Robert Jordan - Definition and Overview

Alternative meanings: Robert Jordan (lawyer) for the former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia; Robert Jordan (character) for the character in Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls.

Robert Jordan is a pen name for James Oliver Rigney, Jr. (1948-). He is best known as the author of the bestselling The Wheel of Time fantasy series. Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina and holds an undergraduate degree in physics from The Citadel, the military college of South Carolina. He is a history buff and served two tours in Vietnam with the U.S. Army.

Bibliography

Fallon

(under the pen name Reagan O'Neal)

• The Fallon Legacy (1981)
• The Fallon Pride (1982)
• The Fallon Blood (1995)

Conan the Barbarian

Jordan is one of several writers who has written pastiches of the original Conan the Barbarian stories.

1. Conan the Defender (1982)
2. Conan the Invincible (1982)
3. Conan the Triumphant (1983)
4. Conan the Unconquered (1983)
5. Conan the Destroyer (1984)
6. Conan the Magnificent (1984)
7. Conan the Victorious (1984)
8. Conan: King of Thieves (1984)

They were packed into two separate volumes:

• The Conan Chronicles
• Further Chronicles of Conan

The Wheel of Time

Ten books of the series have been published so far. Book 11 Knife of Dreams is expected this year:

1. The Eye of the World (15 January 1990)
2. The Great Hunt (15 November 1990)
3. The Dragon Reborn 15 October 1991)
4. The Shadow Rising (15 September 1992)
5. The Fires of Heaven (15 October 1993)
6. Lord of Chaos (15 October 1994)
7. A Crown of Swords (15 May 1996)
8. The Path of Daggers (20 October 1998)
9. Winter's Heart (9 November 2000)
10. Crossroads of Twilight (7 January 2003)
11. Knife of Dreams (6 October 2005)

There are several accessory works:

• A prequel novella, "New Spring," was originally published in the Legends anthology edited by Robert Silverberg. The novella was expanded into a standalone novel-length version, New Spring, that was published in January 2004.
• The World of Robert Jordan's the Wheel of Time (1997) is a reference book to The Wheel of Time; it was written in collaboration with Teresa Patterson.

In addition the series is being progressively re-released in large format, presumably for younger readers, each volume being split in two and illustrated. As of 2004 the process has extended to The Great Hunt.

Other works

• Cheyenne Riders (1982, under the pseudonym Jackson O'Reilly)

Jordan mentioned several times that he plans another fantasy set in a different kind of world. He said that it will be Shogun-like series about a man, who suffers shipwreck in an unknown culture and world. The book will take pace of his adventures there. He said that he'll do this after he finishes his complete work on WoT in Book 12 and the prequels. He particularly stressed that this novel will be significantly shorter than the latter saga.

External links

• Silklantern.com (http://www.silklantern.com/): fan-run site: "mission is to provide a safe place where anyone who has read The Wheel of Time may participate comfortably"
• Dragonmount (http://www.dragonmount.com/): One of the largest Wheel Of Time community sites
• wotmania (http://www.wotmania.com/): fan-run site
• Encyclopaedia WoT (http://www.encyclopaedia-wot.org/): the most complete database of Wheel of Time information on the web
• Wheel of Time FAQ (http://www.darkfriends.net/wheel/): a fairly definitive FAQ
• Bibliography (http://scifan.com/writers/jj/JordanRobert.asp) on SciFan
• Interviews of Robert Jordan on The Wheel of Time (http://a1110.g.akamai.net/7/1110/5507/v001/bookstream.download.akamai.com/5507/bw/bs/0765306298/default.htm?)