Robert Jordan

Frequently asked questions

• Is Robert Jordan his real name?

  No. Robert Jordan was the pen name of James Oliver Rigney Jr. He also wrote under other names earlier in his career, including Reagan O'Neal for historical fiction and Jackson O'Reilly for a western.

• Did Robert Jordan serve in the military?

  Yes. He served two tours in Vietnam as a U.S. Army helicopter gunner between 1968 and 1970, and was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Bronze Star. His military background informed the detailed battle writing in his fiction.

• What did Robert Jordan do before writing The Wheel of Time?

  He earned a physics degree from The Citadel and worked as a nuclear engineer for the U.S. Navy. He began writing during a long recovery from an injury, publishing historical fiction and Conan novels before The Wheel of Time.

• Did Robert Jordan really write Conan the Barbarian novels?

  Yes. In the early 1980s he wrote seven Conan the Barbarian novels, including the novelization of the film Conan the Destroyer. The work helped establish him before he launched his own epic series.

• How did Robert Jordan die, and did he finish the series?

  He was diagnosed with cardiac amyloidosis, a rare blood disease, and died in 2007 before completing The Wheel of Time. He left extensive notes for the ending, and fellow author Brandon Sanderson was brought in to finish the series from them.

• Why was Brandon Sanderson chosen to complete The Wheel of Time?

  Jordan's widow and editor, Harriet McDougal, selected Sanderson in late 2007 to finish the series using Jordan's notes and dictated material. The remaining story grew into the final three volumes, published between 2009 and 2013.

• Who was Harriet McDougal to Robert Jordan?

  Harriet McDougal was both his editor and his wife, whom he married in 1981. She edited his work throughout his career and oversaw the completion of The Wheel of Time after his death.

• How many copies has The Wheel of Time sold, and is there a TV adaptation?

  The series has sold tens of millions of copies worldwide, with figures reported at over ninety million and, by some counts, more than a hundred million. It was adapted into an Amazon Prime Video series that premiered in 2021, with Rosamund Pike as Moiraine.