When you read, when you re-read

[Cail]

Hello all. A thousand pardons if this has been covered, but I have a question/observation.

I first read TCTC when I was 12 or 13 and really enjoyed the story, the characters, the mythos, etc. A year or two after WGW was released, I discovered G-F, and read the whole thing again, and had a much better understanding of the story (but I still read it with a dictionary next to me). 'Round about 1990 I hit it again and felt like I was reading a completely new tale. Since then I've done a ton of reading, 'tho very little fantasy (much that I've read seems written for children), but I never made it back to the Chrons.

Well, about 3 weeks ago I got the urge. I've mentioned in other threads that I've been haunted by the Bloodguard, The Vow, and the Haruchai for nearly 25 years, and I felt the need to look at them with somewhat fresh eyes. So to the shelves I went, and couldn't find LFB, G-F, or TOT. Hellfire! So my journey to the Land has been a bit abbreviated (thank God for Ebay, I've got the rest coming), but I've been absolutely floored by the Chrons this time around.

They've held up better than any other book I've ever read. Other than the repetative language (rock-wise, roynish, vertigo, dour mein, et.al.), this is about as good as it gets (imho, far superior to LOTR). I didn't remember the depth of Bannor's character (why oh why couldn't there be a chapter from his point of view, standing on the battlements of Revelstone, watching Korik's return?). I didn't remember the impact of Tull's Tale.
Brinn:

"Will you set us free?".

Cail:

"It is agreed that I am unworthy".

At any rate, I'm glad I read them as a child, and I'm glad I chose to revisit them at this point in my life. I'm wondering if others here have had the same experiences?

Thanks for letting me ramble.

[Encryptic]

Yes. I've found that this has been the case with many books that I read some time ago then came back to them later. I appreciated the Chronicles a lot more upon subsequent readings of them and look forward to reading them again very soon....when I finish re-reading the book I'm on now.

[Durris]

I first read the Chronicles during my undergrad years, ages 18-22. (Had I encountered them any sooner, I wouldn't have enjoyed them, I don't think; during ages 12-18 I was a fierce young puritan who would have stopped reading and forsworn all works of SRD after what happened to Lena.)

I remember rereading the Second Chronicles in early grad school, a year or 2 later.

My last reread of the entire First Chronicles was a year and a half ago; since summer 2000 I've reread various parts of the overall series many times in the course of writing articles about the mythos. Even when I think I know basically what happens in a chapter, and even when I can quote favorite speeches or passages from memory, invariably I find something new or something I'd forgotten. Not only the scale of the story but its close-up texture is astounding and apparently inexhaustible. It's delightful to have nearly 600 other pairs of eyes on the Watch to help me rediscover the details.

[Sylak]

i first read them about 2 yeras ago, in 6th grade when my mo brought them home because someone at her work wanted to ditch them. So, i read them, and didn't compreheand alot of parts of them. scence then,i've started re-reading them and am understanfing a lot more and making connections with thnings later in the books/series. I actually didn't under4stand what happened to Lenna until SRD wrote it in the 2nd book, and i swore by them at that time, and still do. they are great works of fiction, and easier for alot of people to get into the LOTR.

[UrLord]

repetitive language? Try reading the Chronicles right after you read the WoT by Robert Jordan. After reading the words/phrases "handsome but not beautiful," "sniffs in disdain," "tairen maze pattern," "embroidery on his sleeves," "bosom," "men are woolheads," "nobody can understand women," etc and so forth for the 3298432nd time, it becomes amazing that someone can have a vocabulary large enough to avoid needless repetition for more than 3 paragraphs. Ugh, I hate that guy. Anyway, more on topic: I read the Chronicles my freshman year in high school, and have re-read them twice more since then. Each time, I'm floored by all the subtle details and character depth that SRD wove throughout the story. I see something new every time...

[Cail]

Nuance, texture, details. This is what makes TCTC such a fulfilling re-read. Not a fun read, (let's face it, this is heavy stuff), but a rewarding, sometimes exhausting, sometimes emotional read. There's not a whole lot like this out there. I've found during my current trip to the Land that I've been in a bad mood more often, especially in the 2nd Chrons. SRD gave me back something broken, and it hurts.

[theDespiser]

G-F?

[Cail]

G-F=Gilden-Fire, the "outtake" from TIW.