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Wheel of Time series
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Maureen
Posted 2012-08-12 2:31 PM (#3976)
Subject: Wheel of Time series



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Hi,

I recently discovered this site and am already in love with it. So much books, so little time (and money).

I was wondering if any of you read the entire Wheel of Time series and if you did, what did you think of it. I heard so many different opinions about it. Some loved it (the reason why I bought the first book), others just hated it (the reason why I don't really know if it is a waste of time).
I finished the first book a few weeks ago, and I liked it very much, so i bought the second and third book. I am in the middle of the second book and some parts are just really, really slow and take forever and nothing happens. Is this in the entire series or???

I hope a few of you can say what you think about it, so I can make up my mind .

(Btw, sorry if the English is a bit weird, but I'm from the Netherlands, so English is not my first language ).

Edited by Maureen 2012-08-12 2:32 PM
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Administrator
Posted 2012-08-13 10:53 AM (#3978 - in reply to #3976)
Subject: RE: Wheel of Time series



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Maureen - 2012-08-12 2:31 PM Hi, I recently discovered this site and am already in love with it. So much books, so little time (and money). I was wondering if any of you read the entire Wheel of Time series and if you did, what did you think of it. I heard so many different opinions about it. Some loved it (the reason why I bought the first book), others just hated it (the reason why I don't really know if it is a waste of time). I finished the first book a few weeks ago, and I liked it very much, so i bought the second and third book. I am in the middle of the second book and some parts are just really, really slow and take forever and nothing happens. Is this in the entire series or??? I hope a few of you can say what you think about it, so I can make up my mind . (Btw, sorry if the English is a bit weird, but I'm from the Netherlands, so English is not my first language ).

Hello Maureen, welcome to WWEnd!  I'm glad you like the site and you're absolutely right about too many books and too little time.  That's pretty much the reason this site exists.  We want to help you find the best books to read so you won't waste valuable reading time.  Our unofficial motto is "Never read another bad book." and we've built lots of tools to help you ferret out the good stuff.

As for the Wheel of Time series, I read up to book 6 before I gave up on it.  I was really into the series at the start, and I read them as they were coming out, so was obliged to wait between volumes, but the story really started dragging for me.  Nothing important was happening and it just felt like a bunch of filler with less and less real meat.  When I read that Jordan was just going to keep on writing with no end in sight that was the final straw.  Too many other books were calling me to keep on reading an apparently endless series.

If you're feeling the drag already in book 2 I have to say it's not going to get any better for you.  Tangent after tangent is the rule for WoT and there is even a whole volume that is generally regarded as a throwawy, I think it's book 8 but I didn't get that far myself. To be sure there are some great scenes, characters and story lines to be had but each book is ridiculously bloated.  I've often thought it might be interesting to read the series if someone went through and trimmed about half of it out.  Like that fan edition of Star Wars episode 1 that took out all the Jar Jar Binks scenes.

I've talked about WoT with some friends who got further in than I did and it seems not to improve until the very end when Brandon Sanderson steps in to wrap it all up. I'd like to hear what others think.  Jynnantonnyx?

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Switters
Posted 2012-08-13 2:30 PM (#3979 - in reply to #3976)
Subject: Re: Wheel of Time series



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I would agree with everything posted above. I made it through seven books before giving up. I think the first three are very good but then it slows down.

I'm going to wait until the last book comes out and then I'll read the Wikipedia entry for the entire series and put no more thought into it.
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Emil
Posted 2012-08-13 3:29 PM (#3980 - in reply to #3979)
Subject: Re: Wheel of Time series



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Location: Grootfontein, Namibia		For me the first book already did all of the above. I guess I was slightly prejudiced by feedback from other people before I started with book one. There were some memorable scenes and characters, but I just can't imagine how the story could be extended over 12-odd books. I'm not drawn to reading the series any further than book one. As Dave says, there are just so many other options.
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Maureen
Posted 2012-08-14 2:09 AM (#3981 - in reply to #3980)
Subject: Re: Wheel of Time series



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Thank you so much for your opinions. I decided to finish the second and third book (since I already got them and my wallet is a bit empty. And I work in a small shop, and it's really quiet here, so I haven't got much to do .).
So my second question is, can you recommend me any other books. Or even better, a series, i really like series . Books liked were lord of the rings, the hobbit and almost all books written by Terry pratchett. So, i would like something like that, or maybe something completely different. Like science fiction, I never really tried it, but maybe some of hou know a really good book for a sci-fi virgin .
Again, thank you for your opinions.

Edited by Maureen 2012-08-14 2:28 AM
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dustydigger
Posted 2012-08-14 4:17 AM (#3982 - in reply to #3981)
Subject: Re: Wheel of Time series



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Location: UK		You seem to lean towards fantasy.Why not take a look at the Resources section at the top of the page,which has a great section on Sub genres,so you can check out the subgenres you favour.Have you read the Amber series,by Roger Zelazny.Great fun.
I know someone who is a Jack Vance fan,and has no less than 77 of his books.Lyonesse is one of his most famous series,though I cant vouch for them personally.

Edited by dustydigger 2012-08-14 4:34 AM
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Emil
Posted 2012-08-14 4:34 AM (#3983 - in reply to #3982)
Subject: Re: Wheel of Time series



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Location: Grootfontein, Namibia		@Maureen, you can also browse this very extensive list of sf and fantasy and horror series

https://www.worldswithoutend.com/lists_series.asp

I'm sure you will find something to your liking there. I've recently ventured into the fantasy genre myself and have been totally emerged in George Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series.

Alternatively, ANYTHING by Ursula le Guin is highly recommended.
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Switters
Posted 2012-08-14 7:09 AM (#3985 - in reply to #3976)
Subject: Re: Wheel of Time series



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I would recommend The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch.
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Maureen
Posted 2012-08-15 9:14 AM (#3991 - in reply to #3976)
Subject: Re: Wheel of Time series



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I know I can browse almost all fantasy, sf and horror books available. But there are so many writers, books, series etc, that I didn't knew where tobegin. So thanks for the titels you've given me. I will look them up on the site and maybe buy the books .
Thanks again.
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valashain
Posted 2012-08-24 1:41 PM (#4024 - in reply to #3976)
Subject: Re: Wheel of Time series



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Location: The Netherlands		I read all the Wheel of Time books. I like them up to number 6, after that Jordan seems to loose control of his own story a bit. He delivered some very mediocre novels with book 10 as an absolute low. I liked the final one he wrote though. Sanderson is doing a good job wrapping up the story so far. It is not quite the same of course but he is giving it his best and treats Jordan's work with respect.

When it comes to epic fantasy I like George R.R. Martin, Steven Erikson and Robin Hobb better than Jordan though. My taste has drifted a bit towards science fiction in recent years. I don't read as much fantasy as I used to.

En maak je niet druk over je Engels, het is prima leesbaar
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stevefrank
Posted 2012-08-30 7:20 AM (#4063 - in reply to #3983)
Subject: Re: Wheel of Time series


Yes your link is very useful for me.
Thanks.
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stevefrank
Posted 2012-08-30 7:21 AM (#4064 - in reply to #3983)
Subject: Re: Wheel of Time series


Sorry for doubling. It was bymistake. So i am editing.

Edited by stevefrank 2012-08-30 7:22 AM
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theman
Posted 2012-09-04 9:15 PM (#4103 - in reply to #3976)
Subject: RE: Wheel of Time series



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Location: Virginia		I read the first four books back to back, then had to take a break because it took so long to read them and there are too many other great books that need to be read. A year later I thought I'd lost interest, but once i picked up book five, I then read the next four books back to back as well. I find them readable, engaging and dynamic. Maybe if I had to wait years in between I found lose interest or find it hard to get back into it due to the sheer number of characters and locations.
There is a great deal of dialogue in these that reminds me of a soap opera. In a soap, the broad story arcs occur over long periods of time, with little dramas happening every episode. If you don't like the characters and the setting, then there is no reason to invest the time. The characters are now old friends and I am not sure that I would notice if the quality of writing dips significantly.
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DrNefario
Posted 2012-09-05 3:47 PM (#4109 - in reply to #3976)
Subject: Re: Wheel of Time series



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Location: UK		There were a couple - around 8-10 in the series? - where it got really really slow going. There were so many characters that their stories barely advanced from one book to the next. A similar thing is arguably happening with Song of Ice and Fire, now.

Apparently things have picked up since Brandon Sanderson took over, but I haven't been in a great rush to get back into it. I do have the next one, waiting on my Kindle, but I'm not exactly jumping up and down with anticipation. It's been on there for over a year. The series started out very enjoyable, so I do hope it can resolve itself satisfyingly.
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