Why Do I Keep Doing This To Myself (A paranoid guy who seems to hate most things reading WOT REALLY slowly)

[EmperorAllspice]

Hey everyone. I'm still on book 5 (just over halfway through actually) and I couldn't think of another place to post my thoughts as I read (hah, as if anyone cares) so I thought why not hear, where the other paranoid, nutty people reside =P

 

I was reading the TV tropes page for WOT and I stumbled across this entry. It makes me feel like I'm gonna hate book 13.

 

"God Mode Sue: Deconstructed/subverted/inverted with Rand for most of the series, especially books 6-12. He's powerful as all hell, but deeply flawed in some of his methods and reasoning. At the end of book 12, he got better and spends most of book 13 playing this more or less straight, though a large part of it is him admitting his sins."

[EmperorAllspice]

Am I the only one who finds Min a really really boring character so far? She's a tomboy who's in love with Rand for some reason. Those are the only personality traits I can gleam from her.

 

In every book there's a plot thread that seems to drag for me. In this book it's whenever Min is the POV character. She's just so... uninteresting. and her obsession with Rand is kinda annoying honestly.

[Sagacious Lu]

If you're in the middle of book 5 my advice to you is to avoid spoilers and discussion of the parts you haven't read yet as much as possible. IMHO books 5 and have some of the strongest moments in the series, so just enjoy where you are in the story. The good news is that by the time you catch up the series will probably be complete so you won't have to wait for the ending once you get there. Don't listen to what people say... go and see :)

 

Purely from the perspective of personal taste I'd have to agree that Min isn't the most interesting character in the series, even though I still like her. Don't let it get you down though, there's so much going on in the story that one character can't ruin it for you no matter how much you dislike her.

[EmperorAllspice]

Actually, spoilers are part of why I'm still reading. One look at book 3's ending would've made me throw the series down in disgust otherwise. As well as the knowledge that Ishmael comes back, since he was by far the most interesting part of Book's 1-3 for me.

[Arez Al'Loke]

I couldn't quit a book even if my life depended on it.. xD

[Sagacious Lu]

Eh, suit yourself then. Personally I think knowing too much about what happens before I read it for myself sucks the life out of a story but that's just the way I am.

[EmperorAllspice]

I don't think I could now, too invested, but seeing book 3.

 

The ending confrontation involved Rand chasing Ba'alzamon down like a little "female dog" and easily dispatching him. It also ends with him having an insta win tool against the forsaken.

 

After finishing I was just like... what. SERIOUSLY?! Are you kidding me?

[Basel Gill]

If you're still on Book 5, I kind of wonder what you're doing in this group in the first place, considering the Black Tower doesn't exist yet for you. Isn't the entire Org one big spoiler as far as you are concerned?

[EmperorAllspice]

I don't consider a detail like the Black Tower a spoiler. I see it as a reason to stay invested. A spoiler would be knowing iwhich characters die and which ones live. I know nothing about things like that (except Ishmael because if he didn't come back then I would've walked)

 

I'm a hard man to please. I like having an anchor when I read. A character or a plot detail that keeps me reading even during the parts I don't like or which get me annoyed.

[Sagacious Lu]

It also ends with him having an insta win tool against the forsaken.

 

I never would have made this assumption about Callandor.

[Canukistani]

Callandor is not an insta win tool.

[EmperorAllspice]

From the point of view of someone who'd just read book 3 it came off as such to me. It let him easily beat the strongest Forsaken around. Why would I want to read book 4 knowing that Rand had something like that in his arsenal?

[Sagacious Lu]

If for no other reason than to find out how wrong that assumption is.

[EmperorAllspice]

I had no reason to assume that. I honestly had no idea how they were gonna get around Callandor going into book 4. and the solution... did not satisfy me, really. For one, because of the way I see things naturally, I had to be told by my friend much later on (when I was starting book 5 actually) that Callandor makes Rand go mad with power.

 

I thought the whole dead girl sequence was just Rand being Rand. He was already acting out of his mind in book 3. I kinda expected it of him at that point. I didn't know that Callandor was making it worse

[Arez Al'Loke]

If for no other reason than to find out how wrong that assumption is.

 

+1, you assume far to much.

[EmperorAllspice]

MAybe it would also help if you had context for why I'm reading this series in the first place.

 

My friend promised on his life that this series has good villains, so whenever something like Callandor or the Statue Sa'angreal comes into play which is an element that COULD defeat the villains but won't for reasons completely unrelated to them it robs them of menace.The villains are the reasons I'm rading this series. I enjoy the other characters, certainly, but my love is for antagonists.

[ruairidh7]

Aviendha>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Min

 

That is all

[Turin Turambar]

Roo, Avi gets many chances to be awesome. Min however may save the world. Elayne just takes baths...

 

[EmperorAllspice]

I'm not too fussed on Aviendha either. Though I think that's because the Slap, Slap, Kiss nature of EVERY romantic thread in this series is beginning to get on my nerves.

[TheMasterDude]

Personally I have had a hard time reading ANY of the girls' POV in the books. I for some reason find their plot lines boring and have to force myself not to skim over them...Especially since later on they become important. Also I do this with Perrin's plot line, especially when he has that one whole fiasco that takes FOREVER to solve (You will understand when you get to it...). If you make it through Fires of Heaven I think you will probably like Lord of Chaos better (I think this is my favorite book). The "I'm invincible" thing starts to disappear more and bigger plot twists start to appear and in book 7 even with Callandor problems arise (besides the madness thing). I personally hated books 8 and 9 (due to not having much of Rand in them and Jordan developing the other plot twists in those books) but if you make it through those, most of the plot lines become synced again and the story continues. The biggest problem Jordan has with this series is that his plot lines become out of sync and you have to remember where you are in the timeline for each character. The "villains" become more powerful and the "strongest" Ishamel actually wasn't the strongest at the time of his death because he was mad. Since you already know that he comes back, when he does he is much more powerful and the other "Chosen" quake in fear of him. So don't despair that he was killed and is "the strongest" because he really wasn't at the time that Rand killed him.

 

(I hope I haven't ruined any major spoilers for you but have piqued your interest ) good luck with your readings.

[EmperorAllspice]

You know, everyone mentions Ishmael being mad. In what way was he mad? He seemed to be making more sense than anyone else to me.

 

I'm also kind of a pariah because I really don't care about Mat. I actually liked him better in books 1 and 2. before he became a POV character. I don't hate him, but his luck gets on my nerves. How does a villain fight that? I know his luck arbitrarily becomes bad too, but how does a villain fight him without hoping that they've just happened to catch him on a bad luck day?

[TheMasterDude]

Actually a lot of bad things happen to him later on...(RAFO all I'm going to say...) and being mad he "Thinks he is the Dark One" and all powerful and other things like that, he actually doesn't have full control of his mind since it becomes warped from being near the Dark One when the Bore was sealed (this is explained better later on and about his madness somewhat, etc.).

[EmperorAllspice]

Ah, Aviendha and Rand finally consumate their relationship in a damn igloo... I hate the romance in this series -__-

 

Is it possible... in ANY way, shape, or form, to have a romance in this series which ISN'T Slap, Slap, Kiss. It's predictable as all get out and it's boring as hell. Not to mention creepy! Especially Min and Aviendha.

 

Ah well, at least Asmodean is still being awesome

[Niniel]

Roo, Avi gets many chances to be awesome. Min however may save the world. Elayne just takes baths...

 

 

+1

[Turin Turambar]

 

 

Ah well, at least Asmodean is still being awesome

 

>.>

 

<.<

 

+.+

 

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