Tor Books to Publish Robert Jordan’s Never Before Released First Novel

Tom Doherty, Tor Books Chairman and Founder, has acquired WARRIOR OF THE ALTAII, the never-before-seen first novel by epic fantasy titan Robert Jordan, for the second time.

WARRIOR OF THE ALTAII is a fascinating formative work by the Wheel of Time creator, offering an abundance of the epic themes that Jordan would continue to develop in The Wheel of Time itself. A standalone fantasy told with implacable momentum, readers new to Robert Jordan will find WARRIOR OF THE ALTAII an easy gateway to the author’s artistry.

Of the manuscript’s enduring journey to publication, Doherty remarked, “When I first acquired WARRIOR OF THE ALTAII, back in early ’79, I was still publisher of Ace. I knew we had a Storyteller. I thought for a first novel this is great, but Harriet had acquired Fallon Blood from him as his publisher. Ace distributed Fallon Blood first in 1980; it was a hit. Fallon Blood was a novel of the American Revolution in the south, and the country was then celebrating its bicentennial. By then I had left Ace; Harriet and Jim Baen came with me as I started Tor. Jim Rigney (Robert Jordan) came with Harriet. The Fallon Trilogy finished in ’81-82, then came the Conan novels, and, of course, the Wheel of Time. WARRIOR OF THE ALTAII was the first (and now last) book I bought from Jim, and I am so pleased to publish it for his fans.”

Fans of Robert Jordan’s work will immediately recognize the author’s evocative prose in WARRIOR OF THE ALTAII, and experience anew Jordan’s full-voiced strength, carried on the wind of his words.

Harriet McDougal, Robert Jordan’s editor and wife, elaborates, “WARRIOR OF THE ALTAII has been sold twice, but has never been published. Until now. When I reread WARRIOR OF THE ALTAII this winter, after this long intermission, I was amazed at the foreshadowing of The Wheel of Time. You will find many hints of what is to come. One of the most obvious is the name of the major mountain range – the Backbone of the World. In The Wheel of Time, it is the Spine of the World. I think you’ll have fun finding them as you read this brand new Robert Jordan – a fine wine that has reached its perfect maturity.”

WARRIOR OF THE ALTAII is planned for publication in fall 2019

About the author

Robert Jordan was born in 1948 in Charleston, South Carolina. He taught himself to read when he was four with the incidental aid of a twelve-years-older brother, and was tackling Mark Twain and Jules Verne by five. He is a graduate of The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, with a degree in physics. He served two tours in Vietnam with the U.S. Army; among his decorations are the Distinguished Flying Cross with bronze oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star with “V” and bronze oak leaf cluster, and two Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses with palm. A history buff, he has also written dance and theater criticism and enjoyed the outdoor sports of hunting, fishing, and sailing, and the indoor sports of poker, chess, pool, and pipe collecting. Robert Jordan began writing in 1977 and went on to write The Wheel of Time®, one of the most important and bestselling series in the history of fantasy publishing with over 14 million copies sold in North America, and countless more sold abroad. Robert Jordan died on September 16, 2007, after a courageous battle with the rare blood disease amyloidosis.

About Tor Books

Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, is a New York-based publisher of bestselling and critically acclaimed fiction in all formats. Founded in 1980, Tor publishes what is arguably the largest and most diverse line of award winning science fiction and fantasy, with its books receiving every major award in the SF and Fantasy field. Tor has been named Best Publisher 30 years in a row in the Locus Poll, the largest consumer poll in SF.