Hot Take (perhaps?)

[kedryn alan]

I wonder what WoT would have been if Tor had kept RJ to six books. I wonder if the quality of the story would have been higher overall, with less additives weighing down the story. Would we have avoided book 10 (?) which covered a week of time from 4 difference characters PoV? I feel like the first 6 books were amazing and then began a decided drop in the quality of the books. I enjoyed the books as a whole, but I LOVED the first 6 books. The Battle of Dumai’s Wells is probably my favorite scene of any book. I wish the whole series could have kept the pacing of the first 3 books and the quality of the first 6. 

[Juan Farstrider]

I think we would have lost a lot, not dismissing your points though which I'd probably see as tighter writing. I think of just how many things come together in the end, and how much Egwene and Nynaeve grow as characters. I do think Perrin was in a holding pattern for way too long. Also, RJ was ill and that had a big impact. 

I guess I think if it were six books we would have had six excellent books, but we would not have had the ending we got. For me, the way so much comes together, emphasis on the so much part that comes together, is what stands out. 

I agree about a drop in quality, and in inconsistency in some of the chapters compared to others in the same book also. If not for the quality of the quality, I would not have stuck it out to get to the ending, which for me was the most satisfying part of it.