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The Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan)
Posted: Sat May 06, 2017 11:22 am
by achilles
So...I love the Wheel of Time. I have actually read all fourteen books three or four times. I like listening to the audiobook versions.
At first I was annoyed by all the names/places/concepts borrowed from Earth cultures, and the completely unsubtle linguistics. When you're used to reading fantasy written by a professor of Anglo Saxon, everything else pales in comparison. I was also annoyed by the long descriptions and large cast of secondary characters. But as I forged through, I began to like it more and more. After the second reading, I have developed a love for many of the background characters, even to the point of needing to know what happens to all of them at the end of the series.
Can I get a shout out for Rand al'Thor, or Nynaeve al'Meara? Or my favorite character Egwene al'Vere?
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Re: The Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan)
Posted: Sat May 06, 2017 1:15 pm
by Lithium Sunset
This has been on my future reading list for a while now but I have Mistborn in my hands waiting for my time to free up. I also want to finish Way of the KIngs by Sanderson before The Wheel of Time too. I ran out of time with my copy from the library. I did read Elantris and liked it. Those are not by Jordan but Jordan did trust Sanderson to finish is work.
Need to run, might edit later.
Re: The Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan)
Posted: Sat May 06, 2017 2:38 pm
by Mad Jax
I can't say the WoT books held my attention past 100 pages into book six. It started with a bang though. Is it true Jordan undid some of the deaths from book 5? I hate when authors do that. Death should not be retconned IMO.
I would say Mat was the most interesting character. Perrin was okay too. I liked Nynaeve at first but it seemed like every female became her as the books progressed.
Re: The Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan)
Posted: Sat May 06, 2017 7:13 pm
by achilles
Lithium Sunset wrote: ↑Sat May 06, 2017 1:15 pm
This has been on my future reading list for a while now but I have Mistborn in my hands waiting for my time to free up. I also want to finish Way of the KIngs by Sanderson before The Wheel of Time too. I ran out of time with my copy from the library. I did read Elantris and liked it. Those are not by Jordan but Jordan did trust Sanderson to finish is work.
Need to run, might edit later.
I like the world that Jordan creates. It becomes very rich as the story progresses. The characters are my favorite thing about the books. He's able to make the characters very sympathetic, even the "bad" guys. The most common complaint about Jordan is that he began to drag things out around book six or seven. It wasn't until he realized he was going to die of cardiac amyloidosis that he kicked it in the tail and moved things along. Towards the end he chose Brandon Sanderson to finish the series, and he and his wife Harriett left Brandon extensive notes. The last three novels were written by Sanderson (and he does a great job). Not that the middle of the series is boring--it's not that at all. You just end up suffering with the characters through some difficult circumstances for four novels and meet
many secondary characters along the way.
The first book is
The Eye of the World. The main characters (most of whom come from the same secluded village) are pretty young/naive in the first novel. They've literally had to run from their village and end up picking up a quest along the way. I think the series become
very interesting in the second novel,
The Great Hunt. Throughout the series you watch the main characters grow up fast, and as they discover their unique talents, they take on new responsibilities until they literally have the fate of the world on their shoulders. I guess I've always been drawn to coming-of-age stories.
Mad Jax wrote: ↑Sat May 06, 2017 2:38 pm
I can't say the WoT books held my attention past 100 pages into book six. It started with a bang though. Is it true Jordan undid some of the deaths from book 5? I hate when authors do that. Death should not be retconned IMO.
I would say Mat was the most interesting character. Perrin was okay too. I liked Nynaeve at first but it seemed like every female became her as the books progressed.
You would like Mat. I...like him, too, but I've never been a joker/rogue myself. Perrin becomes annoying to me. I enjoy the White Tower politics and the Aiel (they kind of remind me of the Fremen). Rand and his condition is a challenge and I think everybody relates with being torn inside at some point in their lives. I end up caring about Thom Merrilin more than I though I would. Nynaeve really grew on me, too. I guess I relate with her desire to look after her friends and heal the hurts in the world. I don't want to give too much away...but someone who you thought had died was really just somewhere else, somewhere very interesting. I like the way Sanderson ties up that plotline in the last few books.
Anyway, I love to talk about WoT, so hopefully some will read/have read it.
Re: The Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan)
Posted: Sun May 07, 2017 2:49 am
by Mad Jax
Well if we're gonna talk, we have to talk. That means spoilers.
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So Lanfear and Morraine had what I consider to be a great confrontation that led to their ends spectacularly. Heard rumors Lanfear was reborn and Morraine just didn't die. Which, if true, sucks. I like a good death, it adds meaning to a story in a way no other event can, but when it's undone because a character is popular or it's a fake out while still allowing for the drama of loss to be felt by the characters (and readers) it really gets on my nerves.
I'm not saying faking one's death can never be an element in a story but I think it sucks here. Because it was the "Obi Wan Kenobi death" of the series that left the mains without a mentor, and showed the readers that the stakes were real.
Re: The Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan)
Posted: Sun May 07, 2017 2:51 am
by Mad Jax
BTW I know you like the series and I'm not trying to trash it completely. There's a lot to like and the books are pretty enjoyable for the most part. Trust me, I'm pretty critical of book and film series that I like as well. Get me going on Dune or Star Wars and it's a free for all on the stuff I dislike.
Re: The Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan)
Posted: Sun May 07, 2017 7:51 am
by achilles
SPOILER ALERT!
So Lanfear and Moiraine are struggling with one another and fall through the twisted doorway. There is an assumption that they have died, when really they have traveled to where the Aelfinn/Eelfinn are. Did they kill each other? Were they killed by the Aelfinn/Eelfinn? We don't really know. Add to that the fact that Shaitan is the Lord of the Dead, and can reincarnate whomever he wants.
But I get your sentiment about the cheapness of reincarnations by authors.
Re: The Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan)
Posted: Sun May 07, 2017 3:07 pm
by Mad Jax
More spoilers...
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One of the enemies I really liked was the Seanchen, and I really liked the hopelessness Egwene felt when they put the collar on her (I'll never remember what it's called) though I do sort of wish she could have devised an escape from it herself. But it does add to the dread of the device.
Another thing I had hoped to see was an earth shattering tragic consequence of someone using balefire. I don't think it happened in the first five books but I'd be curious to know if it had later.
Re: The Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan)
Posted: Mon May 08, 2017 10:20 am
by Lithium Sunset
Mad Jax wrote: ↑Sun May 07, 2017 2:49 am
Well if we're gonna talk, we have to talk. That means spoilers.
achilles wrote: ↑Sun May 07, 2017 7:51 am
SPOILER ALERT!
Noted!
I'll visit this thread again when I finish and will try to read them a little more critically than I would have. I bought book 4 the other night because it was only $6 at the mall. I like to own at least one book (usually the first book haha) of every series I enjoy and recommend. I might just get the first few from thriftbooks.
I have a month this summer to dig into reading. Guess The Silmarillian will continue to wait.
Re: The Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan)
Posted: Mon May 08, 2017 6:07 pm
by achilles
Lithium Sunset wrote: ↑Mon May 08, 2017 10:20 am
Mad Jax wrote: ↑Sun May 07, 2017 2:49 am
Well if we're gonna talk, we have to talk. That means spoilers.
achilles wrote: ↑Sun May 07, 2017 7:51 am
SPOILER ALERT!
Noted!
I'll visit this thread again when I finish and will try to read them a little more critically than I would have. I bought book 4 the other night because it was only $6 at the mall. I like to own at least one book (usually the first book haha) of every series I enjoy and recommend. I might just get the first few from thriftbooks.
I have a month this summer to dig into reading. Guess The Silmarillian will continue to wait.
I like Book 4. Rand decides to get off his butt and leave the Stone of Tear. And the girls depart to chase the Black Ajah.
Re: The Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan)
Posted: Mon May 08, 2017 6:16 pm
by Mad Jax
achilles wrote: ↑Mon May 08, 2017 6:07 pm
Lithium Sunset wrote: ↑Mon May 08, 2017 10:20 am
Mad Jax wrote: ↑Sun May 07, 2017 2:49 am
Well if we're gonna talk, we have to talk. That means spoilers.
achilles wrote: ↑Sun May 07, 2017 7:51 am
SPOILER ALERT!
Noted!
I'll visit this thread again when I finish and will try to read them a little more critically than I would have. I bought book 4 the other night because it was only $6 at the mall. I like to own at least one book (usually the first book haha) of every series I enjoy and recommend. I might just get the first few from thriftbooks.
I have a month this summer to dig into reading. Guess The Silmarillian will continue to wait.
I like Book 4. Rand decides to get off his butt and leave the Stone of Tear. And the girls depart to chase the Black Ajah.
I did enjoy that book, because they did something different and the girls had to do something besides rely on the one power (infiltrating as serving wenches) which had seemed to become a bit too dominant at that point. It also showed Elayne how easy her own life had been in that moment which I thought was a nice touch.
Re: The Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan)
Posted: Mon May 08, 2017 7:37 pm
by achilles
Some of my favorite moments in the series are the time the girls spend with the menagerie.
Re: The Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan)
Posted: Tue May 09, 2017 8:32 am
by Mad Jax
Re: The Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan)
Posted: Tue May 09, 2017 6:22 pm
by Just This Guy
I enjoyed the series for a while up until Rand cleanses Saidin, but it turned into a slog to push through. I gave up I think it was book 11, the one with the 100+ page long prologue...
I've been working though some David Eddings lately. I'm currently in the middle of Belgarath the Sorcerer.
Re: The Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan)
Posted: Wed May 10, 2017 12:59 pm
by achilles
Mad Jax wrote: ↑Sun May 07, 2017 3:07 pm
More spoilers...
.
.
.
.
.
.
One of the enemies I really liked was the Seanchen, and I really liked the hopelessness Egwene felt when they put the collar on her (I'll never remember what it's called) though I do sort of wish she could have devised an escape from it herself. But it does add to the dread of the device.
Another thing I had hoped to see was an earth shattering tragic consequence of someone using balefire. I don't think it happened in the first five books but I'd be curious to know if it had later.
This is what I loved so much about the second novel. First of all, the Tel'aran'rhiod stuff. And the portal stones. And the Lady Selene (name comes from a Greek goddess of the moon. Nice.)
When the Seanchan show up, what they do and how they do it is ruthless. Something about the
a'dam and the
damane made my blood run cold. But of course you know that it was
the formative experience for Egwene, and serves her very well later.