James Oliver Rigney, Jr. (1948-2007)

It's never a good thing when a fellow writer dies, and a Christian one at that.

Otherwise known as Robert Jordan, who authored several books in the "Conan the Barbarian" series and "The Wheel of Time" series of fantasy novels, died on September 16^th at 14:45 in Charleston, SC. He was 58.

Jordan's 11^th novel in the "Wheel of Time" series came out in 2005, and a prequel to the series was published in 2004. He was reportedly working on the 12^th and final book at the time of his passing.

Though he was a good author, Jordan was certainly not my favorite and I would hardly put him in the same class as J.R.R. Tolkien, as some already have. To me, he dragged out his fantasy series way too long and should have been able to complete it in less volumes. Still, I've read the first ten books in the series and own the prequel and vol. 11 but have not read them yet.

However, I now wonder - as many of his fans I'm sure do - what will happen to the final novel in "The Wheel of Time" series? I certainly hope that his widow, along with some other author, acting as ghostwriter, can take up the task of finishing it, using any notes Jordan may have left behind.

Here are some obits regarding Jordan's passing:

From the Charleston,SC Post and Courier.

From the Associated Press, as seen here from the USA Today.

Robert Jordan's brief biography and list of works, from Barnes and Noble.

The author's photo is by John Petter Reinertsen. "Winter's Heart" is the 9^th book in the series.