First Impression

[Kestral]

About in the beginning of last month, I picked up the first three books of the Wheel of Time, interested in what the series was about. What was funny, though, is that I actually confused it with the Discworld series by Terry Pratchet, and I wasn't aware where I heard of the Wheel of Time. I was sure that I heard it before when I started listening to Blind Guardian, who has made a few songs about the series.

 

Needless to say, when the books arrived I was taken aback a little. I read that the series is numbering in at least more than 10, and when the books seemed like big, fat bricks, ominously eying me down with their incredible size.

 

800 pages. 800 Pages of in a small book for only the first book of the series. In a series of 10 or 11 or 12 and whatnot. I'm only near the halfway mark of Eye of the World, and I haven't touched the Great Hunt or the Dragon Reborn.

 

I like it though. I like the lot of it. I like Rand and I like Mat, and I surprisingly like Perrin. (Up until this point in reading he hardly had a part) I like Nynaeve, I like Egwene, and I like Lan. And I especially love Thom. I also like Moraine. I want to know more about Logain, Tar Vallon, the Father of Lies, Fades, everything. The story is gripping but I have some lurking fears about the series.

 

I was talking about the series with my math teacher, a man I dub as the "King of All Things Nerd." He'd give you a structured opinion on Star Wars versus Lord of the Rings and the pros and cons of each one and leave you walking away with some thought. He'd also pick up that you are reading Lovecraft and Call of Cthulu as soon as you mention "Non-Euclidian Geometry." He'd take away your fantasy book while you're reading it during his lesson and comment how good of a series it is. The guy is awesome as both a nerd and teacher.

 

However, he told me something that I don't doubt. The books get a lot of filler, he said. Starting around the third book, he says that it gets ridiculously filled with stories of fishing trips that never amount to anything and 6 pages detailing a woman's dress. And now, when I look at the books, I try to imagine just how much filler there is.

 

It scares me a little. This behemoth of a pocket-sized book, one of thirteen, is certainly good. I can't even imagine how a story can carry on for 13 books that are this size. That is the point of reading something, I figure. Find out where the story goes and all, but if the story is moving as slow and molasses, I don't know what to think.

 

Of course I haven't gotten to that part yet. The group of companions have only recently broke at Shadow's Waiting and I only know that Rand is the Dragon Reborn because it's painfully obvious. I also know of the tav'eren being Mat and Perrin, and I also know that Egwene has some destiny of some sort.

 

But needless to say, I want my fears affirmed or quelled. As someone who has read the Wheel of Time, what do you think? Do the books become inundated with filler, or is that a thought stirring inside me?

[Terez]

No, they're not inundated with filler at all. They're just inundated with sub-surface plotlines which is particularly noticeable between books 8 and 10. Many people have a tendency to over-exaggerate RJ's descriptions, particularly those who were following the series at that time and had to wait 2-3 years for books that didn't accomplish much in terms of the perceived plot. It's much less of a problem for those who can read those books straight through.

 

It's generally agreed that books 4-6 are the best of the series. Every now and then I hear an opinion like your teacher's, that the problem started around book 3, but that is a pretty rare opinion and generally confined to those who only read the books once, or those who were following the series from the beginning (and only a small percentage of those).

[Agitel]

Edit: posting from my phone and messed up. Disregard the original post.

 

What your teacher says is partially true. The series grows to a lot of POV characters and subplots, though I daresay it's funny that your teacher says it gets to be too much by book three, that's just not true. At around the eighth book it seems that Jordan has bit off more than he can chew, I'll admit that. A number of major plot arcs begin in this book, and there's so much going on that some of these don't conclude until book 11. That's not to say things don't get done. 10 is the agreed upon low point in the series, probably because it starts after a major event in book nine that everyone wants a reaction to, but is for the most part a novel that fills in the time gap where some characters fell behind. On top of that, when ten was released it had been two years since 9 and it took four (?) Years before book 11, where things picked up the pace again and things wrapped up nicely. 12 and 13 have moved along nice and briskly.

 

I don't recvall there ever being any fishing trips, really. As for dresses? You won't get six pages of description, but some female noble POVs notice those things in detail, particularly one.

 

I hate just talking about the negative. Plots advance, major things happen, there's just a section of the series where a lot of things go through a bottleneck and it takes awhile, most majorly book 10.

It's a little tedious to go through some descriptions, but in my opinion they don't dominate. If that's what you mean by filler, I don't think it's a major issue. If you consider subplots filler, then perhaps this isn't for you, as after book four we start getting a bit broader in scope.

[Shawnchan]

As a fan for the last 18 years I am of mixed feelings regarding this.

 

My opinion:

 

The first 5 books are excellent in pacing and story resolution. Books 6-9 do slow way down, plot lines seem to flounder but, something of worth does happen in each book. For me I was already hooked so I enjoyed them for what they were. (Some of the most exciting action sequences take place in books 6-9)

 

Book 10. This is arguably the worst book in the series and, could almost be skipped altogether. Page after page of clothing descriptions, sniffing, Aes Sedai politics, character stupidity and, Elaine taking a bath.

 

Many say that this book was necessary to set up the finale. I disagree. For me this is pure filler with some gold nuggets regarding Mat thrown in. Enough to save it? Depends on who you ask.

 

The good news:

 

Books 11-13 have utterly restored my faith in the books. Currently they are the most battered copies of any other in the series from excessive re-reads.

 

Conclusion:

 

I have loved this series for a long time, it will stand as my favorite forever. I would say go into it and ignore other peoples suggestions and critiques. For some of the middle books and book 10 learn the Talent of skimming.

 

If you do finish the series (I hope you do) I would recommend a re-read as, the richness of foreshadowing just slams home how excellent and rich this work of fantasy truly is.

[Finnssss22]

What Terez said.

 

Those of us that had to go through years of waiting, especially after book 6, it was maddening.

I know more than few peeps that completely dropped the series after book 7 and are just now picking it back up knowing the end is near.

 

As far as the description goes...well...you never know when say...someone's eye colour is presented in a prologue out of hand, actually means something many books later.

 

Hiding things in the elaborate detail is a definite hallmark of the series.

 

For me, the only books I have any trouble picking up for rereads are #8 and #10.

[IMeMin]

Here's my response as someone who read 1-13 over the last 9 mos, with occasional breaks.

 

If you're okay with the idea of a series being about 11,000 pages to begin with, you'll probably find it's worth it. If you're a slow reader and feel like books feeling too long can be a major issue, then maybe not so much. Book 3 is IMO a pretty good place to stop if you want to. But 4-6 are very good, and 7-11 are better than some people say they are. It's not that RJ describes clothing for literally a whole bunch of paragraphs in a row, it's that with a series this long, you start to notice he repeats the same things about clothing, and other things. If you're OK with just "tuning this out", you'll probably enjoy the series as a whole. There are also an awful lot of minor characters. But I don't think it's so much that the later books are inferior so much as by book seven or eight in any series, it's hard to keep things seeming fresh and new. It does slow down somewhat, but not as much as its reputation IMO. And around book 11 you do start to feel it all starting to come together.

[Sid]

The thing about Wheel of Time is that Jordan seemed to write in a way that can cater to different types of reader commitment:

 

1) Readers that want to read an adventure story with great characters, magic, battles, mysteries, humor, strange but true prophecies, good vs. evil, etc. There is plenty of that, though some chapters are pretty much skipable for such things.

 

2) Readers that want the above plus enjoy a very complete world with lots of its own historical characters, political maneuverings and intrigue, fashions, cultures, etc. described vividly enough that you can often see them very clearly in your mind.

 

3) Readers that want all of the above and in addition to that are willing to connect the clues left scattered throughout the text to draw conclusions about what will happen in future volumes. There is a ton of foreshadowing and prophecy in the series, and seemingly throwaway dialogue and overly flowery descriptions very often are not superfluous. After a reread or two, the appreciation for Mr. Jordan's ability to hide the answers to your questions in plain sight will probably grow quite a lot. After three, four, five, or more when you still continue seeing stuff you missed, it's pretty mind-boggling.

[yoniy0]

What Sid said, plus the interpersonal relationships. That's what I really enjoy about the WoT - the characters feel real and you really get invested in their lives. At least I do. I know some readers prefer the action scenes to a good conversation between estranged characters, but not me.

 

Regardless, the only reason why someone would say TDR (#3) is slow-going is because Rand's mostly absent from it. For someone who only connected with him during books 1-2, it can be somewhat of a shock. But Mat truly gets to shine in that book, and Perrin becomes a complete person rather than Rand's sidekick. Also, we get to know Moiraine as more of a person and less of an ivory goddess (or a porcelain doll, to quote one AS), which is good.

There's a lot to look for after that, as well. I think TSR (#4) is the most common favorite book, though not by much. LoC (#6) is pretty high up there on people's lists as well. And the second half of the series contains some very good plot lines (including several of my favorite chapters), as was mentioned above.

[OptimusPrime]

The book 8-10 period does seem to lag in comparison but there are still some very significant events in that period. My favorite part of the books has to be from book 6-9.

[Mats Spare Hat]

If you really want to know...

 

*cough

 

 

RAFO!

[Erunion]

I enjoy the entire series, thoroughly. Some people complain (and it is a valid complaint) that book 10 (and to a lesser extent books 7-9) are a bit slower. They are. For some people, that's a big problem, for me, not so much as I can polish off a thousand page book in three days...

Still, keep reading, and don't worry. Books 7-10 suffer a little bit from middle-of-series slow down, as they deal a lot with resolving some things from books 1-6 and setting up things for books 11-14. However, they are still very, very good with some awe-inspiring scenes.

[Kadere]

Since you're only half-way through the first book I would strongly suggest you get back to reading and just keep doing it. There's so much going on in this series, so much for you to put together and figure out, that even when the pace begins to somewhat slow, there's still plenty to enjoy. And since this is your first read you're not going to see the pacing problems as much since, hopefully, you'll be so enthralled with the world and the characters it won't bug you as much. Is it true that books 8-10 are "slower" then the first 7? Kind of. But book 8 also has the biggest battle scene in the series (up to that point), 9 has the most significant event in the world's history, and 10 is chalk full of darkness and despair.

 

And if you can get to 11, 12, and 13, by GOD is it worth it. It's sooooooooooooo worth reading dress descriptions. It's so worth reading through the "slow" books. It really begins to come together, and seeing it happen, as you will since lucky you you don't have to wait for them, is pretty awe-inspiring.

 

My best advice is to just read the series. If you get to a point where you think things are bogging down push through it. But if you get to a point (and I really don't think you will) where you just don't like the series, it's alright to put them down, try reading something else for a while and then come back to it. The books will always be there. But honestly, just read it for yourself. I really hope you enjoy the hell out of all of it.

[Sharaman]

Ok, the series is very long-winded.

Some of the characterisation is also infantile and there are long sections in almost every one of the books which could have been excised.

What works is the intricacy and detail of a massive number of plots and sub-plots that all intertwine.

Also a consistent, gradual description of a fantasy world/ universe that is both massive in scope of imagination and very, very granular in its detail.

Whether you like it or not as a series will depend on whether you can live with its deficiencies.

It's flawed but it has a lot of positives.

[Ananta]

Just to give some perspective, I'm one of the 'new generation' readers of the series, so I never really had to wait for the books to come out (The Gathering Storm was first book I had to wait for, and that was only for few months.)

 

I never really found any of the books excessively boring or disappointing. I can see some of them being disappointing if you have to wait for years for the book to come out and it ends up being what it is... But since I never had to wait for years for the 'boring part' of the series to get done with, I never had problems with it. I enjoyed all the books as they were.

 

I'm currently doing my first re-read of the series (It's pretty slow re-read because I'm in the army, but I'll get it done sooner or later) and the amount of 'Oh wow, he already mentioned this here?!?! IMPOSSIBRU!' -moments are full of win. The guy really put a lot of thought into his writing. GG.

[hankscorpio]

I always thought rather than using the word "filler", it's more important to say the series gets bogged down in a bunch of subplots that don't seem to advance the overall storyline, particularly between books 7-10, after which the plot starts advancing much quicker again, particularly in the most recent two books. Books 8-10 are pretty much unanimously considered to be the worst books in the series.

 

What you will notice starting about book four, however, is that the series begins to have a much broader scope. The first three books are relatively self contained, with the major plot thread being resolved at the end of each book, and there being a specific goal in each book (won't tell you what these are obviously to avoid spoilers). Once you get to book four, you start having multiple plot threads occurring simultaneously in the same book (this happens in books 2 and 3 also, as well as a little bit in book 1, but to a much smaller degree), and you start having more plot threads that don't get resolved at the end of a particular book. The amount of characters that get POVs also increases dramatically. The amount of characters, period, also increases. I think I saw somewhere that there is currently over 1,000 named characters in the series, though many of them all but the biggest fans won't be able to remember or identify by name off the top of their head.

 

While the later books definitely have a lot more description than the earlier books, the amount of description is often exaggerated greatly. You will never find a four page description of a chair or a dress.

[Byzantine279]

For the most part how dragged out some things can get is scary (one big thing book 8 books I believe to resolve), but the books are generally fine, the worst one in terms of "filler" is Crossroads of Twilight" where the entire book is showing everyone's reaction to a world-changing event in the book before, the problem being they know somethign happened, but don't know what. The only new material in that book happens at the very end, but after that the series picks back up again rapidly. The best part is as long as you don't rush you shouldn't spend too long waiting for A Memory of Light (due to come out in about a year, and finally end this epic tale). It was this book (book ten) that was the only one to give me trouble, and I read the entire series for the first time last summer so I didn't get caught int he trap of waiting for the books, which is why many of the former fans left, they couldn't stand the wait for a book like that one. (and unlike many people I didn't try to speculate, I don't like thinking as I read, I just like reading, besides in the end everything important will make itself apparent anyway, eventually *still waiting for a few things to happen that we know will*)

 

There are a few subplots that just vanish along the way (generally in book 12 or 13, due to the way the books where split up, and Brandon Sanderson taking over the writing. It is entirely possible that some of the unimportant subplots just got forgotten by Robert Jordan in the end and never got recorded or that in an effort to cut the books to a reasonable size it was decided they could be left off).

 

Anyway, you should have fun reading, most of the "filler" as you call it is obvious and can be safely skimmed. (I go into skimming mode whenever one of Robert Jordan's amazingly detailed descriptions begins, sadly they don't help me visualize anything for some reason or other.) And Hanks is right, though there are few two paragraph descriptions, but it is manageable.

[Bluedust9]

ACoS and POD should have been one book, and CoT cut and made the prologue of KOD, then I think everyone would be happy.

[PhoenixUK]

Regardless, the only reason why someone would say TDR (#3) is slow-going is because Rand's mostly absent from it. For someone who only connected with him during books 1-2, it can be somewhat of a shock.

This. When I first read the WOT, I found The dragon reborn quite boring, because i was mostly invested in Rand, and rand barely appears in the book. Upon rereading, I enjoyed it a lot more.

 

I actually find TEOTW a bit difficult to read, because it fits in less well with the otehr books, and is more cliched fantasy (magic user + warrior -who- used- to- be- king enter village, warn village bumpkins about evil, evil attacks, bumpkins must run out into wide word and find destiny). Books 2-6 are fantastic. THings start slowing down from 7-9, in that plotlines are no longer resolved within one book but continue for 2 or 3 books. Book 10 is appallingly slow and most of it could have been edited out. Book 11 picks up pace again, 12 and 13 are epic.