Haven't read WOT - Is it a waste of time to try to read Gathering Storm?

[Patriotic Kaz]

You can't skip Crossroads or Winter's Heart

[tipbruley]

You can't skip Crossroads or Winter's Heart

you mean CAN?

Crossroads is 100% skipable. In fact I think it goes back in time, nothing happens, and ends where the last book left off

[Patriotic Kaz]

Just because you blantantly refuse to see the importance in those books does NOT make them unnecessary it is a fault in you not the books. (and they weren't bad books they just weren't very enjoyable but they have a great amount of significance)

[Andrew the Great]

I agree with Kaz. Crossroads may be my least favorite book in the series, but it's still necessary to understand KoD and TGS.

And when you're reading straight through, and you know KoD is right after, Crossroads isn't nearly as bad as when you get to the end of it and there's no new material. The plot advances very slowly, but theres some very important stuff in there.

[tipbruley]

If you go to Wikipedia you can read all of the plot developments for Crossroads and probably feel more accomplished after than if you just read the book.

I'm sorry but most readers do not need the same characters discussing the same issues for 1000 pages. It was just repetition. There was no character development in this book, just an elaboration on some changes in the characters from before. The book could have been an extra hundred pages spread between the Winters Heart and KoD. Just like New Spring it was an unnecessary elaboration with a pinch of development.

I don't care about the plot not developing as long as you can see some changes within the characters, or get a new perspective on the situation. Crossroads offered neither and instead just repeated the same dialog with the same characters

[Patriotic Kaz]

You are being repetitive and elaborating only slightly on your earlier statement. I understood good and well what you meant, therefore the elaboration was unneeded. My point is still valid, the fault lies not within the books but within you.

[Squeakle]

Yay for differing opinions. In short, you should read the book yourself and then you can decide whether or not you should read the book. Then, if you decide you needn't, powerfully balefire the book, then you had never read it.

Circular reasoning indeed.

[Publius]

I don't think you should skip any of these books. There may be a time where I come back and agree with tipbruley, and that you can skip CoT if you want, but I'm not there yet.

Its not until you go back and reread this series that you can really appreciate how well written these books are. This is not a series of instant gratification..... In the early books when the characters are being chased around RJ describes the environment around them, and then 5 or 6 books later that environment plays a large part in the story. Or they'll be hiding in the shadows and hear what appears to be a pointless conversation, only to find out several books later that the person they were talking about is a major player in the story. Of course you didn't think anything of it at the time because the characters are hiding and in danger!

As the saying goes, the devil is in the details, and theres a lot of devils in this series. There is a lot of things that happen in The Gathering Storm that is directly related to the first 2 or 3 books. There is actually a scene that is directly ties to the prologue of Book 1! You don't read this series to get to the end, you read it to savor the adventure....

Crossroads of Twilight is written differently than any other WoT book. I think you should read it because the series isn't finished yet, and I think when it is we'll find out that there was a reason that this book was written as it is. This series is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, (Winston Churchill quote) and until it's done I wouldn't recommending skipping any part of it.

[FireArt]

Well said, Publius.

[Patriotic Kaz]

Why are we rezzing threads?

[guessingo]

I have read all of the Masters of Rome books. All of the WoT books up to book 9 (I am re-listening to books 1-11 on audio before reading Gathering Storm) and I am halfway through Brandon's first Mistborn book.

Masters of Rome by Colleen McCullough is one of the best historical series EVER written by anyone and absolutely the best novels about the late Republican period in rome EVER written (and I read alot of history). She deserves any award anyone can throw at her. They are also not really easy reads. There are insane numbers of characters(exponentially more than wheel of time), the romans all seem to have similiar names so its really hard to keep track (she is being historically accurate), plus the latin terms are hard to keep track of at first even with the appendix. Colleen McCullough is a genious. I do NOT say that lightly.

Wheel of Time is MUCH easier to read. The first book is the best fantasy book I have ever read. It is better than Mistborn (Brandon would agree so I am not trolling). It probably deserved a pullitzer prize consideration, but you don't get one for this genre.

Yes later books bog down and sort of get lost. Here is what I recommend.

Read or listen to the first 3 on tape. They are VERY good. You then will have a good enough idea of what is going on to jump to book 12. Use this website to help keep track of stuff.

http://www.encyclopaedia-wot.org/

That website is INCREDIBLY detailed.
There are also massive numbers of websites about the wheel of time and forums if you are unsure of what is going on.

There are also the WoT forums here. Brandon has a number of Q&A postings. Note that these are VERY detailed questions you won't get even on 1 read. Alot of them Brandon doesn't know the answer to and has to refer to Robert Jordan's assistant.


http://forums.dragonmount.com

I HIGHLY recommend reading The Eye of the World. I am listening to all of them all over again on recorded books before reading The Gathering Storm. I read some of these books almost 20 years ago. I forgot how much I forgot.

BTW, I do like Mistborn. I like the Brandon just jumps into the action. I like his concise writing style also.

[Eerongal]

Why are we rezzing threads?

Ok, kaz, you get to keep your sanity for this turn, but your attacks are ineffective, as my necromancer absorbs all the damage.



Wasn't this topic in the first page, anyways? Last post was in november, it looks like, and i think there are older still on the front page....

Edit: Nope, i was wrong, nevermind.

[Patriotic Kaz]


Cute Beyond Belief
Convinces a mob of little
girls to attack all things that
don’t conform to WASP
ideals!


EDIT: It wont let me paste my Hello Kitty photo 

[Seaoftrouble]

I will answer this question with a question:
Haven't read the Mistborn series  - Is it a waste of time to try to read the last chapter of The Hero of Ages?

[Patriotic Kaz]

That was below the belt.... atleast admit your an ass before saying that!!!! Then i would congratulate you for being honest!