Towers of Midnight synopsis

[Rhom]

Thought about it? I have those suckers in the trash can before I even bring the book into my house. I'm embarassed when I plop it onto the book store check-out counter.

Agreed about the embarassment part. I have just enough OCD tendencies to make me keep the covers on them when I shelve them though.

[Liadin]

Try getting the library copy and not being able to remove the cover.

The upside being that I read it for free, on the day of release to boot. Haven't bought any since #8, and I'm thinking of selling the first 8.

[Werthead]

On Facebook Sanderson has said he'll be starting A Memory of Light in January 2011 and, if it takes the same amount of time as the first two, it's improbable it'll be out in 2011. Spring 2012, maybe March, would be the target date in that case. He's also done an AIM chat about some aspects of the writing process.

[Rhom]

On Facebook Sanderson has said he'll be starting A Memory of Light in January 2011 and, if it takes the same amount of time as the first two, it's improbable it'll be out in 2011. Spring 2012, maybe March, would be the target date in that case. He's also done an AIM chat about some aspects of the writing process.

I saw that as well. Regardless of how long he takes... it still amazes me what he's been able to churn out with remarkable quality in this time frame.

[Rhom]

Based on his Facebook posts, it sounds like Sanderson will be finished with the revisions on ToM any minute now. Honestly... I just logged in and noticed three status updates in the last hour announcing 90% done, then 96%, and currently sitting on 97% done.

The man is a machine. He's also very brazen in his commentary when he comes right out and says things like:

I am feeling very good about the things I have fixed in this draft. This is going to be a great book.

I am getting a little excited for this one already.

[Usotsuki]

Roll on November. :read:

[Rhom]

And the file is off to Tor. Final version crept up to 328,000 words (with the new scenes) and is 57 chapters + a prologue and epilogue

Pretty impressive work. I seem to have lost track, but didn't someone here give a little synopsis of how long each of the books came in at for comparison a while back? Just wondering how this compares with The Gathering Storm.

[aidan]

Pretty impressive work. I seem to have lost track, but didn't someone here give a little synopsis of how long each of the books came in at for comparison a while back? Just wondering how this compares with The Gathering Storm.

The Gathering Storm was 303,000 words. The total word counts of all the novels can be found on Wikipedia.

[Rhom]

The Gathering Storm was 303,000 words. The total word counts of all the novels can be found on Wikipedia.

Good to know!

[SpaceChampion]

Pretty impressive work. I seem to have lost track, but didn't someone here give a little synopsis of how long each of the books came in at for comparison a while back? Just wondering how this compares with The Gathering Storm.

From that same wikipedia link, we can see Jordan was matching Sanderson's pace when he wrote the first six books -- EotW to LoC, Jordan put them out one a year -- with two in the first year, 1990, though I imagine EotW wasn't turned in only a few months before it was published, more likely 8-12 months and Tor picked the fall date for optimum marketing and sales.

Of course Sanderson is also writing other works while he is doing this... but he did have a pretty good outlines to work from, and several sections written by Jordan. We might assume that instead of writing additional books during those early years, RJ was writing down a lot of the history, geography and background materials for WOT. If so, then early RJ I think was writing at a similar pace BS is now. It's not a surprise writers slow with age, and that whole fighting death thing can be quite the headwind.

[Poobah]

I really like that ToM has ALOT of chapters.

Take a look at that wikipedia link. I think it's no coincidence that the worst book in the series by far and the one in which the least happens and is almost entirely lacking of anything remotely resembling pace is also the book with the least chapters.

Where CoT has 30 chapters TSR has 58. 'Nuff said.

[fionwe1987]

I really like that ToM has ALOT of chapters.

Take a look at that wikipedia link. I think it's no coincidence that the worst book in the series by far and the one in which the least happens and is almost entirely lacking of anything remotely resembling pace is also the book with the least chapters.

Where CoT has 30 chapters TSR has 58. 'Nuff said.

Agreed. And given that Sanderson is going to be juggling a lot more characters and events in this book compared to tGS, it is a very positive sign that there seem to be enough chapters to give all of them their time in the sun.

[Old Nan]

I really like that ToM has ALOT of chapters.

Take a look at that wikipedia link. I think it's no coincidence that the worst book in the series by far and the one in which the least happens and is almost entirely lacking of anything remotely resembling pace is also the book with the least chapters.

But Eye of the World has 53 chapters?

[Rhom]

But Eye of the World has 53 chapters?

A lot of stuff did happen in EotW though. (Even if it was derivative of LotR.)

[fionwe1987]

The prologue is out on the 21st of September!

Looks like its going to have Lan, Perrin, Galad and Fain. And odd mix.

Can't wait! :drool:

EDIT: Can't make the link thingy work. Damn.

Fixed, thanks to SM!

[Slick Mongoose]

You need to use "url" instead of "post". And " instead of '.

prologue

And cool news.

[Original Ned's Bones]

From Sanderson's blog:

I hope that you enjoy it. There are some scenes in it we've been waiting to read for a long, long time. Scenes that made my heart break to write, and others that bring a smile to my face every time I look through them again.

"made my heart break" caught my attention. Will we finally have a significant death?

[Rhom]

"made my heart break" caught my attention. Will we finally have a significant death?

I doubt it. I'd say the safe bet is on a heartfelt reunion causing said heartbreak.

[Slurktan]

While it's not necessarily significant, I'm quite convinced that Lan is going to die in this book, my guess at the end as the Last Battle starts. I think many of the Aiel we have seen like Rhuarc and Amys for 10 books will die as well. I also think Thom is going to bite it rescuing Moiraine, possibly with the classic stay behind hero motif so that the others can escape. Of the major chars, Elayne/Mat/Egwene/Perrin/Rand certainly won't die but I'm growing on the idea that Nyneave will, likely with Lan.

[Liadin]

I doubt it. I'd say the safe bet is on a heartfelt reunion causing said heartbreak.

I dunno, somehow I doubt "heartbreak" is the word Sanderson would use if he was talking about a scene he found touching in an "awww" sort of way. While I like the sound of Lan finally biting it (he's only been emo for 11 books now), chances are it's the Heroic Sacrifice of some secondary character that the average reader has forgotten about.