Biggest News Ever!!

And it has nothing to do with me.:)

The twelfth Wheel of Time book will come out!! And it will be written by none other than one of my husband's friends, Brandon Sanderson. I have been following this guy's career since before his first book, Elantris came out. He's gained a nice little following and I imagine some of you know who he is. Here's the press release, stolen from Brandon's blog.:)

"Tor Books announced today that novelist Brandon Sanderson has been chosen to finish writing the final novel in Robert Jordan's bestselling Wheel of Time fantasy series. Jordan--described by some as Tolkien's heir--died Sept. 16 from a rare blood disease. The new novel, A Memory of Light, will be the 12th and final book in the fantasy series which has sold more than 14 million copies in North America and more than 30 million copies worldwide. The last four books in the series were all #1 New York Times bestsellers.

Harriet Popham Rigney, Jordan's widow and editor, chose Sanderson to complete A Memory of Light--which Jordan worked on almost daily for the last few months of his life--and will edit it. Rigney said some scenes from the book were completed by Jordan before his death, and some exist in draft form. "He left copious notes and hours of audio recordings," she said. He also revealed details about the end of the series to close members of his family.

Sanderson, who acknowledged Jordan as an inspiration to him as a writer, has established a loyal fan base as the author of three fantasy novels: Elantris, Mistborn and The Well of Ascension (Tor), as well as a YA novel, Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians (Scholastic Press). Sanderson said, "I'm both extremely excited and daunted by this opportunity. There is only one man who could have done this book the way it deserved to be written, and we lost him in September. However, I promise to do my very best to remain true to Mr. Jordan's vision and produce the book we have all been waiting to read."

A Memory of Light is scheduled for publication in fall 2009."

I think it's an interesting choice, and a good one. Brandon is not a super-star, though his popularity has grown with every book he's released and I think that even without this, he would have become a very popular author on his own. But by choosing someone who is established, and yet new to the game, I think that you have an author who will do their very best, but still do it Robert Jordan's way instead of their own way.

So for those of you who have been agonizing about RJ's death and wondering about the last book, you will get satisfaction. (Or resolution at the very least.) And I think they have chosen a great a great author who is truly up to the task.

Congratulations Brandon!!!

(BTW, check out his interview on Dragonmount.)

Ciao!