Author Spotlight – Robert Jordan

Mar 31, 2011 | Comments Off | @andrewmarcec

Robert Jordan, best known for his fantasy series The Wheel Of Time, is the pen name for James Oliver Rigney Jr.

Before becoming a full time author, and the envy of almost anyone who enjoyed fantasy novels, Robert was enlisted in the United States Army.  After doing 2 tours in Vietnam, and winning several awards (Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, Bronze Star with a “V” and oak leaf cluster, and Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses with palm) he attended The Citadel, where he earned a degree in physics.  He later was employed by the United States Navy as a nuclear engineer.  It wasn’t until 1977 that he started writing.

Upon his death from cardiac amyloidosis in 2007, Robert had written eleven of the twelve books in his Wheel of Time series, and shared all of the crucial plot information on his blog.

But outside his life’s work in The Wheel of Time, Robert also dabbled in other series such as Conan the Barbarian, Fallon, and Infinity of Heaven.

Robert’s work was very influential on me as I grew my reading roots.  His books, alongside Tolkien, helped me develop a love for the fantasy genre.  In some ways I prefer his books to those of Tolkien, as they are more descriptive, and have much more interesting characters.

I highly recommend picking up the first three books in the Wheel of Time series, for any of you who are curious as to why people like fantasy.  You might just find that you will fall in love with it as well.

 

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