If there are any science fiction and fantasy fans out there, you might be saddened to hear that Robert Jordan, one of the masters of fantasy story telling, died today. His magnum opus, the Wheel of Time series, remains officially unfinished, as he was on the last book. From what I understand he took a great deal of notes and told his wife and nephew how the last book should unfold. The Wheel of Time was a series I started in grade 11 — over 10 years ago. As a work of fiction, it has a very special place in my heart as one of the first pieces of fantasy that that I really enjoyed. It had endless twists and turns, and a quality and depth of characters that I had never encountered before.  And it almost seemed like it would never end.

I mean, with each book averaging somewhere between 3-500 pages (and some being longer), that’s a whole lot of story. ;)

I’m sure that his last book will finally be published, but tonight I’m saying a quiet prayer for his family, and a small prayer of thanks that such a master storyteller got a chance to influence so many people all over the world.

Yours truly included.

{via digg}