Robert Jordan Popular Books

Robert Jordan Biography & Facts

James Oliver Rigney Jr. (October 17, 1948 – September 16, 2007), better known by his pen name Robert Jordan, was an American author of epic fantasy. He is known best for his series The Wheel of Time (finished by Brandon Sanderson after Jordan's death) which comprises 14 books and a prequel novel. He is one of several writers to have written original Conan the Barbarian novels; his are considered by fans to be some of the best of the non-Robert E. Howard efforts. Jordan also published historical fiction using the pseudonym Reagan O'Neal, a western as Jackson O'Reilly, and dance criticism as Chang Lung. Jordan claimed to have ghostwritten an "international thriller" that is still believed to have been written by someone else. Early life Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He went to Clemson University after high school, but dropped out after one year and enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served two tours of duty during the Vietnam War as a helicopter gunner. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star with "V" and oak leaf cluster, and two Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses with palm.After returning from Vietnam in 1970, Jordan studied physics at The Citadel. He graduated in 1974 with a Bachelor of Science degree and began working for the U.S. Navy as a nuclear engineer. He began writing in 1977. Personal life Robert Jordan was a history buff and enjoyed hunting, fishing, sailing, poker, chess, pool, and pipe-collecting. He described himself as a "High church" Episcopalian and received communion more than once a week. Politically, he described himself as a "libertarian monarchist". He lived with his wife, Harriet McDougal, who works as a book editor (currently with Tor Books; she was also Jordan's editor) in a house built in 1797. He listed John D. MacDonald, Jane Austen, Louis L'Amour, Charles Dickens, Robert A. Heinlein, Mark Twain and Montaigne as his favorite authors. Illness and death On March 23, 2006, Jordan revealed that he had been diagnosed with cardiac amyloidosis and that, with treatment, his median life expectancy was four years. In a separate weblog post, he encouraged his fans not to worry about him and stated that he intended to have a long and creative life.He began chemotherapy at Mayo Clinic during early April 2006. He participated in a study of the drug Revlimid, which had been approved recently for multiple myeloma but not yet tested for primary amyloidosis.Jordan died on September 16, 2007, from complications stemming from multiple myeloma. His funeral service was on September 19, 2007. He was cremated and his ashes buried in the churchyard of St. James Church in Goose Creek, outside Charleston, South Carolina.Jordan's papers can be found in the special collections of the College of Charleston. Selected works The Wheel of Time Jordan published 11 books of 14 in the main sequence of the Wheel of Time series. Reviewers and fans of the earlier books noted a slowing of the pace of events in the last few installments written solely by Jordan owing to the expansion of the scale of the series as a whole. Because of his health problems, Jordan did not work at full force on the final installment A Memory of Light (later split into three volumes beginning with The Gathering Storm), but blog entries confirmed that he continued work on it until his death, and he shared all of the significant plot details with his family not long before he died. He maintained that in doing so the book would get published even if "the worst actually happens". On December 7, 2007, Tor Books announced that Brandon Sanderson had been chosen to finish the Wheel of Time series. Harriet McDougal, Jordan's widow, chose him after reading Mistborn: The Final Empire. All paperback (PB) page totals given are for the most widely available mass-market paperback editions. The page count for the hardback (HB) editions does not include glossary or appendix page counts. The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time is an encyclopedia for the series about the unnamed world where the plot takes place, which is often referred to by fans of the series as the World of the Wheel. It is published in the United States by Tor Books and in the United Kingdom by Orbit Books. The bulk of the text was written by Teresa Patterson based on notes and information provided by Jordan, who also served as the overall editor on the project. While the information in the guide is broadly canonical, the book is deliberately written with vague, biased, or even downright false (or guessed) information in places, as Patterson felt this would reflect a key theme of the series (the mutability of knowledge across time and distance). Conan the Barbarian Jordan was one of several writers who has written Conan the Barbarian stories. When Tom Doherty obtained the rights, he needed a novel very quickly, so Jordan's wife Harriet McDougal recommended him because she knew he had written his first novel, Warriors of the Altaii, in thirteen days. So he thought I could write something fast, and he was right, and I liked it. It was fun writing something completely over the top, full of purple prose, and in a weak moment I agreed to do five more and the novelization of the second Conan movie. I've decided that those things were very good discipline for me. I had to work with a character and a world that had already been created and yet find a way to say something new about the character and the world. That was a very good exercise. Conan the Invincible (1982) Conan the Defender (1982) Conan the Unconquered (1983) Conan the Triumphant (1983) Conan the Magnificent (1984) Conan the Destroyer (1984) (adaptation of the movie of the same title) Conan the Victorious (1984)They were packed into two separate volumes par Conan the Destroyer: The Conan Chronicles The Further Chronicles of Conan (The Conan Chronicles II in the UK, different contents)Jordan also compiled a well-known Conan Chronology. References External links Robert Jordan at the Internet Book List Robert Jordan at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database Robert Jordan at Tor Books Robert Jordan at Worlds Without End Robert Jordan's Official Blog. Discover the Robert Jordan popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Robert Jordan books.

Best Seller Robert Jordan Books of 2024

  • Warrior of the Altaii synopsis, comments

    Warrior of the Altaii

    Robert Jordan

    Epic fantasy legend, and author of #1 New York Times bestselling series The Wheel of Time®, Robert Jordan's neverbefore published novel, Warrior of the Altaii:Draw near and listen,...

  • The Drowned City synopsis, comments

    The Drowned City

    K. J. Maitland

    'A gripping thriller' THE TIMES'Dark and enthralling' ANDREW TAYLOR'Goes right to the heart of the Jacobean court' TRACY BORMANGunpowder and treason changed England forever. But th...

  • The Dream Portal synopsis, comments

    The Dream Portal

    Jordan Quinn

    Prince Lucas and Clara have to save their dragon friend, Ruskin, from a dangerous spell in this sixteenth fantastical adventure of The Kingdom of Wrenly series.There is only one pl...

  • Dark Paths synopsis, comments

    Dark Paths

    Markus Heitz & Sheelagh Alabaster

    The third in the fastandfurious fantasy adventure The Legends of the Älfar: the worlds of the dark elves and the dwarves collide in what Malazan Empire calls 'Tolkien with a dash o...

  • The Scarlet Dragon synopsis, comments

    The Scarlet Dragon

    Jordan Quinn

    In this second Kingdom of Wrenly chapter book, Lucas and Clara search for special berries that will cure the scarlet dragon.In this second book in The Kingdom of Wrenly series, an ...

  • The Darkest Goodbye synopsis, comments

    The Darkest Goodbye

    Alex Gray

    Discover your next reading obsession with Alex Gray's bestselling Scottish detective series Don't miss the latest from Alex Gray. ECHO OF THE DEAD is out in paperback in November 2...

  • Origins of The Wheel of Time synopsis, comments

    Origins of The Wheel of Time

    Michael Livingston

    “Jordan has come to dominate the world Tolkien began to reveal.” The New York Times on The Wheel of Time® seriesExplore neverbeforeseen insights into the Wheel of Time, including: ...

  • The Bard and the Beast synopsis, comments

    The Bard and the Beast

    Jordan Quinn

    Prince Lucas discovers that sometimes music is the only way to defeat a savage beast in this newest adventure from the fantastical Kingdom of Wrenly series.Prince Lucas does not wa...

  • The Pegasus Quest synopsis, comments

    The Pegasus Quest

    Jordan Quinn

    In the tenth fantastical adventure of The Kingdom of Wrenly series, Prince Lucas and Clara must rescue a young Pegasus.When a shooting star streaks across the night sky, Prince Luc...

  • Fevered Star synopsis, comments

    Fevered Star

    Rebecca Roanhorse

    USA TODAY BestsellerReturn to The Meridian with New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Roanhorse’s sequel to the most critically hailed epic fantasy of 2020 Black Sunfinalist fo...

  • Goblin Magic synopsis, comments

    Goblin Magic

    Jordan Quinn

    Prince Lucas and Clara meet a mysterious young goblin in this seventeenth magical adventure of The Kingdom of Wrenly series!Goblins are among the most mysterious creatures in the K...

  • The Will of the Many synopsis, comments

    The Will of the Many

    James Islington

    At the elite Catenan Academy, a young fugitive uncovers layered mysteries and worldchanging secrets in this new fantasy series by internationally bestselling author of The Licanius...

  • The Secret World of Mermaids synopsis, comments

    The Secret World of Mermaids

    Jordan Quinn

    Prince Lucas discovers underwater secrets when he gets a glimpse of the mermaids’ kingdom in this eighth chapter book in the fantastical Kingdom of Wrenly series.Lucas and Clara ar...

  • For Whom the Bell Tolls synopsis, comments

    For Whom the Bell Tolls

    Ernest Hemingway

    Introduced by Hemingway’s grandson Seán Hemingway, this newly annotated edition and literary masterpiece about an American in the Spanish Civil War features early drafts and supple...

  • A Fortress of Grey Ice synopsis, comments

    A Fortress of Grey Ice

    J. V. Jones

    "Wonderful . . . J. V. Jones is a striking writer." So says Robert Jordan, the author of The Wheel of Time epic fantasy series. And Jones lives up to that praise in the highly char...

  • Wish It Lasted Forever synopsis, comments

    Wish It Lasted Forever

    Dan Shaughnessy

    From awardwinning Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy, an “entertaining” (The Wall Street Journal) and nostalgiafilled retelling of the 1980s Boston Celtics’ glory years, which ...

  • Still Dark synopsis, comments

    Still Dark

    Alex Gray

    Discover your next reading obsession with Alex Gray's bestselling Scottish detective series Don't miss the latest from Alex Gray. Book 20 in the Lorimer series, QUESTIONS FOR A DEA...

  • Free Speech And Why It Matters synopsis, comments

    Free Speech And Why It Matters

    Andrew Doyle

    'Impassioned, scholarly and succinct' The TimesFREE SPEECH AND WHY IT MATTERSFree speech is the bedrock of all our liberties, and yet in recent years it has come to be mistrusted. ...

  • Chaos Queen - Duskfall synopsis, comments

    Chaos Queen - Duskfall

    Christopher Husberg

    Shortlisted for the Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Newcomer at the Gemmell Awards 2017Pulled from a frozen sea, pierced by arrows and close to death, Knot has no memory of who ...

  • Righteous Fury synopsis, comments

    Righteous Fury

    Markus Heitz & Sheelagh Alabaster

    The first in the fastandfurious fantasy adventure The Legends of the Älfar: the worlds of the dark elves and the dwarves collide in what Malazan Empire calls 'Tolkien with a dash o...

  • Adventures in Flatfrost synopsis, comments

    Adventures in Flatfrost

    Jordan Quinn

    Prince Lucas and Clara venture to the land of the giants and train Ruskin to control his fire in this fifth chapter book in the fantastical Kingdom of Wrenly series.After a game of...

  • A Ghost in the Castle synopsis, comments

    A Ghost in the Castle

    Jordan Quinn

    In the fourteenth fantastical book from The Kingdom of Wrenly series, Prince Lucas and Clara discover there is a ghost haunting the Wrenly Castle.There are things that go bump in t...

  • National Populism synopsis, comments

    National Populism

    Roger Eatwell & Matthew Goodwin

    A SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEARA crucial new guide to one of the most important and most dangerous phenomena of our time: the rise of populism in the WestAcross the West, there is...

  • The Thirteenth Knight synopsis, comments

    The Thirteenth Knight

    Jordan Quinn

    In the thirteenth fantastical book from The Kingdom of Wrenly series, Prince Lucas and Clara learn about the legend of the Thirteenth Knight.The elite band of knights known as the ...

  • Legends synopsis, comments

    Legends

    Robert Silverberg

    Acclaimed writer and editor Robert Silverberg gathered eleven of the finest writers in Fantasy to contribute to this collection of short novels. Each of the writers was asked to wr...

  • Devastating Hate synopsis, comments

    Devastating Hate

    Markus Heitz & Sheelagh Alabaster

    The second in the fastandfurious fantasy adventure The Legends of the Älfar: the worlds of the dark elves and the dwarves collide in what Malazan Empire calls 'Tolkien with a dash ...

  • Legends, Vol. 3 synopsis, comments

    Legends, Vol. 3

    Robert Silverberg, Robert Jordan, Ursula K. Le Guin, Tad Williams & Terry Pratchett

    The great anthology of short novels by the masters of modern fantasy.Robert Jordan relates crucial events in the years leading up to The Wheel of Time in "New Spring."Ursula K. Le ...

  • For Whom the Bell Tolls synopsis, comments

    For Whom the Bell Tolls

    Ernest Hemingway

    Ernest Hemingway's masterpiece on war, love, loyalty, and honor tells the story of Robert Jordan, an antifascist American fighting in the Spanish Civil War.In 1937 Ernest Hemingway...

  • Beneath the Stone Forest synopsis, comments

    Beneath the Stone Forest

    Jordan Quinn

    Prince Lucas and Clara explore the twisting tunnels beneath the Stone Forest in this sixth chapter book in the fantastical Kingdom of Wrenly series.Clara invites Prince Lucas on he...

  • The False Fairy synopsis, comments

    The False Fairy

    Jordan Quinn

    In the eleventh fantastical adventure of The Kingdom of Wrenly series, a spell makes all but one fairy disappear.A mysterious spell has hypnotized the fairies on the island of Prim...

  • As I Was Saying . . . synopsis, comments

    As I Was Saying . . .

    Jeremy Clarkson

    As I Was Saying... is the seventh book in Jeremy Clarkson's bestselling The World According to Clarkson series.Crikey, the world according to Clarkson's been a funny old place of l...