Wheel of Time - Giving It Another Spin (Har Har)

[Pyperkub]

I agree with most that books 7-10 are weaker than the rest of the series. When I read them as they came out I got frustrated as well. I do think they hold up much better when you read the series as a whole with no waiting between books.

I don't think they are weaker, but I did find it frustrating trying to read them as they came out. It seems like a huge detour but when you are able to read them back to back, it really provides a nice fleshing out of the story and I really enjoyed them.

I really loved this series.

They were definitely weaker as they came out, because nothing really happened in them (though they did lay some groundwork for the later resolutions). From my recollection, book 11 was well on the same pace, until I think he realized he didn't have time to finish it and then after 3.5 books and 2000+ pages, he finally started tying up threads, and he actually did FAR too many at once. Sanderson did a good job (actually, fantastic, all things considered) finishing up the series, but it did take him a while to get the characters right, and the 1st book he wrote doesn't flow quite as well as the last 2, or his own stuff.

[Scraper]

There is one book in the series that is entirely skippable. I think it's either 9 or 10 I can't remember which. But after that one the series gets really good again.

[Paingod]

There is one book in the series that is entirely skippable. I think it's either 9 or 10 I can't remember which. But after that one the series gets really good again.

Agreed. I think I bought it on my Kindle and flew through it in record time - basically skimming each page looking for one of the 20 characters that actually matter to the overall plot or that I liked.

[Moliere]

The first book is available for free:

The Tor.com Ebook Club selection for February 2018 The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time Book #1) by Robert Jordan
Available from February 13, 12:01 AM ET to February 15, 11:59 PM ET

[Moat_Man]

Ok folks, I'm diving in. I started Eye of the World on May 14th, 2018. I'm in the club that read up to book 8 or 9 and then decided to wait until the series was finished. It's been a long time so I'm starting over on a Kindle. Wish me luck!

[Moat_Man]

The Eye of the World has been finished and Ba'alzamon has been defeated, or has he?

[Isgrimnur]

Dum dum duuuuuuuum...

[Paingod]

The Eye of the World has been finished and Ba'alzamon has been defeated, or has he?

You'll have to re-read the whole series again to find out.

[Isgrimnur]

Here's what I was looking for:

[Moat_Man]

The Eye of the World has been finished and Ba'alzamon has been defeated, or has he?

The Great Hunt has been completed and Ba'alzamon defeated... again! Or has he?

Spoiler:

I never reviewed the first book in my completion post in June. I read it many moons ago but my main takeaway from this readthrough was that it took a really long time to get going. I kept thinking Rand would channel earlier but he actually only channeled at the very end of the book. I wish he had done it a bit earlier as I enjoy those parts the most. I know he will do it more as the books go by so I have more to look forward to. In case you are wondering I think I read up to book 7.

[Fitzy]

The Eye of the World has been finished and Ba'alzamon has been defeated, or has he?

The Great Hunt has been completed and Ba'alzamon defeated... again! Or has he?

Spoiler:

I never reviewed the first book in my completion post in June. I read it many moons ago but my main takeaway from this readthrough was that it took a really long time to get going. I kept thinking Rand would channel earlier but he actually only channeled at the very end of the book. I wish he had done it a bit earlier as I enjoy those parts the most. I know he will do it more as the books go by so I have more to look forward to. In case you are wondering I think I read up to book 7.

About your spoiler

Spoiler:

He channeled before the end. Though not on purpose.

[Moat_Man]

The Eye of the World has been finished and Ba'alzamon has been defeated, or has he?

The Great Hunt has been completed and Ba'alzamon defeated... again! Or has he?

Spoiler:

I never reviewed the first book in my completion post in June. I read it many moons ago but my main takeaway from this readthrough was that it took a really long time to get going. I kept thinking Rand would channel earlier but he actually only channeled at the very end of the book. I wish he had done it a bit earlier as I enjoy those parts the most. I know he will do it more as the books go by so I have more to look forward to. In case you are wondering I think I read up to book 7.

About your spoiler

Spoiler:

He channeled before the end. Though not on purpose.

Right:

Spoiler:

I forgot about the back room in the inn where things basically exploded. If I remember correctly (and I think I read that part twice as it happened so quick) there wasn't any buildup or reaching out to Saidin. Bam, it just happened and the room was shattered.

Anyway, I stand corrected. Let me elaborate by saying that I enjoy the parts about him actively channeling the most.

[Fitzy]

The Eye of the World has been finished and Ba'alzamon has been defeated, or has he?

The Great Hunt has been completed and Ba'alzamon defeated... again! Or has he?

Spoiler:

I never reviewed the first book in my completion post in June. I read it many moons ago but my main takeaway from this readthrough was that it took a really long time to get going. I kept thinking Rand would channel earlier but he actually only channeled at the very end of the book. I wish he had done it a bit earlier as I enjoy those parts the most. I know he will do it more as the books go by so I have more to look forward to. In case you are wondering I think I read up to book 7.

About your spoiler

Spoiler:

He channeled before the end. Though not on purpose.

Right:

Spoiler:

I forgot about the back room in the inn where things basically exploded. If I remember correctly (and I think I read that part twice as it happened so quick) there wasn't any buildup or reaching out to Saidar. Bam, it just happened and the room was shattered.

Anyway, I stand corrected. Let me elaborate by saying that I enjoy the parts about him actively channeling the most.

Also:

Spoiler:

He refreshed Bela, most likely his first though I sometimes wonder about the woods outside his home, after the Trolloc attack. Also he moved the big wooden thing on the ship to kill a Trolloc when he, Mat, and Thom jumped onboard.

These correspond to the three times in EotW where Rand gets ill/crazy:

Bela (and/or woods): in Barelon confronting the Whitecloaks
Moving the wooden thingie: on the ship imitating an acrobat
Back room boom: on the road to Caemlyn where he appeared to have the flu.

But I understand your point about active channeling. One thing I loved about WoT is that Rand is ridiculously powerful and it’s shown. Too many reluctant heroes refuse their power or can’t use it. I’m looking at you Richard Cypher/Rahl.

[Moat_Man]

The Eye of the World has been finished and Ba'alzamon has been defeated, or has he?

The Great Hunt has been completed and Ba'alzamon defeated... again! Or has he?

The Dragon has been Reborn! Long live The Dragon!

Remember how I wanted more of Rand channeling? The Dragon Reborn is 2.3948% Rand. Other than that smidgeon it is mostly about, and pretty evenly split between, Egwene, Perrin and Matt. Luckily their parts are good and the story continues to pull me along. Here is complete breakdown of POV word count:
http://wot.wikia.com/wiki/Statistical_analysis

My pace slowed a bit. I took a few weeks off but then got sucked back in and finished the last half of the book in three days. A five hour plane flight helped. On to the next one...

[Kelric]

Spoiler:

He refreshed Bela, most likely his first though I sometimes wonder about the woods outside his home, after the Trolloc attack. Also he moved the big wooden thing on the ship to kill a Trolloc when he, Mat, and Thom jumped onboard.

These correspond to the three times in EotW where Rand gets ill/crazy:

Bela (and/or woods): in Barelon confronting the Whitecloaks
Moving the wooden thingie: on the ship imitating an acrobat
Back room boom: on the road to Caemlyn where he appeared to have the flu.

But I understand your point about active channeling. One thing I loved about WoT is that Rand is ridiculously powerful and it’s shown. Too many reluctant heroes refuse their power or can’t use it. I’m looking at you Richard Cypher/Rahl.

I have not read them in quite some time, but what was the time difference between

Spoiler:

The night of the Trolloc attack on the farm and the chase where he helps the horse carry Egwene harder/faster/stronger?

[Fitzy]

Spoiler:

He refreshed Bela, most likely his first though I sometimes wonder about the woods outside his home, after the Trolloc attack. Also he moved the big wooden thing on the ship to kill a Trolloc when he, Mat, and Thom jumped onboard.

These correspond to the three times in EotW where Rand gets ill/crazy:

Bela (and/or woods): in Barelon confronting the Whitecloaks
Moving the wooden thingie: on the ship imitating an acrobat
Back room boom: on the road to Caemlyn where he appeared to have the flu.

But I understand your point about active channeling. One thing I loved about WoT is that Rand is ridiculously powerful and it’s shown. Too many reluctant heroes refuse their power or can’t use it. I’m looking at you Richard Cypher/Rahl.

I have not read them in quite some time, but what was the time difference between

Spoiler:

The night of the Trolloc attack on the farm and the chase where he helps the horse carry Egwene harder/faster/stronger?

Spoiler:

Rand arrived around dawn after the attack. Tam got healed, Rand slept, but woke around nightfall. Lan insists they leave. I think it was that night he refreshed Bela. I don’t think Rand slept longer than a couple hours.So unless I’m misremembering when they stop to refresh or Rand slept more than 24 hours, the chase was the next night after the Trolloc attack.

[Moat_Man]

The Eye of the World has been finished and Ba'alzamon has been defeated, or has he?

The Great Hunt has been completed and Ba'alzamon defeated... again! Or has he?

The Dragon has been Reborn! Long live The Dragon!

The Shadow definitely Rose. The story is still moving along at a decent clip. Still motivated to keep zipping though them. Hopefully I can finish another one before the year is out.

Spoiler:

This one had the good guys playing Forsaken whack-a-mole. And yet, no casualties...

[JCC]

A little over a week ago I finished a re-read of the whole 15 books (including prequel). I really enjoyed it (again), and would have to say it's my favorite fantasy series. The slower books are definitely more palatable today when the whole series is complete versus back in the day when you waited years for the next book. It is noticeable how much quicker the pace is when Sanderson takes over, but given where the story was in Jordan's last book, I assume that would have happened even if Jordan hadn't passed away. (Perhaps the RELEASE pace would have been slower. haha!)

Anyway, this was only my second read-through of the last Jordan book and the Sanderson books (I re-read the series before every new book came out from book 4 on - until the final Jordan book came out and I was so frustrated with the pace I vowed to never pick up the series again until it was finished). The final book and the Last Battle are so awesome. It's so great to finally get there after so many books of build up and it doesn't disappoint. Tons of characters you like (and don't like) kicking all kinds of ass. It's hard to believe a battle built up to over such a long series more than lives up to the hype.

Anyway, it truly is a magnificent series even with its many warts. And, the ending is as close to perfect as it could be. Part of me wishes the epilogue could be a bit longer, but it's probably better as is. My only real gripe with the Sanderson books is (to me) my favorite character Mat is just a bit "off". The Mat sections of the story are awesome, but he just feels a bit different when Sanderson writes him. I believe Sanderson admitted he had the hardest time with Mat. Still, it's a minor thing. Mat is SO the man in these books. So many of his great moments have me laughing out loud.

I am intrigued to see if Amazon truly does a series. I would think you would need a good 10 seasons at minimum to do the story justice, so I am skeptical any series will be a real success, but we'll see...

[Moat_Man]

I finished The Fires of Heaven on January 2nd so I'm still clipping along at a decent pace. I've barely picked up the next one though so there might be a week or two break before I suck it up and get going on Lord of Chaos.

[Jeff V]

I picked up the first book on audio from the library, I'll be starting it on my drive home from work today.

[Moat_Man]

Ok, what the hell was that prologue in Lord of Chaos. 8% of the book? Holy crap that took forever to get through.

I admit, I'm started to flag a bit. However, I have trip to Toronto to visit Moat_Girl at university this weekend and I'm looking forward to the plane ride and getting some pages flipped.

[Smoove_B]

I've read (mostly) through the WoT at least 4 times, though the last time was only to finish book #9 - which is the last book I finished in the series. Good grief, that was 19 years ago! Regardless, every time I've made an attempt, the Lord of Chaos almost breaks me and it might have even completely stopped me during my first attempt with the series. It's all a blur now.

[Asharak]

Ok, what the hell was that prologue in Lord of Chaos. 8% of the book? Holy crap that took forever to get through.

I started really enjoying the prologues at some point. I seem to recall that a lot of them were used to give glimpses of characters or locations that otherwise weren't going to feature in the book, so they always felt fairly fresh. Though, I can see how focusing on otherwise-irrelevant characters might just seem off-topic.

Or I could be totally misremembering things. Maybe I should read the series again now...

- Ash

[Moat_Man]

Ok, what the hell was that prologue in Lord of Chaos. 8% of the book? Holy crap that took forever to get through.

I seem to recall that a lot of them were used to give glimpses of characters or locations that otherwise weren't going to feature in the book, so they always felt fairly fresh.

You nailed it. I'm normally fine with world building and fleshing out the lesser lights but this was an overdose. Thankfully the first chapter starts out with Rand so I feel like I'm back on track.

[YellowKing]

Just wanted to pop in and say that at over 12 years old, this may be my most successful thread of all time.

[Moat_Man]

Just wanted to pop in and say that at over 12 years old, this may be my most successful thread of all time.

OO has just the right balance of nerdiness and OCD that this thread resonated. It sure sucked me into what will be a ~2-3 year odyessy.

[stessier]

It sure sucked me into what will be a ~2-3 year odyessy.

It doesn't have to take that long. I averaged about a book a week. It really helps reading them that fast as you can really see all the different threads develop and how they are woven together. Spread over years, it will become fuzzier.

[Moat_Man]

No, I suppose it doesn't have to take that long. However, I am not a speed reader and I am not 18 anymore with more time than money. I'm also not going to completely give up all the other things I do, like read and post in these forums. Its all about time management at my stage in life...

[stessier]

No, I suppose it doesn't have to take that long. However, I am not a speed reader and I am not 18 anymore with more time than money. I'm also not going to completely give up all the other things I do, like read and post in these forums. Its all about time management at my stage in life...

Don't be so sure. The books are really good.

[JCC]

It doesn't have to take that long. I averaged about a book a week. It really helps reading them that fast as you can really see all the different threads develop and how they are woven together. Spread over years, it will become fuzzier.

I agree. When the books were released YEARS apart, the (at times) glacial pace was truly maddening. When you read them all at once. It's a long time investment, but it removes most of the annoyances. It also ends so fantastically. So many satisfying ends to many MANY plot threads. So may characters you like kicking all kinds of ass. Triumphant and tragic. I read it all the way through again last year and loved it.

[RunningMn9]

It’s taken almost 30 years, and in the end the only way to do it was to switch to Audible and consume the series in 50 minute intervals as I commuted to and from work, but I have *finally* completed The Wheel of Time.

I thought the final book was absolutely outstanding.

[Pyperkub]

Anyway, I stand corrected. Let me elaborate by saying that I enjoy the parts about him actively channeling the most.

Mat was my favorite character. I still say blood and bloody ashes every once in awhile. It took Sanderson a little while to get his and Perrin's characters down in his books, as I recall.

[RunningMn9]

Chapter 37 of the last book might be one of the most compelling things I’ve read in a *long* time. I can’t remember a time where I was genuinely uncomfortable and full of dread like I was going through that (the Audible version of that chapter is 9+ hours long, so it was basically an entire week of driving).

[Moat_Man]

Far Cry Primal has sucked me in and I'm stuck at 38% on Lord of Chaos. I'm feeling Smoove's pain.

[noxiousdog]

It’s taken almost 30 years, and in the end the only way to do it was to switch to Audible and consume the series in 50 minute intervals as I commuted to and from work, but I have *finally* completed The Wheel of Time.

I thought the final book was absolutely outstanding.

Our timelines are almost the same. I just finished though I read it all. The three Sanderson books went very fast.

[Pyperkub]

It’s taken almost 30 years, and in the end the only way to do it was to switch to Audible and consume the series in 50 minute intervals as I commuted to and from work, but I have *finally* completed The Wheel of Time.

I thought the final book was absolutely outstanding.

“The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again.”

I guess you'll be starting again soon...

[Pyperkub]

It’s taken almost 30 years, and in the end the only way to do it was to switch to Audible and consume the series in 50 minute intervals as I commuted to and from work, but I have *finally* completed The Wheel of Time.

I thought the final book was absolutely outstanding.

Our timelines are almost the same. I just finished though I read it all. The three Sanderson books went very fast.

all of Sanderson's stuff that I've read go fast. He has the knack of a page-turner, IMHO.

[Jaymann]

I read the first three. I'm thinking of just buying the last book.

[Moat_Man]

Well I finally finished Lord Of Chaos, all 987 pages. It only took a year and it is the longest book of the series. It should be smooth sailing from here on in, right? I have to admit, Far Cry Primal really cut into my reading time for good chunk of the year but I've tired a bit of video games and reading is taking the front burner again.

[JCC]

Stuff happens in Lords of Chaos. You will have to make it through 2-3 books where not much seems to happen, but stick with it. The payoff is well worth it and the ending is fantastic.