Το μαχαίρι των ονείρων, Τόμος Α'

Ο Τροχός του Χρόνου (The Wheel of Time) #11A

by Robert Jordan, Αθηνά Κουτζόγλου (Translator)

Το αριστοτεχνικό έπος φαντασίας του Ρόμπερτ Τζόρνταν συνεχίζεται...

Καμιά σφραγίδα δεν μπορεί να συγκρατήσει πια τον Σκοτεινό στη φυλακή του. Ο κόσμος τρέμει στο άγγιγμά του - νεκροί κυκλοφορούν ανάμεσα στους ζωντανούς, άντρες και γυναίκες πεθαίνουν από τη μια στιγμή στην άλλη. Τα σημάδια είναι ολοφάνερα: η Τάρμον Γκάι’ντον πλησιάζει. Η Εγκουέν βρίσκεται στα σπλάχνα της Ταρ Βάλον, στον ίδιο τον Λευκό Πύργο. Θα καταφέρει να ανατρέψει την Ελάιντα από τη θέση στην οποία βρίσκεται; Ο χρόνος λιγοστεύει και όλες οι Άες Σεντάι, επαναστάτριες και μη, πρέπει να ενωθούν πριν από την Τελευταία Μάχη.

Το Σφυρί και το Κοράκι συνάπτουν μια εύθραυστη συμμαχία για την απελευθέρωση της Φάιλε. Ο Πέριν δεν σταματά τις προσπάθειες ακόμη κι όταν ο κόσμος αρχίζει να καταρρέει ολόγυρά του. Η μέρα της ομίχλης δεν θα αργήσει και οι λύκοι θα αλυχτήσουν ξανά.

Ο Ματ κατευθύνεται βόρεια με τον θίασο του Βάλαν Λούκα, αλλά τόσο ο ίδιος όσο και οι σύντροφοί του δεν έχουν διαφύγει τον κίνδυνο. Στρατιωτικές δυνάμεις των Σωντσάν κάνουν περιπολίες αναζητώντας την Τουόν, όχι όμως για να την απελευθερώσουν.

Η Ηλαίην μάχεται για τον θρόνο της απέναντι σε μια Αρυμίλα αποφασισμένη να καταλάβει το Κάεμλυν με καταιγισμούς επιθέσεων κι εξαγορές μισθοφόρων. Και η Σκιά καραδοκεί, με ανθρώπους που βρίσκονται επικίνδυνα κοντά στην Κόρη-Διάδοχο.

Genres: Fantasy

608 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

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.