Interviews and News Articles

[king of nowhere]

3 hours ago, fra85uk said:

The funny thing is that if you read the article they heavily trash the show(acting, cgi, dialogue etc) but all is good anyway because of the "message"

no, it's good because it's overall good, despite its flaws.

In the same way that a beautiful girl with a pimple on her nose and slightly overweight is still beautiful.

Quote

In a way, The Wheel of Time TV series has the same issue as The Wheel of Time novels—it’s a captivating narrative obscured underneath a bevy of ultimately cosmetic problems. And in a way, that makes the show a more accurate and authentic adaptation than those hardcore fans might realize.

That part was ????

 

that would have made for a better example, really. the wot books are full of flaws, but they still tell a beautiful story. the same goes for the show

[ArrylT]

9 hours ago, Sir_Charrid said:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/wheel-of-time-showrunner-interview-1235051283/

Not sure if this one has been posted but a few interesting points that indicate Rafes thinking behind certain aspects. I fully agree that the Aes Sedai needed to be introduced fully in season 1. I also understand that if you focus on Rand for winters night then, as he says, you don't really get an introduction to the other characters (Mat is my fav character in the books but really he didn't click for me until about book 4 first time of reading). 

I still think Eomonds Field could have done with a slightly longer slower intro. 

 

That was one of the better articles I have read - I think the interviewer did a good job of asking the right questions in a way that allowed Rafe to answer them in detail.  

[SingleMort]

3 hours ago, MasterAblar said:

The Wheel of Timeshow has modernized, streamlined, and focused the sprawling, byzantine, and more-than-occasionally problematic narrative told by Jordan in the massive 14-book series.

 

That doesn’t even make sense. None of that describes the 1st book which is what most of the 1st season is based on. 
 

The 1st book is the opposite as it’s entirely told from Rand point of view (or nearly so).

Yeah but this guy would have actually had to read the book to know that. Also congrats on him using his word of the day "byzantine" I don't even remember RJ using language that archaic in any WoT book even those 30 years ago. 

[Skipp]

I discovered pReview'd while WoT was airing and have really enjoyed their takes on the series.  Having 1 book reader and 1 nonbook reader views is super helpful.  They released their episode on the season finale really gives a great view of how the two camps can react.

 

 

[ArrylT]

https://medium.com/fan-fare/10-savvy-updates-to-the-wheel-of-time-that-make-it-worth-binge-watching-7fe8e9a27340

 

Makes a solid point regarding the Stepin arc (along with plenty of other thought provoking comments).

 

Spoiler

These major additions are also faithful to the structure of the books, which tell many ‘mini’ stories about people in the world to flesh it out.

 

 

Edited January 1, 2022 by ArrylT

[TheMountain]

I find it curious that a lot of the big names that reviewed episodes 1-6 prior to release have not reviewed the finale, or at least updated their season reviews to include episodes 7-8.

[Ralph]

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/even-worse-than-the-book-amazon-primes-the-wheel-of-time-reviewed

 

I imagine this one will annoy everyone here

[JenniferL]

2 hours ago, TheMountain said:

I find it curious that a lot of the big names that reviewed episodes 1-6 prior to release have not reviewed the finale, or at least updated their season reviews to include episodes 7-8.

No one publishes new content between Christmas and New Years. 
 

Anyways, I think we’ve noticed most of these but it’s a fun list. https://www.buzzfeed.com/taylablaire/easter-eggs-in-the-wheel-of-time-tv-show

[EmreY]

1 hour ago, JenniferL said:

No one publishes new content between Christmas and New Years. 
 

Anyways, I think we’ve noticed most of these but it’s a fun list. https://www.buzzfeed.com/taylablaire/easter-eggs-in-the-wheel-of-time-tv-show

 

I must say I missed the ortolan and the dog.

[flinn]

 Any of you know about book sale increases? I am curious how it is being effected.

 

 I was just at Books a Million with my grandson, he was buying manga books with his gift card. Next to the manga section (in the middle of the main aisle) was a table that said TV and it had Witcher, Hobbit, Wheel, and Shadow and Bone books. There were 3 employees near the table, so I asked them.. "Has there been a spike in sells since Wheel of Time tv show came out?"  They looked at me like I was an alien or something so I repeated myself "The Wheel of Time, have sells spiked since the show came out?" Still all looked confused so I asked "You do know there is a Wheel of Time tv show right?" one answered "No, had no idea".

 

 We get up to checkout and I hear the cashier talking to the customer in front of us "Since the tv show came out the books are selling like crazy." So I ask, "What show are you talking about?" and she said "The Witcher"...

 

 She did say WoT was selling but nothing like the Witcher.

[ArrylT]

Always funny how we all have different experiences.     When I was at the nearest bookstore to where I live - they had all 14 books in the Fantasy section - and 6 months ago I do not recall them having any on the shelves (but obviously stock in warehouses).  

 

I asked the manager how sales were doing, and he said that they were very brisk - I didnt ask about other series though.  

 

Anyways while 5-6 weeks old - this article has it as the 5th best selling fiction book (not fantasy but fiction overall)

 

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/wheel-of-time-book-sales-spike-amazon-prime/

 

That is apparently up since Sept

 

https://amazonadviser.com/2021/09/15/sold-amazon-books-september-5/

 

Which had it at 13th.

 

Today currently it is 3rd overall for fiction - according to most recent sales figures.

 

https://www.amazon.ca/charts/2021-12-26/mostread/fiction/ref=dp_chrtbg_dbs_1

 

and 6th most read?

 

https://www.amazon.ca/charts/2021-12-26/mostsold/fiction?ref=chrt_bk_dx_intra_sd_fc

Edited January 2, 2022 by ArrylT

[ArrylT]

I may have those 2 charts inversed by error.  Either way top 10 in both being sold & read.  

[DaddyFinn]

On 12/30/2021 at 9:39 PM, Sir_Charrid said:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/wheel-of-time-showrunner-interview-1235051283/

Not sure if this one has been posted but a few interesting points that indicate Rafes thinking behind certain aspects. I fully agree that the Aes Sedai needed to be introduced fully in season 1. I also understand that if you focus on Rand for winters night then, as he says, you don't really get an introduction to the other characters (Mat is my fav character in the books but really he didn't click for me until about book 4 first time of reading). 

I still think Eomonds Field could have done with a slightly longer slower intro. 

From that interview

 

Quote

We have other writers in the room who’ve read every single book and grew up loving them.

 

[Scarloc99]

16 hours ago, Ralph said:

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/even-worse-than-the-book-amazon-primes-the-wheel-of-time-reviewed

 

I imagine this one will annoy everyone here

Actually I think it is a fair reflection of book 1. When I first read WOT Lord Of Chaos had just come out in Paperback in the UK, I was looking for books to take on our family holiday, 6 weeks in a caravan in France so bought the first 6 books (I didn't realise at the time that the series wasn't over). I think, had I not bought all 6, I would have stopped at Eye of the World for many of the reasons this reviewer gives. Many of the people I have leant Eye of the World to have told me they won't be carrying on, some didn't make it half way through that book. RJ has talked about how the book was written as an homage to Tolkein and for me, who reads Lord of the Rings roughly once a year or so, that leaps off the page for me. In fact it wasn't until books 3 and 4 that I really started to love the series as opposed to reading it because I had nothing else on holiday with me. 

Edited January 2, 2022 by Sir_Charrid

[flinn]

23 minutes ago, Sir_Charrid said:

Actually I think it is a fair reflection of book 1. When I first read WOT Lord Of Chaos had just come out in Paperback in the UK, I was looking for books to take on our family holiday, 6 weeks in a caravan in France so bought the first 6 books (I didn't realise at the time that the series wasn't over). I think, had I not bought all 6, I would have stopped at Eye of the World for many of the reasons this reviewer gives. Many of the people I have leant Eye of the World to have told me they won't be carrying on, some didn't make it half way through that book. RJ has talked about how the book was written as an homage to Tolkein and for me, who reads Lord of the Rings roughly once a year or so, that leaps off the page for me. In fact it wasn't until books 3 and 4 that I really started to love the series as opposed to reading it because I had nothing else on holiday with me. 

 I have always felt sorta the same way... I read the prologue and thought oh yeah, this is going to be good. Turned the page and boom we are in a LoTR book. I didnt especially care for it, BUT, I knew the pay off was the prologue so I pushed through the LoTR section to get to the real books.

 

 Something people need to keep in mind also... back then there was ONE template for fantasy. If you wanted to be published in the fantasy genre, you had best follow that template... and of course that template was based on the only truly successful fantasy books written, LOTR. So in some ways that was a requirement. Look at almost all of the notable fantasy books around that same time period, you will notice they all have very similar aspects.. LOTR. Once he was published, then he was able to write HIS story.

 

 Once again, the prologue made a huge difference in expectations.

[JenniferL]

18 hours ago, flinn said:

 Any of you know about book sale increases? I am curious how it is being effected.

 

 I was just at Books a Million with my grandson, he was buying manga books with his gift card. Next to the manga section (in the middle of the main aisle) was a table that said TV and it had Witcher, Hobbit, Wheel, and Shadow and Bone books. There were 3 employees near the table, so I asked them.. "Has there been a spike in sells since Wheel of Time tv show came out?"  They looked at me like I was an alien or something so I repeated myself "The Wheel of Time, have sells spiked since the show came out?" Still all looked confused so I asked "You do know there is a Wheel of Time tv show right?" one answered "No, had no idea".

 

 We get up to checkout and I hear the cashier talking to the customer in front of us "Since the tv show came out the books are selling like crazy." So I ask, "What show are you talking about?" and she said "The Witcher"...

 

 She did say WoT was selling but nothing like the Witcher.

Brandon said in one of the livestreams that the series was back on bestseller lists, but he wasn’t specific beyond that. 
 

I can tell you that JordanCon is going to have its largest attendance ever in 2022. We’ve had to cap membership at 1200, otherwise we’d still be selling them. Our largest year previously was 850ish. 

[Elgee]

5 hours ago, Sir_Charrid said:

I think, had I not bought all 6, I would have stopped at Eye of the World for many of the reasons this reviewer gives. Many of the people I have leant Eye of the World to have told me they won't be carrying on, some didn't make it half way through that book.

 

I actually got hooked right from the beginning, because I could relate to the characters. I come from a farm and farming community. The people seemed conservative, sober and hard-working just like the community in which I grew up. This could be why I hated the first episode of the TV series - they turned the Emonds Fielders into people I could NOT relate to. No farmer I've ever known hangs out in taverns getting drunk. Maybe it's a British thing? They do love their pub culture ... LoL

[Ralph]

https://dragonmount.com/news/tv-show/hammed-animashaun-interview/

[Ralph]

https://winteriscoming.net/2022/01/02/why-the-wheel-of-time-succeeds-as-an-adaptation-and-the-witcher-fails/

[TheMountain]

1 hour ago, Ralph said:

https://winteriscoming.net/2022/01/02/why-the-wheel-of-time-succeeds-as-an-adaptation-and-the-witcher-fails/

Lots of pieces coming out like this, all repeating the same talking points but not really addressing any of the criticism despite a nebulous "some fans hate it and some fans love it."

[ArrylT]

3 hours ago, Ralph said:

https://winteriscoming.net/2022/01/02/why-the-wheel-of-time-succeeds-as-an-adaptation-and-the-witcher-fails/

 

I like what they said here:

 

Quote

A note before we begin: Opinions and tastes are subjective, especially with reviews like this. Both of these shows have done things that some fans have liked and others have loathed. I’m not here to try and convince you that you should or shouldn’t like a show; enjoy what you enjoy. What I am going to do is dissect how these shows are in conversation with their source material.

 

[ArrylT]

On 1/1/2022 at 11:17 PM, ArrylT said:

I may have those 2 charts inversed by error.  Either way top 10 in both being sold & read.  

 

Amazon has now moved the book to #2 overall in fiction most read & 4th for most sold (apparently they update hourly)

 

https://www.amazon.com/charts/mostread/fiction/ref=bsm_char_read_fict/ref=s9_acss_bw_cg_bsmmost_1d1_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-5&pf_rd_r=2TJBH799Y8SMCGA13NQA&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=b002db58-023b-4351-b141-a1a53581648c&pf_rd_i=16857165011

[Vartija]

Anecdotal evidence, but ever since I first read WoT around 2015 I've browsed the fantasy section in my city's bookstores for the books just to check out the cover art etc. (I have the series on iBooks form). However, WoT has been almost non existent on the shelves. I have a vague memory of seeing some of them available maybe before I first read the books in early 2010s and I think one copy of AMoL in one of those bargain sale bins a couple of years ago. At the same time every book store has ASOIAF, Tolkien, Witcher, and a bunch of other writers available, and has had for years (well maybe not Witcher until a couple of years ago). 

 

That has definitely changed this year. Availability is still not great in all stores, but at least the biggest book store in my nearest city had a shelf full of WoT books for the first time in I'd say at least five years. So I definitely think the series is garnering interest in the books too.   

[ArrylT]

No idea how long this link will last - and will totally understand if Dragonmount deletes this post but here is (from twitter) a link to a really early script for Ep1

 

http://tvwriting.co.uk/tv_scripts/2021/Drama/Wheel_of_Time_1x01_-_Leavetaking.pdf

 

 

[MasterAblar]

1 hour ago, ArrylT said:

No idea how long this link will last - and will totally understand if Dragonmount deletes this post but here is (from twitter) a link to a really early script for Ep1

 

http://tvwriting.co.uk/tv_scripts/2021/Drama/Wheel_of_Time_1x01_-_Leavetaking.pdf

 

 

 

By far the greatest difference here is that Moiraine does not reveal that one of them is the Dragon Reborn.