Robert Jordan

(October 17, 1948 – September 16, 2007), known by his pen name Robert Jordan, was an American author of epic fantasy. He is best known as the author of The Wheel of Time series, which comprises 14 books and a prequel novel. The series is among the highest-selling book series of all time, with 90 million copies sold. In his earlier career he became one of several writers to produce original Conan the Barbarian novels; his are considered by fans to be some of the best written by authors other than the character's creator, Robert E.

Jordan was the most well-known of several pen names he used, adopting different monikers for different genres. Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina, on October 17, 1948, to James and Eva Rigney (née Grooms). James Rigney was a World War II veteran and served as a police officer before working at the Charleston Naval Shipyard. He taught himself to read at the age of four years, because his older brother did not finish reading White Fang to him and Jordan "wanted to know what happened," and at five was reading Mark Twain and Jules Verne.

He went to Clemson University, where he played football as a lineman, but dropped out after one year and enlisted in the U.S. He served two tours of duty during the Vietnam War as a helicopter gunner, from 1968 to 1970. He supported Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopters, and was deployed to Saigon and later Bien Hoa. Asked about his experiences in 2003, he stated that they flew in "Zone C, The Phu Rieng Rubber Plantation, down to Cu Chi in the delta, over to Nui Ba Dinh, Black Virgin Mountain, and we were flying into Cambodia long before the Parrot's Beak".

He survived a helicopter crash aged 19, which affected his views on mortality. During his time in the military one of his nicknames was "Iceman", in reference to an incident in which he intercepted a number of PAVN troops crossing a river. On Power Place, Robert Jordan's quotes are included because they give readers a direct way to think about motivation, responsibility, and the choices that shape a life.