Does anybody actually enjoy these books? (Spoilers)

[bunnypeaches]

Yeah, I've found Siuan's story interesting, and really looking forward to seeing Logain come into his glory. I've felt kinda sorry for the poor bugger so far... I hope that happens soon....

Yeah I'm interested to find out what part Logain's going to play. I always felt a bit bad for him, too.

 

[X'Nedra]

X'nedra, what books that are out that you haven't read?

For WOT? I am only up to book 5, but own all 12 books as my partner read it before me.

 

[murphy]

For WOT? I am only up to book 5, but own all 12 books as my partner read it before me.

I was just curious because of what you said about Rand fathering a child. Didn't want to give any spoilers on the subject, but pay attention to Min's predictions.

 

[X'Nedra]

I was just curious because of what you said about Rand fathering a child. Didn't want to give any spoilers on the subject, but pay attention to Min's predictions.

Sweet! Will do, thanks for the heads up

 

[Jake Reynolds]

It's actually funny how easily you can get up to speed. I just read Towers of Midnight after a very long time away. Books 5-10 can definitely be covered by reading a synopsis.

 

[The Spurring Platty]

I have the first six and waiting to read them.
This has given me a lot of thought as to whether I should start or wait.

 

[Heck Tate]

Don't listen to them, Platty. The WoT series is an incredible series for anyone who has more patience than your average toddler. If you're looking for pure action and problems being solved as soon as they arise, you're going to be disappointed, but you probably would also be disappointed by most epic series as it's pretty hard to keep throwing non-stop action at characters after several full length volumes. Robert Jordan creates realistic (if sometimes annoying) characters and then proceeds to develop them in a story that spans years of their lives.

I didn't read a lot of the posts in here, but the general complaint I saw was that the books start great and get slower as they go. IMO it's almost the opposite. Don't get me wrong, they're pretty much all good books, but I thought the first 3 were kind of slow going and after the 3rd everything changes rapidly. Yes, the books tend to get longer as the series progresses, but this is not because RJ is just messing around with the reader, it's because there's more going on. By the time you get to the last book (that's out now) you'll practically be racing through them. I've bought the last 3 books the day they each came out and finished them within days. If you're going to start, be prepared for the long haul, because you can easily get sucked in, and the series is 14 books total (when the next and last one comes out).

 

[Clansman]

Heck Tate, I think that's a fair opinion. My view of the series is that is starts great, and then books 7 through 10 slow it down considerably with story lines that are superfluous to the main plot. These four middle books of the series could have been cut down to one. There is enough important stuff in those four books that you have to read them to understand the series. Book 11, and Jordan is back in form. Book 12, Brandon Sanderson is on tap, and the series vaults back to form. Sanderson deftly wound up a bunch of those superfluous plot lines, and rescued this series from an ignoble end. It truly is one of the great fantasy series of all time, but it has its flaws. There may be a book or three in the middle that you want to skim read, but the series is definitely worth it. It brought fantasy to the best seller list.

 

[Rain]

The series took me several goes to get through, but that's only because I felt it was a big commitment to stick to, and other books kept distracting me, but I have now read all of them and they will remain, I'm sure, one of my all time favourite series. The series has also been a big influence on the book I'm currently writing.

 

[canreadrite]

Last book out was an official bestseller, I must agree the the plot has started to pick up pace once again... honestly ..i too had issues with the plot at times,during the course of series but right now, I must say i will be dashed if they decide to wind up in the 13th book... i mean there are enough exiciting subplots/loose ends etc to postpone the final showdown till the 14th volume... i sure do hope so.

 

[Clansman]

canreadrite, the thirteenth volume was published last November, and the series is not over. The last volume, namely A Memory of Light, will likely be released next fall. Sanderson will finish with the draft probably in January 2012 (boy that guy writes at a speedy pace), and Harriet (Jordan's widow & editor) will take at least 6 months to edit. I'd look for it at the end of October, or early November, 2013. A Memory of Light will be Volume 14, not 13.

 

[chongjasmine]

I get irritated by some of the things. The women and men's prejudices of each other is something I am both irritated and amused by. However, having just finished book 7 of the wheel of time series, I find it annoying that characters take so long to find a simple bowl of the wind. The bowl of the wind and how to find it seems to take up a lot of the plot in the wheel of time series. I am glad that at the end of book 7, the bowl is found.

In spite of my minor annoyance at the wheel of time series, I quite like the series as a whole and am enjoying my read. I am currently moving on to book 8 of the series.

 

[HighWiredSith]

I have to somewhat agree with the general consensus that the first five or six books set expectations that simply aren't met in the latter books. I am an avid reader and I found myself struggling and page counting just to trudge through some of them (Crossroads of Twilight has to be the worst of the lot). I suppose I continued out of a sense of duty, having invested so much time in the series. That said, I think Brandon Sanderson's taking over of the series was a blessing - no disrespect to Robert Jordan, but Sanderson has effectively brought the series back to its roots, picked up the pace, and promises to finish out this mammoth series in a way that will make it all worth it. Towers of Midnight is hands down, no contest the best book of the second half of the series and arguably could be the best of the ENTIRE series. For it and it alone I say keep reading.

 

[Catswold]

WoT is one of those books you either fall in love with or loathe with a passion rarely seen in literature--I fear, after wallowing my way through 10 increasingly interminable volumes (by which point I was skipping whole chapters), I fall into the latter category.

His original volume or two were reasonably readable, but increasingly I found myself confused by town names varying by one of two letters and character names with the same flaw. Whole chapters are wasted on unimportant events which contribute nothing to the overall narrative and if I had been forced to read about Nynaeve pulling her dang braid another time I would have slit my wrists.

Wheel of Time is without exception (well okay, there have been a couple of others like Hope Mireless' "Lud in the Mist"--I never did manage to get through that book) the worst, most tangled, confused tale I have ever had the displeasure to begin reading . . . and I have read an awful lot of books over the past fifty plus years.

If you are wondering whether or not to start reading this "treasure" of fantasy, don't unless you believe Job was mercurial and impatient.

 

[HighWiredSith]

I suppose I am unique in that I don't hate the series and yet as a whole, I am not shamelessly in love with it. The first six books moved events along at an acceptable pace while taking enough time to develop the core characters. The first part of the series culminates at The Battle of Dumai's Wells (the end of Lord of Chaos) which remains the series most defining moment to date. The four books that follow (Crown of Swords, The Path of Daggers, Winter's Heart, and Crossroads of Twilight) accomplish little in context of the larger story, large sections being devoted to developing and over-developing minor plot threads while failing to introduce anything essentially new to the series in terms of story arcs or characters. The result are four painstakingly dull volumes that constitute nothing but a deep dive into a shallow pool. There are romances and character grandstanding that will drive you crazy along with this universal reluctance of the male characters to embrace their respective and very clear roles in the narrative. It truly does seem like Jordan spends these volumes exploring how the four primary male characters (Rand, Perrin, Matt, and Lan) are endlessly reluctant to embrace their roles and destinies while at the same time exploring how the world seems reluctant to embrace the roles of the primary female characters (Egewene, Nynaeve, Elaine, Min) who seem to have no problem being what they are.

As I mentioned, Sanderson seems to take no issues clearing that up in his two entries and drawing the series out of the doldrums and bringing the characters back into line. The series could have wrapped in a single book following Lord of Chaos and perhaps should have.

Concerning the value of the series as a whole - I think it will stand as a monumental series in modern fantasy literature, particularly when it concludes early next year. I really do think the consensus will be, when all is said and done, that Wheel of Time is an "essential" fantasy series. It has a massive fan base, as large as, if not larger, than any fan base out there save your Potter/Twilight/Hunger games reader (young adults) and possibly Lord of the Rings.

 

[Jake Reynolds]

I used to love it. I then spent years learning what writing was, and now I wouldn't recommend it to anybody. I have already covered what I see as serious flaws in Wheel of Time in another thread, so I won't go into it again. Read the Malazan books instead.

 

[TomS]

I got through book one with virtually no problem. I liked it well enough but I noticed that it took me longer to read than usual. Then I started in on the second one and just couldn't get into it. It was a long time ago but it could be that I was distracted by something far easier to read.

 

[AndrewT]

I loved books 1-6 but I get the idea that Jordan was starting to not feel well as he wrote book seven on, and could not keep the plot on track. It happens to other authors as well. Seven drops a notch and then eight falls through the floor. I tossed it after 100 pages or so and dropped the series completely. I felt it was ruined. Sanderson should have started it over with book seven instead of continuing something that had already died but it possibly was not his choice in the matter.