Re: Robert Jordan, I wonder whether he
truly would have brought the series to a close, had he lived. I gave up somewhere after book ten. It became absurd. My god, man, tie the threads together and STOP already.
I was glad when Terry Goodkind ended the main story line. His series had overstayed its welcome, too, though not as badly as Jordan's.
Now we have Martin, who took 11 (12?) years to write the latest two installments. He might have a vision for how to complete the series, but does he have enough years remaining to do it? (With that said, I still enjoy the story.)
We're getting amazing fantasy authors who begin powerfully but then lose their way. The threads they create unravel beyond their control.
See, who says there's no such thing as magic in the real world? It's the curse of the epic fantasy series.