You should read One Piece, if you're into anime/manga at all. I'm personally not a fan myself, but it's definitely popular in it's own crowd and is also one of those "writer never forgets anything" series.
It's sort of on the list. I've watched about 30 episodes of the anime, and read maybe 10-15 volumes of the manga (both like a decade ago), and it seemed pretty good. I just find it really difficult to get into anything that's super long. Yeah, not sure how I ended up reading all of WoT...
This is one of my favorite fantasy series of all time, but based on your post OP I think you made the right decision to move on.
If you are the sort of reader who is bothered by the fact that everybody speaks the same language, the binary nature of the good-vs-evil storyline, the fact that everyone just buys into the reality of prophecy... Well, you're just not cut out to read these books. The vibe is more on the level of something like Star Wars than Game of Thrones. I love that about it, but some readers want something a little more grounded.
Another poster said the books were basically pulpy fantasy soap operas, and he is right on the money. They are wonderful, old-fashioned adventure stories. And they completely lack any sort of cynical, hardened realism. At times they can be as corny as Saturday morning cartoons.
But the world building is great (within that pulpy, old fashioned context) and the magic system is amazing--a great mix of hard magic rules, with the mysterious and unexplained. The series is littered with amazing epic moments, great battles that rival anything in the entirety of fantasy literature... It's just a huge series in every way. I love it, but it's definitely a love it or hate it series. And there are some slow books. Even as a huge fan, I'll be the first to admit that there is a big slowdown from book 7 to 10. The early books are some of the best, and if you don't love those, you'll never make it through the rough patch.
This is one of my favorite fantasy series of all time, but based on your post OP I think you made the right decision to move on.
If you are the sort of reader who is bothered by the fact that everybody speaks the same language, the binary nature of the good-vs-evil storyline, the fact that everyone just buys into the reality of prophecy... Well, you're just not cut out to read these books. The vibe is more on the level of something like Star Wars than Game of Thrones. I love that about it, but some readers want something a little more grounded.
Another poster said the books were basically pulpy fantasy soap operas, and he is right on the money. They are wonderful, old-fashioned adventure stories. And they completely lack any sort of cynical, hardened realism. At times they can be as corny as Saturday morning cartoons.
But the world building is great (within that pulpy, old fashioned context) and the magic system is amazing--a great mix of hard magic rules, with the mysterious and unexplained.
Honestly, all those things are stuff that bugs me, but I can deal with them. I love star wars, for instance.
It's the characters, who grate on me with nearly everything they do, that forced me to just give up. I see plenty of people arguing for awesome moments later in the books and stuff, but when people talk about how awesome star wars is, they talk about the emotional dynamic with Luke and his father, the wittiness of Han Solo, the character of Rey and Finn and Poe. Similarly, most attribute the prequel's failing due to the poor execution of Anakin.
I don't see many people here talking about why any given character arc is worth reading the series for here. Just some giant battle with all the super stuff happening.
I gave up around book 11 and then came back when I heard Sanderson had written the last couple books and they were pretty damn good. It takes a long time and a lot of pages to get there and while there are some great moments scattered through out it can be a slog to get through at times. Not too mention its hard to keep track of all the different characters, plot lines and goings on as the story starts spanning half the world and multiple different nations, empires and so on.
I don't remember where I threw in the towel, but I think it was around book 8 or 9. I was interested in the first few, but it got very repetitive (that damn braid tugging was the single most ridiculous thing I've seen in published books) and while some of the developments were interesting I realized that there were better things to read.
Why stick with a series that, at best, is middling, when there are so many other better series out there?
Guy Gavriel Kay's Fionovar Tapestry does world building at least as well and doesn't drag things along interminably
I stopped reading at book 7 because I found it insufferable and I was still a kid then (many of the user names I have used online have stuck from back then as you can see here). I can't imagine how I would have made it beyond the first few books as an adult. I remember liking the Death's Gate Cycle books around the same time and wonder how bad those are in retrospect.
I moved on from fantasy around that time into stuff like Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, etc then stopped reading fiction altogether. I bought the Malazan: Book of the Fallen series thinking I would eventually come back to novels but I only managed to finish chapter 2 a few years ago.
Honestly, all those things are stuff that bugs me, but I can deal with them. I love star wars, for instance.
It's the characters, who grate on me with nearly everything they do, that forced me to just give up. I see plenty of people arguing for awesome moments later in the books and stuff, but when people talk about how awesome star wars is, they talk about the emotional dynamic with Luke and his father, the wittiness of Han Solo, the character of Rey and Finn and Poe. Similarly, most attribute the prequel's failing due to the poor execution of Anakin. I don't see many people here talking about why any given character arc is worth reading for here.
and Mat turns into a trickster general. Those are my two favorite characters arcs of the entire series. It just takes a while to get there. And Lan growing from living only for hunting the shadow into a more complete person with a wife and then how he is a major player in the very end of the series is so good.
I started reading the WoT series a few years ago but I also gave up at book 4. The weirdest part was after finishing the book I checked out some reviews and apparently book 4 is considered one of the best books of the series. If THIS is the highlight of Wheel of Time, man... you guys can keep enjoying your braid tugging and skirt straightening, I'm done.
I don't see many people here talking about why any given character arc is worth reading the series for here. Just some giant battle with all the super stuff happening.
Mat is probably the most loved character in the series. You wouldn't guess if after the first three books, he starts turning into that Mat with book 4.
Nynaeve is also a very popular character at the end of the series, but in the beginning she was an overmatched provincial young woman trying to protect 4 youths from Podunk from being completely overwhelmed. Her growth was fun to read.
I'm with you OP. I read the first book, and I didn't think it was terrible. But I was like... eh. I'm not doing this for eleven more more books until it gets exciting.
Now I'm reading Joe Abercrombie and it's... not great. It's entertaining, but not, like, thematically or psychologically sophisticated, or brilliantly written, or anything but thimble-deep.
I'm starting to wonder if fantasy really is a genre with very few actual great books in it. Will I like Brandon Sanderson any better? Or Patrick Rothfuss? Are there, like, bona fide great works of literature in the genre not written by Tolkien (or maybe Martin)?
I started reading the WoT series a few years ago but I also gave up at book 4. The weirdest part was after finishing the book I checked out some reviews and apparently book 4 is considered one of the best books of the series. If THIS is the highlight of Wheel of Time, man... you guys can keep enjoying your braid tugging and skirt straightening, I'm done.
Honestly, all those things are stuff that bugs me, but I can deal with them. I love star wars, for instance.
It's the characters, who grate on me with nearly everything they do, that forced me to just give up. I see plenty of people arguing for awesome moments later in the books and stuff, but when people talk about how awesome star wars is, they talk about the emotional dynamic with Luke and his father, the wittiness of Han Solo, the character of Rey and Finn and Poe. Similarly, most attribute the prequel's failing due to the poor execution of Anakin. I don't see many people here talking about why any given character arc is worth reading for here.
IMO the characters are mostly great. Mat, for instance, is one of the best characters in all of fantasy.
But I mean, if you're not connecting, you're probably never going to. Reading four books (and some of the best books in the series) is definitely giving the series a fair shake.
I'm with you OP. I read the first book, and I didn't think it was terrible. But I was like... eh. I'm not doing this for eleven more more books until it gets exciting.
Now I'm reading Joe Abercrombie and it's... not great. It's entertaining, but not, like, thematically or psychologically sophisticated, or brilliantly written, or anything but thimble-deep.
I'm starting to wonder if fantasy really is a genre with very few actual great books in it. Will I like Brandon Sanderson any better? Or Patrick Rothfuss? Are there, like, bona fide great works of literature in the genre not written by Tolkien (or maybe Martin)?
My dad reads a lot of fantasy and the series he always suggested to me were A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) and Malazan: Book of the Fallen. The latter isn't likely to be made into a TV series due to all the magic in it but I wouldn't say never I guess.
I'm with you OP. I read the first book, and I didn't think it was terrible. But I was like... eh. I'm not doing this for eleven more more books until it gets exciting.
Now I'm reading Joe Abercrombie and it's... not great. It's entertaining, but not, like, thematically or psychologically sophisticated, or brilliantly written, or anything but thimble-deep.
I'm starting to wonder if fantasy really is a genre with very few actual great books in it. Will I like Brandon Sanderson any better? Or Patrick Rothfuss? Are there, like, bona fide great works of literature in the genre not written by Tolkien (or maybe Martin)?
I do think traditional, Tolkien-inspired fantasy has very, very few actual great books in it. I'm struggling to think of any, actually. The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit...
I'd say Michael Moorcock, Robert E Howard, Fritz Leiber's Lankhmar stories, Jack Vance's Dying Earth - although these are most certainly pulp, they're also much, much better written than any Jordan or Sanderson, and certifiable classics. Also, Clark Ashton Smith's fantasy tales are super rad.
If you stretch the term "fantasy" a bit further, then there are obvious great works - Bradbury, Jeff VanderMeer's works, China Mieville, Neil Gaiman. If you include magical realism, then the door is blown wide open.
High fantasy, though...nah...best case, it's fun and doesn't melt your brain.
My dad reads a lot of fantasy and the series he always suggested to me were A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) and Malazan: Book of the Fallen. The latter isn't likely to be made into a series due to all the magic in it but I wouldn't say never I guess.
If you're reading fantasy for prose. Guy Gavriel Kay - A song for Arbonne/Tigana/Lions of El-Rassan/Sarantine Mosiac/Under Heaven/River of Stars. His first trilogy is considered his weakest work.
My dad reads a lot of fantasy and the series he always suggested to me were A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) and Malazan: Book of the Fallen. The latter isn't likely to be made into a series due to all the magic in it but I wouldn't say never I guess.
A Song of Ice and Fire is decent, and it's a fantasy classic, but a great work of literature? Eh, I dunno. I think Martin is quite good, though, and I also enjoyed Fevre Dream and some of his short stories.
I'll probably get some hate for this, but Malazan, IMO, is crap. It reads like a dude talking about his high level D&D adventure.
and Mat turns into a trickster general. Those are my two favorite characters arcs of the entire series. It just takes a while to get there. And Lan growing from living only for hunting the shadow into a more complete person with a wife and then how he is a major player in the very end of the series is so good.
Mat is probably the most loved character in the series. You wouldn't guess if after the first three books, he starts turning into that Mat with book 4.
Nynaeve is also a very popular character at the end of the series, but in the beginning she was an overmatched provincial young woman trying to protect 4 youths from Podunk from being completely overwhelmed. Her growth was fun to read.
IMO the characters are mostly great. Mat, for instance, is one of the best characters in all of fantasy.
But I mean, if you're not connecting, you're probably never going to. Reading four books (and some of the best books in the series) is definitely giving the series a fair shake.
As far as Mat goes, I hated him in books 1 and 2 for his breathtaking idiocy. "Don't touch anything here, the city is evil" and what does he fucking do? But I was told as soon as he gets out of bed, he has his first awesome moment where he defeats 2 warder trained soldiers. So I was thinking "how is he gonna pull that off?" Turns out, for no reason whatsoever, of course!
He just used a quarter staff. He was still injured and unable to walk easily, but he took out two trained soldiers, one of them being the best of the lot I think, no no reason I could make out. And then the sargeant gives a speech about how some world's greatest swordsman got his ass beat by a farmer with a quarterstaff. If quarterstaffs are for some bizarre reason such inherently better weapons that a half crippled idiot that never used one before can beat two of the best sword fighters, then you'd think they'd just ditch the swords.
If that's what you guys mean about Mat becoming awesome, then....I'll pass, to say the least. That's not awesome. Awesomeness has to be earned, and that was one of the dumbest things I've ever seen. Not even his luck can be used as an explanation since training is supposed to eliminate the element of luck.
I'm with you OP. I read the first book, and I didn't think it was terrible. But I was like... eh. I'm not doing this for eleven more more books until it gets exciting.
Now I'm reading Joe Abercrombie and it's... not great. It's entertaining, but not, like, thematically or psychologically sophisticated, or brilliantly written, or anything but thimble-deep.
I'm starting to wonder if fantasy really is a genre with very few actual great books in it. Will I like Brandon Sanderson any better? Or Patrick Rothfuss? Are there, like, bona fide great works of literature in the genre not written by Tolkien (or maybe Martin)?
I'm of the opinion that Pat Rothfuss' books are really, really good - they're very dense, multi-layered, all sorts of tricks in the language and style.
The only problem is WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR BOOK THREE AND HE'S JACKING OFF* ON STAGE AT PAX INSTEAD OF WRITING.
Yeah, the first time I tried getting through WOT, I stopped midway through book 7 (which is sad, because book 8 was where it really started to bog down in Aes Sedai politics).
Right. Like, I understand it's the climax of the series so you expect great things but I just don't think Sanderson surpassed Jordan on his own series or anything. He has his own style that I really enjoy, but it's not WOT.
I think Sanderson's books are legit Wheel of Time books, not just fan fiction , but I don't like Sanderson's style as much as Jordan's.
Sanderson is better with pacing and has a better economy of language, but Jordan's writing is more lyrical, and he has a greater knack for description. He also takes more time to let characters live and breathe in the world. He shows more ordinary moments, which helps bring a degree immersiveness to the setting.
Sanderson sometimes just wacks you in the head with things where Jordan would be more subtle. And Sanderson is absolutely committed to keeping the plot moving at a blistering pace. Sometimes he sacrifices a certain amount of depth to do this.
But the last three books are great. No doubt. Just not as good as the best books that Jordan wrote.
I thought book 4 was one of the better books. I quit after book 7. I had gotten tired of characters who appeared in one chapter in book two suddenly showing up again in book 6 and trying to remember who they were. They were needlessly drawn out too. There were whole chapters that could be cut without losing anything.
I'm of the opinion that Pat Rothfuss' books are really, really good - they're very dense, multi-layered, all sorts of tricks in the language and style.
The only problem is WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR BOOK THREE AND HE'S JACKING OFF* ON STAGE AT PAX INSTEAD OF WRITING.
I agree with that though I think WMF meanders massively and I have no idea how he's supposed to end the series in one book considering how little he has revealed of the actual plot as opposed to
I agree with that though I think WMF meanders massively and I have no idea how he's supposed to end the series in one book considering how little he has revealed of the actual plot as opposed to
I'm of the opinion that Pat Rothfuss' books are really, really good - they're very dense, multi-layered, all sorts of tricks in the language and style.
The only problem is WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR BOOK THREE AND HE'S JACKING OFF* ON STAGE AT PAX INSTEAD OF WRITING.
Also given the fact at one point he said he had actually finished the whole story.
Will be amazed if he does it all in one book from here.
Given how much effort he seems to put into the stories within the story (and their hidden meanings) his books really need more than one read. I agree he's a superb writer but I wish he'd get on with it.
I also gave up at book four, luckily my brother read them after me and loved them so it wasn't a waste.
He went on to buy the rest, was happy when Sanderson was announced as the one to take over, ecstatic to finally reach the end of the journey... Didn't like the ending. (He's still happy to have read the series though).
I gave up so long ago I can't remember why... I just lost interest I suppose, as I don't recall any one straw breaking the camel's back. Like an above Sanderson quote says, the books ended up just not really speaking to me.
I agree with that though I think WMF meanders massively and I have no idea how he's supposed to end the series in one book considering how little he has revealed of the actual plot as opposed to
The series is a meanderer as a whole. The actual "plot" of the series as people call it is not actually about finding the Chandrian, but about Kvothe going through his life. I mean, if you take the first book, it progresses the plot of the Chandrian very little:
The first big chunk of the book is just hanging around getting to know Kvothe himself. Then his parents are killed. Then he bums around as a street urchin for several chapters. Then he decides he wants to go to school find out more about the chandrian, so we get several chapters on that. Then he's not allowed to go to the library, so he does his classes and tries to pay his tuition and makes his friends. Then he hears a random rumor of something that might resemble the Chandrian. So he goes off, and after a long journey and a fight with a dragon, he gets a piece of pottery that confirms they actually exist, which is not something that we, the reader, actually doubted. All we figure out is that the Chandrian are trying to hide, which we could have figured out even from their first encounter if the reader was paying attention.
As a book about advancing the chandrian plot, both of Book 1 and 2 are horribly meandering. But while the chandrian plot may be their core, it's really about a story of Kvothe and how he's changed as a person.
That's why Felurian, who introduces him to the Fae realm and advances his understanding of women and gives him gifts
and so on, that's all relevant, while his sailing journey ended with a summary of "The usual shit happened."
King Killer Chronicles are not my favorite books, but I'm always surprised how many people just seem to miss that the sequel is no more meandering than the first entry.
I think Sanderson's books are legit Wheel of Time books, not just fan fiction , but I don't like Sanderson's style as much as Jordan's.
Sanderson is better with pacing and has a better economy of language, but Jordan's writing is more lyrical, and he has a greater knack for description. He also takes more time to let characters live and breathe in the world. He shows more ordinary moments, which helps bring a degree immersiveness to the setting.
Sanderson sometimes just wacks you in the head with things where Jordan would be more subtle. And Sanderson is absolutely committed to keeping the plot moving at a blistering pace. Sometimes he sacrifices a certain amount of depth to do this.
But the last three books are great. No doubt. Just not as good as the best books that Jordan wrote.
Yeah, so I guess I should rephrase slightly because my words gave a connotation I didn't intend. I don't consider Sanderson's work to be fanfic, it is the conclusion to WOT in my mind. It's basically "the right way" to end a series if you have to do so with a different author (contrasted with the conclusion to the Dune series).
The fact is though that it's a different author with a different style and a different voice, and you can definitely tell the difference. Sanderson has said that his job working on WOT is to essentially "get out of the way" of the story Jordan tried to tell and not put his own mark on it, and I think particularly in book 12 and 13 he was only partially successful.
The series is a meanderer as a whole. The actual "plot" of the series as people call it is not actually about finding the Chandrian, but about Kvothe going through his life. I mean, if you take the first book, it progresses the plot of the Chandrian very little:
The first big chunk of the book is just hanging around getting to know Kvothe himself. Then his parents are killed. Then he bums around as a street urchin for several chapters. Then he decides he wants to go to school find out more about the chandrian, so we get several chapters on that. Then he's not allowed to go to the library, so he does his classes and tries to pay his tuition and makes his friends. Then he hears a random rumor of something that might resemble the Chandrian. So he goes off, and after a long journey and a fight with a dragon, he gets a piece of pottery that confirms they actually exist, which is not something that we, the reader, actually doubted. All we figure out is that the Chandrian are trying to hide, which we could have figured out even from their first encounter if the reader was paying attention.
As a book about advancing the chandrian plot, both of Book 1 and 2 are horribly meandering. But while the chandrian plot may be their core, it's really about a story of Kvothe and how he's changed as a person.
That's why Felurian, who introduces him to the Fae realm and advances his understanding of women and gives him gifts
and so on, that's all relevant, while his sailing journey ended with a summary of "The usual shit happened."
King Killer Chronicles are not my favorite books, but I'm always surprised how many people just seem to miss that the sequel is no more meandering than the first entry.
I think WMF gets more crap for being meandering purely because it's the second book and you expect things to get going. I agree the pace is actually very similar to NoTW.
It just feels like there is a long way to go from
Young OP Kvothe to an old man who doesn't want to fight and a world that seems like it's on the edge of Armageddon.
Yeah, so I guess I should rephrase slightly because my words gave a connotation I didn't intend. I don't consider Sanderson's work to be fanfic, it is the conclusion to WOT in my mind. It's basically "the right way" to end a series if you have to do so with a different author (contrasted with the conclusion to the Dune series).
The fact is though that it's a different author with a different style and a different voice, and you can definitely tell the difference. Sanderson has said that his job working on WOT is to essentially "get out of the way" of the story Jordan tried to tell and not put his own mark on it, and I think particularly in book 12 and 13 he was only partially successful.
From what I've read, he was obviously a very big fan and wanted to do the series justice. Nice guy and all, but no authorial voice is quite the same as another's.
Still, I can't imagine what this series would be if Jordan was basically immortal and had no worries about continuing the story as long as possible.
He's not losing anything. If anything he's gaining large amounts of time back and avoiding massive frustration.
While I would have personally stuck with it a few more books, read the summaries, then finished it up with the Sanderson books, I fault no one for throwing in the towel earlier.
From what I've read, he was obviously a very big fan and wanted to do the series justice. Nice guy and all, but no authorial voice is quite the same as another's.
Still, I can't imagine what this series would be if Jordan was basically immortal and had no worries about continuing the story as long as possible.
I went to a book signing for Way of Kings and yeah, he was very obviously a huge fan of Jordan's work and felt incredibly fortunate to be able to deliver on AMOL.
As far as Mat goes, I hated him in books 1 and 2 for his breathtaking idiocy. "Don't touch anything here, the city is evil" and what does he fucking do? But I was told as soon as he gets out of bed, he has his first awesome moment where he defeats 2 warder trained soldiers. So I was thinking "how is he gonna pull that off?" Turns out, for no reason whatsoever, of course!
He just used a quarter staff. He was still injured and unable to walk easily, but he took out two trained soldiers, one of them being the best of the lot I think, no no reason I could make out. And then the sargeant gives a speech about how some world's greatest swordsman got his ass beat by a farmer with a quarterstaff. If quarterstaffs are for some bizarre reason such inherently better weapons that a half crippled idiot that never used one before can beat two of the best sword fighters, then you'd think they'd just ditch the swords.
If that's what you guys mean about Mat becoming awesome, then....I'll pass, to say the least. That's not awesome. Awesomeness has to be earned, and that was one of the dumbest things I've ever seen. Not even his luck can be used as an explanation since training is supposed to eliminate the element of luck.
You'll need to keep reading to understand why your criticism of Mat doesn't make sense. He's naturally lucky yes, but there's a lot more to it, as there is with Rand and Perrin.
Mat is a legitimately good character, and I don't say that about most of the WOT cast.
I went to a book signing for Way of Kings and yeah, he was very obviously a huge fan of Jordan's work and felt incredibly fortunate to be able to deliver on AMOL.
You're on the cusp of when the books get good OP...and then they get kind of stale and boring and blend together a bit...and then finally they get good again.
I love Wheel of Time and how a lot of the things about that book series but I can completely understand people giving up on it or hating it. My girlfriend couldn't even get through book one because of Jordan's ridiculous writing style. Anyways if you ever feel the opposite and want to give it one more go OP, I encourage you to do so. If not, there's tons of other great Fantasy books that should be on your radar I could suggest.
Oh yeah I agree. I also went to a signing for a Sanderson book (The Words of Radiance) and he loved the opportunity BUT he equated having to do the Wheel of Time books (or being told he was doing them) to having just getting his footing in learning how to swim in a pool then being thrown into an Ocean and being told "okay now do this". He felt extremely honored for the privilege but was incredibly intimidated.
You're on the cusp of when the books get good OP...and then they get kind of stale and boring and blend together a bit...and then finally they get good again.
I love Wheel of Time and how a lot of the things about that book series but I can completely understand people giving up on it or hating it. My girlfriend couldn't even get through book one because of Jordan's ridiculous writing style. Anyways if you ever feel the opposite and want to give it one more go OP, I encourage you to do so. If not, there's tons of other great Fantasy books that should be on your radar I could suggest.
I read through the series from the start waaaay back in the day when I was in grade school, and was along for the ride until Sanderson finished it up.
I enjoyed it for what it was, but there is so much bloat to the series I have a hard time recommending it to anyone else. It should really be a third as long as it is. Long as the series is, events STILL come off feeling rushed at the conclusion: had Jordan not died I doubt it would have ended by now.
You're on the cusp of when the books get good OP...and then they get kind of stale and boring and blend together a bit...and then finally they get good again.
I love Wheel of Time and how a lot of the things about that book series but I can completely understand people giving up on it or hating it. My girlfriend couldn't even get through book one because of Jordan's ridiculous writing style. Anyways if you ever feel the opposite and want to give it one more go OP, I encourage you to do so. If not, there's tons of other great Fantasy books that should be on your radar I could suggest.
I absolutely second this part. If it isn't for you, definitely get out; there are tons of other book series that are great that you shouldn't have to slog through this love it or hate it series.
I just started re-reading the Wheel of Time series again. Currently I am about ¼ of the way through book 5. The farthest I got was halfway through 8, about 14 years ago. About 5 years ago I tried again, but quit after book 3 I think. THIS TIME .I feel I can power on through to the end. I havent read your post yet, I am writing this so I bookmark this topic and so I can come back to it later. But I have to say this is one of my favorite fantasy series ever. My disdain for the mundane details in the past has turned into love for the intricate descriptions to help flesh scenes out. The use of repeated lines, phrases, explanations does indeed get a tad tiresome, but, I can look past all that. Will be commenting again soonish, once I can read your mini book
This is one of my favorite fantasy series of all time, but based on your post OP I think you made the right decision to move on.
If you are the sort of reader who is bothered by the fact that everybody speaks the same language, the binary nature of the good-vs-evil storyline, the fact that everyone just buys into the reality of prophecy... Well, you're just not cut out to read these books. The vibe is more on the level of something like Star Wars than Game of Thrones. I love that about it, but some readers want something a little more grounded.
Another poster said the books were basically pulpy fantasy soap operas, and he is right on the money. They are wonderful, old-fashioned adventure stories. And they completely lack any sort of cynical, hardened realism. At times they can be as corny as Saturday morning cartoons.
But the world building is great (within that pulpy, old fashioned context) and the magic system is amazing--a great mix of hard magic rules, with the mysterious and unexplained. The series is littered with amazing epic moments, great battles that rival anything in the entirety of fantasy literature... It's just a huge series in every way. I love it, but it's definitely a love it or hate it series. And there are some slow books. Even as a huge fan, I'll be the first to admit that there is a big slowdown from book 7 to 10. The early books are some of the best, and if you don't love those, you'll never make it through the rough patch.
Yeah, for me the series works best if you read it as an escape. I can appreciate darker types of fantasy like ASOIAF for instance, or KJ Parker's books, but sometimes I just want a good yarn.
Yeah, for me the series works best if you read it as an escape. I can appreciate darker types of fantasy like ASOIAF for instance, or KJ Parker's books, but sometimes I just want a good yarn.
This keeps coming up, but I don't disagree with it's basic premise...I mention that it gives the feeling of a classic epic both in the OP of this thread and in the other one for books 1-3.
I just don't think it's a good example of one. The characters are all insufferable, the relationships dynamics very similar, the gender binary theme being increasingly annoying, the over descriptive prose a complete bore to get through, the world building questionable, the antagonist simplistic....
I'm all for a fun fantasy romp. Sign me the fuck up.
But I don't see what is fun about WoT so far. And if there is fun to be had in book 11, I don't see it it being worth the price of admission when that price is 10 increasingly dull books.
