Nothing is like your first reading - My 1st

[Dralid]

I have Eye of the World in my hand, and I'm ready to read it for the first time. You can only have a first time experience once, unfortunately. The way I see it, though, you can relive your first time vicariously through someone else. I humbly volunteer myself to be your conduit for this.

 

As I read, I will post my thoughts and feelings. Feel free to cheer me on, recount your first-time thoughts of major events, or drop subtle hints. It's good to share! ... and I need the friends  :'(

 

A side note, regarding spoilers, I cannot feel offended should someone spill the beans on something that was released over two decades ago. If I wanted it spoiler free, I should have read it when it was published; being in kindergarten was no excuse :P.

[jemron]

Awesome.  I hope nobody spoils you.

 

How often will you be posting?

 

Good luck!

[Noreallyjustsomeguy]

This will be great ... and I hope no one spills the beans either, at least, until you want them to.  It is a great ride, welcome to the World of the Wheel!

[Tiinker]

!!!! Well dont read any other posts cos from book 1 they're all spoiler-full!

ALl i can say is you better really really like it <.<

Gooood luck!

[Dralid]

Just finished the prologue and the first chapter. "In one age, called the third age by some ... there are neither beginnings nor endings...". I'm reminded of an old comic ....

 

 

@Jemron - I plan on posting when I have something to say. Every author has their own pace of ideas. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy takes forever to get through a thought, because the Douglas Adams keeps getting derailed and sidetracked (which is most of the charm of the books, really). In contrast, J. K. Rowling keeps Harry Potter in the moment, allowing you to feel moments slip out of your hands. Philip K. Dick has a tendency to lob a lot of complex ideas at you all at once, often forcing you to stop reading, simply to digest the last paragraph. In short, I do not know yet how often I will post. I'll post more if people seem to be enjoying listening to me. I will post less during sections where the book holds my attention hostage.

[Impressive Bosom]

PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE share everything. One of my greatest joys in life is sharing this series with others and then reliving my first read through them. Your offer is much appreciated.

 

Also, while I'm fairly certain you've already been exposed to all kinds of spoilers by virtue of even being on this board, please try to avoid as many as you can - you deserve those moments of shock, awe and epiphany that we all got to experience.

[Owayn The Traveller]

And now they were? 'Hey Val how many WoT fans are their?' 'i DON'T a lot.'

 

And now they were a lot of fans +1!

[alannalynn]

*marks thread* I'm quite interested. :D

[Dralid]

Okay, so I'm following Rand and Tam walk to the village.

 

Here's what I've got so far:

- The 'o' in Dragonmount is the symbol Lewis Therin Telamon describes in the prologue. It's got a yin/yang feel to it, but it is more likely connected to the saidin "the male half of the power that drove the universe", or rather saidin and the female counterpart.

- The prologue is probably a flash-forward of some sort, because at the end it is attributed to the record of the fourth age, but chapter 1 puts us in the third age.

- Of the world: Fantasy setting, with magic... and that is a Good Thing^TM. It has it's own culture, as referenced by the holiday, Bel Tine, but six words later uses "Saturday", so the culture isn't completely alien.

- Rand has seen a dark rider, with a touch of unreality about him, and I know that Tam has seen or sensed him too, even if he wouldn't say so.

- Tam has magical ability, and Rand does too, albeit undeveloped. The whole flame and void thing has to be a metaphor for some form of magic energy.

- As an extension of the last two points, Tam won't admit to seeing the rider because he wants Rand to work it out using his own ability. Tam is confident (for the moment) that he has the situation under control.

- Tam is probably not a native to the village, because Rand pointed out (in thought) that nobody else knew of the flame and void.

- While I accept that Rand's mother is dead, I do not yet accept that Tam is the biological father. Could be, but it is too early to tell. I say this because Tam is probably a powerful <mage> and Rand is clearly going to be pivotal to the plot ('ya know, being the protagonist and all), that's reason enough for Tam to act as Rand's caretaker.

 

Okay, so that's page six...... I'm falling asleep at the moment, so I'll read more later (I have to alternate between day schedules and night schedules, so I will be reading this irregularly.)

 

I hope I've got something right from my first impressions, let me know if I'm in the right ballpark.

[jemron]

I can't let you know if you're in the right ballpark, but I will say this, "RAFO."

 

Ha!  I've never been able to say that to anybody before.

 

Good observations man.  Some are more correct than others.  Some are WAY off, which is what makes this fun.

 

I love reading this vicariously through you for the first time!

[The Fisher King]

All I will say is to take your time and savor every moment :)

 

 

P.S. I will sooooo admit Im a bit envious of you and your Maiden Voyage.

 

 

Fish

[PatsNats28]

This will be fun to watch.

 

On your predictions, you're right about some, and wrong about some  ;)

[Sid]

No spoiling or anything, but if you don't think you're hooked by the time you start chapter 9, you will be after you read it.  I was, at least :)

[Elend]

So... uhhh... I'm not gonna spoil anything, but I enjoyed the predictions. I had some giggles at some, not the "oh that's so wrong" type, more the "good idea, but no" type.

 

Heheh, enjoy. The series is a great one, particularly at the beginning. Kinda slows down around book 8 or 9 but picks up at 11.

[The Desert Pea]

Oh man this is going to be better than any reread I would've done leading up to ToM. This is a great series, I can't wait to see how your first read through goes!

[Hunter]

Yeah, this is freakin' awesome. Keep it up. I don't think this is a spoiler though, so I will say, you misunderstood the bit about Lews Therin. It will become clearer as you read more.

[Hadilmir]

From your predictions I'm going to have to ask: Have you read the Sword of Truth series?

 

If not, it's cool, you're far left field, but not a foul yet. If yes, you'll soon learn that things aren't glaringly obvious like they are in SoT, forget everything from that series.

[PatsNats28]

From your predictions I'm going to have to ask: Have you read the Sword of Truth series?

 

If not, it's cool, you're far left field, but not a foul yet. If yes, you'll soon learn that things aren't glaringly obvious like they are in SoT, forget everything from that series.

 

You think that he thinks that Tam is like Zed? Would Moiraine be Kahlan then haha? Rand and Moiraine  ;D... listen to the rings of Rhuidean, they know best

[Hand of the Creator]

This is awesome, I don't think I have ever seen a post like this, I will be watching.

[horus17]

I am utterly enthralled by this thread. if you could just throw out for us a quick summary of what you think is important to the scene, or overall movement of the series, i would consider paying a small monthly fee. i'm digging this idea so far.

 

no one has mentioned this, and maybe i look into things too much, but i'm hoping that you're truly a virgin reader. i would hate to think you're keeping some of us hooked on your account of the story, by sharing your feelings, hopes and predictions... only to tell us after you've caught up to the rest of us, that your feelings and predictions were preconceived, and these are your feelings after a 4th reread.

 

i guess i'm asking for no shenanigans. because i think its such an awesome idea, and because i'm dying to hear what happens when he reaches the end of book 12.

[Dralid]

No spoiling or anything, but if you don't think you're hooked by the time you start chapter 9, you will be after you read it.  I was, at least :)

Thank you, some stories take longer than others to get their chess pieces in place. It's good to know that if I'm grinding in chapter 6 (not saying I will be, but if) that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

 

From your predictions I'm going to have to ask: Have you read the Sword of Truth series?

 

Nope. Sadly, I haven't. Too many great stories out there, not enough time.

 

For fantasy, I've read Lord of the Rings, Dragonriders of Pern, Harry Potter, and recently Incarnations of Immortality. I strongly recommend the comic book Sandman. I watch the British TV Show Merlin, and the American Legend of the Seeker and recommend Dead like me, Pushing Daisies. That's my Fantasy portfolio, or at least all I could think of off the top of my head. I've also got a lengthy ScyFi portfolio (Doctor Who (Old and New), Star Trek, Red Dwarf, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Several Philip K Dick works, etc.), some Anime (Death Note, Denno Coil, Naruto, and Bleach (Fansubs and DVD sets, not the corrupted works of 4Kids)), and Others (Mythbusters, Good Eats). I could talk your head off about quantum physics, the world of the small fascinate me.

 

That's probably more than you were asking for, but I've been looking for a good segue to dump my interests (The introduction thread always feels awkward). There's a lot that I've missed, but that's a large chunk of my soul.

 

I am utterly enthralled by this thread. if you could just throw out for us a quick summary of what you think is important to the scene, or overall movement of the series, i would consider paying a small monthly fee. i'm digging this idea so far.

 

no one has mentioned this, and maybe i look into things too much, but i'm hoping that you're truly a virgin reader. i would hate to think you're keeping some of us hooked on your account of the story, by sharing your feelings, hopes and predictions... only to tell us after you've caught up to the rest of us, that your feelings and predictions were preconceived, and these are your feelings after a 4th reread.

 

I'll be honest, I'm between jobs right now. If someone seconds the motion for a tip jar, I will post one; that is, assuming it's not against the rules or anything (is it?)

 

It would be an insult to all of you readers if this wasn't my first read-through. This is my first reading. I've avoided spoilers as much as I can, but my friends consider me observant. (For example, I figure symbol in the 'o' of Dragonmount will probably play a moderate roll in the book)

 

To everyone else who posted their support, thank you. I cherished every comment. Please let me know when I strike a chord with you, or stir a memory, those comments are why I am pouring my heart into this thread; instead of locking myself into my room for a reading marathon.

 

A note on ownership: I will be borrowing these books from friends and checking them out from the library. I make a point of purchasing the things that I like, to support the creative minds that forged great ideas, but I can only afford to support so many things :(.

 

Now back to reading!

[PatsNats28]

Where are you right now? Still in the TR?

[Dralid]

Just finished Chapter one.

 

So much to talk about. I hope I can quicken my pace a little as the plot gets underway, or I'll be catching up to everyone around the time book fourteen marks their 40^th anniversary!

 

I've decided to take notes as I read, so I can give you a visceral experience of my take on the books without stopping every thirty seconds to make a post.

 

@PatsNats28 Still in Two Rivers.

A small request: I'm not yet familiar with all the Wheel of Time (WoT) acronyms, could I get them all spelled out in this thread as they come up for the first time for my convenience. I know that they are all listed in the rules thread, but look at it this way: I've just read about Egwene, If she is a major character, she is likely to have an acronym or shorthand. If she dies off in chapter two, she won't. So if I familiarize myself with all the acronyms, it's like a cheat sheet for all the major players and places. If you want to mess with my head, make acronyms for all the minor players  ;). That will keep me on my toes. Like Bran al'Vere, the Mind Slayer (Ba'V tMS), also mayor of Two Rivers :P.

 

Anyway onto my notes:

- I loved the comment about living no closer to the mountains than was necessary, In conjunction with the prologue it shows that the people of WoT (thats World of Tworivers, right? ;) Just kidding.)  have a mythological dislike of mountains, that they are associated with bad things. And since the Wheel of Time is cyclical the mountain created in the flash-forward by the death of Lews Therin Telemon is likely to be echoed back in previous ages

- Gender is clearly a major role in this series, as all things supernatural seem to make a point of describing their gender. It appears that in the creation myths it is man that is the root of all sin. So far, and please let this be a misconception, all things good appear to be ascribed to women and all things evil appear to be ascribed to men. I'm fine with men being the seed of sin, but I don't think I can take twelve books of gender-bashing.

- and that's Wisdom with a capital W, which means it's mystical.

- Apparently traditions are important in Two Rivers, as Rand tries to avoid looking at the maypole being constructed.

- right now I feel like I'm on that first rise of a roller coaster, with that loud click click click ramping up the suspense. So many concepts and cultural innuendos and plot seeds being placed, each one making it's little promise, "wait for it".

- Rumors of a man bringing Fireworks... reminds me of Gandalf from Lord of the Rings. That book series also started off with a party.

- I like Bran al'Vere. I like to see myself as a cheerful portly man, so I can relate to those characters well.

- 'God' == 'Light' - A fairly straightforward substitution, at least in terms of cultural use. "pray to the Light", "By the Light", etc.

- Okay so Mat saw the Black Horseman. And either the horseman really gets around, or ... Mat saw him in or near the village, but Rand saw him behind them as they approached the village. ... or the black figure is not really there, not in a physical sense, more like a spirit, a prophecy, ill omen, or maybe a curse. That would explain his unearthly appearance, and how even at a distance they can infer his intentions, also would explain how he is there until you blink or turn away.

- again Dark One with a capital 'D' & 'O' I sure hope Robert Jordan eventually gets around to explaining all these scattered uppercase letters, he sure likes leaving them everywhere.  :D

- Perhaps I'm reading too much into one little stare, but it seems that while Bran and Cenn are gossiping about town news, Tam is far more interested in eavesdropping on the musings of the two boys discussion of the Black Horseman.

- Shadowman ?=? Boogeyman I hope that there's a grain of truth to the shadowman, sounds scary.

- Gleeman = Bard. and apparently they're not cheap.  :) So much culture. I wonder if the Gleeman will be telling us any good stories, or is he just part of the scenery of the town's festival?

- Poor Egwene. poor, poor Egwene. Haven't met her yet and I already mourn for her. Nothing good can come from the protagonist's Chapter 1 crush. Best case scenario: she quietly folds into the background only to reappear later in the story after Rand has fallen deeply in love with some other heroine. Worst case scenario: her bloody and violent death at the hands of some villain (Black horseman?) which spurs Rand to start his adventure. Poor Egwene.

 

Well I'm looking forward to continuing, but I'm gonna grab a bite to eat first.

[alannalynn]

Loving it. :) Though, I do have to laugh at the Egwene bit! *shuts mouth*

[Barid Bel Medar]

ha, this is great. It is hilarious looking at all of these theories and concepts you have imagined and how creative they are.

 

Im not having a go at you, (we all did it when we were at that point) its just good to remember being excited and not knowing what the hell was going down when we were first reading it.

 

Some decent theories, some way, way, waaaaaaaaaaay out. keep going, i like it!