The Dragon Reborn

"Death is lighter than a feather, duty heavier than a mountain" -- The Great Hunt

I, along with many others of the sci-fi/fantasy fiction community, was greatly saddened to hear of the death of James Oliver Rigney Jr. aka Robert Jordan yesterday. Surprising as it may seem, I am not a fan of his work and magnum opus, the Wheel of Time series. Over the years the books were repeatedly suggested and thrust upon me until I finally caved and read the first two. I was not impressed.

However, in the past year and a half since learning of his tragic illness I have been impressed with the man over and over again. He maintained a semi-regular presence on his website, keeping his fans and well-wishers updated and informed about his illness and his determined goal to survive and beat the odds. How anyone, in the face of terminal sickness and a drawn-out almost certain death, could find the time and energy to devote to a community of readers is beyond me. He had huge demands with his health, frequent travel, and family and yet he still kept plucking along with his last book and offering his thoughts and prayers to those fans who shared their own stories of disease and despair. Goodness gracious, the man seemed so UPBEAT(!) about it all. I enjoyed his stories of time served in Vietnam, the information about his disease, and his Ali vs. Liston metaphors. I admired his struggle and awed at his courage in the midst of the inevitable.

So now my heart and thoughts go out to his widow, his family, his friends, and to all admirers worldwide of the author and his work. And I promise that someday down the road I will read all of those books.