There are neither beginnings or endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it w

jgaiser · 03-10-2012, 09:57 PM

An interesting (to me) article just popped up on MetaFilter about Robert Jordan and the Wheel of Time series.

I have the first 4 books of the series on my ever lengthening TBR pile and this article may just be what I need to push the series towards the top.

http://www.metafilter.com/113727/The...as-a-beginning

xg4bx · 03-10-2012, 10:34 PM

i like fantasy but i could never really get into this series, i think i only made it through 5 books. to me they became repetitive very quickly and started feeling very 'villain of the month', oh theres this bad guy that rand must defeat in this book. next book, another bad guy.

and nynaeve is possibly the most annoying character i've ever seen in fiction. she NEVER stops being a *itch and by the 1000th reference to her tugging her braid in annoyance i prayed it ripped out of her head.

maybe i'm just bitter towards "epics". there is no story on earth so epic that it needs 13,14 1000 page novels to tell. from what i've read of the series its not terrible, theres simply massive, massive amounts of filler. same with a song of ice and fire and any of these cash cow series, it isn't a problem experienced only by WoT.

jgaiser · 03-10-2012, 10:41 PM

Seems like a lot of people agree with you. Linked article has a *lot* of readers giving up midway through the series. Like I said, I've already got the first 4. I'll probably give it a good try this year. This is my year for epic fantasy.

xg4bx · 03-10-2012, 10:47 PM

like i said, they're not terrible. just don't expect a lot of forward progression. and take a break between the books lol.

i made the mistake of reading GRRM's Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings back to back and by the end i was begging for ACoK to be finished already. good books but again, forward progression is minimal. my tolerance for filler isn't as high as it used to be

.

AndrewH · 03-10-2012, 11:00 PM

The first few books were great. I found myself losing focus somewhere around book 8. Book 10 was pretty much "Characters Show Up".

I agree with xg4bx regarding Nynaeve. After reading about her tugging on her braid ten thousand times I was hoping she'd rip her scalp off and bleed to death very slowly.

FizzyWater · 03-11-2012, 12:46 AM

Thanks for posting this article. I once loved this series...started it when I was still in college and jeez, I'm over 50 now! I always meant to finish it once I knew it was really finished...I think the last book I read was the one that covered approximately 3 hours (or maybe it was 3 days, it's been a long time).

DrNefario · 03-11-2012, 05:02 AM

That's kind of how I feel, FizzyWater. I really enjoyed the first four or five books, but after that they seemed to get wider and shallower, until almost nothing was happening to a huge number of characters in each book.

I do have twelfth one on my Kindle, waiting, and I'd like to finish the series, but I'm in no great rush to jump back in until they're all done.

carpetmojo · 03-11-2012, 08:21 AM

So that's Robert Jordan, George Martin, Scott Lynch...

I tell you, if they all get it wrong and actually finish them all, we'll definitely be in trouble - if we can still be bothered, or can still read....

And if they all finished 'em in the same month, say................

mewmartigan · 03-12-2012, 08:15 AM

I am looking forward to the last book, having only started the series last year. I have enjoyed the ride. As many others have said, books 8,9 and 10 were really slow and none of the major plot lines moved towards any kind of resolution. Books 11 and 12 were much better and I haven't read 13 yet.

I could get through 8,9,10 just because I like the characters. The braid-tugging and exrtreme descriptions of every article of clothing that every person in the room is wearing did grow a bit annoying. I think Sanderson has done well dialing some of that back though.

jbcohen · 03-12-2012, 08:27 AM

I dropped this book series some time ago I think that I wil realy need to get started once again from the start. I do not quite understand why I stopped.

BenG · 03-12-2012, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbcohen

I do not quite understand why I stopped.

Having to wait two to three years between books?

jbcohen · 03-13-2012, 02:23 PM

Negative since I only made it to book three. Perhaps it because of the shear size of the books. Since I am reading in electronic form these days the size of the novels are not really a problem.

GreenMonkey · 03-13-2012, 03:01 PM

I'm not a fan of Jordan at all. I ignored GRR Martin's books for years because I thought it they would be overhyped meaningless fluff (which is what I felt about the Wheel of time past book 2 or so).

The story doesn't seem to go anywhere, the characters don't change a whole lot, and the descriptions of fights and such are terrible....i.e. "flowing swan defeats calm water" or whatever.

Traded them all in and I doubt I'll ever revisit them. I don't think I could tell you what happened past book 3 or so, and I've found talking with some friends, I'm not the only one.

Solicitous · 03-14-2012, 06:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xg4bx

and nynaeve is possibly the most annoying character i've ever seen in fiction. she NEVER stops being a *itch and by the 1000th reference to her tugging her braid in annoyance i prayed it ripped out of her head.

OMG I feel the same way. Perhaps that was the angle Jordan was wanting, readers to hate the characters not because they were good/evil but because of one repetitive action constantly through the books.

I'm currently (albeit slowly due to study requirements) going through book 13. I think up to book 6 it was great. 7-9 were good, had book 10 been book 1 or 2 I would have dropped the series. Book 11 finally got back into the story, 12 was a little better.

My biggest issue was the number of characters. Some new character will get introduced, detailed description, and never seen for 4 books who then returns. The return of the character is made worse by some names being so similar to other deeply described yet completely pointless people. Encyclopedia-Wot saved me a few times.

At times I start to wonder what the 'real' final epic battle is, Rand and the Dark One, or me actually finishing all 14 books

crash1211 · 03-14-2012, 04:09 PM

I agree with you. I got to the sixth book before I gave up. After the fourth book I just keep wishing he would just wrap up the series. I actually have started to respect authors that have the guts to end a series after 2 or three books. I was pretty impressed that Suzanne Collins ended the main story of the Hunger games at three.

03-10-2012, 09:57 PM	#1
jgaiser Omnivorous Posts: 3,281 Karma: 27978909 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Rural NW Oregon Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle 3, KPW1	There are neither beginnings or endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it w An interesting (to me) article just popped up on MetaFilter about Robert Jordan and the Wheel of Time series. I have the first 4 books of the series on my ever lengthening TBR pile and this article may just be what I need to push the series towards the top. http://www.metafilter.com/113727/The...as-a-beginning

03-10-2012, 10:34 PM	#2
xg4bx Are you gonna eat that? Posts: 1,633 Karma: 23215128 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Phillipsburg, NJ Device: Kindle 3, Nook STG	i like fantasy but i could never really get into this series, i think i only made it through 5 books. to me they became repetitive very quickly and started feeling very 'villain of the month', oh theres this bad guy that rand must defeat in this book. next book, another bad guy. and nynaeve is possibly the most annoying character i've ever seen in fiction. she NEVER stops being a itch and by the 1000th reference to her tugging her braid in annoyance i prayed it ripped out of her head. maybe i'm just bitter towards "epics". there is no story on earth so epic that it needs 13,14 1000 page novels to tell. from what i've read of the series its not terrible, theres simply massive, massive amounts of filler. same with a song of ice and fire and any of these cash cow series, it isn't a problem experienced only by WoT. Last edited by xg4bx; 03-10-2012 at 10:44 PM.*

03-11-2012, 12:46 AM	#6
FizzyWater You kids get off my lawn! Posts: 4,220 Karma: 73492664 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Columbus, Ohio Device: Oasis 2 and Libra H2O and half a dozen older models I can't let go of	Thanks for posting this article. I once loved this series...started it when I was still in college and jeez, I'm over 50 now! I always meant to finish it once I knew it was really finished...I think the last book I read was the one that covered approximately 3 hours (or maybe it was 3 days, it's been a long time). Last edited by FizzyWater; 03-11-2012 at 06:29 AM. Reason: noticed a typo

03-11-2012, 08:21 AM	#8
carpetmojo Wizard Posts: 3,117 Karma: 9269999 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: UK Device: Sony- T3, PRS650, 350, T1/2/3, Paperwhite, Fire 8.9,Samsung Tab S 10.5	There's loads to come..... So that's Robert Jordan, George Martin, Scott Lynch... I tell you, if they all get it wrong and actually finish them all, we'll definitely be in trouble - if we can still be bothered, or can still read.... And if they all finished 'em in the same month, say................

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03-10-2012, 10:41 PM	#3
jgaiser Omnivorous Posts: 3,281 Karma: 27978909 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Rural NW Oregon Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle 3, KPW1	Seems like a lot of people agree with you. Linked article has a lot of readers giving up midway through the series. Like I said, I've already got the first 4. I'll probably give it a good try this year. This is my year for epic fantasy.

03-10-2012, 10:47 PM	#4
xg4bx Are you gonna eat that? Posts: 1,633 Karma: 23215128 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Phillipsburg, NJ Device: Kindle 3, Nook STG	like i said, they're not terrible. just don't expect a lot of forward progression. and take a break between the books lol. i made the mistake of reading GRRM's Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings back to back and by the end i was begging for ACoK to be finished already. good books but again, forward progression is minimal. my tolerance for filler isn't as high as it used to be .

03-10-2012, 11:00 PM	#5
AndrewH Fanatic Posts: 553 Karma: 1234566 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Vancouver, WA Device: Sony PRS-T1, & Kobo Mini	The first few books were great. I found myself losing focus somewhere around book 8. Book 10 was pretty much "Characters Show Up". I agree with xg4bx regarding Nynaeve. After reading about her tugging on her braid ten thousand times I was hoping she'd rip her scalp off and bleed to death very slowly.

03-11-2012, 05:02 AM	#7
DrNefario Wizard Posts: 2,100 Karma: 11315768 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: UK Device: Kindle, Kobo Touch, Nook SimpleTouch	That's kind of how I feel, FizzyWater. I really enjoyed the first four or five books, but after that they seemed to get wider and shallower, until almost nothing was happening to a huge number of characters in each book. I do have twelfth one on my Kindle, waiting, and I'd like to finish the series, but I'm in no great rush to jump back in until they're all done.

03-12-2012, 08:15 AM	#9
mewmartigan Guru Posts: 852 Karma: 8242060 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: Kindle Oasis (2019)	I am looking forward to the last book, having only started the series last year. I have enjoyed the ride. As many others have said, books 8,9 and 10 were really slow and none of the major plot lines moved towards any kind of resolution. Books 11 and 12 were much better and I haven't read 13 yet. I could get through 8,9,10 just because I like the characters. The braid-tugging and exrtreme descriptions of every article of clothing that every person in the room is wearing did grow a bit annoying. I think Sanderson has done well dialing some of that back though.

03-12-2012, 08:27 AM	#10
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,025 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Piper College Device: Samsung A21	I dropped this book series some time ago I think that I wil realy need to get started once again from the start. I do not quite understand why I stopped.

03-13-2012, 02:23 PM	#12
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,025 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Piper College Device: Samsung A21	Negative since I only made it to book three. Perhaps it because of the shear size of the books. Since I am reading in electronic form these days the size of the novels are not really a problem.

03-13-2012, 03:01 PM	#13
GreenMonkey DRM hater Posts: 945 Karma: 2066176 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Michigan Device: Nook ST glow, Kindle Voyage	I'm not a fan of Jordan at all. I ignored GRR Martin's books for years because I thought it they would be overhyped meaningless fluff (which is what I felt about the Wheel of time past book 2 or so). The story doesn't seem to go anywhere, the characters don't change a whole lot, and the descriptions of fights and such are terrible....i.e. "flowing swan defeats calm water" or whatever. Traded them all in and I doubt I'll ever revisit them. I don't think I could tell you what happened past book 3 or so, and I've found talking with some friends, I'm not the only one.

03-14-2012, 04:09 PM	#15
crash1211 Member Posts: 21 Karma: 500 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Houma, Louisiana Device: Sony PRS-600, Entourage Edge, Nook Simple Touch, iPad2, Kindle 4	I agree with you. I got to the sixth book before I gave up. After the fourth book I just keep wishing he would just wrap up the series. I actually have started to respect authors that have the guts to end a series after 2 or three books. I was pretty impressed that Suzanne Collins ended the main story of the Hunger games at three.

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