Good idea to skip 8-11

[rsmpdx]

I've read up through A CROWN OF SWORDS, but haven't read anything past that. I was thinking about picking up the series again at THE GATHERING STORM. Does that sound like a good idea? Should I just read chapter summaries to get caught up? Where can I find some decent thorough summaries?

[Talmanes]

There are some slow parts, but I would still recommend reading them.

You would just miss too much even with chapter summaries.

If nothing else, they will make you appreciate action coming back lol.

[Finnssss22]

No way! The only book you could possibly skip is #10 Crossroads as it's more about filling in some holes than plot furthering.

 

#8 Path of Daggers is short enough that you can burn through it in pretty good time and you definitely do not want to skip #9 Winter's Heart and especially not #11 Knife of Dreams.

Knife of Dreams is one of the top 3-4 books in the entire series imo.

[Agitel]

I couldn't recommend skipping that much, not unless you honestly just couldn't do it. Personally, I admit things slowed down through that period, but it never really bothered me. I enjoyed it all. And KoD was a fine book, no reason to skip that. There is a lot that happens in that period, I always thought people overreacted. Even CoT was good by my measure, I was just disappointed it didn't address a certain issue.

[Byzantine279]

Things were slower, but since you don't have to wait for the books you really shouldn't have too hard of a time dealing with it.

[Finnssss22]

To be honest, the main reason PoD and CoT get such a bad rap is because a lot of us had to wait so long between books and those two didn't quite measure up as well.

Always kinda left people thinking they almost weren't worth the wait, at least not like #9 and especially #11.

[Kestrel]

Look at it this way:

 

It's going to be ANOTHER YEAR before AMoL is published!!! It's not like you are racing to get the high points of the story before the climax is released. And besides that, books 8-11 are out in paperback AND on library shelves, so your out-of-pocket cost is minimal at best. So why go skip nearly a third of the series?

 

If you still think they're going to be that bad, you could park the books in the "reading room" next to the "throne." It'll give you something ironically appropriate to pass the time.

 

Happy reading!

[Sleeper]

No, don't do that. I actually liked Path of Daggers quite a bit, and Winter's Heart has some major plot movement. The only book that I really don't enjoy is Crossroads of Twilight, but you should probably read it too.

 

And definitely don't skip Knife of Dreams. It's really one of the better books in the series and has some good plot movement.

[rsmpdx]

Well, I think I'm convinced, I think I'll just dig into THE PATH OF DAGGERS, thanks guys!

[SethBaker]

Well, I think I'm convinced, I think I'll just dig into THE PATH OF DAGGERS, thanks guys!

 

Definitely read them all. What everybody else has said is right - it's slower going, there are more subplots being followed, and the story starts to get muddled. I didn't particularly enjoy Crown of Swords through Crossroads of Twilight (with the exception of one scene in Winter's Heart), but they're still decent reads and you need them to support the story as a whole.

 

More importantly, if you read them all this time, you'll have a strong basis during rereads. And when you know the characters better, and know the plots better, your head is going to be swimming a little less than your first time through (trying to keep Talaan and Renaile and Merillile and Melindra straight). When you know everything better, on rereads, these slower moving books are much better.

 

(Except Elayne. Elayne is boring as hell.)

[Sid]

Well, I think I'm convinced, I think I'll just dig into THE PATH OF DAGGERS, thanks guys!

Don't fret, Mat will be back and as good as ever.

[TheBeerPatriot]

Well, I think I'm convinced, I think I'll just dig into THE PATH OF DAGGERS, thanks guys!

 

Definitely read them all. What everybody else has said is right - it's slower going, there are more subplots being followed, and the story starts to get muddled. I didn't particularly enjoy Crown of Swords through Crossroads of Twilight (with the exception of one scene in Winter's Heart), but they're still decent reads and you need them to support the story as a whole.

 

More importantly, if you read them all this time, you'll have a strong basis during rereads. And when you know the characters better, and know the plots better, your head is going to be swimming a little less than your first time through (trying to keep Talaan and Renaile and Merillile and Melindra straight). When you know everything better, on rereads, these slower moving books are much better.

 

(Except Elayne. Elayne is boring as hell.)

Glad to hear you'll be reading the books. As others mentioned on here. Path of Daggers and Crossroads get panned on here frequently. However, I've come around on Path of Daggers and tend it like it more with each re-read. I'll stay mum on Crossroads until you read it ;) But it is definitely worth your time to read 'em all, as others have indicated. Enjoy!

[FarShainMael]

I've read up through A CROWN OF SWORDS, but haven't read anything past that. I was thinking about picking up the series again at THE GATHERING STORM. Does that sound like a good idea? Should I just read chapter summaries to get caught up? Where can I find some decent thorough summaries?

 

I agree with the others, def read the books - esp Winter's Heart and Knife of Dreams, which have some significant stuff in them. But if you want to map out progress with summaries, ther are some good ones here:

 

http://encyclopaedia-wot.org/

[Songstress]

I have to say, on the first read-through I really enjoyed everything except Crossroads of Twilight (and that wasn't too horrible), but after I started reading the forums here, I heard so much about the storylines I liked the least in those books I think it made me like them less in retrospect.

 

On my recent re-read I realized that they didn't really drag on quite as much as it seemed like. :)

[Beidomon]

Slogging through these books is part of the experience, I guess, but you are in for a long, long, slog. Without delving too much into spoilers, I would strongly suggest skipping over basically everything in books 8-10 related to Perrin, Faile, and the Shaido. Just gonna have to trust me on this, unless you want spoilers.

[Sbond91]

Knife of Dreams is a very good book, and has a couple of very fulfilling scenes that you don't want to miss.

 

Winters' Heart has the best finale of the series, so don't miss that.

 

Really, all of them are good books - even CoT, but then I really liked the AS politicking that took place in the book - and I'd recommend reading them all.

[HighWiredSith]

Some of the latter books remind me of episodes of LOST, 90% filler (useless, waste time story and plot lines), 10% vital story. Unfortunately, you had to sit through the filler, to get the good stuff. What's more, the good stuff was only that much better because of the fluff and filler around it. I'm almost done with TGS and I still think books 7-13 could have been pulled off in three books.

[ryanphlp2002]

Some of the latter books remind me of episodes of LOST, 90% filler (useless, waste time story and plot lines), 10% vital story. Unfortunately, you had to sit through the filler, to get the good stuff. What's more, the good stuff was only that much better because of the fluff and filler around it. I'm almost done with TGS and I still think books 7-13 could have been pulled off in three books.

 

Totally agree, and better books they would have been for it! Path of Daggers and Crossroads of Twilight were a chore, Path of Daggers was the first to make me go "oh no, the curse of stringing things out has struck again....", happens with tv series all the time (except HBO who stop BEFORE I want them to...). bottom line is $$$???

[Smittyphi]

Winters Heart is a fulfilling book to some degree and I liked CoT. I would definitely NOT skip them.

[TheBeerPatriot]

Some of the latter books remind me of episodes of LOST, 90% filler (useless, waste time story and plot lines), 10% vital story. Unfortunately, you had to sit through the filler, to get the good stuff. What's more, the good stuff was only that much better because of the fluff and filler around it. I'm almost done with TGS and I still think books 7-13 could have been pulled off in three books.

 

Totally agree, and better books they would have been for it! Path of Daggers and Crossroads of Twilight were a chore, Path of Daggers was the first to make me go "oh no, the curse of stringing things out has struck again....", happens with tv series all the time (except HBO who stop BEFORE I want them to...). bottom line is $$$???

I definitely felt that way when I first read Path of Daggers. Through re-reading though, I think Daggers sets up Winters Heart pretty nicely. I suppose you can say the same thing with Crossroads setting up Knife of Dreams, although I'm not as partial to Crossroads as I am with Daggers.

[jemron]

My brother skipped 8-10, and read 11-13. He's totally happy. He almost gave up on the series, but his excitement for the series was re-kindled after he read KoD (book 11).

 

Just read the summaries from the encyclopaedia-wot.org site and you'll be all caught up, or...

 

spoilers:

 

the taint gets healed. I don't remember anything else important happening in books 8-10. You're welcome.

[Master of Germs]

Well, I think I'm convinced, I think I'll just dig into THE PATH OF DAGGERS, thanks guys!

 

Definitely read them all. What everybody else has said is right - it's slower going, there are more subplots being followed, and the story starts to get muddled. I didn't particularly enjoy Crown of Swords through Crossroads of Twilight (with the exception of one scene in Winter's Heart), but they're still decent reads and you need them to support the story as a whole.

 

More importantly, if you read them all this time, you'll have a strong basis during rereads. And when you know the characters better, and know the plots better, your head is going to be swimming a little less than your first time through (trying to keep Talaan and Renaile and Merillile and Melindra straight). When you know everything better, on rereads, these slower moving books are much better.

 

(Except Elayne. Elayne is boring as hell.)

 

+1

[ryanphlp2002]

spoilers:

 

the taint gets healed. I don't remember anything else important happening in books 8-10. You're welcome.

 

Lol! Succinctly put!

Those books unfortunately make me tag on a warning to people when I recommend WOT much the way I fear A Song of Ice and Fire is heading having recently read A Feast of Crows, ah but I loved the first 6 or 7 WOT books though, thank God the pace HAD to pick up....

[Skeeve the Great]

My brother skipped 8-10, and read 11-13. He's totally happy. He almost gave up on the series, but his excitement for the series was re-kindled after he read KoD (book 11).

 

Just read the summaries from the encyclopaedia-wot.org site and you'll be all caught up, or...

 

spoilers:

 

the taint gets healed. I don't remember anything else important happening in books 8-10. You're welcome.

 

That's unfortunate for you. There were a lot of interesting plots in those books. Sorry you missed them :)

[jemron]

My brother skipped 8-10, and read 11-13. He's totally happy. He almost gave up on the series, but his excitement for the series was re-kindled after he read KoD (book 11).

 

Just read the summaries from the encyclopaedia-wot.org site and you'll be all caught up, or...

 

spoilers:

 

the taint gets healed. I don't remember anything else important happening in books 8-10. You're welcome.

 

That's unfortunate for you. There were a lot of interesting plots in those books. Sorry you missed them :)

 

Haha! I kid of course. I always re-read all the books (except book 10, though I plan to this last time) before each book. I just feel like, if people want to give up on the series, best to tell them to skip a few of the middle books then to have them give up completely. Now that my brother was pulled back into the story by KoD and TGS and ToM, he's excited to re-read the whole series. He almost just gave up on it completely, which I think would've been a darn shame.