It must have been early 1991. Foraging around in what was then the only SF/F bookshop in Sydney that carried the prized imports, I spied what became tEotW. Bought it on impulse, read it, went back for more and got tGH. Loved it, and waited for tDR. As RJ got slower in book output, although not in word output, I went back, repeatedly, to that import bookshop and found many new authors, some of whom turned out to be something rather special.

Time passes, and Steven Erikson books replace RJ books as “the book I am really waiting for”. I had joined wotmania; found out that while everyone knew who had killed Asmo, no-one could actually prove it; got a little peeved with the immortal acronym (RAFO), and generally a lot peeved with this ever-expanding Wheel of Time saga. I want to know who did for Asmo. I want to know how Rand will survive TG. I want to know which of his three ladyfriends he will settle down with and go farming in the Two Rivers after TG when he has lost all his power.

I think my detachment from WoT really began after LoC. It really got detached by the time I struggled through CoT. I own but have not read KoD.

A few days ago, while browsing in an airport bookshop on my way somewhere, I saw the mass-market release of The Gathering Storm. I had followed all the drama since KoD, like you felt the demise of RJ very deeply – this was the guy that led to me to many great SF/F authors (while waiting for his books), this was the guy that inspired me to seek out wotmania. Thought about it, remembered I had not even read KoD and bought a Stieg Larsson instead, or was it a Don Winslow? Both great reads even for diehard (ex-)wotmaniacs.

Last night was checking something out on the web. Something that got me on to Wikipedia. An impulse prompted me to look at the entry for A Gathering Storm. Something stirred inside. Especially when I saw the (as usual optimistic) publishing schedule for the last two books.

I made a plan. Plans are better than resolutions. I will buy, but not read A Gathering Storm – I presume it is aGS? I will wait and buy, but not read ToM. When the US edition of aMoL is in the hands of the editors and printers and there will be no more delay, I will start at the beginning and read the whole lot.

Take this as a sign. A portent if you will. You can lose your way in life and stray from the Light, but WoT has a way of bringing you back to the fold