How did you get into the Wheel of Time?

[HeronMarkedBlade]

I think the publics history with a property is often just as interesting and vast as the property itself, so I'm wondering what history the members here have with the series. 

 

I started the Eye of the World at 10, in 1991, and finished the series with the release of of the final novel 22 year later. I lived near this book store, Daniel's Fine Books, and by an older gentleman, Daniel Charles Jacob. I used to tease him for having three first names. The store being near is relative, I live on a farm in the country and it was miles on bike into town. Anyway, when Eye of the World released a few months before and they had a few copies in the window. I knew the owner very well, I always did a large amount of reading and he suggested I would like it.  I definitely could not afford it, and he knew that, so he got me to help him around the store for two hours. Nothing serious, just sweeping, putting away some books, the normal stuff you'd have a child do when you give them a "job". I went home with the book, and my mom promptly called to ensure I hadn't stolen it. I read that old hardcover multiple times before the release of The Great Hunt. Before breakfast. Between chores. Out in the barn reading in the hay. I truly fell in love with it. 

 

I bought every book up to Winter's Heart in that store until Daniel died at the age of 82 in the summer of 2001. I helped his wife pack up the store, she let me take any of the older books I wanted, by the end he didn't purchase new books any more, it became unofficially a used book shop in the final years, where you could special order from connections of his. He was a great guy and a mentor me for a decade. 

 

I was lucky enough to meet Jordan several times throughout the two decades I knew of him. Multiple readings and book store events, when he was healthy. Him and meeting Andre the Giant when I was 5 (because to a 5 year old, that's like a real giant) and going to prerelease chapter readings with Jordan are my most memorable experiences with celebrities. 

 

Without a doubt, it's been my favorite world to explore for over three decades now. I often just pick up whatever book I'm nostalgic for and re-read it, and have done many rereads over the years. 

 

So lets hear it? How did you discover it? 

[Lightfriendsocialmistress]

13 hours ago, HeronMarkedBlade said:

I think the publics history with a property is often just as interesting and vast as the property itself, so I'm wondering what history the members here have with the series. 

 

I started the Eye of the World at 10, in 1991, and finished the series with the release of of the final novel 22 year later. I lived near this book store, Daniel's Fine Books, and by an older gentleman, Daniel Charles Jacob. I used to tease him for having three first names. The store being near is relative, I live on a farm in the country and it was miles on bike into town. Anyway, when Eye of the World released a few months before and they had a few copies in the window. I knew the owner very well, I always did a large amount of reading and he suggested I would like it.  I definitely could not afford it, and he knew that, so he got me to help him around the store for two hours. Nothing serious, just sweeping, putting away some books, the normal stuff you'd have a child do when you give them a "job". I went home with the book, and my mom promptly called to ensure I hadn't stolen it. I read that old hardcover multiple times before the release of The Great Hunt. Before breakfast. Between chores. Out in the barn reading in the hay. I truly fell in love with it. 

 

I bought every book up to Winter's Heart in that store until Daniel died at the age of 82 in the summer of 2001. I helped his wife pack up the store, she let me take any of the older books I wanted, by the end he didn't purchase new books any more, it became unofficially a used book shop in the final years, where you could special order from connections of his. He was a great guy and a mentor me for a decade. 

 

I was lucky enough to meet Jordan several times throughout the two decades I knew of him. Multiple readings and book store events, when he was healthy. Him and meeting Andre the Giant when I was 5 (because to a 5 year old, that's like a real giant) and going to prerelease chapter readings with Jordan are my most memorable experiences with celebrities. 

 

Without a doubt, it's been my favorite world to explore for over three decades now. I often just pick up whatever book I'm nostalgic for and re-read it, and have done many rereads over the years. 

 

So lets hear it? How did you discover it? 

This is a great question! Your story is not only interesting but does a wonderful job of illustrating how the series has affected you. I would love to hear that too from other readers answers, how did you get into it AND how has it impacted you? In my case, I had a period of time where I was frequently waiting for prescriptions at the pharmacy. I became friendly with one of the pharmacists from spending so much time there. He noticed that I would bring a book to pass the time and at the time I was reading ASOIAF. One day he pulled the first two WOT books from behind the counter saying he was keeping them there to give me the next time I came in because he knew that if I enjoyed ASOIAF, I would LOVE WOT. He was right. Off the top of my head one example of how it’s impacted my life or choices is that I dated someone based on our mutual obsession with the books and continued longer than what would have otherwise been over sooner because of that. (It wasn’t the pharmacist 😂 he was sweet but quite old)

[WheelofJuke]

My dad read stuff like Tolkien and CS Lewis to me as bedtime stories when I was a young kid. Naturally, I gravitated towards the fantasy genre in my youth because of that. 

I would peruse the relatively tiny fantasy section of the local small town bookstore, a Hallmark's in the local mall, and these HUGE books would always stand out to me. Those huge books? EotW through I believe FoH.

I finally ended up buying one circa 1995, at the age of 14 or 15.  Didn't get farther than halfway through FoH before going off to college in '98.

Probably never would've read them again but I met a kid at college who was a huge fan and would talk to me about fan theories, encourage me to catch up (so he could discuss fan theories lol), and also mentioned there was this new place to check out related information online...which led to my first visits to this site many years ago. 

Life type stuff happened, and I put the series down until I heard amazon had picked it up and was adapting. I thought, "Oh geez, I've avoided spoilers all these years, better get on it and finish." So I bought the remaining books (PoD thru MoL) and completed my first full read thru (I had read the first three to four books numerous times). 

Now that the first read through has settled I'm currently almost finished with TGH on my second full read through, which is highly rewarding because I'm catching many subtle things I missed in the early books, especially TGH. 

Enjoy hearing everyone's discovery and journey stories! 🙂

 

Edited April 17, 2023 by WheelofJuke

[Elder_Haman]

My story is much the same as @WheelofJuke's - at least the beginning. Grew up listening to the BBC Radio version of The Hobbit and having my dad read LOTR as a bedtime story. Got hooked on D&D in the 80s and just trawled the bookstores for fantasy fare. I'm pretty sure I got the first 3 books in a paperback boxed set. After that, I read them pretty much as they came out. Sometimes I circled back and read the whole series before the new one.

 

Back in 2017 I took a job that has me commuting for several hours a day. Started the audiobooks and have been through the whole series twice. May start again after I get caught up on Critical Role.

Edited April 17, 2023 by Elder_Haman

[WheelofJuke]

Yeah, forgot to mention, D&D played a huge part in it as well. Or as it was at that time, AD&D 2nd Edition. 😉

 

I distinctly remember completely ripping off huge chunks of the Aiel for a "homebrew" campaign and really impressing my playgroup (who weren't familiar with RJ's canon)...to the point where they all went out and got into the book series later on. 🙂

 

 

Edited April 17, 2023 by WheelofJuke

[Elder_Haman]

23 minutes ago, WheelofJuke said:

I distinctly remember completely ripping off huge chunks of the Aiel for a "homebrew" campaign

Lol. I did that with the Aes Sedai. My big baddie was my version of an evil Amyrlin. I don't know that it made much of an impression though. 🤣

[Some_random_novice]

It is a very interesting question, I have to admit that I didn’t get into the books until the show was released. I grew up playing D&D and reading a lot of different genres, from Hobbit to Good Omens. So when the show was released it was very delightful, so when I discovered the show was based off books, I found used copies and read them all with in 9 months. One of my school teachers had copies of all of them and I was lucky enough to receive them, he had to downsize after his wife passed away. 

[Dark Ones Taint]

On 4/16/2023 at 11:47 AM, HeronMarkedBlade said:

I think the publics history with a property is often just as interesting and vast as the property itself, so I'm wondering what history the members here have with the series. 

 

I started the Eye of the World at 10, in 1991, and finished the series with the release of of the final novel 22 year later. I lived near this book store, Daniel's Fine Books, and by an older gentleman, Daniel Charles Jacob. I used to tease him for having three first names. The store being near is relative, I live on a farm in the country and it was miles on bike into town. Anyway, when Eye of the World released a few months before and they had a few copies in the window. I knew the owner very well, I always did a large amount of reading and he suggested I would like it.  I definitely could not afford it, and he knew that, so he got me to help him around the store for two hours. Nothing serious, just sweeping, putting away some books, the normal stuff you'd have a child do when you give them a "job". I went home with the book, and my mom promptly called to ensure I hadn't stolen it. I read that old hardcover multiple times before the release of The Great Hunt. Before breakfast. Between chores. Out in the barn reading in the hay. I truly fell in love with it. 

 

I bought every book up to Winter's Heart in that store until Daniel died at the age of 82 in the summer of 2001. I helped his wife pack up the store, she let me take any of the older books I wanted, by the end he didn't purchase new books any more, it became unofficially a used book shop in the final years, where you could special order from connections of his. He was a great guy and a mentor me for a decade. 

 

I was lucky enough to meet Jordan several times throughout the two decades I knew of him. Multiple readings and book store events, when he was healthy. Him and meeting Andre the Giant when I was 5 (because to a 5 year old, that's like a real giant) and going to prerelease chapter readings with Jordan are my most memorable experiences with celebrities. 

 

Without a doubt, it's been my favorite world to explore for over three decades now. I often just pick up whatever book I'm nostalgic for and re-read it, and have done many rereads over the years. 

 

So lets hear it? How did you discover it? 

 

What an awesome experience, thanks for sharing! I was also a voracious reader as a child.  I used to live at the library, taking home 30+ books spread across some of my siblings cards to circumvent the book limit. 

My librarian recommended WoT to me and I loved it.  I would actually work at this library with this same librarian years later!  It just shows the importance of books and the role that mentors at used book stores (Support small business!) and libraries can have in their community.  

[Dark Ones Taint]

On 4/17/2023 at 9:26 AM, WheelofJuke said:

My dad read stuff like Tolkien and CS Lewis to me as bedtime stories when I was a young kid. Naturally, I gravitated towards the fantasy genre in my youth because of that. 

I would peruse the relatively tiny fantasy section of the local small town bookstore, a Hallmark's in the local mall, and these HUGE books would always stand out to me. Those huge books? EotW through I believe FoH.

I finally ended up buying one circa 1995, at the age of 14 or 15.  Didn't get farther than halfway through FoH before going off to college in '98.

Probably never would've read them again but I met a kid at college who was a huge fan and would talk to me about fan theories, encourage me to catch up (so he could discuss fan theories lol), and also mentioned there was this new place to check out related information online...which led to my first visits to this site many years ago. 

Life type stuff happened, and I put the series down until I heard amazon had picked it up and was adapting. I thought, "Oh geez, I've avoided spoilers all these years, better get on it and finish." So I bought the remaining books (PoD thru MoL) and completed my first full read thru (I had read the first three to four books numerous times). 

Now that the first read through has settled I'm currently almost finished with TGH on my second full read through, which is highly rewarding because I'm catching many subtle things I missed in the early books, especially TGH. 

Enjoy hearing everyone's discovery and journey stories! 🙂

 

 

 

Congrats on finishing spoiler free! I love that your friends fandom was contagious, hah.   Shout out to parents who read stories to their kids!  My dad read Sherlock Holmes and Little House on the Prairie to me.  He wasn't one for emotional affection and we never played a game of catch in the yard, but those bedtime stories fueled my passion for literature.  

[Scarloc99]

I was 14 and looking for books to take on a family holiday. I had just finished the Thomas Covenant series for the 3rd time and was looking for a new book series. I read the title dragon reborn, and then saw I think it was lord of chaos had a flying dragon looking thing so thought it was a series similar to dragon lance (which I loved). 
 

Got the first 6 books, started reading eye of the world and struggled. It felt like a rip off of lord of the rings, which at that point I read twice a year every year having finished the series when I was 11. I found it hard to see past that comparison. 
 

Then on holiday I found alcohol and clubbing for the first time (we Brits start early lol), falling in with a group of teenagers a similar age, our parents would all hang out together in the evening in one bar and we would all be across the road in another. So reading went to the back of the line lol. 
 

it took me another year or so to pick Eye of the world back up, start over and make myself get all the way through it. At some point I enjoyed it more but I will be honest and say that books 1 and 2 for me just felt very meh, it wasn’t until the taking of tear and then the visions of Rhuidean that I was really grabbed by the series. I think this is also where Robert Jordan found his voice. And then I realised that the series wasn’t over lol. 
 

Eye of the world still does feel like a copy of Fellowship to me, but I can also see large similarities to the Thomas Covenant books, the similarities between Lord Foul and the dark lord, both in aims and in the ways they corrupt. The Giants and the Ogier and the hero trying to work out how to use his wild magic as he travels through the land. 

I have since read the series end to end 5 times and have read the individual books far more. I recently re read the Sanderson trilogy 3 times back to back. much like lord of the rings where I reached a point of being able to get through each book in 2 days, I can do the same with WOT, on a recent read through eye of the world took me a day and a half to read. 
 

But one thing it was taught me, never again will I ever start a series written by a single

author before the whole series has been finished, especially if that author is old or unwell or if the series looks like it will span more then a trilogy. 

[DojoToad]

4 hours ago, Sir_Charrid said:

But one thing it was taught me, never again will I ever start a series written by a single

author before the whole series has been finished, especially if that author is old or unwell or if the series looks like it will span more then a trilogy. 

For real!!  If GRRM ever publishes Winds of Winter, I will purchase it and put it on the shelf unread.  Until all 7 books are published, I will not read them again.

[SinisterDeath]

23 minutes ago, DojoToad said:

For real!!  If GRRM ever publishes Winds of Winter, I will purchase it and put it on the shelf unread.  Until all 7 books are published, I will not read them again.

[DojoToad]

43 minutes ago, SinisterDeath said:

Not me.  What are we at 11/12 years since the last book?  Can't see investing more time in the series with a very good chance it won't be completed.  I don't mind wasting $30 bucks for WoW on the off chance it all comes together, but time is too valuable...

[SinisterDeath]

Just now, DojoToad said:

but time is too valuable...

Entirely subjective, but IMO, it's a Book. Reading it is infinitely more valuable then time wasted in WoW.

[DojoToad]

1 hour ago, SinisterDeath said:

Entirely subjective, but IMO, it's a Book. Reading it is infinitely more valuable then time wasted in WoW.

Winds of Winter, not World of Warcraft...

 

Sorry for the confusion.

[SinisterDeath]

42 minutes ago, DojoToad said:

Winds of Winter, not World of Warcraft...

 

Sorry for the confusion.

Lol. 

 

Either way it's a book... a story, and Time is valuable. I can think of worse things to waste time on then reading a book in a series that hasn't ended yet.

Not every story has a conclusion, and that's honestly just a part of life. I honestly believe the idea that not starting a series because it isn't finished is foolish. But, that's your time, not mine. 😉 

As an anecdote, I was one of four players in a homebrew game of D&D. The DM crafted his own unique world over ~25 years, and he had a story for us.

 

Around the mid-point of our Journey, and just before starting a big clash with the BBEG, our DM unexpectedly died.

 

The story ended; His family gave us all his D&D stuff; And there wasn't a single note written down. Nothing on the upcoming encounters, no statblocks, no plotlines. Nothing. It was all in his twisted head; his story ended, and new stories began in others.
 

Time is valuable, spend it wisely... 

[DojoToad]

1 hour ago, SinisterDeath said:

Lol. 

 

Either way it's a book... a story, and Time is valuable. I can think of worse things to waste time on then reading a book in a series that hasn't ended yet.

Not every story has a conclusion, and that's honestly just a part of life. I honestly believe the idea that not starting a series because it isn't finished is foolish. But, that's your time, not mine. 😉 

As an anecdote, I was one of four players in a homebrew game of D&D. The DM crafted his own unique world over ~25 years, and he had a story for us.

 

Around the mid-point of our Journey, and just before starting a big clash with the BBEG, our DM unexpectedly died.

 

The story ended; His family gave us all his D&D stuff; And there wasn't a single note written down. Nothing on the upcoming encounters, no statblocks, no plotlines. Nothing. It was all in his twisted head; his story ended, and new stories began in others.
 

Time is valuable, spend it wisely... 

See what you mean.  I'm more frustrated because of the broken promises (self-imposed) on when the book was coming out.  He doesn't owe me anything, but do what you say you'll do.

 

As far as starting a series that isn't finished, never would have crossed my mind not to until GRRM.  So this 'rule' only applies to him for me.  I'll buy 'Winds' when it comes out - I already have the first 5.  And then just pray he or a proxy gets book 7 done.  Then I can contentedly read the whole series again.

 

We'll see.  Life is what it is.

[Scarloc99]

On 8/16/2023 at 7:07 PM, SinisterDeath said:

Lol. 

 

Either way it's a book... a story, and Time is valuable. I can think of worse things to waste time on then reading a book in a series that hasn't ended yet.

Not every story has a conclusion, and that's honestly just a part of life. I honestly believe the idea that not starting a series because it isn't finished is foolish. But, that's your time, not mine. 😉 

As an anecdote, I was one of four players in a homebrew game of D&D. The DM crafted his own unique world over ~25 years, and he had a story for us.

 

Around the mid-point of our Journey, and just before starting a big clash with the BBEG, our DM unexpectedly died.

 

The story ended; His family gave us all his D&D stuff; And there wasn't a single note written down. Nothing on the upcoming encounters, no statblocks, no plotlines. Nothing. It was all in his twisted head; his story ended, and new stories began in others.
 

Time is valuable, spend it wisely... 

for me starting a book series that will never finish is wasted time. I think for me as well just how long it is taking GRR Martin to write new books is massively off putting. When it comes to a story I want there to be an end, DnD is a different thing, I go into that knowing it is open ended and knowing that it could end at any point. I am the same with tv series, if I know that it has been cancelled and never reached a conclusion I will never watch it regardless of how good people might say it is. 

[Scarloc99]

On 8/16/2023 at 8:22 PM, DojoToad said:

See what you mean.  I'm more frustrated because of the broken promises (self-imposed) on when the book was coming out.  He doesn't owe me anything, but do what you say you'll do.

 

As far as starting a series that isn't finished, never would have crossed my mind not to until GRRM.  So this 'rule' only applies to him for me.  I'll buy 'Winds' when it comes out - I already have the first 5.  And then just pray he or a proxy gets book 7 done.  Then I can contentedly read the whole series again.

 

We'll see.  Life is what it is.

We are assuming it will be over by 7 lol. I can see it being another WOT, book 7 becomes 8,9,10 and onwards. 

[DojoToad]

18 hours ago, Sir_Charrid said:

We are assuming it will be over by 7 lol. I can see it being another WOT, book 7 becomes 8,9,10 and onwards. 

God forbid. I don’t know if GRRM has that many books in him. Maybe his successor that has to finish the series…