(325 votes, average: 3.22 heron(s) out of 5)

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36 Responses to “The 4th Age Podcast – Episode #44”

Posted by nana441 on December 20th, 2008 at 6:27 pm Thanks for an awesome Christmas Present. Thanks you all and especially to Brandon Sanderson for taking on the task-voyage of completing the book. I look forward to reading the finale.

Posted by Stian on December 20th, 2008 at 6:55 pm This is reashuring to hear how big a fellow wot geek brandon realy are, I am so glad that in a sence “one of us” have been given the task to complet this long jurney.

Posted by Marc on December 20th, 2008 at 7:04 pm I hope you guys all enjoyed this as much as we did recording it. It was an absolute pleasure to talk with Brandon and realize that he’s just like the rest of us – one huge fan of the series.

Posted by Ray on December 21st, 2008 at 7:32 am WOW, Merry X-Mas, best podcast ever. My faith has been restored by Brandon’s simple words of “I don’t want anybody else doing WOT”. He truly is one of us, a long term, die hard fan. Thank you so much Brandon for picking up this “Mountain of Duty”, you can put it down when you die, lol. Happy Holidays All

Posted by Tom on December 21st, 2008 at 4:40 pm It was a Wonderful Interview.Thank you.You really could tell that Brandon loves the task he was givin.I look forward to reading……..the last 2…I hope……but if it’s all in one and comes with it’s own rolling case I’ll read it that way too:lol: I like the idea he has of doing a book of RJ’s notes and leting us see what was his and and what was not.

Posted by Ricardo on December 22nd, 2008 at 12:45 pm This was the best Podcast ever, great job and many thanks to Mr. Sanderson for doing the Podcast with you guys. If Mr. Sanderson reads the comments (which we know he does), I only have one real comment and that is I listen to the wheel of time series rather then reading the series as I have a hour to hour and half commute in the D.C. area. I hope that the last book (volume one and two or whole book) will also be an audio book. I notice there is not much mention of the audio book even though Mr. Jordan stated in several interviews that he listened to his books and did not read his own books so he could find out if he had gotten his point across. I also see that Michael Krammer and Kate Reading bring the Wheel of Time to life for me in the same respects as Jim Dale brought to life the Harry Potter series. I hope that the same forethought has been given to not only doing the audio book, but releasing the audio book the same time that the written book is released, the same way it was done with Knife of Dreams.

Posted by amir on December 22nd, 2008 at 3:42 pm I want to say two things. I know, I know… Brevity from me is rare… Anyway, first off, I wanted to mention that the interview was fabulous, and a true pleasure to hear. A wonderful treat for the holidays, as many have mentioned. Having begun to follow Brandon only since he was tapped to write the last installment of the WoT, I have found him to be a fantastic author in his own right, and I intend to follow his carier weather he does or does not do anymore WoT books. Though, if he does, I’ll be on those like bees on honey, too. Secondly, I don’t know if you or Brandon meantit to sound like it did, but I think it would be wonderful symbolism and would go with the series REALLY well, if there were a total of 13 books. We all know how significant a number 13 is in the series, and I think 13 books would make it that much more unique in it’s own way. But maybe that’s just my bizzare way of thinking. Wait a minute, I thought I said I would be brief… OK, am stopping here. As usual, Great Job all. A.

Posted by Ray on December 22nd, 2008 at 8:20 pm I guess I am just so excited on what a fantastic podcast this was that I saw the need to post again. After reading a little on Brandon’s website, I feel as though one of my good buddies picked up the task of finishing this beloved series. He said he was playing Magic with his friends on his B-Day, I love Magic. The way he spoke about WOT, it really was like a hundred conversations I’ve had with close friends on the series. PS-Hey Brandon, my Elf deck would whip on anything you have…J/K, lol.

Posted by amir on December 23rd, 2008 at 9:42 am I made notes on Ep’ #43… Go look and form opinions please…

Posted by Virginia on December 23rd, 2008 at 9:51 am Hi all, We are thrilled that everyone seems to enjoy the Interview Podcast as much as we enjoyed making it! Oh, wait, that’s not possible, because I for one had the most wonderful time imaginable, and I know Jessie did, too. We were lucky enough to be able to meet him in person, and fortunately Marc and Andrew were able to join us by phone. The logistics of getting people from all over the US and Canada to record at the same time can be quite daunting under normal circumstances, and we had to accommodate Brandon’s schedule first, which necessitated taking time off work for everyone. I drove 3 hours to get there as well, leaving at oh-dark-hundred. Well worth it, wouldn’t have missed it! I really didn’t know what to expect from Brandon, but he was just fabulous. He made us feel welcome and put us right at ease, and then turned out to be warm, charming, funny and so enthusiastic and knowledgeable that he really made it all work out. I’ve done interviews that were like pulling teeth to get anything out of the interviewee (rather like Loial quizzing Rand for his book) but this was a pure pleasure to do. And I am now sure that A Memory of Light, whether it turns out to be one huge book or two parts, will be everything RJ (or should I say Jim) wanted it to be, if he couldn’t manage to finish it himself. I just thank the Creator that the Wheel wove Harriet and Brandon together and that she chose him, because not only is he a great fan, but has the talent, skills and discipline to bring this amazing saga to a close. I really don’t think many writers could pull it off at all. God bless Harriett – she has given us a great gift in bringing Brandon into the Last Book, and I think the final result will be a most fitting tribute to Jim Rigney’s memory. May the Light shine on her all of her days! Thanks everyone for listening to the podcast and hanging in there through the ups and downs this last year. I know 2009 will be a year to remember in the WoT world, and we hope to add our small bit to be a part of it. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all of us at the 4th Age! Virginia 4th Age podcaster

Posted by Jonn on December 23rd, 2008 at 12:46 pm I must say now that my fears have truly been allayed by this interview. What a wonderful, passionate, insightful person and writer we have in Brandon Sanderson. I honestly don’t think that there could have been a better choice for an author to finish this work. He has all of the sensibilities and talent required. Big credit goes to Harriet for being able to make such a great decision in a mind-bogglingly short period of time following the great master’s passing. I think it must give her some measure of satisfaction that she was able to find someone of Sanderson’s caliber and sensitivity to continue and bring closure to Robert Jordan’s masterpiece. About it being one or two volumes, one or two books…The only problem I foresee now is the time span…If it is two books, that’s fine, but a fairly successive release in a timely matter would be key. Sanderson, again, has allayed my fear that it would read like two different books, but he has said in this interview that his approach is that it will be one book no matter what form it is published. That’s a big relief. I would not want to wait longer than a month though to read the second part of the volume. I admit my selfish reasons is that I want to read this novel as one work and if I take my time it would take me about two weeks to finish a book the size of say, Shadow Rising, but it’s alright to wait a couple weeks to digest. Then bang, all the way through to the finish within a month of starting the book. But to wait longer would be absolute agony and an ironic, not in a good way, finish to Jordan’s masterwork. The beginning being the end of the beginning of the end…Let’s please just let us finish this series, NOW. Most of us have been waiting for about 15 years or so to finish this series. It does make a difference to make us wait months more than necessary.

Posted by Virginia on December 23rd, 2008 at 3:31 pm Jonn, he’s said in several places that if it is in two books, he’ll do his best to persuade Tor to release them close together, if not at the same time. For marketing reasons a short delay between might be best, weeks perhaps. That way the second half wouldn’t sit on the shelf while people go through the first half! Certainly I would snatch them both, and the audio book, off the shelves on the instant available, but not everyone will do so.

Posted by Jonn on December 23rd, 2008 at 5:36 pm Virginia, the numbers that this book will do are going to be phenomenal. Brandon Sanderson adds to the argument by noting how huge Robert Jordan’s sales for the genre are. The demand for this book is built in…I daresay with the confidence that Sanderson instills, this book is a sure fire hit before it even hits the shelves. Even if previews get not so good reviews, the fact that Jordan wrote whole chunks including the Prologue and the ending…You could sell those two sections and the notes and this alone would do well. Having read Sanderson’s work, like Elantris and Mistborn, I’m confident that he can at least hold his own with the material, and his intentions being quite open in this interview, I trust that he’s not going to go crazy and overplay the material. It’s a slam dunk. Like you say, no matter what most of us are going to snatch it up, whatever form it comes in. The endgame, in my opinion, is…is this going to be handled correctly? I read from this interview that Sanderson seems to lean toward a single volume released in as short a period of time as possible. I think the big roadblocks are going to come from the Publisher and the distribution as to whether or not they will play ball. It’s sad that we have to bicker over shelf space in stores rather than take into account that this is a best seller guaranteed. Shelf space. *shakes head* It would be nice if the industry would cater their approach towards logistics based on the consumer’s needs rather than their own. What’s frustratingly archaic about the thinking here is the fact that people can buy books ONLINE now. HAVE IT DELIVERED TO THEIR DOORSTEP. The only shelf space that has to be worried about in this instance is the consumer’s. People, like myself would gladly shell out $50 to read a two volume finale straight through. Think about this: What’s more expensive? A one-shot printing of a two volume piece packaged in a single release…Or two separate releases, with marketing for both along with the explanations needed to sell something that is basically one book split in two? Shelf space? Really? You really think that matters? You and I have both been to the bookstore with the RJ section in it. How much more shelf space would make a difference in this situation? Let’s not sell RJ short here. The release of his final work with the help of Brandon Sanderson will be an event. The time for hesitation is over. Put the bells on it and just go for it, I say! Great job with the podcast btw, guys. I loved it. Keep it up, and do try to get the Holy triumvirate on in some form. That would kick. Cheers, Jon

Posted by Virginia on December 23rd, 2008 at 5:57 pm Hey, you’re preaching to the choir here, Jon! For a lot of people, like me, I just allocate about $100 to go to the store and get my copy of the book and audio book the first nanosecond available – did that at the Borders midnight every year for Harry Potter, too. AND had a copy ordered on Amazon (one to read, one to keep!) And then a year later I get it in paperback as well. Can’t tell you how many copies of the paperbacks I’ve replaced over the years!! Might have had three or more copies of the first six books. It was funny, when I was leaving the bookstore after the last Potter book, I realized that I had reserved two + audio book CDs at Borders and still had one coming from Amazon. So as I got to the end of the line (I was one of the first 25 in the door!) which was AROUND THE CORNER and into the PARKING LOT at the mall, I went up to the last people in line and said “I have an extra, does anyone here want to buy a single book for cash, same price as inside?” It made some poor guys day, or night, as it were, I can tell you that. Anyway, where I was going with this is, why doesn’t Borders or someone do this for that last WoT books, especially if they come out as a set of two? (Great idea, BYW!) We could have a WoT party at midnight! But if it would mean we could have some of it earlier, and Brandon does indeed get to 600,000 words, I’d be happy to get part 1 and then in a month have part 2! Heck, I’ll take them anyway I can! I’m just glad there’s a real chance that now I’ll live long enough to SEE the Last Book. How do you say the Last Book in the Old Tongue? Tarmon something….

Posted by Virginia on December 23rd, 2008 at 6:01 pm Oh, and what’s stupid about the archaic thinking was Brandon’s statement that the publishers pressure their authors to write at 200,000 words or less! Because of shelf space!!! Grrr! To me, that’s like a movie in the theater at 1 1/2 hours. I feel cheated if it isn’t 2 hours long! They don’t charge me any less money for an hour and 30 minute movie! sigh – what a world we live in !

Posted by Ricardo on December 24th, 2008 at 5:50 am Virginia, Have you any word on the audio book version that I mention in the early post?

Posted by Xar_81 on December 24th, 2008 at 10:59 am Wow, what a great Christmas present this is! Keep up the great work in the new year and many thanks for so far! Greetings Xar The Netherlands

Posted by Virginia on December 24th, 2008 at 7:07 pm Ricardo, no, I have no knowledge of Tor’s plans. I think it will be safe to assume that they will release the audiobook version at the same time as the book, as they did with Knife of Dreams. I hope so, anyway!! Merry Christmas Virginia

Posted by Virginia on December 25th, 2008 at 11:42 am Check out the ongoing discussion on the previous topic of sul’dam and damane on the page for Episode 43…

Posted by mike in maryland on January 4th, 2009 at 4:05 pm Didn’t like Tolkien? Where did he get a sense of direction? I stole the 4 Hobbit books from my HS library in 1975. I wonder how long ago he actually picked up TEoTW? My choice of reading is exclusively sci-fi fantasy and I don’t follow the best seller list trends. I was just past 30 and it was somewhere between 1990-92 for me. I have been reading for a long time – I am 51 – and feel maturity helps one to understand literature more readily than one younger, especially when college educated in the topic. I have written for years since HS and learned what is correct/incorrect when writing. Is anyone familiar with the Casca series by Barry Sadler? He wrote several novels in the series before his death in 1989 before he ended. More than one author has picked up the baton to complete the tale – I quit reading them after he died. The end of that tale was locked in his mind and had to be quite complicated. Reading the 1st novel was that clue. Sanderson had the opportunity for all I needed – the end of the story. It is way past due. My unpopular point of view is that there were 6 unneeded books – a couple of those written by Harriet and edited by RJ. I think his illness hit him harder and earlier than any may guess other than Harriet so we have no idea what he was capable of just as when he died. Sanderson has sounded energetic from the onset but I wonder if he can muster the sage required to end this thing? You all sounded more than happy to talk with him but it was more along the lines of yet another fan of WOT in nature and he answered all questions in predictable fashion. I know nothing of his work and doubt I will seek him out as I have a 1000 other authors to pursue who interest me as well as health concerns. As far as going on and on with more than 6 books, I kind of lost a small bit of interest because as mentioned, the different volumes were books onto themselves. I will RAAH – Read ahead and hope.

Posted by Kris on January 6th, 2009 at 10:00 am “Good” conspiracy theory, there, Mike in Maryland. Laughable. “Unpopular view”? “Paranoid-ridiculous” view, more likely.

Posted by Jonn on January 6th, 2009 at 11:53 am That doesn’t make any sense… If you know anything about medicine, being sick doesn’t necessarily make you a useless, mindless gob of flesh. You can be Very sick, yet totally alert and oriented to the world around you. That is fact. RJ was suffering from a cardiomyopathy. While complications could effect the neurological functioning of the patient, it’s foolish to assume that someone would remain mentally incapacitated, barring a long period recovering from something like respiratory failure, a stroke, incapacitation from an invasive procedure, or a coma. From what I can tell, I don’t think any of these things apply to RJ, except perhaps the need for respiratory support, and maybe towards the very end. I am not privy to the knowledge of whether or not he had a tracheostomy tube placed for any reason, and or put on ventilation, but even as debilitating as these things may be, I have known patients who were alert enough, and capable enough to speak, eat and of course write while on these implements. Evidence from witness accounts though leads me to believe that at the least, RJ was able to speak and at length, as it was reported that he gave an oral narration of the end of the tale to those closest to him, and that this took quite a while. So the theory that he was not in command of his own tale even up until the end is unlikely.

Posted by mike in maryland on January 6th, 2009 at 11:53 am New reader Kris? I don’t know how you could even shoehorn Paranoid-ridiculous” view into that POV. Ridiculous maybe but paranoid? Of what? Go back and read those middle books – 5, 6 & 7 – and note how a different hand was telling the tale in a manner other than what preceded. “A New Spring” was the book that snapped the tale back into what followed afterward. As I suggested, the writer/editor roles switched, not the tale in itself. It had to be quite a common thread between the two as would be such a business venture in any marriage/relationship. Harriett had to play a large part in the whole scheme if she ever edited one chapter; we all know who the accredited editor was for the series. She could write the last book with little effort other than weary memories. Thank you for the feedback.

Posted by mike in maryland on January 6th, 2009 at 12:18 pm Jonn, THEIR tale. BTW,I know all too much about medicine and how the slightest disorder may bar one from accomplishing anything. I have spent the past 13 years battling recurring meningiomas, 6 scalpel surgeries and 1 gamma knife. I’ve been disabled for 10 years and can more closely approximate what anyone with a debilitating disease goes through than those who have never been bed ridden. Alert, eating and speaking isn’t the same as being in full control of one’s creative will or the drive to crank out novels. That is why I assert it is THEIR tale. She will never divulge nor do I ever expect her to do so. Do I suggest anything truly outrageous? I think not.

Posted by Brian on January 7th, 2009 at 12:37 am Were there changes in writing style throughout WOT? Of course. But there’s much more obvious explanations – I feel like he got drawn into the world he created. You can really feel the writer’s touch in the first few books, as things were more artificially placed together to feel more like how a book should feel. As time wore on, the enframed book structures began gradually wearing away under the world writing itself, as it were, through RJ. Rather than just using small characters and scenes to tell a particular narrative, he found much more richness in those smaller voices and moments, and found it irresistable to avoid dwelling with them. Some people think it is bad writing, some think it is pointlessly prolonging the series, but I firmly believe it is the result of creating a world so epic and demanding that it took him places he never expected. Oh, and I met RJ inbetween books 8 and 9, he was healthy and sharp as can be.

Posted by Virginia on January 7th, 2009 at 10:23 am I met him after Knife of Dreams, and while he looked tired (who doesn’t after a lot of travel and long days at different book signings, and that was one of the last stops on the tour) and he looked really good and was sharper than most people I know! Any style changes in the book can be easily explained by the sheer weight of the world-system he created, as Brian says; by the changing demands of the publishers (writers who sell books in those numbers get to do things other writers are not allowed, at least if they plan on being published by a major house),and the evolution of a writer’s style. Also, Brandon mentioned that after Book 6, he was probably caught up in the publishing with what he had previously written. He no longer had to present each book as a separate whole unto itself, in fact, by then the story was far too complex to even allow that. So it had evolved into more of a series of books that each heavily built upon it’s predecessors. Every writer, every person, grows and changes a bit over the years, at least one would hope so! I’m sure none of us are exactly the same person we were twenty years ago. Our world has changed, our outlook on life changes and that is reflected in writing as in other areas of life and creative endeavor. If you’ll pardon me for saying it, I think you are being needlessly negative, Mike. Relax and enjoy the WoT experience!

Posted by amir on January 8th, 2009 at 4:30 pm Mike, I will agree with Virginia on the simple point of you being a tad negative about all of these things. What reason would any of the family have to lie to the readers about who wrote the story, anyway? No… don’t answer that, It wasn’t really a question. This is RJ’s story, and I think most of us believe what we’ve all been told, to be true. RJ wrote all the books. If you’ve followed Brandon Sanderson’s blog, you might have caught his notations as he re-read the entire series before begining his work on it. he mentioned that RJ wrote different volumes in different writing styles for a purpose, and each writing style corresponded to the book he was writing. We’ve also heard it stated that RJ finally caught up with himself on book 7, and that’s when things began changing. Bottom line… it doesn’t really matter. sure, book 7 and 8 seemed a bit slow-paced to me in comparison to the rest of the books, but I ate them up faster then anything else I’ve read, anyway. in and of themselves, they were good books. I say forget the negativity, and enjoy reading the book when it comes out. We all, will. I know that much. A.

Posted by Brian D on January 8th, 2009 at 11:13 pm Great info concerning up coming events with the conclusion of the story. I’m sold on Brandon, and his ability to finish this epic tale. I did however have a thought about the conversation concerning the death of Rolan?? (Not sure of spelling..Book not close at hand to reference.)…….From what I heard in the “pod cast”, everyone seemed think his quick demise was for reasons of eliminating a character to expedite the story line. To me, it took me back to RG’s Vietnam days…Anyone who has experienced combat realizes pretty quick that life can be snuffed out in an instant…(And you may not have any forewarning, no matter how important you or anyone else, think you are). I think he used this for that type of dramatic effect….(It worked for me!:) Well, to me at least it seems reasonable, considering all the other life and death realisms he accuratly illistrates throughout the story. Just my thoughts….Looking forward to the conclusion! Brian D. This has been my escape from reality since 1995..Starting my 6th read thru. In preperation for the end…..

Posted by Travis P on January 9th, 2009 at 12:23 pm I like hearing Brian, I can hear his voice VERY well. Although the other voice… This isn’t the first time either, why is the mic turned down so low I can barely hear his/her voice there? I just keep skipping until I hear Brian’s voice again and it’s… I’m sorry but it’s frustrating.

Posted by Virginia on January 10th, 2009 at 10:49 am Sorry, Travis, perils of a live interview. We had the mic closest to Brandon as he was the main focus. Jessie and I were also there with him, and Marc and Andrew were calling in on a conference line and thus on speakerphone. I edited this one myself, and I probably could have done a better job evening out the levels. It just takes so many hours to edit a podcast, and we wanted to get it out for you all. Please accept my apologies. Virginia

Posted by mike in maryland on January 11th, 2009 at 9:17 am My apologies to all for voicing my own opinions not sensitive to this site’s WOT frame of mind. I have come to realize the tale is more sacred than the Bible for many and is off limits for discussion in some respects. It’s like asking “Who shot JFK?” Where are you Jayson? Ciao

Posted by Virginia on January 11th, 2009 at 7:37 pm No, WoT is not sacred, Mike, and you are entitled to your opinions. Just seems like you really don’t like WoT at all much anymore, and most of the people on this website still do enjoy the tale, so you shouldn’t be surprised when you don’t find a lot of agreement. Flawed it may be, it’s still a really good read. It’ll all be over soon enough, so let’s all enjoy these discussions while we can!

Posted by Heather J. on January 23rd, 2009 at 1:58 pm Like some of the other commenters, I only learned of Brandon when he was chosen to final AMOL. As soon as I learned about him, I went out and read Elantris … and loved it (although it took me a while to get into his world, once I was there I was hooked). I’m so glad to know that Brandon also loves Anne McCaffery and Melanie Rawn! They are some of my favorites from my childhood. Thanks so much for this interview – it was great!

Posted by Roger P on February 3rd, 2009 at 3:35 pm Brandon made mention of one of my fond desires – a complete leather bound set of the WOT. I’m sure my story is typical – I caught onto the series in the mid-90s, was able to read the first 6 novels in paperback and then started buying the hardcovers as soon as a new book appeared. So now there’s a somewhat motley collection on my bookshelf. My love for this wonderful series is such that I’d jump at the chance to buy the books all over again if they had a beautiful matching set that could be treated like an heirloom. For extra credit – a leather bound version of New Spring should be the same size but perhaps a slightly different color to sit on the shelf next to the main story.

Posted by Dennis on March 6th, 2009 at 12:11 am For what it’s worth, there IS a leatherbound edition of the Wheel of Time but they are limited and expensive. They are bound in green leather, in green slipcase and very limited: usually 26 or so lettered editions to be given to friends and family of the author/publisher and then about 250 or so numbered editions which are usually quickly sold out. Started with Shadow Rising and went all the way to Knife of Dreams. Books 1-3 were never done. Supposedly, 26 or so lettered copies were specially bound in matching green leather and slipcase and again made available only to friends/family of the author to “finish” the set but no numbered copies were ever released to the public. New Spring as well as Legends were also done in this format. The Legends one is “legendary” as it has a page with the signatures of ALL ELEVEN of the contributing authors which essentially represents the Hall of Fame of epic fantasy writers. We’re talking not only Robert Jordan but Orson Scott Card, George RR Martin, Anne McCaffrey, and then Stephen King. Numbered editions have gone for over 1000 and LETTERED editions are essentially priceless. Hope some of that info helps. I DESPERATELY want TOR to finish up the leatherbound set for the rest of us fans. I had an opportunity to get the leatherbound lettered version of Eye of the World about 6 months ago but SEVERELY underestimated the demand: it went for 1300+!!! I would have spent that but you don’t get do-overs on Ebay and my timed snipe bid of 1000 fell over 300 dollars short. In the middle of the worst recession in recent U.S. history, who would have expected that?? Dennis

Posted by kozza on October 20th, 2009 at 10:06 am This episode was INCREDIBLE!!! I thought that Brandon was phenomenal and cant wait til NEXT TUESDAY!

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