Revenge of the Gamer

Me with Brandon Sanderson and Harriet McDougal

It isn’t often that we catch a glimpse of our childhood dreams once we’re adults.  Between grocery shopping, soccer games, work and balancing our checkbooks we lose the magic and wonder we felt when we were children. 

One by one dreams fade to might have beens, and we’re left with a sense of nostalgia and loss as we try to figure out how we got here.

Once in a while we undergo an event so magical that it recaptures our fire.  It renews our drive to fulfill those childhood dreams, and reminds us what we can accomplish.

Saturday was one of those events.  I drove down to San Jose to be a Stormleader for the signing of the twelfth book of the Wheel of Time, A Gathering Storm.  I knew the second Brandon spoke that this day was going to change my life.

He began with a pair of stories which showed what a regular guy he really is.  The first could have come from my own life.  Brandon and I are the same age, and like me he devoured every fantasy novel he could find as a kid.  He also had a paper route, and used every spare dime to buy more novels.

The Eye of the World

Brandon went to the bookstore every week to see what new books had come out, something I remember doing at the same age.  On one particular trip he found a fat book with a blue cover, the Eye of the World. 

Like millions of fans the world over that book excited Brandon’s imagination.  In it Robert Jordan created a living, breathing world and it inspired Brandon to want to tell similar stories.  This floored me to hear, because it’s s exactly the same reaction I had when I discovered the book back in high school.

Brandon’s second story was about how he was chosen to finish the Wheel of Time.  I’d always assumed he’d applied for the job, but apparently he woke up one day to find a voicemail from Harriet.  He was just as shocked as any of us might have been in his shoes, but also elated.  It isn’t every day you’re asked to complete the fantasy epic that inspired you to become an author in the first place.

Harriet definitely made the right choice.  Having read the A Gathering Storm I can tell you that not only does it do the series justice, but has me more excited for Towers of Midnight than I have been for any book I can remember.

So, back to the signing itself.  As I mentioned I was selected to be one of five Stormleaders who were responsible for keeping order and making sure things went smoothly.  My job was simple but far more rewarding than you might think.  I took the books from fans and handed them to Brandon.

For three hours I watched hundreds of Wheel of Time fans approach Brandon all wearing the same rapt expression.  They shared a love for the world Robert Jordan created, and nearly every one was grateful to Brandon for picking up the reins and seeing that we get the ending we’ve craved for nearly twenty years.

The fans asked questions about the next two books, about mysteries from the series and about his other books (most of which I have to admit I haven’t yet read).  The crowd was excited and some even took the time to dress up.  My favorite pair were a Whitecloak and a Redarm featured in the picture below.

A Whitecloak and a Redarm walk into a bar

I was surrounded by people who loved the series like I did.  They brought gifts for Brandon ranging from a hand crocheted tapestry to a minted Tar Valon mark actually cast in silver.  And, of course, our illustrious leader Mary even brought giant cookies made in the form of the Aes Sedai symbol.

By far and away the most popular character was a balloon trolloc that Jason from Dragonmount brought with him to the event.  Harriet dubbed the trolloc Bubbles, and he was definitely the show stealer for the day.  You can see how intimidated Jason is holding him.

Jason and the evil trolloc Bubbles

The love people have for the Wheel of Time continues to amaze me.  It borders on reverence, and for good reason.  No series I’m aware of is as long or as detailed, and I’ve never seen any series bring together such a disparate crowd.  The youngest was about six, and the oldest was pushing eighty.  One woman even brought a french copy of the book, and it was clear that the Wheel of Time has lost none of its meaning when translated to other languages.  I feel priveleged to be a part of it, in my own small way.

Earlier in the article I mentioned how this was one of those events that recaptured my sense of wonder.  Seeing Brandon sit at that table and share his love of the Wheel of Time with so many fans was inspiring.  It showed me what I wanted to do for a living, and reaffirmed that I am on the right path.

I looked at this man, who was by his own admission a regular nerd just like me.  I looked at what he’s accomplished and realized, wait a second I can do this too.  I should be doing this.  I was meant to be an author.  I will get my novel published.  The whole day fired me up, and Brandon’s encouragement was priceless. 

I’m going to follow his advice.  Never give up, keep writing.  One day it will be me sitting behind that table signing copies of my book, and when that day comes I’ll owe Brandon a thank you for renewing my drive to live my dreams.

It was a hell of a weekend.  Thanks for everything Brandon.