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A WHEEL OF TIME COMMUNITY

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Posted

So I haven't seen a thread on this topic, but I was wondering about readers' opinions. 

 

I don't have either of these reference works, but I do have the entire series (including New Spring).  Which do people think is most worthwhile, or is it worth getting both?

Posted

I've got The World of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, aka The Big Book of Bad Art, both in BBBA and paperback form. As yet I don't have The Wheel of Time Companion.

 

The BBBA is basically an encyclopedia of WoT, useful as such. I don't know about the WoT Companion. But the BBBA gives articles on The Breaking of the World, the Forsaken, the Ten Nations, Arthur Pendraeg, the nations as they are in WoT times, the Aes Sedai as they are in WoT times, etc. FWIW

Posted

'The World' was okay.  Added a bit of information to the books, but I haven't read it for a while.  Will probably start with that for my next re-read.  I thought it was worth purchasing.

 

The Companion was a big disappointment for me.  Was expecting a lot of new information: fleshing out of Aiel warrior societies, expanding on culture of Ebou Dar, Tear, Borderlands, and etc.  How do the holidays work in different lands, why do the nations interact the way they do...  I found no additional information that wasn't in the books.  All that said - it is still an extremely good reference when reading the books.  Keeping characters straight and referencing events from earlier books.

 

And a new book 'Origins' is coming out later this year.  Looking forward to it.  Goes into history and mythology Jordan drew on for the series.  New maps and an alternate scene.

 

I believe the first two are worth having even if not exactly what I expected.  'Origins' will be on my shelf as well.

Posted

I own both.  Short answer is I love The World of The Wheel of Time but consider the Wheel of Time Companion to be unnecessary.

 

I bought The World of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time when it was published and it's a very good reference book, a glossy hardcover coffee table book with articles on The Age of Legends, War of Power, Seanchan and so on.  It's only flaw is that it was published mid-series (1997) so it won't be comprehensive as more information will have been revealed in series in the later books.  I don't think that spoils it or renders it obsolete but caveat emptor.

 

Here's my review of the WOT companion on Amazon

 

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Posted
  On 7/30/2022 at 1:01 PM, SinisterDeath said:

Read the section on Bela.

🤣

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That's just a joke, though.  There's no new material to say what happened with Elayne's children or Perrin being consort to the new Queen of Saldaea and so on.  There doesn't have to be but I was hoping there would be some broad strokes or outlines.

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Posted
  On 7/30/2022 at 7:52 PM, Stedding Tofu said:

That's just a joke, though.  There's no new material to say what happened with Elayne's children or Perrin being consort to the new Queen of Saldaea and so on.  There doesn't have to be but I was hoping there would be some broad strokes or outlines.

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It's cannon. 

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Posted
  On 7/31/2022 at 1:17 PM, Stedding Tofu said:
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It's still cannon. We don't know that Rand didn't "fix" her. 😉 

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

OT I've got the second of the Damn You Autocorrect books. Am I glad I never got an iPhone! Its final example of Autocorrect fail is "Dead Steve Jobs, Spank your Kindle for the iPoo Ouch", Autocorrect's opinion of what "Dear Steve Jobs, Thank you kindly for the iPod Touch" actually means ... 🤣

Posted

Wheel of Time Companion clarified charaters for me.  It also has comments on some survivors of the the last battle which were not in the books.  It is not complete on the survivors though, leaving out who among the Aes Sedia died.  Helpful and disappointing at the same time.

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Posted
  On 8/10/2022 at 2:22 PM, Remodel said:

Wheel of Time Companion clarified charaters for me.  It also has comments on some survivors of the the last battle which were not in the books.  It is not complete on the survivors though, leaving out who among the Aes Sedia died.  Helpful and disappointing at the same time.

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My AMOL edition re Bela (Kindle, Page 849):

 

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Posted
  On 8/10/2022 at 8:40 PM, Stedding Tofu said:

My AMOL edition re Bela (Kindle, Page 849):

 

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I thought so, but was too lazy to look it up myself. Thank you. 

Posted
  On 8/10/2022 at 8:40 PM, Stedding Tofu said:

My AMOL edition re Bela (Kindle, Page 849):

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

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And the discrepancy would be retconned as yet another example of an "unreliable narrator."

That's what Olver thought happened, but he couldn't stick around to make sure.  Being slightly busy trying not to die at the time.

Bear in mind that he was wrong about the absolute necessity of getting the Horn to Mat, as well.

Posted
  On 8/11/2022 at 1:17 AM, Andra said:

And the discrepancy would be retconned as yet another example of an "unreliable narrator."

That's what Olver thought happened, but he couldn't stick around to make sure.  Being slightly busy trying not to die at the time.

Bear in mind that he was wrong about the absolute necessity of getting the Horn to Mat, as well.

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The last sentence: 'She whinnied..." is not Olver narrating.  It is the author.

 

Olver would not have used that language had he been relaxed without a care in the world, much less having just been thrown from a horse with a murderous mob breathing down his neck.  The text is too chill.

 

Not being a horse biology expert, the arrow placement is problematic for 'instant' death.  Except that Bela was old, fat and run beyond her limits once more.  I'll go with the text of the novel rather than a feel good 'correction' that came out two years later.  I'll go with @Stedding Tofu in that it was a joke by Harriet/publishers and that the defenders are just trolling us.

Posted

For me, the answer is both. They reflect each other. Each book has more than the other, because of the focus of each.

 

The White Book is written like a book that you could find in world. It backs up certain information, and it is refuted in some cases in later books.  The Forsaken is a case in this regard. Each section on each individual is in some cases backed up and contradicted based on the entry, and certain figures, like Lanfear, actually do both. It is a basic factor of in world themes.

 

The Companion is a book that is written to expand the lore for readers, and also have information that did not happen, such as the Bela entry. One aspect I love is the Old Tongue dictionary aspect, especially the Forsaken name meanings. I love them, and their entire arcs in the books make sense when you read some of their names. In all cases, even their defeats fit them.

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Posted
  On 8/11/2022 at 6:52 AM, DojoToad said:

Not being a horse biology expert, the arrow placement is problematic for 'instant' death.  Except that Bela was old, fat and run beyond her limits once more.  I'll go with the text of the novel rather than a feel good 'correction' that came out two years later.  I'll go with @Stedding Tofu in that it was a joke by Harriet/publishers and that the defenders are just trolling us.

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Rand enhanced Bela down to her very genetics in book 1. There is no reason that horse should ever been able to keep up (speed) with Lan's horse. By all rights, Egwene & Bela should have died in Book 1 if Rand didn't do more than just heal Bela's "stamina". 🙂

Posted (edited)
  On 8/11/2022 at 2:25 PM, SinisterDeath said:

Rand enhanced Bela down to her very genetics in book 1. There is no reason that horse should ever been able to keep up (speed) with Lan's horse. By all rights, Egwene & Bela should have died in Book 1 if Rand didn't do more than just heal Bela's "stamina". 🙂

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So you're saying that Rand is the reincarnation of Aginor rather than Lews Therin???

 

Then what was all that nonsense at the Eye?

Edited by DojoToad
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Posted
  On 8/11/2022 at 3:07 PM, DojoToad said:

So you're saying that Rand is the reincarnation of Aginor rather than Lews Therin???

 

Then what was all that nonsense at the Eye?

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Where did I say he was the reincarnation of Aginor? That doesn't even make sense because Aginor was literally alive at the Eye of the World for like 6 seconds.

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