Wheel of Time

Has anyone else read the series? It is Fantasy genre, and if you read fantasy it is a :aok: There are 9 books out now, and book 10 comes out in January. I'm on book 8 and the series is excellent so far.

 

I've read a buncha Conan stuff, but not this series. Didn't Robert Jordan attend The Citadel?

 

no idea

 

Ive read it

I began reading the series in 1990 when I bought the oversized paperback of EOTW & told my friends about it. Over the next few years, I think a good third of my frat read all the books currently out.

After college, my interest in the series gradually died. I bought Winter's Heart but havent opened it yet. I think I made it through the prologue of the one before that before passing out from boredom.

The problem with Jordan (as Im sure youve read 100 times) is that he's drug the series out ridiculously long. There was a stretch there that almost nothing of significance happened over about 3 books. The only part worth reading was the last chapter or two where Rand took on one of the Forsaken & maybe some of Perrin's or Matt's escapades. I just got sick of reading the same phraseology every 3 pages. I almost dare you to count how often those annoying Aes Sedai chicks "smooth their skirts" or gripe about men. He took a great beginning idea and turned it into the equivalent of a soap opera.

My kid brother found my old paperbacks a few years back. He's read them all including the latest one. He says Winter's Heart redeems the series, but I havent had reason to bother with it.

Besides, he's getting killed by the Tolkein resurgence right now. Ive been trying to re-read The Two Towers in my scant free time, but i dont think Im gonna get it done before the new movie comes out. 20 pages per week aint cuttin it.

 

Yea, I have to agree a few of the books in the series were starting to piss me off (5 and 8 more than any), but I've heard 9 puts everything back on track. Also heard after reading 9, you actually look forward to 10. I don't see any big reason to read the LotR series right before the movies are released, the first one followed the book almost exactly (with tiny exceptions that might be shown in the new DVD's with the 30 mins. of cut material). That and the fact that the ending was the beginning of the two towers book. Right now I am reading the Sword of Truth series, I'm on the last book out (book 7/ Pillars of creation). It is my break from the Wheel of Time series, but I will be back to it soon.

 

I started reading this series back when book 5 had just come out. It's pretty good, but very derivative. He's really good at creating different societies and customs, but he tends to point out that fact a whole lot -- like when he lets the reader know that a song in a different land has different words. Christ, I've read that little tidbit now about 100 times. It's no wonder he's able to write 800 page books -- he repeats himself a ton.

It does get a little tough at times, with like 8 main characters and maybe 15 or 20 sub-plots.

It's hard to keep interested in all those things when you've finished a book like 2 years ago and have to wait for the next one.

 

Tolkein & Jordan

Nyt,

Have you ever read Tolkein before? Just wondering since he's the reason any of the other books you're reading are around.

Re-reading LoTR (for about the 7th time since 5th grade) has reminded me just how high he set the bar. The story is great enough, but he was a wordsmith, a linguist, a poet and a storyteller as well. I dont think Ive ever come across another writer who was all those things, let alone as good at any of them as John Ronald Reul.

S_Nut - agree completely with your take on Jordan. Tell me though, have the damn Tinkers found "the song" yet by book 1 billion? How about the prophet guy? The Whitecloaks? Moraine in limbo? Lan? There are a million little unifinished plot threads that you get sick of keeping up with after a while. It's almost like complexity for complexities sake, rather than storytelling.

 

Yes I've read Tolkein, but the last time I read LotR I was probably too young to understand half of it. I should prolly re-read them, but I was only pointing out that the movie follows so closely to the books that it shouldn't be a reason for re-reading the books. I need to because I doubt an elementary school student (which I was at the time) could grasp all of what Tolkein wrote.

As for those plot lines. I wont elaborate to spoil anything for people reading the series, but most are still on-going... I've heard the series is only supposed to be 12 books, so they "should" be concluding.

I've heard good things about David Eddings. Any opinions on his books?

 

Eddings is pretty good, but he only had 1 good idea, it seems. I loved the Belgariad, but the Malorean was sorta a retread -- still pretty good, tho. Then he had another series which was pretty much the same stuff over again with "new" characters that seemed pretty much like the old ones...

I read a new one of his lately that was kinda interesting, but didn't really do it for me. His style is very light and easy to read.

 

Eddings is good. Terry Brooks new Shanara series is good as are all the rest of the Shanara books. Donaldson is good. Raymond Feist is good. Also, Zelazny's Amber series is good. Hell, I have read just about every Fantasy series except for Jordan and I really just don't plan or reading it.