Shiny covers with horseys and moons

About nineteen years ago, my sister handed eleven-year old me a book called Eye of the World, by Robert Jordan. She had read it, and knowing I was a blossoming sci-fi nerd, she figured that I would enjoy the epic adventure. And I did. The Wheel of Time series promised longevity (a series! exciting for the young reader...) and entertainment in the form of magic, evil and good (and messy lines between the two), and just enough romance to add a softer side. Days and Years pass, and we kept on reading through book five, through book nine, through book....every book was between 500-1,000 pages and really, how far is this going to go?

The eleventh book, Knife of Dreams was published in 2005 --- and then silence. Alas, Robert Jordan died of illness in 2007, and along with the sadness of his passing was the curiosity of what now? The last battle approaches... but who will write it? What if we have invested all these years only to never know what happens to Rand and Mat and Perrin and Egwene and Nynaeve? (insert head spinning)..... and sigh, oh rest easy, Brandon Sanderson, another sci-fi fantasy author, has gathered all of Jordan's notes and blurbs and pieced together the final novel, which is actually a trilogy now (of course, why be brief?), due to be released 2009-2011.

And so, I am rereading the entire freaking series because after four years of silence, I cannot remember details and plot lines, and frankly, wikipedia plot summaries just don't do it for me. I have a vested interest in this series, and owe it to the 12 year old leslie, the 17 year old leslie, and now, the thirty year old leslie, to be thorough in my commitment and enjoyment. And Really? I totally feel like I'm hiding up in my pre-teen room, avoiding chores like picking up walnuts or washing the dog, reading reading reading curled up on my daybed with photos and poems and tietyed banners hanging up on my walls. I can almost hear my mom calling me to dinner for the umpteenth time and my sister in the next room listening to the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. Back to my literary roots I go, with banners held high, all the way up to now, a literal time warp. Who knew, eleven year old taking book from older sister's hands, that the story would follow me, only to be finished over twenty years later?

(Added note: I'm curious to see how I feel about this series this go around. Most of the books I read before I was out of high school, when Jordan was more prolific and hadn't yet decided to drag the series on without end. Since that time, I have read a ton more within this genre, including Tolkien. I can already tell they pull from the same Nordic folklore influences, although perhaps Jordan in a bit more clunky fashion. Anyway. Now I am REALLY displaying my geekdom for all to see and should probably reserve this topic for a later date when I can give it it's proper due)