Fill-in 'Wheel of Time' novelist kicks off 20-city tour in NChas tonight

Image by gatheringstorm copy.jpg Can't get enough Wheel of Time? Even the final installment runs three volumes.

Fans of Robert Jordan's lengthy and complex Wheel of Time fantasy series finally get their next fix with Tuesday's release of "The Gathering Storm," but Lowcountry readers receive a special bonus: a chance to meet replacement novelist Brandon Sanderson, the author hired to complete Jordan's last book. 

Sanderson, the author of the Mistborn novels, was selected by Jordan/Rigney's widow and editor, Harriet McDougal. You can meet both Sanderson and McDougal tonight, October 27, at 7 at the Northwoods Barnes & Noble in North Charleston.

The Post and Courier's book editor, Bill Thompson, did his usual good job of covering the topic on Sunday, and the story behind the deal is worth a read. Apparently Jordan's original plan to end the book with a 12th volume called "A Memory of Light" has been replaced with plans for a three-volume "Memory of Light trilogy."