Euphie said:

Under the Dome and Misery were a couple of my favorites. I haven't read as much Stephen King as I would like, more Dean Koontz. Just by chance.

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shLong said:

Harry Potter is my #1 all time favorite series, however

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Euphie said:

Under the Dome and Misery were a couple of my favorites. I haven't read as much Stephen King as I would like, more Dean Koontz. Just by chance.

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The Wheel of Time is a series of epic fantasy novels written by American author James Oliver Rigney, Jr., under the pen name Robert Jordan. Originally planned as a six-book series, The Wheel of Time now spans fourteen volumes, in addition to a prequel novel and a companion book. Jordan began writing the first volume, The Eye of the World, in 1984; it was published in January 1990.[1]
The author died in 2007 while working on what was planned to be the twelfth and final volume in the series, although he had prepared extensive notes so another author could complete the book according to his wishes. Fellow fantasy author and long-time Wheel of Time fan Brandon Sanderson was brought in to complete the final book, but during the writing process it was decided that the book would be far too large to be published in one volume and would instead be published as three volumes:[2] The Gathering Storm (2009), Towers of Midnight (2010), and A Memory of Light (2013).

The series draws on numerous elements of both European and Asian mythology, most notably the cyclical nature of time found in Buddhism and Hinduism, the metaphysical concepts of balance and duality, and a respect for nature found in Daoism. Additionally, its creation story has similarities to Christianity's "Creator" (Light) and Shai'tan, "The Dark One" (Shaytan is an Arabic word which in religious contexts is used as a name for the Devil). It was also partly inspired by Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace (1869).[3]

The Wheel of Time is notable for its length, its detailed imaginary world, its well-developed magic system, and its large cast of characters. The eighth through fourteenth books each reached number one on the New York Times Best Seller list. As of August 14, 2008 the series sold over 44 million copies worldwide[4] and spawned an eponymous video game, roleplaying game, and soundtrack album. The television and film rights to the series have been optioned several times, most recently by Universal Studios.

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Some men and women in the story have the natural ability to access a form of magic called the One Power; through a process called channeling. The One Power consists of male and female halves called saidin (accessible by men) and saidar (accessible by women). The One Power is further divided into the 'Five Powers': Earth, Water, Air, Fire, and Spirit. In addition to granting access to the One Power, the ability to channel greatly extends longevity and masks the effects of aging. Channeling itself is described as a euphoric, drug-like experience of life involving the enhancement of all senses, making ordinary life seem dull and grey. A contrary power, dubbed the True Power, is associated with Shai'tan.

Channelers can direct the Power toward a desired purpose by creating one or more "flows" of the One Power and constructing "weaves" of these flows. An individual flow can only consist of one of the Five Powers, but a weave can combine any number of flows from any of the five. Flows can be of varying sizes, with larger flows involving greater strength. Channelers, especially novices, are very careful to control the amount of the One Power they draw into their flows. Drawing too much can be fatal, or can "burn out" the channeler, severing their ability to access the One Power forever. Channelers can sense the power in others, and feel when a channeler has "embraced" saidar or saidin. It is also possible to sense the strength of a fellow channeler - defined as the potential amount of the One Power the channeler can draw and successfully weave without burning out.

Flows and weaves are visible to fellow channelers but limited by the viewer's access to either saidin or saidar. This visibility allows channelers to learn how to construct specific weaves and access abilities merely by watching another channeler create the weave. While male and female channelers have access to many of the same abilities and end effects, the weaves and manner of their construction are often very different. The act of channeling saidin is apparently very different from saidar, whereas women describe surrendering themselves to the One Power and allowing it to flow through them, men insist that similar behavior would be suicidal. They describe channeling as a struggle for control that would result in their own destruction if they ever faltered.

In general, males have greater strength in the power than women, but multiple female channelers can combine their strength by forming 'circles', with one channeler controlling and directing the weaves. Circles consisting of only females are limited to thirteen members, while inclusion of male channelers allows the circle to grow to up to seventy-two members. Circles must always hold at least one more female than male, with a minimum of 1 man for every 12 women. As men tend to be much stronger in the power than women, the strongest circles consist of a near equal balance between the genders.[6]

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