A Tribute to The Wheel of Time

“In my head, I’m an Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah. Thank the Light… and blame The Wheel of Time.”

 

There’s just no getting around it. The Wheel of Time is my most favorite series OF ALL TIME. I’ve yet to encounter anything else that even compares to how I feel about these books (though Brandon Sanderson is onto something with his Stormlight Archive series).

What Robert Jordan did is much more than write a fantasy book. He set the beacon for true, thorough, fantastical storytelling. He allowed for me (and many others) to connect with his well-crafted characters. After thousands of pages spent together, they’ve become friends. These fictional friends’ EPIC adventures allow readers to examine the power of honor, loyalty, duty, friendship, love, betrayal, and sacrifice, with the overarching theme of good versus evil. It doesn’t get any better than that!

What The Wheel of Time has taught me:

1. Magic and Historical Themes: The recipe for great storytelling.

I began reading the series when I was 12-years-old, when my dad gave me his copy of Eye of the World. Never before had I encountered such a fantastical tale that held just the perfect amount of action, suspense, magic, strong characters, humor, and friendship. I fell in love with the genre and learned quickly that this is a natural space to explore historical themes.

In WoT, the world is at war, and governed by various leaders. Through that you’re able to experience it from the various perspectives, and explore themes of tyranny, war, espionage, empire-building, cultural diffusion, and so on. Reading these books 100% enhanced my appreciation for Fantasy (which I now write) and History (which I went on to teach).

2. Forget Damsels in Distress…. This is where the strong female characters hang out!

Being a strong, intimidating, smart, brave female is not crazy, or unheard of, it’s the norm in Robert Jordan’s works. It’s the Aes Sedai way… and it’s COOL. He crafted an entire series—his fantasy world—that is ruled by powerful, magic-wielding women. When I was growing up, many stories featured “damsels in distress” or female sidekicks. And though I think there are stronger female characters in many works today, it still rarely compares to Wheel of Time for me. There are just sooooo many amazing characters to look to in this series (Egwene, Aviendha, Nynaeve, Elayne, Siuan, Cadsuane, Faile, Min, Tuon…. to name a few). In WoT, the females are at the forefront of the story, and in the action throughout. I grew up thinking that was normal, and I think I’m a stronger, better individual for it.

 

3. “Good things come to those who wait…” and persevere.

Reading a 14-book series (15 if you count the prequel) is not for the faint of heart. I know a lot of people who have started the series, but never stuck it out. HOW SAD!?! It’s completely worth it, and I honestly feel proud of myself for being one of the dedicated, true WoT fans having read the series twice.

And that said, it reminds me of how important it is to stick with my own goals and disciplines. It takes perseverance to achieve things, which I learned *in part* from these characters and this drawn out series. I feel inspired to take on my own writing, and goals, after finishing up my WoT re-read.

4. FANTASY IS FREAKING AWESOME!

This series, my most favorite ever, has led to the best reading of my life… but it also set me on a path for writing as well. I wanted to explore fantasy with my own take on it. With friendship, honor, valor, love, and sacrifice at the forefront of the story too. Though I will never create anything as spectacular as Robert Jordan, I do feel a thrill to create more… and go after what I want to see in a story just as he did. Nav’Aria is definitely inspired by my years spent lost in Robert Jordan’s words and world. He is a true legend, and I will be forever grateful to him, his wife, and Brandon Sanderson for this masterpiece of a journey.

 

If you can’t tell… I LOVE THESE BOOKS! This series has my highest recommendation, and I hope you give them a chance. Also, stay tuned for “The Wheel of Time” show (*in production now*) coming to Amazon!!! I can’t wait!

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Have you read these books? Do you have a book or book series that is your ABSOLUTE FAVORITE!? Share in the comments! I’m always up for #bookrecommendations.