The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan

[BEN1972]

Hi everyone,

Long time reader, rare poster of comments. I have the entire series, so far, by Robert Jordan. I haven't read any of the books yet and wonder what others think of the series.

Thanks,

Ben

[Jpurple]

I enjoyed the first three or four books, but I got a little tired of it not going anywhere after a while. I think I stopped reading at about book 10- I don't give up easy.

[Chanlin]

When one of the books later in the series (I forget if it was book 8 or 9) was quite litterally nothing but 8 to 900 pages of "meanwhile" and did not advance the plot in the slightest I lost interest.

It will be interesting to see if the series gets finished from his notes now that the author has passed on.

[Shangri-laschild]

Part of me really wishes that I had finished the first book. I borrowed it from someone when I wasn't in as much of a reading mood as I had thought. I had heard about how after a while it goes on and on though. The parts I did read in the first book were good though. Eventually I probably will finish at least that one.

For those of you who have gone further in the series, is it worth it?

[Evil Queen]

With the series unfinished due to his death? Nope, haven't read any of them. I'm still peeved about a book that was half finished when the author died (someone else, not Jordan) and the publishing company STILL refusing to let it go to presses. They won't even let another author finish the darned thing. :cry:

[Broomjockey]

With the series unfinished due to his death? Nope, haven't read any of them. I'm still peeved about a book that was half finished when the author died (someone else, not Jordan) and the publishing company STILL refusing to let it go to presses. They won't even let another author finish the darned thing. :cry:

That's different. Jordan's left copious notes, discussed everything with his wife (who acted as his editor) and his kids, and the person they're getting to finish the last book will have access to those notes, and will be edited by Jordan's wife. I believe the last book is slated for 2009.

[Evil Queen]

Good to hear the last book will be going to print then. :) When I first heard that Jordan had died, no one knew whether or not the last book would even be published.

[Arucard]

really good series up until around book 7, where it starts to slow down. When it came to CoT, I could barely choke it down, it was that boring, and I haven't been able to get to the point of reading any books since then, though one day, when the final book is released, I'll read them all, just so I know what happens.

[Broomjockey]

I'll admit things tend to slow down in books 7&8, but they slowly start back up in 9, and improve from there again. I'll need to see if I can find my copies of the first books when the last one comes out, so I can reread them all. Again.

[Sylvia727]

I got the first six books as an Xmas present from an enthusiast relative. I read the entirety of book one. Then I set it down and tried to remember what it was about. When I realized I could only name half a dozen characters and describe two scenes, I gave the books to a friend. She enjoys them very much.

I had the same problem with Dune and Lord of the Rings. I struggled with it during The Sword of Shannara. One of my biggest problems is verbose writing styles and passive writing. I read sci-fi/fantasy for the action, dammit!

In short, The Wheel of Time is one of the few series I feel would be improved by a movie of it.

[Andara Bledin]

I read the first few, and if you can get past how badly he tends to write females (they're rather one-dimensional), it's not bad stuff.

Of course, somewhere in the middle he stops all progress to milk it as the cash cow it was.

But he had the ending in mind several books back, so there was never any real danger of it going unfinished. It was just a matter of the series no longer making money, or his death, whichever came first.

^-.-^

[Geek King]

I don't know, I like the series, ALL of them. But keep in mind, I love an author that will mention certain things in passing, then suddenly draw the connection much later down the line. I've always liked a cohesive world, where things happen besides what the hero does. I also like that WoT goes from the standpoint of what it really might be like for a "sacrificial hero" to have to face his fate, and what they might do to change it, yet still win.

This has been your look into the mind of Geek King. :p