Author Topic: WOT Help  (Read 125199 times)

JoeC

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WOT Help
« on: November 07, 2008, 12:54:29 AM »
*IMPORTANT NOTE* I originally started this thread with the intention of asking whether or not I should read Wheel of Time series. I decided yes, but since then this thread has evolved into a chronicle of my progress in the series. Surprisingly, many people have asked me to keep writing about it and my thoughts on it. So, PLEASE, if you have read the WOT series can you check my progress first before you decide to post something that will spoil any of the books for me. Thank you very much and have a good day.****

Hey guys,
I'm a huge BS fan and Mistborn was such a great and fulfilling series to read. I definitely plan on following Brandon's career and reading as much of his stuff as possible. Of course that would include the 12th Wheel of Time book. Here's the problem, I haven't read that series. I was at Barnes and Noble and saw that they had a couple hardcover editions of the book including The Eye of the World. I was tempted to buy it but I hesitated. I love fantasy, but anyone I ask about the WOT series tells me that it starts out great but goes downhill and to not waste my time. This is a real bummer, because I love fantasy and I've never read Robert Jordan before. I figured I could get some better opinions from you guys on this site. Is it worth getting into?? I usually don't like to start a series of books when I'm so far behind because I'm worried that they won't be good and yet I'll have to finish them to know the end. Your opinions will be greatly appreciated.
-Joe
P.S. I understand that some of you may say I should just read it and make my own opinion, but if I do decide to read them I will be spending the next couple of months reading all the way through so I just want a little reassurance from people with WORTHY experience that I will be satisfied. Thank you all again!
« Last Edit: January 28, 2009, 09:36:34 PM by JoeC »

AvalonDreamer

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Re: WOT Help
« Reply #1 on: November 07, 2008, 01:07:14 AM »
YES. Wheel of Time was an amazing series, deftly combining real world myths and legends, proven fantasy techniques and a number of original ideas into a tapestry of artistic lore. Jordan is the master of epic tales, where Brandon can spin a twisty tale of mystery, Jordan immerses you into his world,
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Krackitty

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Re: WOT Help
« Reply #2 on: November 07, 2008, 01:13:41 AM »
I remember reading the first 3 books about 13 years ago. I really enjoyed them. When I tried to read the fourth book some time later, I realised  I didn't remember what the hell was going on and I needed to read them all over again. I never did go back and re-read enough to keep up with the series.

My sister on the other hand, loves it. I'm sure she'd reccomend the series to anyone that enjoys fantasy. I'm thinking of finally reading them all, since I won't have the problem of forgetting everything while waiting for the next book to come out.

Reaves

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Re: WOT Help
« Reply #3 on: November 07, 2008, 01:16:58 AM »
The books are very good and I think nearly everyone who considers themselves a fan of fantasy should read them at least once. Also it will be a huge point in Brandon's career; while we can hope that it will not be the pinnacle, that he will only grow as a writer and be recognized for his own brilliance and not just the guy that finished WOT, an immense amount of readers will become fans just because of this.

That said, I do think the books drag on far too much. My uncle, the guy who first gave me Eye of the World, told me each time he starts a new one he has to actually get online and read a summary of all the previous books. Also, Jordan's personal style is not something I actually like a whole lot. However, that doesn't diminish his brilliance. Read them.
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JoeC

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Re: WOT Help
« Reply #4 on: November 07, 2008, 01:46:33 AM »
Thanks!! Guys, I really appreciate your responses. I hope I won't need online summaries, as I plan on reading the whole series throughout. (If I like the first book of course)

jjb

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Re: WOT Help
« Reply #5 on: November 07, 2008, 07:32:32 AM »
If you are okay with reading long books, then you should read the books. I can see why so many people hate how the story slows down so much because sometimes I get tired of the books as well. That's only when I'm rereading them, though. The first time I read them I loved them. The second time, I still loved them but they started to feel slow. But Jordan writes so well, I actually care about the characters lives and I would hate it if he lessened the details he put into each book.

Krackitty

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Re: WOT Help
« Reply #6 on: November 07, 2008, 02:17:39 PM »
Thanks!! Guys, I really appreciate your responses. I hope I won't need online summaries, as I plan on reading the whole series throughout. (If I like the first book of course)

I'm sure you'll like the first book, it's not slow the way I've heard the later books can be. I remember it being a really fun read.

Loud_G

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Re: WOT Help
« Reply #7 on: November 07, 2008, 02:59:37 PM »
You should definitely read the series!

I have read it, oh I don't know....some 3 or 4 times through from the beginning of the series to whatever happened to be the latest book out at the time. My copies are well worn and much loved.

This is my favorite fantasy series hands down. It inspires me every time. It is unlike ANY other series I've read. It is not merely a coming of age story, or a end of the world story. This is truly an epic. It covers huge events, lots of people, and a very real and believable world. There are points when the action slows down it is true, but it is ALWAYS interesting. Perhaps not to the special effects junkies that need to be wowed every second, but to any lover of books and fantasy. It is masterful.
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Shadowkiller

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Re: WOT Help
« Reply #8 on: November 07, 2008, 05:28:28 PM »
I was an RJ fan long before I ever heard of BS.   The WoT books are amazing and its just too bad that you wont get to do all the speculating we got to do over the years.   From what I've been told the first three books were built as a trilogy.   RJ, I guess, had originally planned to do the whole story in three books but it ran long.   He continued to try to make each book readable on its own well into the sixth book but realized that it wasn't possible and backed off on the big recaps around then.   Most people that had problems had them in the 4-6 area.   Book 7 picks up again and he does a good job right up to book 10.   Many people don't like book 10 thanks to the fact that it is a setup book and nothing truly happens.   Book 11, though, manages to do so much in the course of a single book that it makes several other previous books look bad.

Throughout the series, there are prophecies and dreams and such that are made and some are quickly completed while others manage to hold on till the very end.   Most of us that have been with the series for a long time speculated greatly on what types of things mean what.   RJ did a fantastic job weaving an intricate storyline that extends over the course of 12 books and its extremely exciting to be at the end.   RJ can get a bit wordy at times and for some people this can be a big turn off, but for the rest of us, it just makes the story that much better.

There are many tools and websites out there to help people with the books.   One of the biggest helps I've found was a character archive which seems to no longer exist but reminded me things like who was that Macura Lady from the latest book.   There are over 1k major and minor characters amongst the books and many are recurring so it gets tough to keep track of them.

Its a book series that is well worth the read and I would suggest it to anyone.

Comfortable Madness

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Re: WOT Help
« Reply #9 on: November 07, 2008, 06:21:57 PM »
Robert Jordan is second to none in character interaction. He makes his characters seem so real it's scary. Wordy he may be but the man could spin a tale to rival anyone.
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melbatoast

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Re: WOT Help
« Reply #10 on: November 07, 2008, 06:59:35 PM »
It is a really long series, but you won't have to wait long until you can read all of them! I think half of the problem for some (me!) is that you had to wait so long for each book to come out and it is only 1/12th of the story! But you can read it all at once.
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Peter Ahlstrom

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Re: WOT Help
« Reply #11 on: November 07, 2008, 10:23:39 PM »
Don't get discouraged if you find the first book a little boring and slow. It was several years after I read the first book (not finding it anything special) before I picked up the rest. I think it's an entertaining series.

Readers started to get frustrated with some of the later books, especially perhaps book 9 and 10 (some people felt like nothing was happening), but I enjoyed both those books like the others. Book 11 though, Knife of Dreams, rekindled a lot of excitement because it wrapped up a few plots and gave a clear indication that the end was in sight.

I do not think the series is the be-all-end-all of fantasy or even particularly original. But that doesn't stop me from finding the books highly entertaining, and I want to know what happens next in the characters' lives.
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readerMom

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Re: WOT Help
« Reply #12 on: November 07, 2008, 10:33:00 PM »
You depfinitely want to read them at least once, just to say you did.  They are way better than the only other fantasy series I know of that long -L. Ron Hubbard's books. I only made it halfway through them and that was in high school before I developed the ability to stop reading awful things.
My husband has been listening to them on CD while he drives.  They are so long he can barely finish before they are due back.  And inter-library loan people get really irrritated if you are late.  They are great books.  He comes in all the time marvelling at the cool things he had forgotten about.
I think rereading them, while annoying and time-consuming is also essential because there is so much prophecy and so many characters show up once then are hugely important later.  It helps to go through again. I plan on doing so next summer.  Of course, depending on your reading speed you might want to start now.

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Re: WOT Help
« Reply #13 on: November 07, 2008, 11:19:31 PM »
You're going to find some varied views on this subject.  Personally, I haven't actually finished the series.  I have read through book four twice and got to six the first time through.  This isn't because it's bad--it's because I was in middle/high school and I really didn't like reading much.  If I could get through 6k pages when I hated reading, that's saying something.

I am still going through the series right now, but took a break to read Mistborn and am now reading His Dark Materials before I trump through the rest of WoT.  All I can say is, it's worth a read.  I know what happens through the rest of the series due to the fact that many of my friends are raging RJ fans.  There is a book or two in there in which, like others have said, nothing really happens...but I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy them (and the series as a whole) anyways.

I took a course on LOTR a while back and I asked my professor if they had ever read RJs books, and this professor pretty much exploded claiming that he(RJ) was a horrible author.  Then, just the other day, I went to go ask a person from my fiction class if she had read the WoT since I saw some themes in her work that Jordan had in his, and that same professor freaked out and ardently expressed the fact that Jordan was in fact 'a hack.'  Now, this specific professor has never read the books...way to go, right?

To be honest, those sort-of opinions should be taken with a grain of salt.  The books that I have read so far are excellent, and I have a feeling that the rest (especially The Knife of Dreams) are great pieces of epic fantasy as well.  Read them.  I highly doubt you'll be disappointed.
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Shadowkiller

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Re: WOT Help
« Reply #14 on: November 07, 2008, 11:51:40 PM »
Keep in mind, this series is like many other fantasy series that came before and after it.   Some basic storyline.   3000ish years ago something big happened like a war or something and civilization hasn't been the same since.   Some person in middle of nowhere podunk town needs to leave because some dark evil is chasing him.   The mentor like character takes him on a long journey before sacrificing themselves to protect said person(Or did they sacrifice themself?).   Many people come and go from the journey and some go on to their own storylines to do something great and heroic.   There are so many fantasy epics that follow this storyline I don't even know where to start(Tolkien?).   It was such a breath of fresh air to read Mistborn.   Its the stuff above and beyond those things that make the story great.   RJ has 8 books above and beyond the basics(as most of those epics are trilogies) that there is plenty of chance for it to be loved and liked by peoples of all types.   You'll find all types who think what they want about the series, or you can just read them ;).