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Amph Wheel of Time (No AMoL spoilers)

Discussion in 'Community' started by NYCitygurl, Oct 28, 2012.

  1. NYCitygurl

    NYCitygurl Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 20, 2002
    The final book in the epic (yes, epic, word count alone) Wheel of Time series is being released in January, 20 or so years after the publication of Eye of the World. I know a bunch of people ( Rogue...Jedi Jedi Ben SoloKnight timmoishere ) were talking about doing a reread of the series in the lead-up to the final. And I know a few more are reading it through the first time!

    This thread is to discuss what everyone thinks of the series as a whole, whether we're first-timers or seeing it through new eyes having read it before. Please be aware that some might not have read the series. Also, keep the AMoL spoilers to [Wheel of Time] A Memory of Light please.

    I started with New Spring (bad move) and am now 130 or so pages into Eye. It's kind of sureal seeing Rand and the others as so young an innocent. I just keep thinking,

    In about 1,500 pages, he's going to be bat-**** crazy, and he's going to stay that way for about 10 books.
     
  2. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    UK edition of A Memory of Light looks to be due 8 Jan 2013, not that I'll have ploughed through the reread by then in any case!
     
  3. SWpants

    SWpants Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 28, 2004
    I don't think I can trudge through this series again, especially with
    1. Other books I want to read
    2. ONE OF THE BOOKS IS 1000 PAGES LONG AND THE PROLOGUE IS 1/10 OF IT AND THE FIRST CHAPTER IS ONLY 10-20 PAGES. That irritated me.

    I want to reread but I don't know if I will before AMoL. However, I'll be watching this and refreshing my mind this way.

    Also, your spoiler NYCitygurl made me chuckle.
     
  4. timmoishere

    timmoishere Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 2, 2007
    I re-read the series when Towers of Midnight came out, so the events of the series are still relatively fresh in my mind. I probably couldn't bear to do another re-read so soon. I may do one in a year or two, but it is such a chore to get through those books, especially 7-10.
     
  5. SoloKnight

    SoloKnight Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 13, 2003
    Just finished book seven, so I'm well on track for finishing before AMoL is released. Though the next three books are the hardest to get through... Also reread New Spring and I think it works best if you stick it between books 4 and 5 as it makes Moiraine's sacrifice mean more.
     
  6. NYCitygurl

    NYCitygurl Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 20, 2002
    I don't know who's reading it for the first time! :p

    I'm rapidly running out of time as I distract myself with other books 8-} I didn't do a re-read before the Sanderson trilogy, which I should have because I've forgotten a lot. I'm trying to do this so I can have an enjoyable concluding experience.
     
  7. RC-1991

    RC-1991 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Dec 2, 2009
    I'm about a quarter of the way through my first readthrough of The Great Hunt. It's much more enjoyable and engrossing that TEOTW was.
     
  8. NYCitygurl

    NYCitygurl Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jul 20, 2002
    I had some forced down time yesterday and read a couple hundred more pages. My overwhelming feeling is sadness about how much things change and get complicated (I always liked Eye), but I'm enjoying the story, too. Jordan really set this up as an epic fantasy with too many other potential "way back when" storiesto count 8-} I wish he'd lived long enough to tell some of them :(
     
  9. Lord Bane

    Lord Bane Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 26, 1999
    While I haven't re-read the series, I have re-listened (?) to the first six books. The audio books, read by a husband-and-wife team, are really quite good. Long car ride, painting your house, stuck with data entry at work? Grab a WOT audio book.

    The series does suffer starting in Book 4, really. Books 4-6 are great, with tons happening (just a crapload of story, character development and world-building), but it's the first stretch of books where it is quite obvious his editors were stepping back and allowing him to just write. They slacked in their duty - or his wife did, as lead editor - and that's why the story ballooned and we ended up with books 8-11, his last contributions and really only partially comprised of "main story" detail.

    I don't care who kidnaps who for three books! For Pete's sake...

    Big fan, though. Big fan. My then-girlfriend, now-wife gave me EOTW and said, as a "genre" fan, I'd like it, so the series holds a special place in my heart.
     
  10. NYCitygurl

    NYCitygurl Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jul 20, 2002
    I agree with all points. I honestly found the myriad of characters all with slightly different names a bit confusing ... o I'm hoping a read-through lets me remember!
     
  11. SWpants

    SWpants Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 28, 2004

    I do remember the series drags at times....

    And awww :)


    Not even halfway through my re-read of EOTW but seeing Mat, Rand & Perrin as innocent and naive and teenagers makes me a bit giddy. It's sometimes hard to remember they were once like that.

    Keeping the names in track is very tough to do. Between this and ASOIAF, I have a million names I somewhat recall but forget, even if they end up being important.
     
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  12. NYCitygurl

    NYCitygurl Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jul 20, 2002
    I feel the exact same way.
     
  13. darth-bendy-ned

    darth-bendy-ned Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 9, 2001
    I've always thought it would be quite nice to go back to book one and keep a list of all the characters written down somewhere (maybe on a big wall chart?) and then buy a big black marker pen and cross them through with "DARKFRIEND" as and when appropriate.

    What proportion of names would be marked thus? 40%?

    I'm now trying to think if any of 'em ever make their way back over to the light... I'm sure someone must have done.

    In a way, it will be quite a relief to finally put this series to bed.
     
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  14. SoloKnight

    SoloKnight Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 13, 2003
    Ingtar in TGH? And Verin and Tomas in Book 11 (though by first time we see them, they're already working on redeeming themselves.)
     
  15. SWpants

    SWpants Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 28, 2004
    hahaha that would be nice to do, to keep track of! Excel would help keep things in ABC order & to find certain people as needed :D
     
  16. SWpants

    SWpants Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 28, 2004
    I forgot just HOW MUCH happens in EOTW. Still not done (though have maybe 50 pages left) but the end of chapter 48 makes me melt. The novels takes us through, what, a few months? Oh how things change in such little time. And VERY little time to an Ogier! ;)

    It was a great idea to reread this series. I'm glad to be kind of pushed into recalling everything. Thanks NYCitygurl!!

    (and darth-bendy-ned...I didn't do an Excel spreadsheet)
     
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  17. NYCitygurl

    NYCitygurl Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jul 20, 2002
    I'm still only halfway through :( I will say that for such a massive, complicated world, Eye eases us in quite well. I mean, there are obviously tons of stories and names mentioned that we know nothing about--things that happened thousands of years ago--but the worldbuilding isn't too fast and the characters aren't introduced too quickly.
     
  18. SWpants

    SWpants Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Oct 28, 2004
    It's not, at all. And it slows down even more. Brandon Sanderson did a good job, I think, splitting the end into 3 novels and spreading the plot out a bit more to bulk it up and to make it seem less of a drag.
     
  19. NYCitygurl

    NYCitygurl Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jul 20, 2002
    Agreed. Yeah, there are a few books in the middle that could have been shorter.
     
  20. NYCitygurl

    NYCitygurl Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jul 20, 2002
    Getting closer to the end of Eye. I forgot that Rand and Perrin each think the other knows how to deal with women :p Of course, Mat's the one who probably knows how to turn on the charm ...
     
  21. darth-bendy-ned

    darth-bendy-ned Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 9, 2001
    I've always liked the (I think) fairly tongue-in-cheek approach to gender politics taken by Jordan in the books, with both sexes finding the other completely unsufferable and impossible to fathom.
     
  22. SWpants

    SWpants Force Ghost star 5

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    Oct 28, 2004
    It's quite realistic and always humours me!
     
  23. darth-bendy-ned

    darth-bendy-ned Jedi Master star 4

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    Feb 9, 2001
    Agreed, although it would be nice if Nynaeve could have a line of dialogue which didn't end "....hmph, men!" [tugs braid]
     
  24. darth-bendy-ned

    darth-bendy-ned Jedi Master star 4

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    Feb 9, 2001
    Agreed, although it would be nice if Nynaeve could have a line of dialogue which didn't end "....hmph, men!" [tugs braid]
     
  25. timmoishere

    timmoishere Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 2, 2007
    One of the funniest lines regarding that:

    Egwene: "We were just teaching them how to be women."
    Perrin: "No one teaches us how to be men. We just are."
    Egwene: "That's probably why you do such a bad job at it." [face_laugh]
     
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