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Wheel of Time book series - Who's read it?

Started by Moraline, January 01, 2013, 07:59:23 AM

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Moraline

Wheel of Time book series - How much of it have you read?


Finally on Jan 8 the last book will be launched. 14 Books, 1 Prequel, and a World Book. 20+ years in the making.

Anyone else going to be reading it?
I even started up an RP in the setting I'm so excited.


Pumpkin Seeds

Not even half way through the first.  Going to be a long road for me.

Moraline

It will be. There's a lot of books and they are so deep it can sometimes feel like your being overwhelmed with information. People often mistake it for too much detail/bloat, I personally love it and loved how even a little thing like the color of a wax seal can have meaning.

Are you reading the Eye of the World first? (Don't read the prequel book until you get to about book 9 or 10.)

Pumpkin Seeds

Yep. Got it on my kindle and things have really picked up now.  I really am looking forward to getting deep into these books, but it'll be awhile.  I never can read a series straight through and tend to interject other books.  So probably going to sprinkle Dresden, Iron Druid, and some other light reads in there.

Sasquatch421

I own up to The Great Hunt, but I checked the others out of the library, so I've actually read up to book 8 I think?

Moraline

Ah, book 8. Your getting into what I found to be the hard part to read through. The next few books all felt like they should have been combined into one big massive book. Lots of beginnings but no concrete endings.

Of course there are neither beginnings or endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time.

Sasquatch421

I do like the series, but as they have been going on...Well lets just say if I could reach through a book and smack a character most of the Aes Sedai. They really start to drive one nuts after a while...

Caeli

It's been on my to-read list, but no way I'm going to manage the whole series before the 8th. I figure I'll just slowly absorb all of them over the next few months. I'll be doing like Pumpkin Seeds - probably reading the series while reading other titles, or between other titles.
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HairyHeretic

Just waiting on the last book myself. Mat is probably my favourite character.
Hairys Likes, Dislikes, Games n Stuff

Cattle die, kinsmen die
You too one day shall die
I know a thing that will never die
Fair fame of one who has earned it.

Moraline

Matt is awesome. Not to spoil anything but I keep wondering if his interactions with the Seanchan will change the future as witnessed in Rhuidien. They have left us hanging with the whole Seanchan thing.

Quote
We'll drink the wine till the cup is dry,
And kiss the girls so they'll not cry,
And toss the dice until we fly,
To dance with Jak o' the Shadows.

We'll dance all night until the moon runs free,
And dandle the lasses upon our knee,
And then you'll ride along with me,
To dance with Jak o' the Shadows.

We'll sing all night, and drink all day,
And on the girls we'll spend our pay,
And when it's gone, then we'll away,
To dance with Jak o' the Shadows.

There's some delight in ale and wine,
And some in girls with ankles fine,
But my delight, yes, always mine,
Is to dance with Jak o' the Shadows.

We'll toss the dice however they fall,
And snuggle the girls be they short or tall,
Then follow young Mat whenever he calls,
To dance with Jak o' the Shadows.

~ Dance with Jak o' the Shadows (As sung by the Band of the Red Hand)

HairyHeretic

Hard to know, given how strongly prophecy is played as a card throughout the story. I'd like to think some futures are possible to change, the Wheel being able to weave them in without too much effort, but the greater, or more necessary, the event ... then it gets trickier.

We've also seen the worlds that were less likely to be. Perhaps that's one of them.
Hairys Likes, Dislikes, Games n Stuff

Cattle die, kinsmen die
You too one day shall die
I know a thing that will never die
Fair fame of one who has earned it.

Chris Brady

Quote from: Moraline on January 01, 2013, 08:58:33 AM
It will be. There's a lot of books and they are so deep it can sometimes feel like your being overwhelmed with information. People often mistake it for too much detail/bloat, I personally love it and loved how even a little thing like the color of a wax seal can have meaning.

Actually, that was more Mr. Jordan filling space.  The series kept doing so well that the publisher kept changing his contract for 'one more book', or so the rumour went at the time, I have no evidence. Either way, until about book... 6?  I loved the series, but that's when I realized the story rambled with no real direction.  Make no mistake, it rambled really well and in engaging ways, but it just dragged on, and on.

Glad people still enjoy it, but I've left it behind a long time ago.  I still love the swordmaster 'crane marked' symbology, though.
My O&Os Peruse at your doom.

So I make a A&A thread but do I put it here?  No.  Of course not.

Also, I now come with Kung-Fu Blog action.  Here:  Where I talk about comics and all sorts of gaming

Moraline

#12
Quote from: Chris Brady on January 02, 2013, 12:19:06 PM
Actually, that was more Mr. Jordan filling space.  The series kept doing so well that the publisher kept changing his contract for 'one more book', or so the rumour went at the time, I have no evidence. Either way, until about book... 6?  I loved the series, but that's when I realized the story rambled with no real direction.  Make no mistake, it rambled really well and in engaging ways, but it just dragged on, and on.

Glad people still enjoy it, but I've left it behind a long time ago.  I still love the swordmaster 'crane marked' symbology, though.

I've read all the books 2x and I can assure that it wasn't "Mr. Jordan filling space."  If the books are read while thinking about the details it can be seen very clearly that every detail has meaning. 

Now I'm not saying that normal setting material all has meaning. However, when he's describing the color and bands on a woman's dress it does have meaning. Usually he's telling you something about where they come from, who they follow, and what they believe in. Which in terms of the books, can tell you if they are lying, if they are a darkfriend, if they have loyalties to specific royal houses, or to other interests. It can even give a foreshadowing of things to come.

He even takes great pains into going into details about "Daes Dae'mar" known as the game of houses and the politics behind it just to show how important the details are. Then he shows you with character examples how each of the empires play off of one another. This is further reflected in the Hall of the White Tower and the Ajahs. Which also gets reflected in the Black Tower and every other part of the book.

There is even a point in the prequel book where he points out that the Amyrlin sealed every envelope to every Ajah with a wax seal the same color as the Ajah. Then later in the book she sends out letters and one of them has a different colored wax seal on it. It was there to tell you something (I won't spoil it.)

Then to further that point even more the next Amyrlin who is a mean spirited battleaxe intentionally doesn't use the proper colors, just to insult all the Ajahs but her own. Which is a foreshadowing of repercussions that ripple throughout the White Tower right up until the time of the currents books timeline.

Reading further in the books reveals it all. However, I understand why you gave up on reading it - many people did. It's just not some peoples thing. (Just like I can't stand the way George RR Martin kills off every main character.)

Also,

Robert Jordan was a well known author before he created The Wheel of Time so after he proposed the trilogy to his publisher they accepted. However because of his fame they gave him freedom to do as he wished as an author (his name alone sold books). When it became clear he was going to take longer to finish the series they gave him all the room/books he needed to write.

Even his last book was meant to be one large volume and when Brandon Sanderson got his hands on it, he had to tell them that there was no way he could fit it all into one book. So it became 3.

Plus, every story line that you read gets wrapped up in the last several books. The reason the books are so big is because it's not a typical Epic Fantasy with one or two hero's instead there are half a dozen main stars. It would be like as if Tolkien had incorporated the story of the Aragorn, and Gandalf fully into the books - it would have taken him several more books to complete the tale. Robert Jordan just didn't hold it back from us, he let us have it all. Unfortunately for many it meant that they didn't have the patience to make it through the story.

One last quick note.. It was a Heron-Mark sword. You were close.

Quote"Once the heron, to set his path.
Twice the heron, to name him true."

   —Karaethon Cycle

Chris Brady

Quote from: Moraline on January 02, 2013, 02:58:23 PM
Reading further in the books reveals it all. However, I understand why you gave up on reading it - many people did. It's just not some peoples thing. (Just like I can't stand the way George RR Martin kills off every main character.)[/quote ]

Mr. Martin cares about the world and how his characters affect rather than the characters themselves.  Not to mention that I recall him expressing that he made no guarantee that any character would survive.

Like you, not my thing, though.

He is an excellent writer, but not my style.  I preferred Mr. Jordan.

Quote from: Moraline on January 02, 2013, 02:58:23 PMAlso,

Robert Jordan was a well known author before he created The Wheel of Time so after he proposed the trilogy to his publisher they accepted. However because of his fame they gave him freedom to do as he wished as an author (his name alone sold books). When it became clear he was going to take longer to finish the series they gave him all the room/books he needed to write.

Even his last book was meant to be one large volume and when Brandon Sanderson got his hands on it, he had to tell them that there was no way he could fit it all into one book. So it became 3.

Honestly, then one of his editors should have reined him in then because, having read most of the books (I THINK I got to 8-9, or was it 7, before I gave up...  Been a while, and I honestly forget what I did a couple of months ago, like totally blank) and a lot of the stuff in there could have been cut down to a total of a few pages, each.

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide
I wasn't too keen on his stereotypes of boys and girls too.  A lot of the stuff could have been resolved if the guys just talked to each other.  But the girls were chatter boxes compared, and even then...  Like I said, a lot of it could have been pared down.

As for Brandon Sanderson, he's a good writer, but he's no Robert Jordan...  Not sure how good the rest of the books will be...

Quote from: Moraline on January 02, 2013, 02:58:23 PMPlus, every story line that you read gets wrapped up in the last several books. The reason the books are so big is because it's not a typical Epic Fantasy with one or two hero's instead there are half a dozen main stars. It would be like as if Tolkien had incorporated the story of the Aragorn, and Gandalf fully into the books - it would have taken him several more books to complete the tale. Robert Jordan just didn't hold it back from us, he let us have it all. Unfortunately for many it meant that they didn't have the patience to make it through the story.

Actually, Tolkien did.  In fact, he broke the narration between Frodo and Sam, Merry and Pippin in Gondor, Aragorn and...  I forget if Gimli and Legolas were with him, or they split up...  Been too long.  But Tolkien did have multiple protagonists, and he still did it within 3 books.

Quote from: Moraline on January 02, 2013, 02:58:23 PMOne last quick note.. It was a Heron-Mark sword. You were close.
Right, it's been too long since I read the series.  And frankly, it's way too daunting to get back into.

You can literally skip whole books, except for like a hundred pages of relevant story bits, but you never know where the are, and for some of (like the guy who hooked me up into the series, he was annoyed at that there seemed to be a lot of 'nothing' then some teasing hints, and then back to nothing for the rest of that characters story.)

But hey, YMMV, it's what makes people interesting after all.  I am sincerely happy you enjoy the series.  It is excellently written, in my opinion.
My O&Os Peruse at your doom.

So I make a A&A thread but do I put it here?  No.  Of course not.

Also, I now come with Kung-Fu Blog action.  Here:  Where I talk about comics and all sorts of gaming

Saerrael

I have read the series. All that is available in the Netherlands. Which, I think, is all but the newest.

NotoriusBEN

finally the last book is coming out. its time to get this over with.

the sad thing is, I started this series in 10grade (about 1999) and I read Jordan's About the Author pages on a few of them and I had a premonition at the time... "Jordan wouldnt live to finish his series."
I gotta give him credit for having so many notes for Sanderson to pick up and finish the series, and Sanderson is a very excellent pick to carry on. I felt like was I was still reading Jordan with Gathering Storm and Towers.

Still... its finally over after 2 decades of writing. Wow.

Chris Brady

Ben, the guy who turned me on the series SRD to joke that Mr. Jordan wouldn't live to finish the story.  He stopped joking shortly after he heard about it.
My O&Os Peruse at your doom.

So I make a A&A thread but do I put it here?  No.  Of course not.

Also, I now come with Kung-Fu Blog action.  Here:  Where I talk about comics and all sorts of gaming

NotoriusBEN

believe me I was pissed when I heard the news, and I was more pissed at myself because I said it would happen and it did. I didnt joke about it.

oh well, Jordan aint suffering no more and he had the foresight to leave tons of notes. Well played.

Kathadon

Finally! While my own opinion, I think the WoT books stand shoulder to shoulder with Tolkeen's. I would dare say a movie adaption of just the Eye of the World to the Great Hunt would do better than the Lord of the Rings at the box office if they did it right.

The Song of Fire and Ice books are a poor, distant third.

Quote from: NotoriusBEN on January 02, 2013, 09:15:54 PM
I gotta give him credit for having so many notes for Sanderson to pick up and finish the series, and Sanderson is a very excellent pick to carry on. I felt like was I was still reading Jordan with Gathering Storm and Towers.

Still... its finally over after 2 decades of writing. Wow.
I cannot say Sanderson's writing is like Jordan's. Don't get me wrong the man is good, but I noticed a shift in Matt's character in the last two books in his dialogue that stood out to me as out of character. Kinda like Sanderson just does not get Matt's timing in his humor. The same with Nynaeve and her stubbornness.

And the preview chapter at Dragon Mount has me wanting to read Matt's reunion with his bride so badly.
My ON'S and OFF'S:

I'll do whatever pleases but I'll bleed 'em in the end.

My BDSM test results.

Chris Brady

Quote from: Kathadon on January 03, 2013, 12:26:27 AM
I cannot say Sanderson's writing is like Jordan's. Don't get me wrong the man is good, but I noticed a shift in Matt's character in the last two books in his dialogue that stood out to me as out of character. Kinda like Sanderson just does not get Matt's timing in his humor. The same with Nynaeve and her stubbornness.

And the preview chapter at Dragon Mount has me wanting to read Matt's reunion with his bride so badly.
yeah, I heard that as well, makes me wonder if the 'notes' left weren't as intensive as people are claiming...
My O&Os Peruse at your doom.

So I make a A&A thread but do I put it here?  No.  Of course not.

Also, I now come with Kung-Fu Blog action.  Here:  Where I talk about comics and all sorts of gaming

Saidi

#20
I am a huge Wheel of Time fan.  I've read all the books and I'm literally counting the days till I can get my hands on my copy of A Memory of Light. 

Mat is my favorite of them all, and Perrin is not in my nice list.  Personally, I think he whines too much... but he does have SOME reason to be a whiny butt I suppose.

I picked up the series in 2000/2001 and have been hooked ever since.  It literally makes me happy I learned to speak/write/read English.  Brandon Sanderson was an excellent selection to finish the books, but I have to admit I knew nothing about him until he was announced as the coauthor of the remainder of the series.  Frankly, I can't wait to read that very last scene, entirely composed by Jordan... not just notes. 

And this:

Quote from: Kathadon on January 03, 2013, 12:26:27 AM

And the preview chapter at Dragon Mount has me wanting to read Matt's reunion with his bride so badly.

I'm on the same boat. 


Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. --Victor Borge

Help me revive my muse?

Moraline

Quote from: Saidi on January 03, 2013, 01:10:39 PM
Mat is my favorite of them all, and Perrin is not in my nice list.  Personally, I think he whines too much... but he does have SOME reason to be a whiny butt I suppose.

You know whenever I read a section that's revolving around Perrin, I can't help but imagine Eor's voice(Winnie the Pooh.)

Saidi

Quote from: Moraline on January 03, 2013, 01:44:42 PM
You know whenever I read a section that's revolving around Perrin, I can't help but imagine Eor's voice(Winnie the Pooh.)

LOL and that will probably pop up when I read about him now.  haha  He was the reason I skimmed through large chunks of Winter's Heart the first time I read it. 
Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. --Victor Borge

Help me revive my muse?

Qt

Read up to book 11, loved the series until the books appeared to be dragging things out. Book 10 was pretty horrifying, I'll probably eventually finish it since the series is going to have a proper conclusion now.

NotoriusBEN

I actually like Perrin. Maybe my perception of him has been colored since Shadow Rising, but he was a badass in that book and beyond to me.
Him going back to the Two Rivers shown us just how far the trio had come, not to mention he roused a bunch of farmers and herders into something that fought trollocs.

I guess where you guys see whiney, I saw a thinker and someone genuinely worried about his wife. He's seen creatures and servants of Chaos and they want him and anyone near him
dead or worse. Plus, every lord and lady fancies themselves a hustler and Perrin saying and doing what he means just throws them all for a loop and I think that's refreshing.