Slow start in eye of the world...

[Divine]

It's no mystery that the most common complaint with book 1 was the incredibly slow beginning, and it got me wondering... I would like to say that it was a near perfect book, but I am wondering if it would have been better if the beginning had been written differently or if it set the stage for the grand adventure that took place. I would like to hear your opinions :)

[capuga]

I don't think I've ever heard that complaint. And I wouldn't agree with it if I did. The book opens with a couple of character introduction chapters. We're then immediately thrust into a trolloc attack. Followed by the group almost immediately leaving the TR and continuously pursued by trollocs, fades, and drakhar. There is barely a pause to catch your breath the entire book. I'm not really sure where the slow start is.

[Divine]

I have seen it in random forums discussing the books and I have seen things such as: "if you can make it through the first few chapters you will be hooked" and I felt like that was an accurate description to my feelings of the book as well. The beginning of the book kept me wondering where the author was going with all the backstories and lore within this world, and later on I realized that it is Robert Jordan's style of writing and that it makes his world that much more real. But when I was just beginning to start an obviously dense and long series, I was a bit intimidated and found myself questioning if I was ready for this level of fantasy. Luckily once the trolloc invasion started I was hooked and it turned out being amazing. I felt like it was relevant to an extent though because the village itself was very boring, and I'm wondering if Robert Jordan did that on purpose in order to set the mood of just how bizarre and unbelievable this adventure was for these simple and stubborn two rivers folk. I do hear you though, it goes at a very quick pace once the hunt begins!

[Jon Paul]

Yea, Jordan should have considered strippers dancing on the Green and circles of cocaine around the village with the traditional sport of seeing who can clear their line first.. oh and Russell Brand pissing in the Winespring.

[Divine]

I don't think my reply deserved that amount of sarcasm. xD hahaha

[Jon Paul]

I don't think my reply deserved that amount of sarcasm. xD hahaha

 

Welcome to Dragonmount !

[Divine]

Why thank you sir! lol

[David Selig]

I wouldn't say it's too slow . The Trolloc attack occurs after less than 100 pages, IIRC. In those pages we had to get a whole lot of worldbuilding done and to be introduced to most main characters. I think the beginning is well done, if somewhat cliched.

[jsbrads]

I have heard this complaint too, but I never really understood it, the setting and the characters take few minutes to set up because they are complex; I enjoy it. Moments later a gleeman and a peddler appear telling of things happening... this fancy lady shows up and with her guard they look almost mythical and then the village is under attack and they are fleeing for their lives... One exciting event after another as they flee across the continent. If it ever got boring for a moment or two, it was rand and mat were plodding from whitebridge to camlyn or when perrin and egwene were plodding across the plains...

[yoniy0]

I have to say I happen to agree. The book does start off slow. I'm just not sure that it could be helped, and the prologue was a work of art. All in all, necessary evil, shall we say?

[randsc]

It's absurd to say that is the most common complaint, when it is in fact quite rare.

 

As a practical matter, you can't have a generic hero quest without emphasizing the mundane beginnings of the hero, nor an ugly duckling story without emphasizing the rustic and humble background of the protagonist.

[Divine]

It's absurd to say that is the most common complaint, when it is in fact quite rare.

 

As a practical matter, you can't have a generic hero quest without emphasizing the mundane beginnings of the hero, nor an ugly duckling story without emphasizing the rustic and humble background of the protagonist.

 

Of all of the discussion boards I visited that was the most common complaint about the book. It was a bit fallacious on my part to make such a big claim without visiting more forums and getting more insight so I apologize. And I understand that structurally there was nothing wrong with it, I am just trying to hear other peoples opinions on it more or less. Furthering my opinion, I almost wish that the beginning was a bit more jovial rather than maintaining the darkness that is present throughout the rest of the book. There was never a moment in the entire story where the protagonist didn't seem threatened. But again that could be necessary, so it's up for debate.

[jsbrads]

I thought the beginning was very generic, but that doesn't take away from the story, it reinforces the cycle of time.

 

Shepard boy, hard working, magician visits his home town and wisks him away before baddies descend... then it gets more interesting, but was still interesting to see RJ's idea of a home town, magician, baddies etc.

[Nicook5]

I never thought of the beginning as slow. I'm trying to compare the beginning of EotW to the beginning of LotR book1 and I just don't see anything.

[Kadere]

The beginning of Rand and Tam coming to the Two Rivers, and how Jordan describes the people and the lineage of the Congars and Coplands, and describing Bel Tine and what it means to this small community, and the rivers, the Winespring, etc. is one of my favorite sections of the entire series. I love that Jordan took the time, and had the talent, to really have you sink into this world and story. It gives it a feel of familiarity that, for me, goes beyond being just cliche to feeling like Jordan is instead reintroducing you to a story you've never read before but known all along. And after that he introduces most of the major players in a way that doesn't feel contrived (at least the first time around). Then 80 or so pages later you have trollocs, Rand dragging Tam through the woods at night, the town in ashes, and a nightmare with Ishamael.

 

If you want to just get into the action in a series go read Malazan. I think if it's a choice of seeping in or jumping right to the explosions without any sense of the characters I prefer WoT's introduction to Malazan's (and I love Malazan btw). Considering how many people stop reading Malazan after the first 50 pages cause they don't understand what's happening or who the characters are.

[jsbrads]

Malazan, true that, but the darkness and the gore turned me away first

[Goramier]

The story isn't slow to start at all. To peg Wheel of Time as slow to start is ridiculous. My guess is that people who find it "slow" are simply inexperienced readers. I can't imagine any story that starts off FASTER then the wheel of time when considering the scope of the story. If you put a Steven King novel, page by page, in comparison to a Wheel of Time book...then the Steven King character would be in the middle of blood, and horror by about what, the third sentence I bet. If that long.

 

I think the real argument about being "slow" is what would otherwise be called Rand's "weakness." I think people pick up fantasy series books and expect the hero to become this great King of King's and the hero of the day to quote a Metallica song. Rand is a long time in coming. Rand and friends take books to develope and mature into who we now know them as.

 

Take Brandon Sanderson's other books for example. Whats the one with the chick who swallows alloy and then flings coins and bounces around like an idiot? Mistborn or something....she is basically hero powered by the end of book one. She has already risen as a hero, has fought battles and the big bad guys et al... By the end of book 1 for Wheel of Time, most first time readers have no real idea where Rand is, what happened to him or what is to become of him and he is constantly displayed as weak and taking near constant damage to himself and his mind throughout.

 

Yeah, I don't think the Wheel of Time is slow as much as it doesn't fit most casual readers idea of how authors turn the main character into instant hero's.

[damandred]

For me the Prologue was the hook, once I'd read that it didn't matter how slow it started(not very compared to some fantasy) I was finishing the book.

 

In my opinion the best author of cover to cover action fantasy, was the late, great, David Gemmel.

He wrote in contrasting styles to RJ but to me was just as special. His first novel Legend was a masterpiece.

[yoniy0]

people who find it "slow" are simply inexperienced readers.

Off with your head

[baalsmistress]

The story isn't slow to start at all. To peg Wheel of Time as slow to start is ridiculous. My guess is that people who find it "slow" are simply inexperienced readers. I can't imagine any story that starts off FASTER then the wheel of time when considering the scope of the story. If you put a Steven King novel, page by page, in comparison to a Wheel of Time book...then the Steven King character would be in the middle of blood, and horror by about what, the third sentence I bet. If that long.

 

I think the real argument about being "slow" is what would otherwise be called Rand's "weakness." I think people pick up fantasy series books and expect the hero to become this great King of King's and the hero of the day to quote a Metallica song. Rand is a long time in coming. Rand and friends take books to develope and mature into who we now know them as.

 

Take Brandon Sanderson's other books for example. Whats the one with the chick who swallows alloy and then flings coins and bounces around like an idiot? Mistborn or something....she is basically hero powered by the end of book one. She has already risen as a hero, has fought battles and the big bad guys et al... By the end of book 1 for Wheel of Time, most first time readers have no real idea where Rand is, what happened to him or what is to become of him and he is constantly displayed as weak and taking near constant damage to himself and his mind throughout.

 

Yeah, I don't think the Wheel of Time is slow as much as it doesn't fit most casual readers idea of how authors turn the main character into instant hero's.

 

 

To be honest, I found your post pretty amusing, given you are attempting to describe me as an "inexperienced reader". The more common complaint I have directed towards me is that I'm always stuck in a book.

 

Anyhow, to the subject matter, The Eye of the World. First book in a series I've been glued to now for almost half a decade. I'd probably have been glued to it for a lot lot longer, but I picked the book up multiple times over the course of years and never could get into it. In fact, I didn't get into the series till I abandonned the printed form and picked up TEotW on audio book. Once I'd listened to the first one, the rest of the series just flew past, the hardest part since then has been waiting, first for RJ to publish a new work, then wondering if the end would ever be written, and now waiting on BS.

 

But TEotW - yeah, it's a real barrier to the series.

[Goramier]

people who find it "slow" are simply inexperienced readers.

Off with your head

 

For some reason my multiquote feature isn't working so I got to copy and paste to do this. Anyways I truly didn't mean that to be read in an offensive way. It may have sounded that way but wasn't any kind of attack or anything. I didn't mean it to be a form of intelligence but that some readers of wheel of time are rather new readers in general and some have been reading for long years and are more attuned to the differences of books, authors, styles and paces of the characters.

 

To be honest, I found your post pretty amusing, given you are attempting to describe me as an "inexperienced reader". The more common complaint I have directed towards me is that I'm always stuck in a book.

 

Your account started like 3 days ago so I have no idea who you are or what you have read but I stick by my statement. The Eye is far from slow. It is a very fast paced book over all. If people find it slow it is because they are simply not used to reading books with real substance. They are used to the short Steven King style books where the entire story is resolved in 300-500 pages. The author cannot differ the story because so many people are not used to actually reading, over say getting a fast ending in an hour long tv show drama.

[ironisles]

The story isn't slow to start at all. To peg Wheel of Time as slow to start is ridiculous. My guess is that people who find it "slow" are simply inexperienced readers. I can't imagine any story that starts off FASTER then the wheel of time when considering the scope of the story. If you put a Steven King novel, page by page, in comparison to a Wheel of Time book...then the Steven King character would be in the middle of blood, and horror by about what, the third sentence I bet. If that long.

 

I think the real argument about being "slow" is what would otherwise be called Rand's "weakness." I think people pick up fantasy series books and expect the hero to become this great King of King's and the hero of the day to quote a Metallica song. Rand is a long time in coming. Rand and friends take books to develope and mature into who we now know them as.

 

Take Brandon Sanderson's other books for example. Whats the one with the chick who swallows alloy and then flings coins and bounces around like an idiot? Mistborn or something....she is basically hero powered by the end of book one. She has already risen as a hero, has fought battles and the big bad guys et al... By the end of book 1 for Wheel of Time, most first time readers have no real idea where Rand is, what happened to him or what is to become of him and he is constantly displayed as weak and taking near constant damage to himself and his mind throughout.

 

Yeah, I don't think the Wheel of Time is slow as much as it doesn't fit most casual readers idea of how authors turn the main character into instant hero's.

 

 

To be honest, I found your post pretty amusing, given you are attempting to describe me as an "inexperienced reader". The more common complaint I have directed towards me is that I'm always stuck in a book.

 

Anyhow, to the subject matter, The Eye of the World. First book in a series I've been glued to now for almost half a decade. I'd probably have been glued to it for a lot lot longer, but I picked the book up multiple times over the course of years and never could get into it. In fact, I didn't get into the series till I abandonned the printed form and picked up TEotW on audio book. Once I'd listened to the first one, the rest of the series just flew past, the hardest part since then has been waiting, first for RJ to publish a new work, then wondering if the end would ever be written, and now waiting on BS.

 

But TEotW - yeah, it's a real barrier to the series.

 

Wait till you get to CoT....

[Divine]

The story isn't slow to start at all. To peg Wheel of Time as slow to start is ridiculous. My guess is that people who find it "slow" are simply inexperienced readers. I can't imagine any story that starts off FASTER then the wheel of time when considering the scope of the story. If you put a Steven King novel, page by page, in comparison to a Wheel of Time book...then the Steven King character would be in the middle of blood, and horror by about what, the third sentence I bet. If that long.

 

I think the real argument about being "slow" is what would otherwise be called Rand's "weakness." I think people pick up fantasy series books and expect the hero to become this great King of King's and the hero of the day to quote a Metallica song. Rand is a long time in coming. Rand and friends take books to develope and mature into who we now know them as.

 

Take Brandon Sanderson's other books for example. Whats the one with the chick who swallows alloy and then flings coins and bounces around like an idiot? Mistborn or something....she is basically hero powered by the end of book one. She has already risen as a hero, has fought battles and the big bad guys et al... By the end of book 1 for Wheel of Time, most first time readers have no real idea where Rand is, what happened to him or what is to become of him and he is constantly displayed as weak and taking near constant damage to himself and his mind throughout.

 

Yeah, I don't think the Wheel of Time is slow as much as it doesn't fit most casual readers idea of how authors turn the main character into instant hero's.

 

Yeah dude honestly there was a lot of your ego showing through this entire reply. I enjoyed hearing your opinion but you don't need to attempt to belittle anybody with broad claims such as: "people who find it 'slow' are simply inexperienced readers". I do hear what you are saying though about a lot of readers expecting the protagonist to become an instant hero, that is not the type of story I usually buy, it is beyond cliche.

[Thorgan]

Considering how long the books are a long intro is acceptable.

But this "Ravens" chapter even before the prologue is bad imo. It doesn't really make the story better. Just for the fans.

[Ace Sedai]

Yea, Jordan should have considered strippers dancing on the Green and circles of cocaine around the village with the traditional sport of seeing who can clear their line first.. oh and Russell Brand pissing in the Winespring.

+1