Jim Rigney (Robert Jordan), 1948-2007

[Talia]

I had heard NOTHING of this until I read it in Neil Gaiman's blog just now. He was only 58. :/


http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/2007/09/jim-rigney.html

Aaaand just found the boingboing article

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/09/16/rip-robert-jordan.html

And yeah, maybe he did tend to drone on and on in some of his books, and maybe the series did run on far too long, but a lot of it was really really good, and very engrossing. He'll be missed.

Incidentally, I have heard he was in the middle of the 12th book when he passed, but he's left notes on plotline and such so the storyline can be finished up by someone else according to his wishes, I guess. 

[shwankie]

Okay, I have to admit I feel really bad about this one, and just a bit guilty.

I started reading the Wheel of Time Series when the first book was published, and followed it slavishly until book 9 (I also read some of his Conan series, but that's a whole different post), when I decided to stop reading any series that was not already completed. This decision was brought on by the years on end that Melanie Rawn pushed back (and eventually stopped bothering with completely) her publishing date for the third book in her Mageborn series. At that time I decided to forgo reading any more incomplete series because I was worried the author's would either just decide not to complete the series or die before they finished. In particular, I've said on many occasions in SF conversations that Mr. Jordan was dragging things out so long he'd almost certainly die before finishing the WoT series. I was kidding. Really, I was.

[Russell Nash]

Okay, I have to admit I feel really bad about this one, and just a bit guilty.

In particular, I've said on many occasions in SF conversations that Mr. Jordan was dragging things out so long he'd almost certainly die before finishing the WoT series. I was kidding. Really, I was.

So it's all your fault. 

Over ten years ago, I was going through a friends bookshelves, when I found WoT.  Even back then the first thing he said to me was, "don't read that."  He went on to explain that the series was already longer than it was originally meant to be and that it would never end.  It would just be stretched out for as long as people bought it.

That was my introduction to Jordan. 

You weren't the only one.  There were so many people thinking the same thing, it's amazing that their combined annoyance didn't kill him years earlier.

[jamesotron]

I gave up at book nine myself.  I think it was the fact that so many sub-sub-sub-sub-sub-plots had evolved with so many characters that the entire (and we're not talking small) novel covered about one and a half days of in-world time. Also, I had forgotten who most of the characters were and what they were doing.

In summary, yes it's sad that someone so talented died so young but it's a pity he couldn't use his powers for good.

[DDog]

At that time I decided to forgo reading any more incomplete series because I was worried the author's would either just decide not to complete the series or die before they finished.

That's interesting, because when I start any series and decide I really like it, I'm reluctant to read the most recently published book until another one is published in case the series has already been finished before I took up with it and there won't be any more ever. I waited to read Kushiel's Avatar (third book in first series) until I saw that Kushiel's Scion (first book in second series) had been published. I finished The Fiery Cross years ago and I can't read A Breath of Snow and Ashes until the next one is published--but I have a sinking feeling that one might truly be the end given certain foreshadowing. I suppose I can content myself with Lord John and books until I'm brave enough to read it. It was agony finishing A Storm of Swords knowing the next one might not be out for years--and then devouring A Feast for Crows ASAP as soon as it came out knowing A Dance with Dragons really wouldn't be out for years.

So Robert Jordan's books were comforting because there were SO MANY BOOKS and more just kept popping up that I couldn't possibly run out of them and when I did the story would have been done to death long before in all likelihood. Started four or five years ago and still have only gotten through two. 'Tis a sad day to lose an author. I, too, heard about it from Neil Gaiman's blog.

[shwankie]

You weren't the only one.  There were so many people thinking the same thing, it's amazing that their combined annoyance didn't kill him years earlier.

Regardless of the medical ruling on the matter, I am pretty sure that actually was the Cause of Death. No physical being can take that much negative energy for that long unscathed.