reread and finaly starting final book Question

[Guest Scott Winfield]

I started reading this series when I was in sixth grade with the Dragon reborn, then Eye of the world and great hunt and shadow rising.  These four books were earlier in my fantasy reading history and helped define epic books, both fantasy and sci fi for the rest of my life.  All other authors are judged by his example, with Tokien coming in second for me, his books were just harder for me to follow through.   

So just a few months ago I started to re read the series in an effort to prepared my self to finally finish the final book in the series.  For the most part I've decided to listen to the series on audio first, but my question is should I read or listen to the audio book of the final book for the first go through?   I ask because I have never had the chance to listen to a Robert Jordan WOT book first,  the books came out long before the audio until near the last few and I always enjoyed doing both.   So what do you guys think read or Listen for the first time?

 

I never finished the final book beyond the first fourth because I didn't want it to end,  it would by like the last piece of my childhood ending and their would never be another book after that. 

[2RiversFan]

Hello Scott,

 

My experience was almost completely opposite to yours, except for not wanting it to end.  I discovered and read through the first 13 books in less than 2 months in the summer of 2011, then couldn't wait for the final one.  Once it came, I had no desire for the story and Randland to end.

As for your major question posed, I'm biased towards book in hand.  The stories on audio books are the wrong pacing for me more than half of the time I'm listening to them.  

Whichever you choose, be sure to come back and discuss once you've finished it.  

Cheers 

[tkarrde421]

I'm with 2RiversFan. Read the book first. Not only is personal pacing important, but real-life distractions could make you miss some tiny detail that is important to enjoying the rest of the book. The way that Robert Jordan wrote (and Sanderson tried to emulate) is that mundane moments turn into life-altering ones in the blink of an Eye (see what I did there?).

 

I've lost track of the amount of rereads I've been through, but I think I'm equally divided between book and audiobook at this point; with physical copy always coming first.

 

The first book I had to wait for when I first discovered the series was Lord of Chaos. After that, I had a ritual that involved reading up to "there are neither beginnings nor endings to the wheel of time, but it was A beginning"... and then I would wait a full day in anticipation of continuing the story! Oh, how I miss that.

 

SoI totally understand your not wanting the series to end. These characters followed me throughout my childhood. When everything else changed, they were the one constant.

[TheSociopath]

I would also vote for the books. 

During my first read through, I remember, as I was reading the climax of Lord of Chaos, I was so into it, that it far closer to being dreaming than anything else.

 

... Come to think of it, I might actually have been partially asleep and dreaming at the time. It was incredibly vivid.