Things Brandon Sanderson did better than Robert Jordan

[Suttree]

I happen to like Brandon, he brings a breath of fresh air to the last novels (and there are many instances where people assume the writing was sanderson and it was actually RJ)

 Many? This has somehow gotten a bit blown out of proportion. I personally have only seen it once or twice here on the boards(most memorably with Mark D and the ToG sequence...heh that was pretty awesome). Do you have some other examples of it happening?

 

As for thebreath of fresh air, I just don't see it. It's as if people forget that KoD already had things moving in the right direction. What was a breath of fresh air was where we were in the story arc with things coming to a head.

[jedman67]

 

I happen to like Brandon, he brings a breath of fresh air to the last novels (and there are many instances where people assume the writing was sanderson and it was actually RJ)

 Many? This has somehow gotten a bit blown out of proportion. I personally have only seen it once or twice here on the boards(most memorably with Mark D and the ToG sequence...heh that was pretty awesome). Do you have some other examples of it happening?

 

As for thebreath of fresh air, I just don't see it. It's as if people forget that KoD already had things moving in the right direction. What was a breath of fresh air was where we were in the story arc with things coming to a head.

ok., i saw a few mentions on the twitter page, maybe it was only a few :)

 

For me, i still felt that KoD was still a little behind where it was supposed to be. The breath of fresh air was the change in writing, the change in pacing; i love the thematic and subtle writing of RJ. But sometimes i think he's too subtle, trying to be too clever and the readership gets a little lost. BS taking over just felt a little different, but i felt it was positive (not that i have no criticisms, but who could truly take over another persons life work and finish off a series more than 2 decades in the making in a couple of years? He's done the best job he could, given the circumstances).

 

ETA

When i finished KoD, i felt like the series was finally getting back on track after spending six books on Mat escaping from Ebu Dar. After my reread i realized it was only 2 books and change, 3 including KoD. Still felt like too long for one of the main characters to be away from the major plot areas, Tuon and all included

[Suttree]

Fair enough. Indeed you make some solid points there.

[WtfWot]

Things Brandon Sanderson did better:

   * Move the story

   * Finish the series

 

Things Brandon Sanderson did worse:

   * Just about everything else

   * Especially battles

 

Primary topic of the final book:

   * The Final Battle

[Mr Ares]

Things Brandon Sanderson did better:

   * Move the story

   * Finish the series

Well, given that the reason RJ didn't finish the series because he was dead, I have to say that Brandon did better at finishing the series primarily due to the fact he isn't. By the same token, I would have finished the series better than RJ, because I am capable of typing words, and he isn't. In terms of moving the story, RJ already proved that he could be very, very good at moving things forward, and Brandon hasn't shown himself to be much more than acceptable.

[jedman67]

 

Things Brandon Sanderson did better:

   * Move the story

   * Finish the series

Well, given that the reason RJ didn't finish the series because he was dead, I have to say that Brandon did better at finishing the series primarily due to the fact he isn't. By the same token, I would have finished the series better than RJ, because I am capable of typing words, and he isn't. In terms of moving the story, RJ already proved that he could be very, very good at moving things forward, and Brandon hasn't shown himself to be much more than acceptable.

I just started reading AMOL, and the story is exciting and the writing is not. Its too actiony and not really subtle enough. It's still a good read tho.

[actionrpg8k]

 

Things Brandon Sanderson did better than Robert Jordan

 

Zero. And I tell you why:

 

Sanderson (and Elizabeth Haydon, Juliet E. McKenna, Kate Elliott, Dungeons & Dragons "writers" etc.) writes comic books, not novels. That's the second main problem. (The first problem: this is not his series, so he doesn't know anything about the characters).

 

Jordan is low-good "bestseller writer" (Lost season 4) and Sanderson is a low-mediocre comic book writer (Prison Break season 4, Arrow - My name is Oliver Queen.).

 

Of course, Jordan had many faults (I should say too many) but he was miles better even at his low point than Sanderson at his high.

 

 

I guess this proves the adage that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I could not disagree more with this view. A few disclosures:

1. I have been reading Robert Jordan since he wrote Conan books in the mid 1980's. I began reading WoT my senior year in high school when EotW came out, and at one time it was by far my favorite series.

2. I stopped reading sometime around CoS or PoD. I honestly cannot remember. I wasn't angry or mad. I simply got bored, put it down, and never had any interest in going back to the series.

3. Brandon Sanderson is probably my favorite current author of fantasy fiction. From standalone books such as Elantris and Warbreaker, to the superb Mistborn trilogy, I have loved everything he has written.

 

I only decided to reread WoT when I heard that Sanderson had been chosen to finish the series. I began a steady reread of the whole series to coincide with the final volume. I am now on KoD, so I haven't even reached the point when Brandon takes over. However, all my problems and issues that made me lose all interest the first time occurred in my reread. I could not believe how much I enjoyed the first 6 novels. I also could not believe how downhill Jordan had gone in 7-10. I say that from someone who had read almost every bit of fantasy he has written, not just WoT.

[Suttree]

 

 . I also could not believe how downhill Jordan had gone in 7-10. I say that from someone who had read almost every bit of fantasy he has written, not just WoT.

 Downhill in what way? The quality of writing certainly doesn't drop. Is it the pacing in a section where the books hit that mid-late stretch that bothers you. KoD does a good deal to move the pace forward again and has things ready to jump off towards the the stories conclusion.

[actionrpg8k]

 

 

 . I also could not believe how downhill Jordan had gone in 7-10. I say that from someone who had read almost every bit of fantasy he has written, not just WoT.

 Downhill in what way? The quality of writing certainly doesn't drop. Is it the pacing in a section where the books hit that mid-late stretch that bothers you. KoD does a good deal to move the pace forward again and has things ready to jump off towards the the stories conclusion.

 

 

I feel that pacing and plot management is all a part of writing quality. Reading a novel should never feel like a chore. The worst part is you would still see the occasional gems that would remind you of what an epic story RJ had created, then have forty pages of clothes descriptions, braid tugging, hands folding under bosoms, and mouths tightening. I think it was even more apparent on my reread as I had just read the wonder of The Shadow Rising and Lord of Chaos, to trying to force myself through Path of Daggers less than a year later. And seriously, I am about a third through KoD, and I have come to hate Perrin's storyline. He actually was once my favorite character.

[Suttree]

 

 

 

 . I also could not believe how downhill Jordan had gone in 7-10. I say that from someone who had read almost every bit of fantasy he has written, not just WoT.

 Downhill in what way? The quality of writing certainly doesn't drop. Is it the pacing in a section where the books hit that mid-late stretch that bothers you. KoD does a good deal to move the pace forward again and has things ready to jump off towards the the stories conclusion.

 

 

I feel that pacing and plot management is all a part of writing quality. Reading a novel should never feel like a chore. The worst part is you would still see the occasional gems that would remind you of what an epic story RJ had created, then have forty pages of clothes descriptions, braid tugging, hands folding under bosoms, and mouths tightening. I think it was even more apparent on my reread as I had just read the wonder of The Shadow Rising and Lord of Chaos, to trying to force myself through Path of Daggers less than a year later. And seriously, I am about a third through KoD, and I have come to hate Perrin's storyline. He actually was once my favorite character.

 

First off one needs to take into account where we are in the story arc. Any number of talented authors(GRR Martin) have struggled during that portion of the series. You can't compare the first books or the ending to that section of the story, it's apples and oranges. As I said earlier KoD ramps things up and the increased pace is as much a function of where we are in the story arc as anything else. We really won't know how skilled Brandon is until we reach a similar point in his own "Stormlight Archives".

 

As for gems you reference TPoD. The Damona Mountain Campaign, the interplay between Rand/LTT, "A Cup of Sleep" all have some of the best writing in the series. Once again the quality of prose never suffers. That most certainly can not be said for BS's work in the WoT. Unpolished prose, blunt plot work, timeline issues, structural flaws, his "tell don't show style" pop up far too often. It really is a shame as he created some great moments but overall the work was far too uneven. I do put some of the on the editing team as well.

[Rhienne]

 

First off one needs to take into account where we are in the story arc. Any number of talented authors(GRR Martin) have struggled during that portion of the series. You can't compare the first books or the ending to that section of the story, it's apples and oranges.

Although I am struggling to come up with examples, surely there are some writers who are capable of maintaining pace and interest during the middle section of the series?  Just because its a common fault, doesn't mean that it isn't a fault with RJ's writing.

[Suttree]

 

 

First off one needs to take into account where we are in the story arc. Any number of talented authors(GRR Martin) have struggled during that portion of the series. You can't compare the first books or the ending to that section of the story, it's apples and oranges.

Although I am struggling to come up with examples, surely there are some writers who are capable of maintaining pace and interest during the middle section of the series?  Just because its a common fault, doesn't mean that it isn't a fault with RJ's writing.

 

 

Wasn't trying to imply there aren't issues. Even though he could have used a more stringent editor across the 8-10 section, where we are in the story arc has as much to due with "pacing issues" in a series of this length as anything else.

[Cybertrolloc]

Bakker, Abercrombie, ... there's not many authors that do huge series or at least set out to do huge series. Those may not be to your taste but at least tend to be listed as competent writers that make decently interesting stuff and also write well. Can't speak for them personally.

 

Huge series aren't really the norm, at least among authors I read. They might go back to a setting with a new story, but don't spend 20 years on a single project :)

 

I've read Stephenson's Baroque Cycle recently. That's like 4 WoT books (a bit over a million words), but not fantasy...more historical fiction with some fantastic elements. While he has his quirks (he'll almost randomly go off on some topic for a page or 10--and these are almost always fascinating and/or hilarious), he does maintain energy and quality with a semi-large cast (say 15 principals and maybe another 50 or so secondary tier characters). Also it's based on real late 17th/early 18th century events, so not quite the same as a series from almost whole cloth, but at least the middle lull is actually some of the best material in the thing (and it's almost all great). Remember, you're on a fantasy site so might not be to your taste, he's got tons of material online to see if it is first.

[Suttree]

Bakker, Abercrombie, ... there's not many authors that do huge series or at least set out to do huge series.

Both very good calls. Abercrombie is a bit different as what he has really done is a series of three books and then additional stand alones.

 

Bakker to my mind is far and away the best fantasy author out right now. Gorgeous prose, heady philosophical themes and the writing in his books holds up even out of genre. He is a great example of someone who has kept the momentum going strong through that mid-late section of a series. White Luck Warrior(the latest installment) was as storng as anything else he has put out to that point. Love the Cormac McCarthy influence on his work as well.

[actionrpg8k]

Bakker, Abercrombie, ... there's not many authors that do huge series or at least set out to do huge series. Those may not be to your taste but at least tend to be listed as competent writers that make decently interesting stuff and also write well. Can't speak for them personally.

 

Huge series aren't really the norm, at least among authors I read. They might go back to a setting with a new story, but don't spend 20 years on a single project :)

 

I've read Stephenson's Baroque Cycle recently. That's like 4 WoT books (a bit over a million words), but not fantasy...more historical fiction with some fantastic elements. While he has his quirks (he'll almost randomly go off on some topic for a page or 10--and these are almost always fascinating and/or hilarious), he does maintain energy and quality with a semi-large cast (say 15 principals and maybe another 50 or so secondary tier characters). Also it's based on real late 17th/early 18th century events, so not quite the same as a series from almost whole cloth, but at least the middle lull is actually some of the best material in the thing (and it's almost all great). Remember, you're on a fantasy site so might not be to your taste, he's got tons of material online to see if it is first.

 

Steven Erikson is another example. But I agree that most authors don't tackle massive sagas across ten volumes. There is a probably a reason for that. I also feel the GRRM began to have some issues with this starting in Feast of Crows, but his later books never felt like a chore to read.

 

I don't want to come off as bashing RJ. Again, at one time he was my favorite author (I even read those Revolutionary War historical fictions!) I am new to this forum, and I was surprised by the animosity Brandon was getting here. Especially considering how the issue is viewed by most non-WoT specific forums. I go to a few sites that are general fantasy literature where Sanderson is almost universally applauded.

[jedman67]

 

 

 

 . I also could not believe how downhill Jordan had gone in 7-10. I say that from someone who had read almost every bit of fantasy he has written, not just WoT.

 Downhill in what way? The quality of writing certainly doesn't drop. Is it the pacing in a section where the books hit that mid-late stretch that bothers you. KoD does a good deal to move the pace forward again and has things ready to jump off towards the the stories conclusion.

 

 

I feel that pacing and plot management is all a part of writing quality. Reading a novel should never feel like a chore. The worst part is you would still see the occasional gems that would remind you of what an epic story RJ had created, then have forty pages of clothes descriptions, braid tugging, hands folding under bosoms, and mouths tightening. I think it was even more apparent on my reread as I had just read the wonder of The Shadow Rising and Lord of Chaos, to trying to force myself through Path of Daggers less than a year later. And seriously, I am about a third through KoD, and I have come to hate Perrin's storyline. He actually was once my favorite character.

 

Perrin gets better in the end. in TGS and ToM, he really shines. In AMoL, he takes a turn for the worse.

 

But yes. I want the editing team to go over every single book starting with EotW, and remove EVERY SINGLE MENTION of Bosom Size, Skirt Smoothing, Sturdyness, Glares of Death, Braid Tugging and Aes Sedai Fashion & Figure Chronicles*. It really gets annoying, and you can probably cut a thousand pages across the entire series without losing anything.

 

*"Methane Sedai was boyishly slim, with a face like a horse and legs like an owl. She smoothed her skirts and continued to frown at Bohr­ium. Fluorine alternated with tugging her braid anxiously and hugging her marvelous bosom, waiting for Bohr­ium to finish his report. General Bohr­ium was as sturdy and unmovable as a fault line, wearing a tabard as hard as uranium and just as bright, and patiently continued his briefing."

[Suttree]

   It really gets annoying, and you can probably cut a thousand pages across the entire series without losing anything.

 The problem being with RJ's work this would take a massive rewrite. For all that he could have used a more stringent editor his "filler" was so riddled with hints and foreshadowing that the above would be impossible.

 

With Brandon it was appalling how much bloat and filler there was(some of this may have been a result of the split which BS argued against, there quite simply was not enough material for that many pages)  in the final three books. His "tell don't show" style and seeming inability to use literary devices like ellipsis to advance the action causes him to use far more space than needed. We also have uneven writing quality which hurts as certain sections are just cringe worthy. You could literally cut away fair portions of Brandon's work and not lose a single thing. For instance let's look at this example with Gawyn:

 

 

Dom

 

It's appalling how many POVs and pages Brandon has needed to write that story. Typically, we might have gotten one Gawyn shortish POV in Dorlan (typically prologue stuff) where he learned Egwene's captive, and he is thorn, and then nothing until suddenly he interrupted a Siuan/Bryne scene with a sudden arrival, his growing frustration mentioned only via observations of Siuan from then on (we didn't need a Lelaine scene making completely irrelevant and stupid inquiries about orchards in Andor (!) we just needed a reference by Siuan that Lelaine was manipulating Gawyn, until as a last resort Siuan went to him for the rescue. For the rest, we needed one confrontation with Egwene, and one conversation with Elayne or Bryne or Siuan, not three scenes of the same whining and self-pity, with each of them in turn...

 

 

 @action

 

I think on non-WoT specific forums people haven't spent nearly as much time rereading and breaking down the material. For the non HCFF it was likely a satisfactory ending. There were some well done action scenes(the Ogier attack in AMoL was epic!) and Brandon was able to ride the increased pace of the story arc to good effect. Many people here and at TL however have been critical because TGS was the high point of his work. He got a pass on the unpolished prose initially but then that got worse(after ToM, Team Jordan even changed his writing process to address the issue), there were various mistakes, the timeline was a massive mess, and frankly the books were rushed out far too fast. Again he did some things well but overall the work was far too uneven. Plot gratification only carries the reader so far, once that wears off the quality of work needs to hold up under careful scrutiny. Unfortunately these last three books come apart at the seams a bit under those circumstances.

[Jaxian]

Finishing the series. I guess. That's the only thing BS did good, the only. The last 3 books have been a real slap in the face for me. I kinda wanna cry.

[MarkDiLillo]

I honestly don't think there is anything BS does better than RJ in the world of writing.

[Jeremy Tews]

The books Sanderson has co-written/almost entirely written are weak. The cliche fantasy "humor" is everywhere. The destruction of finesse was deplorable. In truth, the books that he has written were not poorly written because he was lazy, but due to his attempt at emulating Jordan, only partially succeeding, and tossing in that boring, cliche, low-fantasy nonsense.

A great example is Talmanes. Mat would wonder about him and whether he joked earlier on. The progression turns into us being in Talmanes' head while he explains IN DETAIL how he's joking and why. That type of nonsense was really fun when I was in High School reading Forgotten Realms and all of their silly trash-fantasy. Characters with no depth and no subtlety abound.

What truly offended was how idiotic he made Mat look. Mat made mistakes but many of those were made out of ignorance. He was not brilliant (except in warfare) but not an oaf. He would not admit he leered it was just the way he acted toward women. Then we see Sanderson having him think about how great leering is if you do it right blah blah blah. It's just a lack of imagination. The bottom line is he took a book with in-depth characters and an ENORMOUS scope and could not cope.

In every way we see a degredation, a lack of finesse. We see less implication and more outright, "hey, guys, I'm going to spell everything out for you because I don't have the ability to write subtley." Except that last isn't true. I've read other pieces written by Sanderson and it's not as if he cannot write in a somewhat smooth and flowing fashion, it's as if his attempt to fill Jordan's shoes overwhelmed him.

Again, it's everywhere throughout the series. The fight scenes are loaded with, "he raised his glowing hammer, eyes shining with light of gold. One could almost see a crown about his head. With a primal roar he slammed his hammer down, tearing through the evil foes like kindling etc. etc." Look, if you like this, I understand. You enjoy over-the-top descriptive action. In that case, go read Forgotten Realms and the like. That's just fine. On the other hand the UNDERSTATEMENT is what underscores power and action for those of us with a mind to see.

Jordan had the mind to keep a complex web of story going. Arguably the books began to really stall at about 9. The story lagging is nothing to the poor writing and simplistic portrayal of characters in The Gathering Storm. What was fun to me was reading it and noticing when the writing was Jordan's and when it was Sanderson's. You can pick it out if you pay attention. A rambling gait with too many adjectives (almost all fantasy), vs. a paper puppet being jerked on a string (Sanderson).

I don't dislike Sanderson. I think he sounds reasonable in interviews. On the other hand I truly dislike his writing here and it offends me that people so miss the subtley that Jordan could portray and apparently only enjoy the overt action.

 

Anyway this has been a short, very quick rant. I suppose my bigger problem is in the lack of forethought and appreciation of fine-tuned production. Once we could watch Hitchcock movies and appreciate. Hell, check out Kurosawa. Now the longest we can pay attention is for things like Iron Man. I'm not disrespecting Iron Man, I'm just pointing out without a constant stream of narrative and action we lose focus. In a series like this we want more and more action, more and more spelled out. I don't argue that one could even have fantasy in the same ball-park of writing as Nabokov but it can be solid writing. Check out Rothfus over there keeping a story flowing without CONSTANT action and more adjectives than anything else. Hell, that guy even throws in metaphores and similes. DER GASP. Come on people, read and watch some

[MarkDiLillo]

The books Sanderson has co-written/almost entirely written are weak. The cliche fantasy "humor" is everywhere. The destruction of finesse was deplorable. In truth, the books that he has written were not poorly written because he was lazy, but due to his attempt at emulating Jordan, only partially succeeding, and tossing in that boring, cliche, low-fantasy nonsense.

A great example is Talmanes. Mat would wonder about him and whether he joked earlier on. The progression turns into us being in Talmanes' head while he explains IN DETAIL how he's joking and why. That type of nonsense was really fun when I was in High School reading Forgotten Realms and all of their silly trash-fantasy. Characters with no depth and no subtlety abound.

What truly offended was how idiotic he made Mat look. Mat made mistakes but many of those were made out of ignorance. He was not brilliant (except in warfare) but not an oaf. He would not admit he leered it was just the way he acted toward women. Then we see Sanderson having him think about how great leering is if you do it right blah blah blah. It's just a lack of imagination. The bottom line is he took a book with in-depth characters and an ENORMOUS scope and could not cope.

In every way we see a degredation, a lack of finesse. We see less implication and more outright, "hey, guys, I'm going to spell everything out for you because I don't have the ability to write subtley." Except that last isn't true. I've read other pieces written by Sanderson and it's not as if he cannot write in a somewhat smooth and flowing fashion, it's as if his attempt to fill Jordan's shoes overwhelmed him.

Again, it's everywhere throughout the series. The fight scenes are loaded with, "he raised his glowing hammer, eyes shining with light of gold. One could almost see a crown about his head. With a primal roar he slammed his hammer down, tearing through the evil foes like kindling etc. etc." Look, if you like this, I understand. You enjoy over-the-top descriptive action. In that case, go read Forgotten Realms and the like. That's just fine. On the other hand the UNDERSTATEMENT is what underscores power and action for those of us with a mind to see.

Jordan had the mind to keep a complex web of story going. Arguably the books began to really stall at about 9. The story lagging is nothing to the poor writing and simplistic portrayal of characters in The Gathering Storm. What was fun to me was reading it and noticing when the writing was Jordan's and when it was Sanderson's. You can pick it out if you pay attention. A rambling gait with too many adjectives (almost all fantasy), vs. a paper puppet being jerked on a string (Sanderson).

I don't dislike Sanderson. I think he sounds reasonable in interviews. On the other hand I truly dislike his writing here and it offends me that people so miss the subtley that Jordan could portray and apparently only enjoy the overt action.

 

Anyway this has been a short, very quick rant. I suppose my bigger problem is in the lack of forethought and appreciation of fine-tuned production. Once we could watch Hitchcock movies and appreciate. Hell, check out Kurosawa. Now the longest we can pay attention is for things like Iron Man. I'm not disrespecting Iron Man, I'm just pointing out without a constant stream of narrative and action we lose focus. In a series like this we want more and more action, more and more spelled out. I don't argue that one could even have fantasy in the same ball-park of writing as Nabokov but it can be solid writing. Check out Rothfus over there keeping a story flowing without CONSTANT action and more adjectives than anything else. Hell, that guy even throws in metaphores and similes. DER GASP. Come on people, read and watch some

 

(edited-spoiler tags)minor AMOL Spoiler

 

 

 

I agree with everything you said except I think the last book was especially poor due to nothing but a lack of effort.  There are massive - MASSIVE - plot holes, flaws, hastily wrapped up plots (by hasty I mean 3 sentences of "oh and this happened"), and horrible filler without purpose.  His writing style and quality is a mile beneath Jordan's, but the problems with the last book were more related to a lack of proper planning and thought.  Egregious examples:  lack of any reference to Verin's letters and a total lack of explanation of Alanna (you know...the huge cliff hanger that HE wrote into the previous book).

 

 

 

It's just unforgivable.  I will never buy a single piece of literature that BS writes because it is blindingly obvious to me that he took the money and ran.  Instead of spending the time to get it right, he wrote hastily to get the book off his desk so that he could go back to work on his own books.  Team Jordan made him a famous author whereas before he was unknown and he didn't even have the stones to spend the time and finish a mans legacy properly.  If you followed his Twitter and have heard statements that "insiders" to the process have made regarding their interaction with Brandon it will just infuriate you more.  The guy deserves little to no respect for his work on WoT IMO.

 

Again, it's not the fact that he isn't as skilled a writer as Jordan.  That is forgivable because it simply is what it is...there is only one RJ.  The unforgivable is his total lack of focus, effort, and maturity to spend the time to make sure this gets done right.  I mean for gods sake, the guy seemed to care more about his fricken Magic cards than WoT.

[jedman67]

I think theres too much Sanderson bashing.

Brandon is an accomplished author with his own deadlines, and was personally chosen by RJ's widow to complete the series. The publishing team rushed production; here is an author who needs to not only fill someone elses shoes, meet fan expectations as well as continue his own work....

Most of the errors can be attributed to rushed deadlines (i would have been happier with another year to ensure continuity and error checking in general) but theres also the fact that no one but robert jordan can write like robert jordan. Sanderson has done an incredible job, tbh i thought both TGS and ToM were worthy of WOT - 7 out of 10 for me - but AMoL rates a 3 of 10 as, in my opinion, it failed to live up to its promise. 

 

The problem is that RJ was juggling a very complex series in his head, with notes that only he could understand or make sense of, and only when he realized that he might not survive his illness and started recording notes for it to be completed. The sheer complexity of what RJ did not write is daunting enough for anyone.

I certainly do take Team Brandon to task for not smoothing the editing better, and for the numerous unexplained and sloppy errors.

[Suttree]

Well it would be helpful if people pointed out the things they thought Brandon did well in response to the "bashing". That is what this thread is about after all.

 

As for deadlines the books were far too rushed but Brandon managed to write projects TWoK in the same time frame so....?

[jedman67]

(edited-spoiler tags)AMOL Spoiler

 

 

My problem is with the above poster ripping BS again and again without any substance or explanation - thats what i call bashing. I'm fine with critiscm, i can point out dozens of examples of MOL that i was upset about - the prologue with the forsaken, for example, had a very brusque feel. The nature aspects felt clunky. The side plot in the BT felt like an unnecessary distraction, with some amazing bits tossed in - what people refer to as his "tell, dont show" nature of writing.

For the most part, some more editing, context-proofing and even more editing would have gone a long way towards bringing the final book up to par with the earlier.

What did I like? A fantastic metaphysical battle of wills. The first skirmishes of the Last Battle in ToM - Iturlade holding out in Maradon, rescued by Rand; destruction of Heeth Tower in Kandor. Mat's rescue of Moiraine and Thom's ballad for Noel. 

The introduction of the cannons and explosive artillery.

 

 

 

 

As for deadlines the books were far too rushed but Brandon managed to write projects TWoK in the same time frame so....?

there is a big difference in writing your own novel and ghostwriting someone elses, especially when that someone else is dead and invented a world so complex and rich that it takes the average reader several re-reads just to pick up on the differences and hints and foreshadowing. 

 

I couldn't have done it.

[BFG]

Please remember this is a complete spoiler free zone.