Spanning 14 lengthy novels and one short prequel, Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time is modern fantasy’s longest running epic without contest. The first book, The Eye of the World, was released by Tor Books on January 15, 1991 and quickly became a modern fantasy classic. The novels introduce readers to a world rich with lore and history, where an eternal struggle of good against evil plays out in a setting familiar to our own yet fantastically different. The tale of Rand al Thor’s road to becoming and then being the Dragon Reborn has captivated millions of readers in much the same way Tolkien’s books did so long ago. While it is likely a bittersweet moment for many fans, the conclusion of this work is sure to be one of the fantasy world’s literary events of the year and could mark the beginning of a new era for The Wheel of Time.

[NPR]