father. The world-building is gloriously grimy, reminiscent of the cover itself: all grays and grimness. Living Mud coats the streets of the slums that Nathan calls home; this mud can spontaneously create mutated-looking creatures called dead-life that may or may not remain viable. At the start of the book, we see Nathan wading into the Circus on the west side of Mordew to 'fish' for self-sustaining dead-life: anything he might sell to purchase the medicine his father needs. Nathan can Spark—call up some sort of wild magic from deep within himself—and, in spite of his father's command never to do so, uses this ability to find one such creature. It is "a bundle of infant limbs—arms, legs, hands, feet—a tangle of wriggling living parts" (p.23) made even more horrific by Nathan's cavalier attitude towards it. He sticks it into his bag and trots off to sell it; such abominations are commonplace in this world.
 
The services of the medicine woman he purchases with the money from the sale is insufficient. Thus, in order to pay for her husband's medicine, Nathan's mother sends her only son to the mysterious Master who rules over the city in hopes that Nathan will be chosen—for what? Nobody really knows, but needs must: a consistent refrain of Mordew.
 
A sense of hopelessness runs throughout the story and never truly goes away; this isn't a book—or, presumably, a series—made for happy endings or shiny, escapist magic. Just as Nathan fights constantly for his own survival and that of his father, so too does the Master of Mordew fight a seemingly eternal war against the Mistress of Malarkoi, who sends Firebirds to break the city's walls. There is little room for love or joy in these pages, so if that's something you're looking for, then this isn't the novel for you. 
 
It also isn't for readers who want all the answers. The book begins with a very clear warning: to take care in referencing the glossary, which clocks in at over 100 pages long, as it contains information that the protagonist doesn't know; and that "perhaps the ideal reader of Mordew is one who understands that they, like Nathan Treeves (its hero), are not possessed of all knowledge of all things at all times. They progress through life in a state of imperfect certainty and know that their curiosity will not always be satisfied immediately (if ever)" (p.7). 
 
My memory isn't the best, so I'd forgotten those cautionary words by the time I was a bit into the book. It wasn't until I rediscovered it that I felt like I understood the author's intent. To put it plainly, the reading experience, after the first few pages, feels like one is observing the action through a thick pane of glass. Nathan's feelings are, for the most part, inaccessible, though the reader follows him closely throughout the story. This often felt frustrating, as the character's reactions and motivations were, for the most part, opaque. For example, one character dies in a fall, seemingly pushed by another who had already shown rather suspicious tendencies. Nathan and an accomplice conclude that they have to confront the "pusher" to understand what happened, rather than dismiss them as a traitor. While this might certainly be a reasonable reaction, especially given the child in question is a lonesome one who might be desperate to cling to any semblance of friendship, it felt like it was left up to the reader to ascribe motive and rationale to the actions rather than truly understanding them. The same is true of Prissy, the book's primary love interest: Nathan's devotion to her is clear, but it's hard to understand why it exists and, thus, to truly feel it.
 
At first, I thought this might be because the author was hesitant to write the inner monologue of an impoverished thirteen-year-old boy—which seems somewhat understandable, given how a combination of desperation and Big Teenage Feelings might be hard to do without veering into the maudlin. But I think, given the introductory warning, it's a more purposeful move on the part of the author. The narrator itself seems to confirm this by not being as close a third person as one might initially expect; at least twice, the book reveals moments that "Nathan saw none of" (p. 380) but that the reader has clearly witnessed. It's unclear who, in fact, is telling us the story—one character is conscripted to help with a task, but "he was sworn to secrecy on the matter, so no more will be said of this." The magic system, too, is tenuous at best, the reader's knowledge of it as patchy as Nathan's. The book is a consistent exercise in incomplete information, whether on the part of the characters or the reader.
 
Ultimately, this construct doesn't work for me simply because it doesn't give me the emotional investment that I (personally) need as a reader. Being on the outside like this makes it feel like I am seeing the hand of the author too clearly, like he is moving chess pieces around on a board in order to progress the plot in a way that he deems fit. I was drawn to the beginning of the novel, yet felt myself dragging through the vast majority of the rest of it, with the exception of several sections. Indeed, the word that stuck out to me most at the start of the novel was "purpose"; the text questioned what function a machine, or a chain, or some other object performed, often without providing an answer. The author appears intent on subverting the idea of purpose. You can't truly know what function everything in the world has, and thus you can't know what you're doing or what effect it'll have on the future. There's a potential pointlessness to everything our hero does, then, that speaks to an existential ennui. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's certainly not for everyone, and it wasn't what I needed or wanted two years into a pandemic. Still, the ending of the book felt immensely satisfying in that I understood, I think, what the author wanted to achieve, and I believe that he achieved it. Teasing apart what in the novel worked for me and what didn't was deeply delightful in and of itself, and even though I don't plan to continue reading the series, I'm glad that I pushed through.
 
At my most judgmental point of reading, I might have said that this book is one for those insecure about loving genre, who need to prove to themselves or others that fantasy can be 'literary' in the way that any depressing story seems to be when contrasted with a joyful one. But I think that does Mordew a disservice: it is a book for those who realize that, if magic were real, not every story would culminate in a satisfying hero's arc complete with enlightenment. We might begin in hopeless circumstances with no guidance, leaving us to use our adolescent imaginations as best we can to figure out what to do and take our beatings when we get it wrong. It isn't satisfying, per se, but it is an exploration that might provide a sort of pleasure to a certain sort of reader. For those intrigued by such a premise, I recommend Mordew heartily. 
 
Mordew is available in the Dragonmount eBook store. Find it here!
 
 
  • Teaser Paragraph:

    TL,DR: Mordew by Alex Pheby is a grim, subversive fantasy about a young boy, Nathan, who lives in the slums of the eponymous city and bears a magical Spark. It's a solid read for those who aren't looking for a lighthearted escape, who are comfortable with stories that don't give all the answers and are told at an emotional distance.

Ola Aleksandra Hill
Ola Aleksandra Hill