How many books should there have been?

[torrente]

If RJ didn't write 500 pages of wagon rides into each volume just so he could sell more books . . . how long would the WOT series be?

[Leopoled Boothe]

Twelve. Nuf said.

[Guest Barmacral]

I agree with Leopoled Boothe completely here.

[Jaric Mondoran]

I agree - he had the number right, but too much of books 8 and 10 were taken up with various delaying actions.

[Luckers]

I felt that books 8 and 9 and books 10 and 11 should never have been seperated.

[Vemynal]

8 and 9 shoulda been

 

10 and 11 shouldnt have been

[Luckers]

I disagree. CoT reads as a perfect first half to a novel.

[Vemynal]

luckers, for 10 and 11 i was agreeing with u

 

for 8 and 9 i was disagreeing with u

[Luckers]

Ah! Got ya, totally my bad. Though to be fair i kind of think the same of 8 and 9.

[Wanderer]

Yep 8 & 9 should have been one book. The final part of book 8 with the death of Morr is too much related to the cleansing and a book with a final chapter named "beginnings" doesn't suit me.

 

The same for book 10 & 11.

[Beckon]

If RJ didn't write 500 pages of wagon rides into each volume just so he could sell more books . . . how long would the WOT series be?

 

You bought them anyway though didn't you? Can't have been that bad.

[Guest Anonymous!]

Beckon, yes, yes, it was that bad. I made the mistake of buying the next 7 books after I read TDR. Plus I have this thing about knowing how Rand saves the world ... which still has not happened.

 

***KoD Spoilers***

***KoD Spoilers***

 

The series realistically should have been 8-9 books. Books 10, 11, and the beginning of 12 should have been 1 novel, squeezing Elayne's pursuit of the Crown (which she still hasn't gotten put on her head yet) and Egwene's taking of the White Tower into one book. The events of Books 7, 8, 9, could have been compressed into one novel with PoV's from Mat, Rand, Perrin, and Nynaeve only. Maybe throw in the beginning of the Black Ajah hunt if it actually turns out to be important, unlike Hanlon/Mellar's storyline, and keep all non-main character crap in the prologues. Throw away things like Sevanna's PoV and leave it a mystery how the Shaido got dispersed across Randland. You know like "Who is Asmodean's killer?" Avoid PoV's from the Forsaken to leave an air of mystery to them.

 

***KoD Spoilers***

***KoD Spoilers***

[Luckers]

You see there are some issues with that. For starters RJ was clearling holding off both the succession of Elayne and Egwene until certain factors were in place. For Elayne it was simply keeping her and Andor out of other events, for Egwene it was waiting until the Seanchan were in place.

 

Yes, certain individual storylines could have been rushed, but RJ was dealing with the united state.

[Beckon]

Here's how I look at it. If you assume RJ was just being purely mercenary and dragging it out for the sole purpose of making more books out of it...would you not have done the same? If you had an immensely popular series of books that were making you millions of dollars, and had a publisher willing to publish as many books as necessary to finish it...would you stop at less? If you knew people would buy them anyway in spite of them dragging in certain parts, would you not write them? Maybe you would but for most people I think it's a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Most people would keep churning out books as long as their publisher let them, and as long as people kept buying them.

[Guest LurkingFadeFetcher]

How many books do you think RJ would have done if he hadn't gotten sick?

[DemandredFO]

If storylines were rushed and parts left out then THE SAME PEOPLE THAT POST SH1T LIKE THIS WOULD COMPLAIN THAT THIS IS A FANTASY STORY AND THEREFORE EVERYTHING SHOULD BE EXPLAINED. ALL the storylines have a purpose even the Perrin/Faile ones that I personally don't like, I am sure. I think maybe 8, 9, 10, 11 could have been rearranged a little BUT I DON'T THINK THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ANY LESS.

I apologize if this offends people but I feel strongly about threads like this.

[Fel]

Saying that these "same people" would be complaining that things were left out is disingenuous. It's very obvious reading the series (especially if you've done it multiple times) that the first 4-5 books move along with MANY things happening and many plot advancements.

 

Starting with 6, the pace slows and by 8,9, and 10, we spend pages upon pages reflecting upon the clothing of everyone present and practically a whole book's worth of time about Perrin rescuing Faile or Elayne dealing with the crown. Even the mat chronicles (which I generally like) are SOO drawn out that it is painful to watch him take 3-4 books to move out of Altara - with most of that happening in the last book.

 

I couldn't see people complaining if Elayne took her crown in 4-5 chapters - without having to learn the intricate details of the political structures of Andor, the alum discovered on her property, or watching her visit with minor lords around the realm, and the ages and mannerisms of the high seats of various houses. I also don't think people would be terribly upset if the 100 pages in winters heart where perrin decides to pursue his wife or the discussions of how Galina likes her laundry. Many people i know who are into the series, when re-reading, skip these chapters; to me, that shows material that is not needed.

 

As for the person who asked wouldn't you milk this cash cow? The answer is no. It's dishonest to your reader and to your "art". Continuing to insert fluff just to make more money from the product (if that is what he is doing, which I doubt) is dishonest in the extreme. You could look at the Harry Potter series - she could extend that 5 more novels and make a few more billion, but, in the interest of being true to her readers, has closed it out at the natural conclusion (NOTE: I haven't read that series, so am not commenting on the quality of the writing, just the fact that it is ending on the timeline originally established).

 

I will probably be yelled at for this, but I suspect many if not most people who read the series would never have gotten into it if the pace of the first 1-2 books was anything like the last few (at the end of the 2nd book, the company might have just reached Fal Dara and were ready to go into the Blight)

[Kadere]

I kinda wanted the series to be 13 books long....

 

You know, cause there are 13 Forsaken, and 13 seems like a good WoT number.

 

But I'll settle for 12, and I loved each book cause I see the whole thing as one big book, it doesn't really matter that 10 could have directly connected to 11, cause in my mind it is anyway... yeah that makes sense.

[Skowsa]

I disagree with the thought that RJ is putting fluff into the books just to get more money out of us. Surely he gets as much in royalties whether the book is 800 pages or 900 pages? Yes, a couple of books could have been combined but I think RJ was actually trying to give people a more solid feel for Randland as a whole.

 

Personally, I think 10 books in the WoT series would have been perfect but I am happy with 12.

 

If RJ wants to get more money out of this series then he can write more prequels like A New Spring - his health allowing of course. To be honest though, I don't get the feeling that he is in this for the money.

[redbj]

more books i say.

 

it seems a shame 9 through 11 took up 3500+ pages, and all the conclusions to all the questions seem destined to be answered in 1500 ish(at a guess)....take your time mr jordan...we're not complaining.

[PrinceOfRavens]

please... i dont know how many but alot of the WOT books were new york times best sellers, do you think he gave all the money to a charity? No i dont think hes in this for the money

[Stevenator]

Yeah, I actually don't think he's in it for the money either. I think he just doesn't have a sence of what kind and how much worldbuilding is good for a story. There was some element we all liked about the start of the WoT that drew us in; I think RJ has devirged from that element (maybe because he doesn't understand what it really is). I know there are a lot of RJ fanatics who love to read about his sub-sideplots, no matter how pointless they seemingly are. That's fine. Enjoy. But for the rest of us, its ridiculous to expect that our attention will be held when there is so much awesome speculative fiction to be read.

 

I think the MAX amount of books should have been nine - and that's MAX. If you really get serious and cut out all the crap from 8-11, you would have one awesome volume left. It could have been done; eons ago I posted a thread on this forum detailing what such a volume would have looked like.

[G the brave]

12 still... though i do admit some parts are a little drawn out but thats just RJ

[Razor]

he does not need to pad the story> he can do the prequel novels and then mat and tupos"s story> no need to pad this one> i think he is telling it the way he wants to.

[Emrys]

I think 13 would have been a good number since there are 13 forsaken and u can only have 13 in a circle without the other gender. However, if it was up to me it would never end.