open

Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Forums

You are logged in as a guest. ( logon | register )

Random quote: "Listen, my dear Cors, why don't you forgive God for allowing pain? If He didn't allow it, human courage, bravery, nobility, and self-sacrifice would all be meaningless things." - Walter M. Miller, Jr. (A Canticle for Leibowitz)
- (Added by: Emil)


The Wheel of Time
Moderators: Admin

Jump to page : 1
Now viewing page 1 [25 messages per page]		View previous thread :: View next thread
   General Discussion -> Books, Awards & ListsMessage format
 
jynnantonnyx
Posted 2008-12-02 2:09 PM (#1514)
Subject: The Wheel of Time



Uber User

Posts: 64
25
Location: Dallas, TX		After going back and reading the last few books of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, I felt like I should write something about it. I had given up on the series after book 7 or 8, so it's been almost 10 years since I've picked up any of Jordan's books. Hindsight and maturity have allowed me to appreciate the series a little more for what it is, rather than what I wanted it to be. In any case, I had read enough of the story to want to read the end, whenever it might come out (projections are currently at late 2009 for the finale). News of Jordan's death and of his replacement writer on the upcoming final book (or two) revived my interest enough to read books 9 and 11, ignoring 10 as everyone agrees that it is largely plotless and repetitive.

Those very complaints are actually what lost me three books ago. It is strange how much the series mutated over time; I have to hand it to Jordan, he wasn't afraid to try something different. Books one through three are fairly easy to read because they all are structured around "quest" narratives. In The Eye of the World, the adventurers are seeking the epynomous treasure. In The Great Hunt, there is indeed a hunt. In The Dragon Reborn, the protagonist Rand al'Thor seeks out a treasure that will prove himself to be in fact the Dragon Reborn. This is not to say that the first trilogy was cliched, though that might be said about the first novel. Jordan had enough interesting ideas and enough writing talent to make all of the quests interesting, and that helped make the novels an easy read.

Then book four was published, The Shadow Rising, and the quest plot was discarded in favor of an exploration of Jordan's fantasy world and of the inhabitants thereof. As might be expected, this was less than satisfying. Jordan still inserted plot guideposts here and there, but they rarely unified any of the later novels, and he seemed to be making up prophecies to fulfill as he went along. All of the major characters broke into groups, and eventually into solitary paths, so there was the added difficulty of keeping track of everyone. There were still plenty of exciting battles and occasional fascinating reveals, but they never seemed to have a goal in mind, except for the ever-receding Last Battle. It is not until Knife of Dreams, Jordan's last novel before his death, that the various plot lines begin to coalesce, and an actual goal approaches. One hopes it will be reached with replacement writer Brandon Sanderson.

For a series with so much promise, it's frustrating to see where it ended up. There was once potential for examining a world where gender/power roles, if not actually reversed, were being subverted in odd ways. The use of the "One Power" is far more interesting than the magic used in most fantasy novels. Even the idea of time as a wheel as the world as a pattern woven by that wheel held promise that occasionally led to very intriguing ideas like the Power-based weapon balefire, which "burns" the victim's "thread" out of The Pattern. It's unfortunate that Jordan was far more interested in the social and political developments of his fantasy land, since that was truly not his strength when it came to writing.

It's not an award-winning series, and it probably doesn't deserve to be, but I'll be on the lookout for the final chapter to this sprawling epic. Maybe it can capture some of the wonder and intrigue that grabbed my attention at the beginning.
Top of the page Bottom of the page
Jump to page : 1
Now viewing page 1 [25 messages per page]
Jump to forum :
Search this forum
Printer friendly version
E-mail a link to this thread

(Delete all cookies set by this site)