That concluded the Q&A portion, and they moved on to some housekeeping. While people were waiting in line to have their books signed, I began talking with the fans. I was curious to know what some favorite scenes were, how far they traveled, favorite characters, etc. One fan I met lived almost right across the street from the bookstore, while another family drove 5 hours. Most lived about 1.5-2 hours away.
One fan waited around for personalization for…I have no idea how long. The last book came out on his birthday, and he wanted Brandon to write Happy Birthday in it.
The question of favorite character came out overwhelmingly in favor of Mat, with one fan saying his favorite character was Noal. However, in the question of favorite scene, I figured Dumai’s Wells would be the overwhelming favorite (not my favorite part, but it seems to be quite popular). No one I asked said the same scene as another person. Dumai’s Wells, Rand’s bonding, Moiraine meeting Lan, Rand’s epiphany on Dragonmount, Lan admitting he loved Nynaeve, Lan finding Nynaeve after their separation, Moiraine describing the fall of Manetheren, even Mat cursing at Moiraine and Thom after leaving the Tower of Ghenjei were all mentioned as favorites, along with countless others.
The most remarkable and heartwarming experience for me at this signing was that everyone had a story. Each person had a tale to tell about how this book changed and impacted their lives. Marriages have happened and babies have been born because of this series. We’re all sad to see its end. I started reading this series at 11 years old, and I am now 31. The past 20 years of my life have been, in part, defined by The Wheel of Time. I would turn to my friends Rand, Mat, Perrin, and Egwene when I literally had no other friends, and many others I’ve met did the same thing. Many of us don’t know what to do next, but, there are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel. This is a beginning.
Pictures of this event can be found here.
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