Jordan, R: Wheel 11/Knife of Dreams

Robert Jordan was born in 1948 in Charleston, South Carolina. He taught himself to read when he was four with the incidental aid of a twelve-years-older brother, and was tackling Mark Twain and Jules Verne by five. He is a graduate of The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, with a degree in physics. He served two tours in Vietnam with the U.S. Army; among his decorations are the Distinguished Flying Cross with bronze oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star with "V" and bronze oak leaf cluster, and two Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses with palm. A history buff, he has also written dance and theater criticism and enjoyed the outdoor sports of hunting, fishing, and sailing, and the indoor sports of poker, chess, pool, and pipe collecting.Robert Jordan began writing in 1977 and went on to write The Wheel of Time(R), one of the most important and best selling series in the history of fantasy publishing with over 14 million copies sold in North America, and countless more sold abroad.Robert Jordan died on September 16, 2007, after a courageous battle with the rare blood disease amyloidosis.

"The battle scenes have the breathless urgency of firsthand experience, and the . . . evil laced into the forces of good, the dangers latent in any promised salvation, the sense of the unavoidable onslaught of unpredictable events bear the marks of American national experience during the last three decades."--"The New York Times" on The Wheel of Time"The Wheel of Time [is] rapidly becoming the definitive American fantasy saga. It is a fantasy tale seldom equaled and still less often surpassed in English."--"Chicago Sun-Times "on The Wheel of Time"Jordan has a powerful vision of good and evil--but what strikes me as most pleasurable . . . is all the fascinating people moving through a rich and interesting world."--Orson Scott Card on The Wheel of Time"The scope of Jordan's vision is immense and incisive. Highly recommended."--"Library Journal" on "Knife of Dreams" "The breakneck pace, lyrical beauty, and astonishing scope of the early Wheel of Time volumes established Jordan as one of the top writers in the Tolkien tradition."--"Publishers Weekly" (starred review) on "Knife of Dreams" "Superlatively executed world and [a] worthy company of characters."--"Booklist" on "Knife of Dreams" "Jordan quickly thrusts his reader into his world. Fans of the series will love this entry and will not be disappointed. The book is a masterpiece that leaves the reader begging for the next installment."--"Voices of Youth Advocates" on "Knife of Dreams" "The author packs the pages with one explosive showdown after another."--"Romantic Times BookClub"