Characters introduced later in the series

[jes06c]

Maybe it's just me, but if a character was introduced after The Dragon Reborn, I tend to find them much less memorable. Granted, there are some exceptions. Cadsuane and Fortuana were introduced fairly late in the series, but they managed to make an impression with me. Then again, you could argue that if you're going to introduce the most famous living Aes Sedai or the Seanchan empress, you better make sure they stand out. However, my rule of thumb is that if I didn't read about you in the first three books, or if you weren't at least referenced, I have a harder time keeping track of you.

 

Take Hurin, a minor character. Granted, he played a fairly significant role in The Great Hunt, and then he disappears until he makes a cameo in The Gathering Storm, but I still remember him , even after a ten book absence. On the other hand, you have the Aiel, most of whom weren't introduced until The Shadow Rising. They've consistently appeared in all of the books since then, but I still have a time keeping track of the Wise Ones. I can remember Gaul (who had a cameo when Perrin rescued him in The Dragon Reborn), but I still confuse Bain and Chiad with each other, even though they ended up becoming the Three Amigos.

 

Or take the Seanchan. I still remember every scene with Turak, even though he only appeared (and died) in The Great Hunt. But you have a latecomer like Selucia, who I find much less memorable even though she's received far more screentime.

 

Anyone else find it harder to keep track of characters who were introduced later?

[Aliriel]

Maybe it's just me, but if a character was introduced after The Dragon Reborn, I tend to find them much less memorable. Granted, there are some exceptions. Cadsuane and Fortuana were introduced fairly late in the series, but they managed to make an impression with me. Then again, you could argue that if you're going to introduce the most famous living Aes Sedai or the Seanchan empress, you better make sure they stand out. However, my rule of thumb is that if I didn't read about you in the first three books, or if you weren't at least referenced, I have a harder time keeping track of you.

 

Take Hurin, a minor character. Granted, he played a fairly significant role in The Great Hunt, and then he disappears until he makes a cameo in The Gathering Storm, but I still remember him , even after a ten book absence. On the other hand, you have the Aiel, most of whom weren't introduced until The Shadow Rising. They've consistently appeared in all of the books since then, but I still have a time keeping track of the Wise Ones. I can remember Gaul (who had a cameo when Perrin rescued him in The Dragon Reborn), but I still confuse Bain and Chiad with each other, even though they ended up becoming the Three Amigos.

 

Or take the Seanchan. I still remember every scene with Turak, even though he only appeared (and died) in The Great Hunt. But you have a latecomer like Selucia, who I find much less memorable even though she's received far more screentime.

 

Anyone else find it harder to keep track of characters who were introduced later?

 

In a series with the number of named characters that WoT has, keeping track of some of the minor/supporting characters is hard.

There is a thread on here, which I can't find at the moment, that touched on this topic.

The thing that makes keeping track of minor/supporting characters difficult for me personally is the similarities in the names, Seane and Sarine (spelling doesn't look right), the two Aes Sadai are an example.

 

A.

[Jon Storme]

I completely and utterly agree with you!!! Although I must admit that I make it to The Shadow Rising before I start to have trouble remembering characters. For me I think it may be down to pure nostalgia for the first few books. I always think of them very fondly, more so than any of the later ones even though I do love all of the books in the series.

[jes06c]

 

In a series with the number of named characters that WoT has, keeping track of some of the minor/supporting characters is hard.

There is a thread on here, which I can't find at the moment, that touched on this topic.

The thing that makes keeping track of minor/supporting characters difficult for me personally is the similarities in the names, Seane and Sarine (spelling doesn't look right), the two Aes Sadai are an example.

 

A.

 

That's a good point. I know exactly the Aes Sedai you're talking about, and I also got confused about them. Then again, when I first read Lord of the Rings as a kid, I had a tendency to confuse Saruman and Sauron.

[bobarose]

Maybe thats why stephan donaldson went thousands of years apart for

his three covenant series.

he wouldnt have to keep track of everyone.