Jennifer Liang, Director of Wheel of Time programing for Dragon*Con, Special Projects Manager for Dragonmount.com and the Chair of JordanCon, the only Wheel of Time fan convention, has written a short review of the upcoming Wheel of Time novel, THE GATHERING STORM.

Like Jason Denzel, I was given the opportunity to read The Gathering Storm prior to its release in October. With less than two weeks to go before the official release, I’ve decided to share a few of my impressions.

My first thought when I picked up my copy was “What do I tell Brandon if this sucks?” Luckily, I never needed to come up with an answer to that question. The Gathering Storm is a very, very good book. I hesitate to compare it to the others in the series, because I’m terrible at being objective regarding WoT books. I mean, I like these books enough to dress up like the characters on weekends. I am hardly objective about anything regarding this series. But, I do think this will be considered a strong entry to the series.

Things happen in this book. I know there is a concern among fans that this will feel like part of a book because of the decision to split the material Jordan intended to include in A Memory of Light. But so much happened in this book that I felt completely satisfied as a reader. Key events that have been foreshadowed since the first book of the series finally come to fruition. Some things happen almost exactly the way you might predict they do. Others happen in a completely surprising way. There was more than one reveal that made my jaw drop. Like Jason, I was surprised by how dark Rand’s arc became at points. And several things are set up for the next book. I think anyone who thinks they know exactly how the events of the next few books will play out will be surprised. Pleasantly so, I hope.

The difference in writing styles between Jordan and Sanderson was not jarring to me. Some passages feel more like Brandon, others feel more like Jordan. But, I found myself so caught up in the story and the characters that I didn’t care who wrote what. Brandon has achieved his goal of adapting his style to suit the story. The descriptions are lush and evocative. The attention to detail matches what we’ve come to expect when reading a Wheel of Time novel, without being a parody of Jordan’s style or mannerisms. I also found that this book triggered many emotions. I laughed out loud at several passages, and another had me yelling out loud in shock (much to the consternation of my husband, who was disrupted by my outburst). There was at least one point where I yelled “Stop being such a tool, [NameofCharacter]!” at the book.

While I think everyone will agree, we’d much rather have this story finished by the one who began it, Brandon has written an excellent and engaging novel that is a worthy addition to the series. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

Age of Legends, LLC is pleased to announce that JordanCon 2010 registration is now open. Pre registration is currently $50, with group discounts available. JordanCon membership covers all three days, all panels, events, demonstrations, concerts, performances, contests and a host of other activities. Workshops requiring a materials fee will be noted in the program. JordanCon will take place April 23-25, 2010.

JordanCon will be hosted by the Crowne Plaza Ravinia in 2010. The Crowne Plaza is located in the heart of Atlanta’s Perimeter neighborhood at the juncture of I-285 and GA 400. This location is ideal for out of town travelers, boasting access to MARTA, Perimeter Mall and numerous shopping, dining and other entertainment options. Be sure to mention JordanCon when reserving your room, so you will receive the discounted rate of $109 a night.

JordanCon programing will include three tracks of simultaneous programing over all three days. The Forum is dedicated to Wheel of Time theories, trivia and discussion, as well as the varied worlds of author Brandon Sanderson. The Workshop is dedicated to costuming, gaming, jewelry making, martial arts, dance and period crafts. The Writer’s track, which is new in 2010, is for writers, editors and publishers of genre literature. Our Dealers Hall will feature a variety of vendors, including Badali Jewelry, maker of Wheel Of Time and other licensed fantasy jewelry.

JordanCon programming will also include our second annual Seanchan Hold’em Charity Poker Tournament, benefiting the Mayo Clinic, the Seanchan Homecoming Dance, author appearances, and much, much more.

Guests this year include online humorist, David Wong, who’s critically acclaimed first novel John Dies at the End is a forthcoming release from St. Martins Press. We will also be joined by Atlanta based author, Jana G. Oliver, who’s Virtual Evil received a Pluto Award in 2008. Our Guest of Honor will be New York Times bestseller Brandon Sanderson. In 2007 Sanderson was selected to complete The Wheel of Time series.

JordanCon 2009 (Rand alCon) was a smashing success, with appearances by Harriet McDougal, Tom Doherty, Brandon Sanderson and Wilson Grooms. Over 250 people attended and $3,150 was raised on behalf of the Mayo Clinic.
For more information, please visit our website http://www.ageoflegends.net/. Or email us at jordancon@ageoflegends.net

As we get closer and closer to JordanCon, I find it harder and harder to muster up the time to sit and write of those professional sounding releases I usually do. It probably doesn’t matter.

Anyways, I sent out the JordanCon progress report this weekend via email. Yes, I’m aware that a progress report really out to be released six months before a convention and not three weeks before. Work with me. I’m new at this. It’s pretty much a summary of what you can expect to see and do at JordanCon. You can download the PDF here.

The link to the schedule in that is incorrect. You should be able to access it by going here. There’s still a few things that need to be fleshed out, but you should be able to get an idea of what’s going to happen when.

I’ll see everyone real soon!

–Jennifer Liang
JordanCon Chair

Tom Doherty, the founder of Tor Books, the publisher of The Wheel of Time series, will be attending JordanCon. Doherty formed Tor Books in 1980, after a stint as publisher at the venerable Ace Books publishing house. Since 1988, Tor has been selected by Locus Magazine readers as “Best Science Fiction Publisher”. Tor authors include the late Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson, George R.R. Martin, Terry Goodkind, Orson Scott Card, Mercedes Lackey and many other notables. Doherty will be appearing on panels regarding the upcoming publication of A Memory of Light, the final book in The Wheel of Time series and on the future of fantasy publishing in general.

JordanCon is the first convention dedicated to exploring the literary legacy of Robert Jordan and his ground breaking The Wheel of Time series. JordanCon takes place April 17-19, 2009 at the Alpharetta Embassy Suites in Alpharetta, GA, a suburb of Atlanta. Pre registration is currently $60. Other guests include Harriet McDougal, Wilson Grooms, The Lost Boys, Big City Burlesque, Jendaiyi Belly Dance of Atlanta and Brandon Sanderson. For more information, please see our website at http://www.ageoflegends.net

September 24, 2008- Brandon Sanderson Officially On Guest List for JordanCon

Age of Legends, LLC is pleased to announce Brandon Sanderson to the JordanCon guest list. Last December, Sanderson was announced as the chosen author to finish the final novel in Robert Jordan’s bestselling Wheel of Time fantasy series.

Brandon Sanderson received his Bachelor’s in English from Brigham Young University and later his Master’s from BYU in creative writing. It was during the middle of his graduate program that Sanderson shared his debut novel, Elantris, with editor Moshe Feder at a fantasy convention. Several months later Brandon was signed on with Tor.

Sanderson has since gone on to establish a loyal fan base as the author of three critically acclaimed fantasy novels: Elantris, Mistborn, and The Well of Ascension, as well as a YA novel, Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians. Publishing trade magazines Publishers Weekly and Library Journal gave Elantris starred reviews and it was the winner of the Romantic Times Award for best epic fantasy. The Washington Post also praised Sanderson for his creation of “a fascinating world” in Mistborn.

A Memory of Light will be the twelfth and final book in the esteemed Wheel of Time fantasy series and is slated to come out Fall 2009.

Jendayi’s Atlanta Belly Dancing Studio, Inc. has also been scheduled to attend JordanCon. Atlanta Belly Dancing teaches belly dancing classes in Canton, Woodstock, and Austell, Georgia. The studio teaches all styles of bellydance offering classes in technique and choreography featuring Egyptian, Turkish, Tribal and Fusion Belly Dance styles. Jendayi’s Atlanta Belly Dancing Studio, Inc. also gives students several opportunities to perform and showcase their belly dance skills. They will be a welcome addition to the workshops scheduled for JordanCon.

JordanCon is the first convention dedicated to exploring Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time Series and his literary legacy. Pre-registration is now open for JordanCon through www.ageoflegends.net. You can purchase your badge online or by mail. JordanCon membership covers all three days, all panels, events, demonstrations, concerts, performances, contests and a host of other activities. Workshops requiring a materials fee will be noted in the program.

Pre-registration for JordanCon is now open. JordanCon is the first convention dedicated to exploring Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series and his rich, literary legacy. It will be held April 17-19, 2009 at the Alpharetta Embassy Suites in Alpharetta, Georgia. Our Guest of Honor is Harriet MacDougal, Robert Jordan’s wife and editor. Our Fan Guest of Honor is Wilson Grooms, Jordan’s cousin and frequent contributor to his blog on Dragonmount.

Convention member is currently priced at $55.

Information on registration can be found HERE.

Information about JordanCon can be found at http://www.ageoflegends.net/ or you can reach us at JordanCon@ageoflegends.net

Last year’s Wheel of Time track, hosted by Dragon*Con was featured in a recent documentary on Charleston writers. It also features some of the last film shot of Robert Jordan before his death. There is apparently another documentary in the works about Robert Jordan and his fans.

The entire thing is available online at Dragonmount.

Age of Legends, LLC is pleased to announce the guests for our inaugural JordanCon will include Harriet McDougal as Guest of Honor and Wilson Grooms as Fan Guest of Honor. JordanCon will be held at the Alpharetta Embassy Suites April 17-19th, 2009. Information about badges will be forthcoming.

Harriet McDougal is the wife of the late Jim Rigney, best known as “Robert Jordan” and the editor of her husband’s works. An accomplished poet, as well as editor, she has worked in publishing houses such as ACE and was the editor-in-chief at Tor Books. In late 2007, she hand picked Brandon Sanderson to complete the final volume in Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series.

There is arguably no bigger fan of Robert Jordan than Wilson Grooms. Wilson is a cousin of the late Jim Rigney. He typically describes himself as the “fourth of three” Rigney brothers. Wilson is known to fans of the The Wheel of Time as “that guy that updated RJ’s blog when he couldn’t”.

The Alpharetta Embassy Suites has been selected as the host hotel for JordanCon. Suites are available at the convention discount of $115 per night. Please be sure to ask for the JordanCon block when booking, otherwise you may be quoted a higher rate or told the hotel has sold out. Room codes for online booking will be available shortly.

JordanCon is the first fan convention dedicated to The Wheel of Time series and its fans. For more information, please see our website. http://www.ageoflegends.net

Brandon Sanderson to Attend Dragon*Con 2008.

Brandon Sanderson, the author chosen to complete A MEMORY OF LIGHT, is scheduled to attend Dragon*Con 2008.

Brandon’s current fantasy series is the Mistborn Trilogy, the final volume of which will be published in October 2008. His first novel, ELANTRIS, was picked by Barnes and Noble editors as the best fantasy or science fiction book of 2005, and is forthcoming in fourteen languages. He released his first children’s book, ALCATRAZ VERSUS THE EVIL LIBRARIANS, in 2007. Brandon lives in Provo, Utah, where he is hard at work on A MEMORY OF LIGHT, the twelfth and final book of the WHEEL OF TIME. He teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University.

Dragon*Con is the largest multi-media, popular culture convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the US.
Dragon*Con 2008 will be held Labor Day weekend (August 29 – September 1, 2008) in Atlanta, GA.
This will be Brandon’s first appearance at Dragon*Con.

http://www.dragoncon.org/

http://www.ageoflegends.net/

http://www.brandonsanderson.com/

Dragonmount.com posted the following tonight:

FINAL ART HAS BEEN SELECTED FOR ROBERT JORDAN’S
WHEEL OF TIME® 2009 CALENDAR!

January28, 2008: Last spring, Robert Jordan announced a competition on his blog (www.dragonmount.com/RobertJordan) where artists would have the opportunity to submit original artwork based on the Wheel of Time® for inclusion in a 2009 calendar.

He wrote, “I know there is some really professional quality work because I have seen it. Style doesn’t matter in this. Manga, hyper-realism, current cover-art. Whatever. Anything and everything is acceptable as a possibility. It will be the quality that counts, not the style. If you want to try it the way you think Rembrandt would have done it, go for it.”

The competition ran from Tuesday, May 22nd through Wednesday, August 15th, and the initial judging was conducted under the supervision of a panel of judges from several popular Wheel of Time® websites including:
www.dragonmount.com
www.wotmania.com
www.tarvalon.net
www.ageoflegends.net
www.encyclopaedia-wot.org

Robert Jordan personally conducted the final judging and selected the 12 images that will appear in the 2009 WHEEL OF TIME® calendar just a few days before he passed away on September 16th, 2007 from the rare blood disease, amyloidosis. Now, Tor Books is proud to announce the names of the artists whose pieces symbolize the devotion that readers have to Robert Jordan and to the rich world he created.

They are (in alphabetical order):
ARTIST ART WORK TITLE
Michael-James Anderson “Into the Ways”
Susan Frech-Sims “Aviendha in the Aiel Waste, Book 4”
James Keegan “Mordeth Revealed”
Jared Magneson “The Heart of the Stone”
Doug McCluer “Couladin Surprises Mat”
Paul Pederson “Night Stalkers”
Andrea Perurena “Rand in The Fires of Heaven”
Matthew Ryan “Child of the Light, Galad Damodred”
Kevin Ed Tinney “The Caemlyn Waygate”
Joseph B. Trimarchi “Battle at Whitebridge”
Joni Warden “Sedai, Among Us”
Tess Wrathall “A Lily in Winter”

Scheduled to come out in July 2008, ROBERT JORDAN’S THE WHEEL OF TIME® 2009 CALENDAR is a new way to experience favorite stories and characters, and will be a must-have for Robert Jordan’s millions of fans.

We’re very pleased to note Joe Trimarchi and Joni Warden among the winners. Joe has been a long time Dragon*Con staffer and featured on our fan art panels each year. Joni was responsible for designing the lovely “Wish you were here” poster that many of us signed in Atlanta. The poster was delivered to Robert Jordan by a friend of the family just before he died.

Congratulations to all the winners! I had the honor of being of the judges and it was ridiculously hard to choose between all of you.

–Jennifer Liang