Reader Question Day #14 – Aragorn vs. Elric

Manwe asks, concerning Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time:

Have they (the Wheel of Time books) ever influenced your own work?

Somewhat, I suppose. I started reading them before I attempted to write seriously, so I suppose some degree of influence is inevitable. I think the main influence is that I want to write a series with a definite end in mind, which is why I want DEMONSOULED to stick to six books. (At least the first DEMONSOULED series – I might start a second after I finish the sixth one. And there's a chance that SOUL OF SORCERY and the sixth book might get long enough to split them into smaller books, but I'm hoping to avoid that.)

Whose writing do you prefer…Robert Jordan, or the man who took over for him, Brandon Sanderson?

They both have their strengths. Jordan's writing has every virtue except that of brevity. Sanderson's a very good writer, but not quite as good as Jordan. (I think life experience might play into that, since Jordan was a Vietnam vet, and it's a disturbing truth that people who go through unpleasant experiences are often better writers.) That said, Sanderson can finish things, which is a big deal. He's also one of the very few modern fantasy writers that can write intelligently about religion. If you want to try his non-WOT work, I'd suggest starting with his MISTBORN trilogy.

Penny919 asks:

When is Ghost in the Storm coming out?

Soon, I hope. I'm writing chapter 10 of 29, so I'm about 1/3 done with the rough draft.

Who would win in a fight, Aragorn or Elric?

Aragorn, unquestionably. Elric is a drug addict wielding the cursed sword Stormbringer that is slowly devouring what little sanity he has left. Aragorn wields Anduril, the Flame of the West, the sword that shines with both the light of the sun and moon. And – more importantly – Aragorn waited for decades to wed his beloved Arwen, while Elric destroyed his homeland and his beloved due to the madness induced by Stormbringer.

The man with self-discipline will almost always defeat the man without it.

siddinavayan asks:

How can I calculate the date of Easter in Linux?

I've got you covered:

http://www.jonathanmoeller.com/screed/?p=3554

-JM