In years past I read many of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time books, before boycotting them until he should die or finish the series, whichever comes first. Due to the limited audio books on CD available to me, I have rescinded my vow and am currently listening to Fires of Heaven (the fifth book in the series, disregarding the prequels). I find that I have a thousand-thousand gripes about these books. I recognize that as one who has never published more than a 2nd place story online I don't have much right to criticize a best selling series like WoT, but I am going to. Or maybe I won't. I know that there are many among the five or six people who read my blog that are fans of this series. Can you tell me why? What is it about WoT that makes it worth sifting through a hundred flat supporting characters, repetitive obnoxious hypocritical arguments (think Nyneave and Egwene in the dream world when they are snooping about the Tower), and a main cast made up of stereo types and extreme anti-stereo types? I find myself anxious to listen in spite of being frustrated by the character issues. That is the bulk of my complaint - certainly I can't fault his back story, his linguistics, his plotting (even if it is a bit loose for my taste), or the world of WoT. When I consider his characters next to those from Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn or Song of Ice and Fire, they seem to me to be pathetic punchlines in a too long joke. So, hopefully without being too critical of my criticism, what do you like about WoT?
R.
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3 comments:
I'm with you on most of your criticisms of the series, and I'm also boycotting it until it's either finished or it ends (and I'm not sure I'll pick it up again even then, actually).
But I think a big reason I got so disgusted with the series is that it hasn't fulfilled its promise.
I remember being absolutely wrapped up in the first book. I read all night, thought about it all day at school and work, then read all night again. I might have even skipped meals.
I even dreamed about it when I wasn't reading it. Things like the uncontrollable dreams Rand had and the perilous bridges in the Ways really got to my imagination.
But as more and more characters and plotlines came in, they engaged me slowly less and less. I just think that the story got too large, and Jordan's writing isn't quite strong enough to carry such a humongous load.
There are some really great things about the series...even if I'm disenchanted with Jordan's Wheel of Time series these days, I still remember the first book as one of my favorite reading experiences.
I'm another boycotter. I started boycotting rather late, so I think the latest book is the only one I haven't read. The last one I really enjoyed was . . . I think Lord of Chaos, the one with that huge battle at the end (Dumai's Wells, I think?). The first three books are without a doubt my favorite. I liked The Dragon Reborn even better than the first two, but to be honest, I don't even remember why I enjoyed it so much at the beginning. It's been a while since I enjoyed reading Jordan's later books, and I don't even have any desire to read them now.
With Jordan's health in serious question, it's possible that he'll never finish the series at all. I think he's expected to live another couple of years, but he's not writing at full speed due to whatever complications he has. I'm not sure exactly what his illness is, but you can probably Google him and find out.
Like Ing, I also remember my first read of The Eye of the World with great fondness. I haven't read any of his stuff for several years because it just got too complex, too much. I guess for the same reasons as everyone else.
I think another problem I have is that I actually liked some of his side characters better. For awhile, that's probably what kept me reading, but I finally decided that I wasn't ever going to get satisfaction from that because they will always be side characters.
I think Jordan created something really special, and then tried to run too far with it. If he had wrapped it up within three or five books, it would have been a great series.
But, as he says at the beginning of every book, there is no beginning and no end. As of now, I don't see myself reading them again.
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