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« on: October 16, 2009, 06:52:11 AM »
I agree with most people here. Don't bother with the Sanderson WoT books (even if you are a big fan) unless you read the first 10 Jordan books. I also agree that 1-6 are great, 7 is good... I'd go as far to say that 8-9 are decent (a particular section in 9 is, in itself, worth reading the entire book for... most will agree with that I think), but ten is the only book I haven't read more than once. I probably never will. But for me drudging through book 10 was worth the rest of the series, and I agree with someone else who said that 11 is great (not just "good"). I'm (re)reading through book 11 right now and I'm enjoying it every bit as much as I enjoyed books 1-6 (4 and 6 are my favs).
To put things another way: These books are worth reading if you want to get invested heavily into a very big series. Jordan is an excellent (if long-winded) author, but he's not for everyone (namely people who can't stand very wordy novels with sometimes very slow pacing). If you're a patient reader who appreciates a lot of details, go for it. There are plenty of thrills here, as long as you're willing to stick around through the slower parts, the character point of views are usually very intimate, and you come to care about a lot of them.
As for myself, although I've had troubles with the waiting in between and the disappointment of some of the later books, if I had to go back, I'd read it again. Because to me all the frustrations with the series are pushed aside by the amazing, breathtaking end result, which hasn't even been fully realized. Jordan was a master, and the Wheel of Time series is this generation's Lord of the Rings.
As someone else suggested, your best bet would be to read through Eye of the World, then decide. Once you've finished it, ask yourself whether finding out what happens to these characters (and many more yet to be introduced) is worth the time (and a little boredom in the later books) to find out. Keep in mind that A LOT happens to these characters, some of it's awesome, some of it the average reader won't care about... in the end, it's quite a journey, if you're okay with a few potholes.
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