1. JCKey618

    JCKey618 Member

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    Wheel of Time - Worthy series?

    Discussion in 'Discussion of Published Works' started by JCKey618, Jan 1, 2009.

    I heard 1-6 are good and that the rest just draw out the series. I was looking on ebay....is it worth buying the whole set or are 1-6 all I need? And is the series worth it just in general?
     
  2. CommonGoods

    CommonGoods New Member

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    Bought them all, just for the saken of having the complete series (I'm funny that way), but ended up only reading the first four parts, after which I swapped to some "lighter" series (His Dark Materials, Hobbs, some others). Tried to start again, but gave up; WoT is epic, freakishly epic. If you're gonna read them, read them after each other, or uyou'll lose track of the different story arcs.

    Still, they are good, if you enjoy epic fantasy. Dunno if you'd enjoy them enough tpo buy the whole series; it's a lot of books. Maybe you should buy/borrow the first part, then see if you like it.
     
  3. Jonesy

    Jonesy Member

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    I'm on Book 5 atm, and I have to say the series is a very good read so far. People say the story begins to slow down in the later books, but I don't mind slow novels, so long as the characters hold my interest.

    I'd recommend them, yes.
     
  4. Scarecrow28

    Scarecrow28 New Member

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    I might check these out. I used to read fantasy novels a lot (LOTR and basically anything else by Tolkien, RA Salvatore, ect.) so I might try this. I need to branch out a bit from thriller novels and I don't mind slower stuff as long as it is still interesting.
     
  5. Cady36

    Cady36 Member

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    I never got through the last...3 books? I'll have to do that sometime. My problem was I was in on the series toward the beginning. My roommate bought me the first three "because they have lots of pages". By the time the fourth book came out, I wasn't sure what was going on, so I re-read the first three. Then when the fifth book came out, I re-read the first four, etc. (I agree with Common Goods: They are better read in succession.)

    Those last books were spread so far apart that I sort of gave up on it! lol

    The last two books that I read (8 and 9? 9 and 10?) were pretty...slow. They just seemed like he was bridging the gap until he figured out what he was going to write.

    This is one of the few series that I purchased a lot of hardcover (not book club) volumes in, though, so I obviously like it. At some point, I'll finish the series, because I did enjoy it. (Except for the repeated use of "She sniffed." lol according to a review on Amazon it was used 23 times in book three alone: 'Men are all fools,' she sniffed." I know I was sick of it by the end of volume 1.)

    Our tiny library has the whole series, but they're hard to get in order. If I were going to start this series for the first time, I'd probably go somewhere like paperbackswap.com and get 'em through trade.

    Edit: And you'd need the whole series as far as I can tell...it wasn't nearly finished with the last volume I read, and that was well past volume 6.
     
  6. Cady36

    Cady36 Member

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    Mod's please delete this post. I was trying to edit and screwed up and can't figure out how to delete it. Sorry!
     
  7. Agreen

    Agreen Faceless Man Contributor

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    There is a definite shift in tone and focus after book six. From seven onwards, the series seems buried under the weight of all of its subplots. Still, with the ending coming relatively soon if you're willing to invest the time needed to read them all, and if you enjoy epic fantasy, it is worth reading.
     
  8. Dazza

    Dazza New Member

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    It's a must

    WOT is a great series. Yes the later books are slower reading, but with so many plot lines and characters by the time everyone has had breakfast 400 pages have past. I have read them all and would recommend you do the same, if only to get to a conclusion. At least with it almost done you wont have to wait long to find out what happens! That and the sword of truth series are both epic and monstrous series, but worth the time. Y not try the SOT series as at least that is finished 
     
  9. Kratos

    Kratos New Member

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    1-6 were awesome, 7 kinda dragged on, and I haven't read the others.
     
  10. ManicParroT

    ManicParroT New Member

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    The Wheel of Time is rubbish. Biggest waste of your time ever. Seriously, ignore the people telling you to read it.

    Oh, the first few books are alright. They aren't up to George R R Martin, but they're not as bad as Eragon.

    After about book 5 it becomes retarded and immature. It becomes immensely tedious. Nothing happens. He writes pages and pages describing the tea or the clothes the characters are wearing. At one stage he does 21 pages about a man sitting on a horse, thinking about how cold it is and getting off the horse.
    Subplots multiply, and they are never referred to or brought up again. Minor characters continuously pop up and then disappear. The women characters are all identically annoying, and the male characters are all spineless idiots. And Robert Jordan's dead, so the series will never finish.

    If you don't believe me, go and read the Amazon.com reviews for the last 3 or 4 books. They're comedy gold in their own right because the only people still in the tank for Robert Jordan at that stage are his completely delusional fans. Everyone else dismantles them.
     
  11. Agreen

    Agreen Faceless Man Contributor

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    Actually, the excellent Brandon Sanderson is working on the conclusion of the series right now.
     
  12. ManicParroT

    ManicParroT New Member

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    Humph. Never heard of him, although I suppose the only person who could actually make it worse is Christopher Paolini.
     
  13. Mesuno

    Mesuno New Member

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    http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2007/oct/17/guardianobituaries.books1

    There is his obituary.

    I hope it does get finished!!
     
  14. XenoZiden

    XenoZiden New Member

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    Likely one of my favorite series. I've read it for the third time now. And it is one of those series where you read them back to back or you'll get lost. personal I bought them in the sets of three, which worked well for me since I wasn't sure how much I'd like them when I began the series. But it is a epic series. And I'd lie to say that it's anything but a long winded series that could use a bit of shortening in some areas. But if you have the patience I don't thing you'll find yourself disappointed.
     
  15. december00

    december00 New Member

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    I enjoyed the first few books of the series. He pulls off old ideas in imaginative new ways, but as the series progresses the author branches off into too many stories with too many characters and loses focus, and the interest of the reader.
     
  16. JCarmody

    JCarmody New Member

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    I reccomend you order them from your library system, Trust me its the best option! The series does get a little drawn out but I still would reccomend you read all of em, there worth it.
     
  17. nostikquest

    nostikquest New Member

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    I started off and got through the first 5 books. I lost interest and a few laters picked up from the beginning and made it through the first 4 books. My wife made it to the sixth book and lost interest and she is an avid fiction reader whereas I read more non-fiction. I love fantasy though, however, A Wheel Of TIme didn't do it for me. The first 4 books were good, then it started to fall apart. I don't mind a little slow pace, but this was overkill. I realized that I was trying to force myself to read the books even though I had no interest, however I came to the conclusion, "what's the point." The sad thing is, is he has a good story line going and some interesting plots, but as many people said, the subplots get to be an overburdon. You have characters that are in the second book that don't come in again until the fifth book and have no recollection of who they are. The characters all seem to be in a stubborn streak and can be very frustrating at times. Why not have a few characters who aren't stubborn? I heard that it picks up again at the 11th book, but all the boring reading it takes to get there isn't worth it. Those are my thoughts anyway.
     
  18. lynneandlynn

    lynneandlynn New Member

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    I'd say WOT is a good epic fantasy series for any Tolkien fans. Personally, I never liked the way Tolkien wrote because it was *too* descriptive for my taste and I have the same problem with the books Robert Jordan wrote. However, I would still say that they are worth reading if you're into descriptive epic fantasy, despite my own dislike of the excessive use of it.

    Personally, I prefer George R.R. Martin or Terry Goodkind, simply because there's more action and less description.

    ~Lynn
     
  19. Toxic.Ox

    Toxic.Ox New Member

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    I have finnished the series twice, and i have also found that the sub plots are quite disdainful, but the story in itself keeps you interested. Everytime i tried to give up, reading less than a chapter usually made me want to carry on. I also enjo George R R Martin and Terry Goodkind. Personally i think that the WOT books are quite a heavy read and that is why most are unable to complete the series.
    So i would recommend you borrow them, just in case.
     
  20. OneMoreNameless

    OneMoreNameless New Member

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    About two years ago I read the entire Wheel of Time series in a row from the public library, and loved all of it. I found the writing very engrossing, but it's the kind of long winded, detailed, epic style you really have to enjoy or it's not worth your time reading. (Personally, I can't get enough characters or ongoing subplots, as long as they still tie in with each other.) If the first book doesn't grab you, don't bother with the rest. If it does, do, it's definitely worth it.

    Although I can only imagine how brutal it's going to be trying to remember what the heck is going on when the next book is written from the late Jordan's notes. Shudder.
     

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