Theoryland of the Wheel of Time

From the RJ signing for The Path of Daggers at Books & Co., in Dayton, OH, on Sunday, 11/15:

My report is not as exhaustive as Matthew Hunter's—I didn't take notes. From his report, however, it seems that our two signings were quite similar, at least as far as what Jordan said.

I had several questions prepared, and, surprisingly, had all but one answered. Of course, only two of those questions really impact plot and stuff, so...

My first question: "Was the Aes Sedai who initiated the Pact of Rhuidean from the Age of Legends?" (From The Shadow Rising).

Michael Martin

age of legends

,

rhuidean

,

the shadow rising

,

aes sedai

Next two questions were essentially the same, just about different characters: Had he always known the size and importance of the roles of Fain and Cadsuane?

Yes.

cadsuane

,

fain

He went on to repeat what he has said before—knowing the end, knowing all the major events, yadda yadda. However, what he did said that was new (at least for me) was that the order of events was not set, and that he allowed some fluidity for them. He made a remark about a cousin of his (who is an engineer) who came over and saw all the notes and work and asked why RJ hadn't created something called "critical flow charts" or some such. RJ replied that the nature of the story was too complex for such linear breakdown.

rj's notes

,

how will it end?

,

the last scene

,

plotting

He also said the that the idea for the chapter icons was his wife's. They sat down and decided (roughly) what they ought to look like, and hired an artist to do them.

harriet

,

chapter icons

I asked if we would see Isam/Luc again.

RAFO.

slayer

RJ was very personable and seemed to genuinely enjoy the interaction with the fans. I was disappointed, however, by how few questions there were—most people simply stood there silently while he signed. I was also surprised by how few people seemed to know about the newsgroup, the FAQ, and the Compleat Index.

There were a number of people there who were only partway through the series (although I guess we all are only partway through the series!) and many had not yet read the book.

fandom

,

wotfaq

,

rj the man

Like Matthew Hunter (see his post), I was surprised by the candor of RJ's remarks regarding Sweet's covers. At least we know he is just as exasperated by them as we are. If only Michael Whelan and Jordan had been able to work a deal out—man. Talk about poster-worthy and collectible art.

cover art

OK. I have to work now. I'll try to respond to any questions or gripes about the report.

Michael Martin