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Warrior of the Altaii by [Robert Jordan]

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Robert Jordan

Warrior of the Altaii Kindle Edition

by Robert Jordan (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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Epic fantasy legend, and author of #1 New York Times bestselling series The Wheel of Time®, Robert Jordan's never-before published novel, Warrior of the Altaii:

Draw near and listen, or else time is at an end.

The watering holes of the Plain are drying up, the fearsome fanghorn grow more numerous, and bad omens abound. Wulfgar, a leader of the Altaii people, must contend with twin queens, warlords, prophets and magic in hopes of protecting his people and securing their future. Elspeth, a visitor from another world, holds the answers, but first Wulfgar must learn to ask the right questions.

But what if the knowledge that saves the Altaii will also destroy them?

“Jordan has come to dominate the world Tolkien began to reveal.” —The New York Times

Explore Robert Jordan's epic fantasy masterpiece, and enter the realm of The Wheel of Time®

Prequel: New Spring
#1 The Eye of the World
#2 The Great Hunt
#3 The Dragon Reborn
#4 The Shadow Rising
#5 The Fires of Heaven
#6 Lord of Chaos
#7 A Crown of Swords
#8 The Path of Daggers
#9 Winter's Heart
#10 Crossroads of Twilight
#11 Knife of Dreams

By Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
#12 The Gathering Storm
#13 Towers of Midnight
#14 A Memory of Light

By Robert Jordan and Teresa Patterson
The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

By Robert Jordan, Harriet McDougal, Alan Romanczuk, and Maria Simons
The Wheel of Time Companion

By Robert Jordan and Amy Romanczuk
Patterns of the Wheel: Coloring Art Based on Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Print length

330 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Tor Books
Publication date

October 8, 2019
File size

13254 KB
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From the Publisher

Review

Praise for Robert Jordan and The Wheel of Time®

“His huge, ambitious Wheel of Time series helped redefine the genre.” ―George R. R. Martin, author of A Game of Thrones

“Anyone who’s writing epic secondary world fantasy knows Robert Jordan isn’t just a part of the landscape, he’s a monolith within the landscape.” ―Patrick Rothfuss, author of the Kingkiller Chronicle series

“The Eye of the World was a turning point in my life. I read, I enjoyed. (Then continued on to write my larger fantasy novels.)” ―Robin Hobb, author of the award-winning Realm of the Elderlings series

“Robert Jordan's work has been a formative influence and an inspiration for a generation of fantasy writers.” ―Brent Weeks, New York Times bestselling author of The Way of Shadows

“Jordan’s writing is so amazing! The characterization, the attention to detail!” ―Clint McElroy, co-creator of the #1 podcast The Adventure Zone

“[Robert Jordan's] impact on the place of fantasy in the culture is colossal... He brought innumerable readers to fantasy. He became the New York Times bestseller list face of fantasy.” ―Guy Gavriel Kay, author of A Brightness Long Ago

“Robert Jordan was a giant of fiction whose words helped a whole generation of fantasy writers, including myself, find our true voices. I thanked him then, but I didn’t thank him enough.” ―Peter V. Brett, internationally bestselling author of The Demon Cycle series

“I don’t know anybody who’s been as formative in crafting me as a writer as [Robert Jordan], and for that I will be forever grateful.” ―Tochi Onyebuchi, author of Riot Baby and War Girls

“I’ve mostly never been involved in any particular fandom, the one exception of course was THE WHEEL OF TIME.” ―Marie Brennan, author of the Memoirs of Lady Trent series

“I owe Robert Jordan so much. Without him, modern fantasy would be bereft of the expansive, deep worlds and the giant casts which I love so dearly. It's not often I can look at another author and say: that person paved my way. But such is exactly the case with Jordan.” ―Jenn Lyons, author of The Ruin of Kings

“You can't talk about epic fantasy without acknowledging the titanic influence Robert Jordan has had on the genre.” ―Jason Denzel, author of Mystic and founder of Dragonmount.com

“Jordan has come to dominate the world Tolkien began to reveal.” ―The New York Times

“The Wheel of Time [is] rapidly becoming the definitive American fantasy saga. It is a fantasy tale seldom equaled and still less often surpassed in English.” ―Chicago Sun-Times

“Hard to put down for even a moment. A fittingly epic conclusion to a fantasy series that many consider one of the best of all time.” ―San Francisco Book Review

“The most ambitious American fantasy saga [may] also be the finest. Rich in detail and his plot is rich in incident. Impressive work, and highly recommended.” ―Booklist

“Recalls the work of Tolkien.” ―Publishers Weekly

“This richly detailed fantasy presents fully realized, complex adventure. Recommended.” ―Library Journal

--This text refers to the mass_market edition.

About the Author

ROBERT JORDAN (1948-2007) is best known for his internationally bestselling epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time®, which has sold over 40 million copies in North America and is currently being adapted for the screen. A native of Charleston, Jordan graduated from The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, with a degree in physics. He served two tours in Vietnam with the U.S. Army and received multiple decorations for his service. --This text refers to the mass_market edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07MYSKRD7
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tor Books; Signed edition (October 8, 2019)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 8, 2019
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 13254 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 330 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1250247667
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #117,337 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #352 in Military Fantasy (Kindle Store)
- #471 in Military Fantasy (Books)
- #1,635 in Action & Adventure Fantasy (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
414 ratings

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Robert Jordan

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Robert Jordan was born in 1948 in Charleston. He was a graduate of the Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, with a degree in physics, and served two tours in Vietnam. His hobbies included hunting, fishing, sailing, poker, chess, pool and pipe collecting. He died in September 2007.

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3 star		7%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Ross E.

*SPOILERS* A perfect example of a freshman effort

Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2019

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The first, and perhaps the most important, thing to realize is that this story hews MUCH closer to Jordan's Conan work than it does to The Wheel of Time. If you are looking for some high fantasy, you will likely be displeased; as barbarian fiction, however, this will slake your thirst. The standard tropes exist here, however; lots of naked (sky-clad) or nearly naked women, lots of detailed physical punishment scenes, stoic men, weeping women, etc.. If those things offend you, maybe pass on this one. The rest of the review will delve into spoilers, but I want to add one last thing; in 2003, Robert Jordan said in an interview that he never wanted this manuscript published. I don't know if he changed his mind but it does call to mind Go Set a Watchman and the situation with Harper Lee. It is not an exact parallel, but it shares some similarities. The author of this review feels that Jordan's wife has the right to do with his stuff whatever she wishes, but you may feel differently. Now that the disclaimer is out of the way...

SPOILERS AHEAD

This truly feels like a first effort, particularly in terms of pacing. One of the primary examples of this would be the Most High. When we first meet them, we learn that they are supremely powerful and have some sort of flying chariots. These are clearly either aliens or advanced humans. The problem is that 3/4 of the way through the novel, the protagonist confronts on of these Most High and learns the entire backstory of their race and the history of the planet with almost no ambiguity. The mystery is gone and it feels like there was no chance for tension to build.

Another example of a missed opportunity would be the concept of Travelers, or people who have involuntarily shifted dimensions. It seems like this would be a fascinating concept to explore how a person would adapt to life from a modern world to a Conan-like world; instead of character development, however, our Traveler exists to get spanked a whole bunch and provide a sort of Deus Ex Machina for a strategy to defeat the bad guys.

And speaking of Deus Ex Machina, Wulfgar is a "nexus-point" of forces that have suddenly made him younger, stronger, and faster (i.e. protagonist powers). Why? *shrug* some things are emphasized too much while others are not mentioned enough.

On the plus side, the novel is less than five hundred pages and moves briskly. The action has a brutal flair that is entertaining to read, and one doesn't get lost in the action sequences, which is a plus. The villians ooze with arrogance and cruelty, so it is satisfying to see them defeated, even if we verge into some weird submissive-humiliation scene territory. Lastly, Jordan's stoic characters here mirror the ones in The Wheel of Time; either you love them (like me) or you hate them.

In the final analysis, as a first novel, it's pretty good for its genre. As a piece that has been released after the author finished (with help) his magnum opus, it's just okay. Worth it if you are a Jordan fan... otherwise, your mileage may vary.

39 people found this helpful

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H. P.

Robert Jordan’s Warrior of the Altaii Foreshadows The Wheel of Time More Than His Conan Pastiches

Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2019

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Decades ago James Oliver Rigney Jr. wrote a book. That book allowed him to break into the publishing industry. He sold it several times. It established his working relationship with Harriet McDougal, who would become his wife. It led to his first published book, The Fallon’s Blood (as Reagan O’Neal). It led to a gig writing (eventually seven) Conan pastiches for Tor, this time as Robert Jordan, the pseudonym he would make famous. It also heavily foreshadows themes and elements from The Wheel of Time, his landmark work of epic fantasy. It was not, however, published before his death.

Having read both The Wheel of Time and Jordan’s Conan pastiches, I thought I knew what to expect. Warrior of the Altaii surprised me a little bit. It bears less in common with the pastiches put out by Tor than with earlier sword and sorcery books. The Tor pastiches had somewhat of a disadvantage. Writing his sword and sorcery yarns in part because they were quicker to write than historical fiction, Robert E. Howard could be light with his fantastical worldbuilding. When the Tor writers depart from that—including Jordan in his first pastiche—it usually showed a little too much Dungeons & Dragons influence and detracted from the work both because it jarred with Howard’s work and because of the paleness of the derivative worldbuilding. There was another tradition of sword and sorcery, though, later than Howard and before the Tor Conan pastiches.

The 70s produced some very fine sword and sorcery overflowing with the best kind of craziness. Warrior of the Altaii very much fits within that tradition, to an extent that surprised me. Jordan, though, was open that Howard was not a major influence on him as a writer. Writing as the 70s closed, it should probably come as no surprise that 70s sword and sorcery influenced Jordan. There is a lot of worldbuilding stuffed into what is (for Jordan) a short novel, much of it weird in the best way. And while Jordan used his physics background to do some incredibly cool stuff with fantasy in The Wheel of Time, here he introduces openly science fictional elements. One group uses technology sufficiently advanced as to seem magic. A character crosses over from what appears our dimension. This is the sort of thing that was once common in speculative fiction but largely disappeared after the 70s.

Most people, though, will be more interested in comparisons to The Wheel of Time than to Conan. Harriet mentions two things that surprised her when she reread Warrior of the Altaii: that it was GOOD and that it actually foreshadows The Wheel of Time heavily. I was even more surprised by the latter given my familiarity with the Conan books. Many things Jordan set aside to write those are heavily present here. The proud warrior race Altaii of course have a lot in common with the Aiel. Although they are horselords of the plains, not desert warriors, and differ in many other ways. Nor are they nearly as developed and distinct. Of particular interest is how the events of the novel will change and maybe destroy the Altaii. Jordan would return to that idea with the Aiel, albeit in a different way. But the kernel is plain, I think, for the The Wheel of Time fan to see.

Gender roles play an important part. Magic is here, too, a thing of women, although by norm instead of by the Dark One’s counterstroke. The effect is more muted, sometimes to its benefit.

Wulfgar, like Lan (or many other characters from The Wheel of Time), is a supremely skilled and respected warrior. The role of Vietnam in shaping Jordan’s views shows: battle offers no glory but much potential honor (older and from a proud warrior race, Wulfgar is considerably more at ease with killing than the kids from the Two Rivers). Jordan loves a big battle, and he squeezes in a few (and, yes, the longbow makes an appearance).

So, then, is Warrior of the Altaii worth picking up? For The Wheel of Time fan, certainly. If you didn’t make it through The Wheel of Time, that remains his opus. Lest you be suspected of some defect in your fandom, you should pick it back up. But for the fan who has only read the main series and the prequel New Spring, this is the next book I would recommend. It isn’t nearly as dry as the Big Book of Bad Art or the Compendium. And it ties into The Wheel of Time much more so than the Conan pastiches (which I recommend, but start with Howard’s original stories first). Jordan has not yet reached his stride here. The worldbuilding can be clumsy at times, with Jordan committing the rookie storyteller mistake of throwing out too much too early and with too little reason. There is a psychological torture-filled captivity sequence that stretches on far too long. His characters are the equal of your average fantasy book, meaning they lack the vibrancy of his own, later characters. Jordan’s work benefited tremendously from the massive canvas The Wheel of Time came to offer; it is pinched a bit here.

But, in the end, Harriet’s verdict after rereading is more accurate than her earlier, somewhat embarrassed recollections: this book is good. It isn’t The Wheel of Time good, but it made for a more than enjoyable read, enriched by my knowledge of The Wheel of Time, and I am glad Harriet chose to publish it after all these years.

22 people found this helpful

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Jeffrey T. Munson

Oh How I Wish There Could Be More...

Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2020

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Robert Jordan was one of the leaders in epic fantasy, and his "Wheel of Time" series remains one of the best-known series of the genre. Sadly, Mr. Jordan passed away in 2007. He left a lasting legacy upon those of us who enjoy epic fantasy, and "Warrior of the Altaii", his first unpublished novel, reminds us of his greatness.

Lord Wulfgar of the Altaii is the leader of his people. His people survive by living on the open plains and selling their wares. His people live under the shadow of the Lanta and the twin queens Eilinn and Elana.

Now, war has come. The appearance of Elspeth, a visitor from another world, will have a direct outcome on the battle. For Wulfgar and his warriors must face off against the Lantan and the twin queens in a fight to the death.

I enjoyed this book very much. This is not written in the same style as The Wheel of Time series. Rather, this book stands on it's own. But the reader still gets a look at what made Robert Jordan one of epic fantasy's masters; great storytelling and excellent character development. I only wish there could have been more to this story. Highly recommended.

6 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Richard Spurgeon

Book of memories

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 27, 2019

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This book helped me remember why I loved the wheel of time. It starts a bit slow but gets better as the book continues.

2 people found this helpful

S.J.Hughes

amazing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 8, 2019

Verified Purchase

classic jordan. i devoured this book in a day!!

One person found this helpful

RTP

I miss Robert Jordan

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 9, 2020

Verified Purchase

Loved this book

mattie brown

Altaii - the book before wheel of time series

Reviewed in Canada on February 8, 2020

Verified Purchase

This book had strategy and plenty of twists and turns. The
characters are good and solid ideas of fighting with great
descripton especially when fighting much larger
parties. I liked this book because the characters and
plots were wel thought out.

Fred

Don't let authors name mislead you.

Reviewed in Canada on July 28, 2020

Verified Purchase

This book pales when compared to, The Wheel of Time, series.

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