Is the series really getting bad?

[Elke]

Hi I'm new here. I started reading the series a few months ago and I'm in the middle of book 6 now.

I absolutely love it. Sometimes I think it goes a little slow but when I think back, I find that actually a lot has happened, also in the slower parts of the book.

I've read many reviews saying that the last few books are really bad. I'm getting a bit scared because I hate it when something starts very good and ends up bad, like a great TV series that after a few seasons becomes cheap or gets cancelled.

But not everyone seems to think it gets really bad, so I just wanted to know in which way it does. Does it just become boring? (That wouldn't be so bad as long as the final book is interesting) Or do a lot of things happen that really suck? (like Rand getting mad and killing his friends, I wouldn't want to read further in that case)

I just hope I won't be disappointed because I love it so far!

Thank you!

Elke

 

 

 

[Dragon21]

Welcome!

 

 

Bad? No. It does start to drag for a bit...especially book 10, but they are still good enough reads that they don't ruin the series. Book 11 picks up pace again fairly well, and it seems as if book 12 is going to be the best one in a while.

 

I will say books 8-10 are not as exciting to read as the books before them, but don't worry, I think you will still enjoy the series.

[Arkelias]

The reason so many of the later books have such a bad rap is the speed at which they were put out.  I can remember waiting years for each book, and having impossibly high expectations for each when it finally hit the shelves.  Had I started the series when it was already finished many of my complaints about the later books wouldn't have been so bad, because I could have breezed past the slow parts and gotten to the better books at the end.

 

Many scenes in books 7-10 will make you want to stab yourself in the eye with a pencil.  In the first six books there is more action and more major events.  That's the bad news. The good news is that book 11 really starts to pick things up again, and book 12 will be out in a few months.  I'd say stick with the series and keep reading, you won't be sorry even if some of the series feels boring.

 

I've read books 1-6 about a dozen times, but decided to do the whole series this time around and just finished book 7.  I am excited about continuing through 11.

 

 

[Elke]

Thanks for the comments, that's nice to hear. I probably would have continued reading anyway just to know the end but at least I'm certain now. :) Indeed, I guess that when you know in advance that some parts will be boring, it won't be so bad.

[Barmacral]

Hi there,

 

Personally, I never thought the series got bad at any point, and even enjoyed the intrigue that dominated book 10. I think the only way to determine if the series is bad is to read it yourself.

[Phariah]

welcome  ;D

me personally i enjoyed every book, i look at it as your reading the history of this world RJ created some books lulled but they give you the information that is needed further on, i love reading a newer book than on a reread see how well they tied in,

well thats my 2 bits  ;D 

[Balefire to da face!]

All in all, I would say the only major speed bump is A Path of Daggers. While there are some legitimate complaints about the speed and style of ther later books, I think people are definitely onto something when they say at least part of the problem was the slow speed of releasing the books. I don't think it's a spoiler to say that after book 6 it becomes the norm rather then the exception that whole, main plot lines get zero attention in a given book. This probably contributed to people's frustration when they waited 3 years just to have a certain plot point almost completerly ignored.

 

Also, I think it got to the point where people were just kind of lumping a lot of books together to make the point that Jordan had slowed things down too much. Book 7 dragged in only a very few parts, Book 8 was a sink hole, book 9 was only a little worse then book 7....then things mostly got back on track....but people acted like books 7-10 were just one, long, detailed description of Elayne's dress....

[Corki]

Welcome to DM!

 

The series does slow down a bit, especially in book 10. Book 11 is definitely a good read, and restored my faith in RJ. But I think most huge series hit points like this (I know people think that of Terry Goodkind and book 7, Pillars of Creation, which I think is an awesome book).

 

Have a good look around the site, but do be careful when entering the world of the book discussions to avoid spoilers. ;)