Do you ever think “I hope this author finishes the next book before he dies” then feel guilty and selfish afterwards?
I’m looking at you, George RR Martin. I mean, he’s only 62 it turns out, I thought he was older, but anyway. His first books of that series were only 2 years apart, then it took 5 to come out with a feast for crows, and it’s been six years since then. At this rate, if it’s released this year, he will be wrapping up the series at 74. And it’s turning out longer than expected.
Not just him though, I remember thinking “Will Robert B. Parker ever do something major with Spenser, or the new guy?” and then he dropped dead.
I was incredibly saddened when Robert Jordan didn’t get to finish his series before he passed away. Even though the series gets some hate here on reddit, it has been something I’ve enjoyed reading over the years.
Currently, I am really hoping Terry Pratchett can keep churning out the books.. hearing about his Alzheimer’s makes me scared that the world will be robbed of his talent prematurely.
man I didn’t even know about robert jordan. I got through like 5 books then the thrill was kind of gone. That’s a shame he didn’t finish the series. On the other hand, it was up to like ten books, I think the guy needed a new editor or something. I can’t imagine anything staying interesting for that long.
He spent the last year or more of his life in a hospital bed explaining how the story ends to his wife, Brandon Sanderson (the guy who is now finishing the series) and a tape recorder so that the story could be finished after he died.
That’s dedication to your craft and your characters.
And tens of thousands of fans breathed a sigh of relief at the same time that they mourned his passing.
Actually, I don’t think Brandon was brought into it until after Jordan died. He wrote a bunch of the final (three) books, dictated some, created outlines, and told his wife (who was also one of his editors) a lot of it.
But, ya, pretty dedicated.
Yeah, you are right. I was under the impression that Jordan actually chose Sanderson to finish it.
Still, I’m now looking forward to when the final book is published and I can put that series to bed once and for all.
Yes, I wasn’t brought on until after. (Robert Jordan’s wife Harriet chose me, after he asked her to pick someone. She worked as an editor in New York for many years, so he knew this was something he could lay at her feet.)
The part about the tape recorder on the death bead is right, however.
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