I love you Kirby, but "Epic" you are not.
In my opinion, few things truly merit being described as epic. One such example that without a shadow of a doubt earns the label, however, is Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series of fantasy novels. For how long the series has been around (The first book came out in 1990, if I recall, correctly), I find that the vast majority of people, even among those who actively read fantasy books, are unfamiliar with it. This needs to change. If you enjoyed the Lord of the Rings, Jordan takes what Tolkien established and blows it out of the water. I won’t try to describe the plot to you here, simply because there's no way I could possibly do it justice, suffice to say that the series contains everything you could possibly hope for. Yes, even crazy Asians with Southern accents . Not kidding.
The major barrier preventing people getting into the series is its length, which I suppose can be construed as good or bad. I mean, I will admit that sometimes there's an aggravating amount of detail that makes you want to yell, "I DON'T CARE WHAT KIND OF DRESS SHE'S WEARING OR HOW SHE DID HER HAIR TODAY." On the flipside, the character development of this series is absolutely unparalleled in any other series. Even before one finishes the first book, the reader feels truly attached to the characters, and cares about what happens to them even if they don't LIKE them necessarily. And in a world that's as fleshed out as this, it's easy to become lost in thought about all the potential scenarios and outcomes of certain events. (Can someone say FAN FICTION?)
Initially, Robert Jordan only set out to write a trilogy of fantasy novels. It didn’t take him long to realize he wouldn’t be able to finish the story he had started in a mere 3 books, so he soon expanded it to 6 books instead. Well, 6 books didn’t prove to be enough either. Alright, 10 books. Nope, still not enough? OKAY, 12 BOOKS. THAT’S IT. Sadly, shortly after Book 11 was published, Robert Jordan passed away before he could finish his series. Needless to say, fans were pretty distraught, especially after coming so far with the characters and the story. Fortunately, Jordan had kept extensive notes on the series and his plans for its conclusion, in addition to having told his wife and editor Harriet his intentions as well. A new fantasy author (Brandon Sanderson, author of the Mistborn series and a whole bunch more great books) was hired to work with Harriet to finish the series with one last book. Upon seeing the extensive amount of notes and just how much needed to be brought to a conclusion, Sanderson decided he couldn’t finish in 1 book. So now he’s writing 3, with the next scheduled for release later this year. There were mixed opinions among fans. Some of them were thankful that at least the series was getting a conclusion, while others starting jumping and growling like angry puppies at the prospect of someone else finishing Jordan's life work. Despite the anxiety among fans, the first book by Sanderson (released last year) soon allayed their fears, as if soothing the anxious puppies with a delicious Milkbone. (Boy I hope that analogy makes as much sense in text as it did in my head. Not that it made much sense there either.) In any case, the book was GOOD.
So, even though the series may require you to trundle around a wheelbarrow full of books, it truly is worth it. Look up Eye of the World (the first book in the series) and give it a shot!
On a completely unrelated note: In her last post Inanity discussed my Mafimano costume, which is nearing completion. I hope to have pictures of it up soon so you can see what Inanity and I have been up to. :)
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