For the first time ever, a tantalizing preview of Robert Jordan's next international bestseller -- with a message to the reader not found in the hardcover -- is now available as an e-book. In this extraordinary e-book, The Prologue to Winter's Heart , best-selling author Robert Jordan offers his millions of readers a taste of the ninth book in his epic fantasy The Wheel of Time , and he doesn't disappoint. Complex, richly imagined, and full of the irresistible characters Jordan's readers have come to know, The Prologue to Winter's Heart is classic A deeply rewarding tale that sets the stage for the complete Winter's Heart . With a message by Jordan not included in the hardcover publication, this e-book is a must for Jordan's fans everywhere.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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 names Reagan O'Neal and Jackson O'Reilly.
Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He served two tours in Vietnam (from 1968 to 1970) with the United States Army as a helicopter gunner. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with bronze oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star with "V" and bronze oak leaf cluster, and two Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses with palm. After returning from Vietnam he attended The Citadel where he received an undergraduate degree in physics. After graduating he was employed by the United States Navy as a nuclear engineer. He began writing in 1977. He was a history buff and enjoyed hunting, fishing, sailing, poker, chess, pool, and pipe collecting.
He described himself as a "High Church" Episcopalian and received communion more than once a week. He lived with his wife Harriet McDougal, who works as a book editor (currently with Tor Books; she was also Jordan's editor) in a house built in 1797.
Responding to queries on the similarity of some of the concepts in his Wheel of Time books with Freemasonry concepts, Jordan admitted that he was a Freemason. However, "like his father and grandfather," he preferred not to advertise, possibly because of the negative propaganda against Freemasonry. In his own words, "no man in this country should feel in danger because of his beliefs."
On March 23, 2006, Jordan disclosed in a statement that he had been diagnosed with cardiac amyloidosis, and that with treatment, his median life expectancy was four years, though he said he intended to beat the statistics. He later posted on his Dragonmount blog to encourage his fans not to worry about him and that he intended to have a long and fully creative life.
He began chemotherapy treatment at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in early April 2006. Jordan was enrolled in a study using the drug Revlimid just approved for multiple myeloma but not yet tested on primary amyloidosis.
Jordan died at approximately 2:45 p.m. EDT on September 16, 2007, and a funeral service was held for him on Wednesday, September 19, 2007. Jordan was cremated and his ashes buried in the churchyard of St. James Church in Goose Creek, outside Charleston.
This is the prologue to the Winter's Heart (the ninth novel in the series) which gives a good hint at where the story leads and the events to come without giving too much away. It is an absolute tease so if you haven't read Winter's Heart you're going to be left hanging but if you have it doesn't really offer anything new. Rather good for a quick refresher though.
I probably should have waited to read this until I was closer to being ready to read Winter's Heart. However I did enjoy it and its glimpse into the Ajah's.
3.5/5: Rounded up! If I'm going to be honest, these prologues bore me out really quickly. As much as they provide context and give a solid foundation for the rest of the book, 74 pages of it seemed very arduous at the time. The charterers shown were interesting, especially since I had hoped we'd see some White Tower action finally happen - it did not happen, sadly. Overall, a just fine prologue; nothing special, but still important. - Constant Reader
This prologue is almost one hundred pages long, according to the Kindle that is twelve percent of the book, anyway the prologue nicely sets up the book for the upcoming read.