The Wheel Of Time *Possible spoilers*

A place for anything *not* Donaldson.

Moderator: I'm Murrin

User avatar
FaTeke
Stonedownor
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2004 2:58 pm
Location: Lexington, KY
Contact:

Post by FaTeke »

I've been reading the WoT since they came out and I have to say that the first few books rocked.

But as the series has gone on, perhaps a lot longer than it should have, I think Robert Jordan has lost his way. The books drag on and on and nothing happens of any importance at all for chapter upon chapter, and sometimes in an entire book!

The other problem I have with Jordans WoT series is that the main characters don't grow. If you read the first book and then the 10th book you'll see that the main characters are still saying the same things they said in the first book and still behaving the same too.

Plus there's no true sense of time passing. I couldn't even begin to speculate on how many years have passed since the events in the first book to the events in the last book!

At the end of book 9 the biggest thing in the world happens, something we, the readers, have been dying for since the first book, its huge, monumental in fact.

I waited with baited breath for book 10, it finally came out and I expected it to pick up where book 9 left off, no such luck. While I haven't read book 10 yet (I wasn't able to get past the long boring prologue) I have talked with several friends who have and it appears as if this great calamitous event in book 9 is barely mentioned in book 10. Good grief.

I had high hopes for this series but have been let down by it. :(

But please, those of you who love WoT don't take offense at my words, I mean no disrespect.

Matthew
"So shines a good deed in a weary world."
Willy Wonka
User avatar
I'm Murrin
Are you?
Posts: 15840
Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2003 1:09 pm
Location: North East, UK
Contact:

Post by I'm Murrin »

I know it probably isn't that important, but only two years have passed in the series - the timescales shows the slowing of the plotline, with books 1-2 spring-winter of the first year, 3-5 spring-autumn of the second, 6-7 autumn-winter, and 8-10 winter. Gets slower and slower all the time.
User avatar
Xar
Lord
Posts: 3330
Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2004 8:41 pm
Location: Watching over the Pantheon...

Post by Xar »

Not only time is getting slower ( if it keeps slowing down, we'll start having a book for each week of each month!!!!! 8O ), but Fateke, you're right... I read book 10 a few weeks ago, and it's just what you say.
The end of book 9 was probably what had made every fan hope RJ was getting back on track and schedule, but then most of book 10 is about events that happened elsewhere in the days immediately before the great event ( at the end of each of which, someone says, "oh, there's lots of One Power channeled somewhere... must be Rand, no problem." )... It's horrible that one has to read through 5-600 pages to find 10-20 pages worth of story! And the fragmentation of storylines - separating all characters from each other, so that RJ must devolve each chapter to a different character and storyline - doesn't help, either... you lose track of what happens way too often that way.
User avatar
duchess of malfi
The Gap Into Spam
Posts: 11104
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2002 9:20 pm
Location: Michigan, USA

Post by duchess of malfi »

bump for chain link ;)
Love as thou wilt.

Image
User avatar
birdandbear
The Gap Into Spam
Posts: 1898
Joined: Thu Oct 17, 2002 3:59 am
Location: Texas
Contact:

Post by birdandbear »

I'm one of those people who just can't leave a story unfinished. :roll: I got sucked into these things when The Eye of The World came out, and I've read them all, except for the last one. But the streeeeeeeeeeeeeetching out of a story that should have been at least 5 books shorter has made me decide that I'm going to wait until the last one comes out in paperback, (no more spending $25 on a new hardback copy for this irritated reader) and then read the whole thing again, so I can hopefully remember WHO THESE PEOPLE ARE, and have done with the blasted thing.
"If nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do."
User avatar
[Syl]
Unfettered One
Posts: 13021
Joined: Sat Oct 26, 2002 12:36 am
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 1 time

Post by [Syl] »

"I am in blood
Stepp’d in so far that, should I wade no more,
Returning were as tedious as go o’er."

Yeah, I'm suckered in until he finishes, but I will never buy another one of his books. Library card.
User avatar
Baradakas
Lord
Posts: 1896
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2004 7:02 am
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Contact:

Post by Baradakas »

Library card.... LOL, Caer!
"Fortunate circumstances do not equate to high ideals."

"Mostly muffins sir."- My answer in response to the question posed by the officer, "Son, do you have anything on you I should know about?"

His response: "Holy $&!^. He's not kidding! Look at all these muffins!"
User avatar
FaTeke
Stonedownor
Posts: 39
Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2004 2:58 pm
Location: Lexington, KY
Contact:

Post by FaTeke »

birdandbear I can't agree with you more.

When I picked up book 10 and started reading, I kept scratching my head saying, "Now who the hell is this!", of course the introduction was almost all characters we hadn't met before, because LORD KNOWS we don't have ENOUGH characters in this story already. But even beyond that when we get to characters that should be familiar I can't remember anything about them.

I'm really disapointed in this series. I think it should have ended at 6 books. A nice 2 trilogy set like our own beloved TCTC.

But I will finish the series someday. I have to. I started the series and honestly I have a crush on Matt. LOL

Take care,
Matthew
"So shines a good deed in a weary world."
Willy Wonka
theDespiser
<i>Haruchai</i>
Posts: 568
Joined: Sat Nov 08, 2003 3:58 am
Location: FL

Post by theDespiser »

ehh??







i just started book 5 today...gets boring at times, but so far i like the series
Think on that, and be dismayed

What do you do to a man who has lost everything?

Give him back something broken
User avatar
[Syl]
Unfettered One
Posts: 13021
Joined: Sat Oct 26, 2002 12:36 am
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 1 time

Post by [Syl] »

Five's the last of the good stuff (though some will say six). It goes downhill from there, with a good rise at nine.
User avatar
I'm Murrin
Are you?
Posts: 15840
Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2003 1:09 pm
Location: North East, UK
Contact:

Post by I'm Murrin »

Agree completely, Syl - The series peaks at 4 and 5, thengoes down from there. Now I think about it, the one thing that makes it up for me is some of the character interaction (Rand&Min, Mat&Tylin, Mat&Tuon...). If that hadn't been in the books, I don't think I'd have been able to keep going past book 7.
User avatar
kevinswatch
"High" Lord
Posts: 5592
Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2002 2:46 pm
Location: In the dark, lonely cave that dwells within my eternal soul of despair. It's next to a Pizza Hut.
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 5 times
Contact:

Post by kevinswatch »

I would have to say that it peaked at Book 6, simply because of the awesome battle scene at the end at that gappy place (sorry, it's been a while, heh). The rest have been just downhill. But I remember 6 was very good.-jay
User avatar
I'm Murrin
Are you?
Posts: 15840
Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2003 1:09 pm
Location: North East, UK
Contact:

Post by I'm Murrin »

Lord of Chaos was good, nice action in it, but Perrin came back halfway through, and I had to endure Mat, Egwene, Elayne and Nyneave chapters in Salidar (That place is cursed - any PoV character that spends time there becomes mind-numbingly dull until they leave).

tFoH just had enough emotion in it to be the better one, although some of the best moments in the series are in tSR...
User avatar
kevinswatch
"High" Lord
Posts: 5592
Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2002 2:46 pm
Location: In the dark, lonely cave that dwells within my eternal soul of despair. It's next to a Pizza Hut.
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 5 times
Contact:

Post by kevinswatch »

Yeah, I know what you mean. Egwene and Elyane are just becoming WAY to annoying. I just cringe when I have to read a scene from their POV. I mean, it's just getting so bad. Why does Jordan torture us so? Just give us scenes with Mat, Perrin and Rand, the people with actually INTERESTING plot lines. I don't care about what the hell Elyane is doing in her stupid kingdom and I don't care what Egwene is doing to become queen of the Aes Sadai. They're both just way too snobby and annoying.

Oh, and if Jordan is cool, he'll have Perrin fight Elyane to have the Two Rivers to become independant from Camlyn. That would be awesome.-jay
theDespiser
<i>Haruchai</i>
Posts: 568
Joined: Sat Nov 08, 2003 3:58 am
Location: FL

Post by theDespiser »

nooo, your ruinking it for me!!!
Think on that, and be dismayed

What do you do to a man who has lost everything?

Give him back something broken
User avatar
I'm Murrin
Are you?
Posts: 15840
Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2003 1:09 pm
Location: North East, UK
Contact:

Post by I'm Murrin »

Dunno how old this news is, but Jordan has said, about the next book, Knife of Dreams:
Something that has previously happened in the series is going to be revealed to have a terrible cost.... When you read it your reaction will be, "Gasp. How horrible!"
User avatar
[Syl]
Unfettered One
Posts: 13021
Joined: Sat Oct 26, 2002 12:36 am
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 1 time

Post by [Syl] »

Much like my reaction to the last book, then.
"It is not the literal past that rules us, save, possibly, in a biological sense. It is images of the past. Each new historical era mirrors itself in the picture and active mythology of its past or of a past borrowed from other cultures. It tests its sense of identity, of regress or new achievement against that past.”
-George Steiner
User avatar
duchess of malfi
The Gap Into Spam
Posts: 11104
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2002 9:20 pm
Location: Michigan, USA

Post by duchess of malfi »

LOL!!!!!!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

You know, I never got around to reading the last one. I was warned by a fellow Watcher that nothing really happened in it, so I avoided it as to also avoid further frustration. :wink:
Love as thou wilt.

Image
User avatar
duchess of malfi
The Gap Into Spam
Posts: 11104
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2002 9:20 pm
Location: Michigan, USA

Post by duchess of malfi »

WARNING!!!!
don't click the following link unless your sense of humor is as sick as mine!

www.geocities.com/brokenwheeloftime/prologue.html
Love as thou wilt.

Image
User avatar
Avatar
Immanentizing The Eschaton
Posts: 62038
Joined: Mon Aug 02, 2004 9:17 am
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Has thanked: 25 times
Been thanked: 32 times
Contact:

Post by Avatar »

Sorry folks, I haven't bothered to read the rest of this thread, but I will say that I enjoy the books, and am looking forward to the next one, although partly just because I'm curious to see what happens.

I agree that the first few, up to about six, were easier to read, and that the ever-increasing complexity of the plot becomes a bit daunting at times, but I love anything that's truly epic in scope.

One of the reasons I enjoyed the Chrons so much was the rich history that was built into it, same as LotR. The WoT is the same.

Although I must say that the predictability of the plot devices is becoming tiring. Every few books we are introduced to a new "people" that have been very mysterious, then the next couple of books slowly reveal the mysterious nature of them. Then, just as we're understanding the Aiel, or the Sea Folk, along comes another bunch that must be revealed all over again.

That said, I still look forward to finding out about them.

Later
--Avatar
Post Reply

Return to “General Fantasy/Sci-Fi Discussion”