The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time
Encyclopedia
The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time is a reference book for the bestselling The Wheel of Time
epic fantasy series of novels by Robert Jordan
. It is published in the United States
by Tor Books
and in the United Kingdom
by Orbit Books
. The bulk of the text was written by Teresa Patterson based on notes and information provided by Robert Jordan, with Jordan also serving as overall editor on the project.
Whilst the information in the guide is broadly canonical, the book is deliberately written with vague, biased or even downright false (or guessed) information in places, as Patterson felt this would reflect a key theme of the series (the mutability of knowledge across time and distance).
, which was released at the same time. A large-format paperback edition followed in November 1999. On 6 June 2002 Orbit re-released the book as a 461-page mass-market paperback, stripped of all illustrations apart from the maps. This is the 'current' UK edition.
and Thomas Canty. The covers of the novels, painted by Darrell K. Sweet, were also included. The mass-market paperback editions only includes the Mitchell, Ford and Canty maps however. The original artwork by Hamilton was fiercely criticised on release .
The book consists of six sections, outlined as follows:
, currently scheduled for March 2012.
Teresa Patterson went on to write a very similar book for Terry Brooks
' Shannara
series, although she was given much greater leeway for creating her own material for that book.
A similar book for George R.R. Martin's series, A Song of Ice and Fire
is currently in the planning process, scheduled for release in 2009. Martin, a friend of Jordan's, jokingly said that it will not be called The World of George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire as the cover and title page would not be large enough to contain it.
The Wheel of Time
The Wheel of Time is a series of epic fantasy novels written by American author James Oliver Rigney, Jr., under the pen name Robert Jordan. Originally planned as a six-book series, the length was increased by increments; at the time of Rigney's death, he expected it to be 12, but it will actually...
epic fantasy series of novels by Robert Jordan
Robert Jordan
Robert Jordan was the pen name of James Oliver Rigney, Jr. , under which he was best known as the author of the bestselling The Wheel of Time fantasy series. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Reagan O'Neal and Jackson O'Reilly.-Biography:Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina...
. It is published in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by Tor Books
Tor Books
Tor Books is one of two imprints of Tom Doherty Associates LLC, based in New York City. It is noted for its science fiction and fantasy titles. Tom Doherty Associates also publishes mainstream fiction, mystery, and occasional military history titles under its Forge imprint. The company was founded...
and in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by Orbit Books
Orbit Books
Orbit Books is an international publisher that specialises in science fiction and fantasy books. It was founded in 1974 as part of the Macdonald Futura publishing company...
. The bulk of the text was written by Teresa Patterson based on notes and information provided by Robert Jordan, with Jordan also serving as overall editor on the project.
Whilst the information in the guide is broadly canonical, the book is deliberately written with vague, biased or even downright false (or guessed) information in places, as Patterson felt this would reflect a key theme of the series (the mutability of knowledge across time and distance).
Publication history
The book has been printed in several formats. The original release on 6 November 1997 was a large-format hardback with a predominantly white cover. This led to the book being dubbed 'The Big White Book' by fans. This edition of the book runs to 304 pages. The book was reprinted in a slightly different edition of the same size a year later. This edition has a different cover (a map of the Westlands) and the gallery has been expanded to include the cover of the eighth novel, The Path of DaggersThe Path of Daggers
The Path of Daggers is the eighth book of The Wheel of Time fantasy series written by American author Robert Jordan. It was published by Tor Books and released on October 20, 1998...
, which was released at the same time. A large-format paperback edition followed in November 1999. On 6 June 2002 Orbit re-released the book as a 461-page mass-market paperback, stripped of all illustrations apart from the maps. This is the 'current' UK edition.
Description
The book is an attempt to fill in the enormous backstory of the Wheel of Time novels and also serves as 'guidebook' to the world presented in the books. The original large-editions of the book were presented with full-colour art by Todd Cameron Hamilton and includes maps by Ellisa Mitchell, John M. FordJohn M. Ford
John Milo "Mike" Ford was an American science fiction and fantasy writer, game designer, and poet.Ford was regarded as an extraordinarily intelligent, erudite and witty man. He was a popular contributor to several online discussions...
and Thomas Canty. The covers of the novels, painted by Darrell K. Sweet, were also included. The mass-market paperback editions only includes the Mitchell, Ford and Canty maps however. The original artwork by Hamilton was fiercely criticised on release .
The book consists of six sections, outlined as follows:
- The Wheel and the Power: a description and explanation of the Wheel of Time, the True Source and the One Power, the relationships between the three and how they are tapped and used.
- The Age of Legends: a historical overview of the Age of Legends, the War of the Shadow and the Breaking of the World. Includes biographies and character studies of the thirteen Forsaken and information on the Friends of the Dark and Shadowspawn.
- The World Since the Breaking: a historical overview of events since the Breaking, including the founding of the White Tower and the rise of the Ten Nations, the Trolloc Wars, the rise of Artur Hawkwing in the War of the Second Dragon, the colonisation of Seanchan, the War of the Hundred Years, the start of the New Era, the Whitecloak War and the Aiel War.
- Narrative Paintings: the cover artwork for the first seven (expanded to eight in later editions) novels in the series. This section is missing from mass-market paperback editions of the book.
- The World of the Wheel: a gazetteer to the world of the novels, including information on Shara, Seanchan, the Aiel Waste, the Land of the Madmen and the Ogier. A map of the whole world is shown, along with a more detailed map of Shara and the Aiel Waste, and another of the Seanchan home continent. Information on history, customs and the Seanchan exotic animals is also included.
- Within the Land: focuses on the fourteen nations and the major city-states that make up the main continent shown in the books, featuring information on holidays, prophecies, military forces, governments, trade and the influence of the Aes Sedai.
Later developments
A second edition of the book, updated with information from the later novels, has been mooted several times by fans. However, Robert Jordan has confirmed that instead a new 'Wheel of Time Encyclopedia', written by his wife Harriett McDougal based on his raw notes, will follow on from the main series. This book will feature more maps, a list of every character to appear in the series and a 1,000-word vocabulary for his invented language, the Old Tongue . It will appear after publication of the fourteenth and final novel, A Memory of LightA Memory of Light
A Memory of Light is the planned 14th and final book of the fantasy series The Wheel of Time, written by American author Robert Jordan with Brandon Sanderson. A Memory of Light was expected to be published around March 2012. The latest information indicates that it will be sometime between March...
, currently scheduled for March 2012.
Teresa Patterson went on to write a very similar book for Terry Brooks
Terry Brooks
Terence Dean "Terry" Brooks is an American writer of fantasy fiction. He writes mainly epic fantasy, and has also written two movie novelizations. He has written 23 New York Times bestsellers during his writing career, and has over 21 million copies of his books in print...
' Shannara
Shannara
Shannara is an epic fantasy series of novels written by Terry Brooks, beginning with The Sword of Shannara in 1977 and continuing through Bearers of the Black Staff which was released on August 24, 2010, as well as a prequel, First King of Shannara...
series, although she was given much greater leeway for creating her own material for that book.
A similar book for George R.R. Martin's series, A Song of Ice and Fire
A Song of Ice and Fire
A Song of Ice and Fire is a series of epic fantasy novels by American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin. Martin began writing the series in 1991 and the first volume was published in 1996. Originally planned as a trilogy, the series now consists of five published volumes; a further two...
is currently in the planning process, scheduled for release in 2009. Martin, a friend of Jordan's, jokingly said that it will not be called The World of George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire as the cover and title page would not be large enough to contain it.