Thisguy's Topic on Brandon's Work

[Clouded]

Firstly, I'm neither dumb nor a casual reader. I've read the books around 12 times and been a member or lurker on WoT forums for almost a decade. So, yes, I notice when Aviendha says "Rand". I notice that Mat says bloody ashes now when he never did before. And I could care less. What effect does that really have on the plot or the character. Absolutely zero. I can't believe that people allow that impact their enjoyment of the story. Those types of details don't matter.

 

And bloody ashes isn't what makes Mat's character sound off. Mat sounds off because BS had tried too hard to make him funny and he comes off as over the top. The elaborate back stories are a good example of this. These are the kinds of criticisms that should be discussed.

 

Not adding an al'Thor at the end of Rand should just be let go.

 

I never said anything about dumb, nor called you a casual reader. I did mistake your intentions with your post. I thought you wanted to skip these criticisms out of failure to notice these details, not because you deemed them unworthy. But I'm curious as to why a criticism of Aviendha is different than a criticism of Mat. For me, it seems the only reason Mat is a valid topic, is because there seems to be more wrong with his character. But Aviendha calling Rand al'Thor "Rand" could also be ascribed to getting the character wrong.

[MarkDiLillo]

 

Firstly, I'm neither dumb nor a casual reader. I've read the books around 12 times and been a member or lurker on WoT forums for almost a decade. So, yes, I notice when Aviendha says "Rand". I notice that Mat says bloody ashes now when he never did before. And I could care less. What effect does that really have on the plot or the character. Absolutely zero. I can't believe that people allow that impact their enjoyment of the story. Those types of details don't matter.

 

And bloody ashes isn't what makes Mat's character sound off. Mat sounds off because BS had tried too hard to make him funny and he comes off as over the top. The elaborate back stories are a good example of this. These are the kinds of criticisms that should be discussed.

 

Not adding an al'Thor at the end of Rand should just be let go.

 

As I said before, the criticisms that you think should be discussed are SUBJECTIVE ones. If that was all that was wrong with the book then we could all grumble a little bit but at the end of the day we can just say for the most part that Brandon did his best and couldn't duplicate RJ.

 

We are discussing the little problems like al'Thor because those are the most grievous offenses. Those are OBJECTIVE mistakes that we can sit back and objectively measure and count. These are small individually, but they are the most important ones as we try to analyze what went wrong. Why are they the most important? Because they are THE EASY THINGS TO GET RIGHT! Especially after they had been pointed out over the last few years and over the first two books now. The fact that these small and very easy details are still not right lends credence to the belief that he simply did not put forth enough effort to do quality work. When those small things are off then guess what? We can now point to an objective and clearly established lack of quality (and effort in my belief) in the process and from there we can actually sit back and say "Gee...if he couldn't even put forth the time and effort to get the small and easy things right then how much effort did he put forth trying to fine tune Mats character so that it sounds like the Mat we were used to?"

 

If Brandon couldn't put the time into making sure blood and bloody ashes was right, can you really say that you believe he gave it 100% when it comes to getting Mat's voice down properly? That is the problem and the reason Brandon is getting tore up by so many people.

[capuga]

I think when you compare the reviews for the the last two WoT books to the 'middle' WoT books you will find that most fans aren't bothered by this and are in fact, very happy with Sanderson's work.

 

Initially happy as there was a good deal of fan and plot gratification in getting to see things wrapped up. You have to keep in mind that it has as much to do with where we are in the story arc as anything. The set up books are done and story lines are wrapping up. The problem being once that initial glow wears off TGS and ToM are so wildly inconsistent. The combination of the rushed process/ writing being unpolished and blunt has left us with two installments with close to zero rereadability. Further the issues which Team Jordan have admitted exist really jjump off the page in many places.

 

When comparing lumping together the "middle books" is a gross overstatement. The one you could realistically make an argument for is CoT but again that is more of a function of mistakes in how Jordan chose to handle that specific book and where we were in the series. If you say fans like those two because they get to see the plot advanced I can understand what you mean. When comparing the quality of writing however and how the books will be viewed over the long term you dot have much of a case. They quite simply don't hold up under careful scrutiny.

 

And here is exactly what I'm talking about. People can't have enjoyed the books simply because they were well done. It was only for plot gratification. And if you think otherwise you obviously aren't smart enough to understand the flaws in the terrible writing. You don't just have a different opinion than me. You are actually wrong and BS's work is crap and rushed and he doesn't care about the product he's putting out. History will confirm my obviously correct assessment.

 

And I'll see this reply every single time someone posts something positive about BS's books.

 

Gah, should have left when I planned to. Off to re-read the series in anticipation of the new book. I need to replace the current bad WoT taste in my mouth I have from these forums with something enjoyable.

 

Genuinely sorry you feel that way Mark. For as much as I hear what you are saying its unrealistic for you to think I will pull punches with my opinion. It's not a statement on anyone else, just what I personally think. The fact that you and many others I respect agree for the most part adds weight to that.

 

I don't expect you not to have your opinion. I both respect and understand your opinion. But part of the reason that I understand your opinion on this issue is because I've read it many, many, many times. It sometimes feels like a positive comment can't be posted without your almost verbatim response following. It's wearing.

 

Quick question if one doesn't care/notice about "polished prose" or "characterization" as many claim when saying they like these books what would you call their enjoyment aside from "plot gratification". I have as much right to express that as you do saying people are silly for obsessing over the small details. Different people read books for different reasons.

 

Difference in opinion on the quality of the prose? Feeling that the excellent job he's done with Perrin, Rand, and others makes up for the less well done Mat and Cadsuane.

 

Further I take exception to you saying you only see the same response as our side largely are the only ones backing up our criticism. Where are the examples of great writing and strong prose in support of the other side?

 

Every single page of Perrin. Virtually every page of Rand. Galad. A lot of Egwene. He's published aroudn 1600 pages during those 2 books. Pick out the 500 pages you disliked and we'll discuss the 1,100 others that are at worst very satisfactory. This isn't me ignoring problems. I know they're there. I don't even disagree with most of your criticisms. I'm just saying I don't think they are as bad as made out to be and that the good outweighs the bad.

 

If you don't notice them fine but stop pretending they don't exist and more so get off this high horse as if my critique is some how a statement on other people.

 

I'm also aware that I've sounded like a bit of a dick. I am truly sorry about that. I'm also sorry to have singled you out a bit. But, honestly, the reason for that is I actually respect your posts on this board which has made my feelings on this particular issue so disappointing. The others are easy to ignore.

[capuga]

Actually, that last apology applies to everyone here. I'm coming off rudely and I apologize to everyone. I've let myself get a little worked up and need to step back a bit.

[Suttree]

Firstly, I'm neither dumb nor a casual reader. I've read the books around 12 times and been a member or lurker on WoT forums for almost a decade. So, yes, I notice when Aviendha says "Rand". I notice that Mat says bloody ashes now when he never did before. And I could care less. What effect does that really have on the plot or the character. Absolutely zero. I can't believe that people allow that impact their enjoyment of the story. Those types of details don't matter.

 

And bloody ashes isn't what makes Mat's character sound off. Mat sounds off because BS had tried too hard to make him funny and he comes off as over the top. The elaborate back stories are a good example of this. These are the kinds of criticisms that should be discussed.

 

Not adding an al'Thor at the end of Rand should just be let go.

 

What effect does it have? All alone not much, taken together with all the other small details that are off, quite a bit. It all adds up to your immersion in the world and is one of the things(if not close to the largest) that makes the books hard to reread. You know my critique usually focuses on deeper issues but it is valid. I have to admit I find it odd that you are trying to dictate what anyone should or shouldn't say when stating their opinion on these books. Even more so since you agree with much of the criticism even if you think it is overblown.

 

Again people read books for different reasons and I spend as much time out of the genre as in. The issues with TGS and ToM are very real as you have admitted. It is ridiculous to pretend they don't exist(not saying you but many posters do) and our universal praise after TGS I feel stunted Brandon's growth as an author. I often wonder if things would have changed had we been more vocal at an earlier stage.

 

To quote R. Scott Bakker " All along I wanted to write an epic fantasy that rewards careful reading, the kind of scrutiny generally reserved for so-called ‘literary texts.’ A fantasy that wouldn’t be ‘ruined’ by a literature PhD, let alone a BA.". Now you have to admit that the quality of writing in most fantasy is not up to snuff. The reason I enjoyed RJ is because at that age for me his writing seemed so much stronger than anything else I was reading in genre. People can enjoy books for very different reasons and that is fine. What that doesn't mean is I will pretend to read down or act as if things are well done when in fact they are very inconsistent. As you say he did a great job with Perrin and I quite enjoyed Dark Rand. Many times I have broken down what I like about Brandon, particularly when the books were released. I am sure I will do the same with AMoL. The reason why you see more critique at this point is I am on rereads and the negatives are jumping out at me far more. I will be clipping along enjoying myself only to be jarred out of the narrative. That is just reality for me when reading these books.

 

Edit: Wanted to add that you know I respect your opinion. It's not the first or last time we will see someone we all know get worked up and it speaks to your passion for the series. Hope that this last post put things in perspective a bit more for you.

[thisguy]

Firstly, I'm neither dumb nor a casual reader. I've read the books around 12 times and been a member or lurker on WoT forums for almost a decade. So, yes, I notice when Aviendha says "Rand". I notice that Mat says bloody ashes now when he never did before. And I could care less. What effect does that really have on the plot or the character. Absolutely zero. I can't believe that people allow that impact their enjoyment of the story. Those types of details don't matter.

 

And bloody ashes isn't what makes Mat's character sound off. Mat sounds off because BS had tried too hard to make him funny and he comes off as over the top. The elaborate back stories are a good example of this. These are the kinds of criticisms that should be discussed.

 

Not adding an al'Thor at the end of Rand should just be let go.

 

What effect does it have? All alone not much, taken together with all the other small details that are off, quite a bit. It all adds up to your immersion in the world and is one of the things(if not close to the largest) that makes the books hard to reread. You know my critique usually focuses on deeper issues but it is valid. I have to admit I find it odd that you are trying to dictate what anyone should or shouldn't say when stating their opinion on these books. Even more so since you agree with much of the criticism even if you think it is overblown.

 

Again people read books for different reasons and I spend as much time out of the genre as in. The issues with TGS and ToM are very real as you have admitted. It is ridiculous to pretend they don't exist(not saying you but many posters do) and our universal praise after TGS I feel stunted Brandon's growth as an author. I often wonder if things would have changed had we been more vocal at an earlier stage.

 

To quote R. Scott Bakker " All along I wanted to write an epic fantasy that rewards careful reading, the kind of scrutiny generally reserved for so-called ‘literary texts.’ A fantasy that wouldn’t be ‘ruined’ by a literature PhD, let alone a BA.". Now you have to admit that the quality of writing in most fantasy is not up to snuff. The reason I enjoyed RJ is because at that age for me his writing seemed so much stronger than anything else I was reading in genre. People can enjoy books for very different reasons and that is fine. What that doesn't mean is I will pretend to read down or act as if things are well done when in fact they are very inconsistent. As you say he did a great job with Perrin and I quite enjoyed Dark Rand. Many times I have broken down what I like about Brandon, particularly when the books were released. I am sure I will do the same with AMoL. The reason why you see more critique at this point is I am on rereads and the negatives are jumping out at me far more. I will be clipping along enjoying myself only to be jarred out of the narrative. That is just reality for me when reading these books.

 

Edit: Wanted to add that you know I respect your opinion. It's not the first or last time we will see someone we all know get worked up and it speaks to your passion for the series. Hope that this last post put things in perspective a bit more for you.

Slightly off topic - this reminds me of Hearts in Atlantis, when the main characters (the old man and the boy - don't remember names) were talking about books. The old man says that some books are read for the ideas, some for the writing, and when you're lucky you get both.

[MarkDiLillo]

It definitely is not just blind Brandon hate going on. I consider myself the harshest critic (I really hated the BS material from day 1 even when everyone here was still very positive), and I can say that I legitimately enjoyed the Perrin sections. There were some issues throughout it, but overall none were bad enough to make me really cringe. Definitely the most well done character and the fact that it was confirmed that Brandon wrote most/all of it is to his credit.

[thisguy]

What strikes me is this - as soon as any chapter (prologue) has been pre released, the majority of the posts have been complaints - aside from the few people who after reading the complaints disagree. That's why I've even bothered to respond to any of this.

[capuga]

Again people read books for different reasons and I spend as much time out of the genre as in. The issues with TGS and ToM are very real as you have admitted. It is ridiculous to pretend they don't exist(not saying you but many posters do) and our universal praise after TGS I feel stunted Brandon's growth as an author. I often wonder if things would have changed had we been more vocal at an earlier stage.

 

I'm just not sure how much either the praise or the criticism from places like this would actually have on his writing decisions. There's maybe, what, a couple of handfuls of regulars here. Maybe a few hundred members. Add in the other fansites and you have maybe a 1000 people posting their thoughts on the books. These books sell hundreds of thousands of copies. So in reality, virtually every fan that reads these books does not post online about them. It's truly just a few fans. That's not a large enough sample size to draw any conclusions as to the overall fandom's feelings on the books.

 

Which is why I feel that basing your story telling decisions on the thoughts of that small percentage of fans is not only unlikely but usually would be a mistake.

[Clouded]

What strikes me is this - as soon as any chapter (prologue) has been pre released, the majority of the posts have been complaints - aside from the few people who after reading the complaints disagree. That's why I've even bothered to respond to any of this.

 

Majority? When watching the prologue thread development, I felt it was mostly excitement over new plot developments, and happiness over theories being proven correct. I saw few complaints until this thread was split from it. I think maybe the negative criticism just sticks out more. If you look at the thread list, you see quite a few theory threads.

[MarkDiLillo]

What strikes me is this - as soon as any chapter (prologue) has been pre released, the majority of the posts have been complaints - aside from the few people who after reading the complaints disagree. That's why I've even bothered to respond to any of this.

 

Honestly, I think that there wouldn't be a whole lot of negativity atm if that Mat chapter hadn't been released. That chapter really was just trash IMO. It was just so horribly bad that I really had a hard time even reading it. I felt like it belonged in an entierly different series. If just the prologue and the other part had been released I dont think we would be discussing everything so thoroughly because the problem issues weren't so horrible in the prologue. The Mat chapter left such a bad taste in everyones mouth that people are at the height of being critical during the same time that the prologue was released.

[thisguy]

What strikes me is this - as soon as any chapter (prologue) has been pre released, the majority of the posts have been complaints - aside from the few people who after reading the complaints disagree. That's why I've even bothered to respond to any of this.

 

Majority? When watching the prologue thread development, I felt it was mostly excitement over new plot developments, and happiness over theories being proven correct. I saw few complaints until this thread was split from it. I think maybe the negative criticism just sticks out more. If you look at the thread list, you see quite a few theory threads.

Yes, there were plenty of theory posts, that's true. But anything about the writing, characters, etc was what I just said.

[MarkDiLillo]

Again people read books for different reasons and I spend as much time out of the genre as in. The issues with TGS and ToM are very real as you have admitted. It is ridiculous to pretend they don't exist(not saying you but many posters do) and our universal praise after TGS I feel stunted Brandon's growth as an author. I often wonder if things would have changed had we been more vocal at an earlier stage.

 

I'm just not sure how much either the praise or the criticism from places like this would actually have on his writing decisions. There's maybe, what, a couple of handfuls of regulars here. Maybe a few hundred members. Add in the other fansites and you have maybe a 1000 people posting their thoughts on the books. These books sell hundreds of thousands of copies. So in reality, virtually every fan that reads these books does not post online about them. It's truly just a few fans. That's not a large enough sample size to draw any conclusions as to the overall fandom's feelings on the books.

 

Which is why I feel that basing your story telling decisions on the thoughts of that small percentage of fans is not only unlikely but usually would be a mistake.

 

If your phone is broken do you typically go to your neighbors and ask them how to fix it or do you go to the phone company and ask them to help you fix it? There's a lot of people out there who use the same phone as you, but very few experts working for the phone company who know phones well enough to fix them.

[thisguy]

What strikes me is this - as soon as any chapter (prologue) has been pre released, the majority of the posts have been complaints - aside from the few people who after reading the complaints disagree. That's why I've even bothered to respond to any of this.

 

Honestly, I think that there wouldn't be a whole lot of negativity atm if that Mat chapter hadn't been released. That chapter really was just trash IMO. It was just so horribly bad that I really had a hard time even reading it. I felt like it belonged in an entierly different series. If just the prologue and the other part had been released I dont think we would be discussing everything so thoroughly because the problem issues weren't so horrible in the prologue. The Mat chapter left such a bad taste in everyones mouth that people are at the height of being critical during the same time that the prologue was released.

It seems that a lot of people have a problem with Mat's character - how he's portrayed, the feel of the character. Which is fine. It is disappointing when a beloved character doesn't get his due. But, certain people just aren't going to be able to write certain characters the way the original author could. I'm sure that Dostoevsky would have a problem writing Mat.

 

Edit to add: BS finished writing the book - or announced he was finished - on August 1. What has been pre released should have gone through editing. It seems odd that certain things wouldn't have been caught in the editing process.

[Deadsy]

I'm going to be a bit cheesy here, but RJ was my author. His style just fit with my personality perfectly, especially the humor. So it's really difficult for me not to get emotional when BS is writing humor. It's so inorganic with him. Talmanes' little sarcastic joke thing was so unnatural and his thoughts about it afterward were annoying. And then when he does slapsticky humor, which he usually puts on Mat (one of my favorite characters) this is how it reads to me:

 

I'M WRITING MAT NOW SO I NEED TO BE FUNNY! LOOK AT HIM BEING FUNNY!

[thisguy]

I'm going to be a biy cheesy here, but RJ was my author. His style just fit with my personality perfectly, especially the humor. So it's really difficult for me not to get emotional when BS is writing humor. It's so inorganic with him. Talmanes' little sarcastic joke thing was so unnatural and his thoughts about it afterward were annoying. And then when he does slapsticky humor, which he usually puts on Mat (one of my favorite characters) this is how it reads to me:

 

I'M WRITING MAT NOW SO I NEED TO BE FUNNY! LOOK AT HIM BEING FUNNY!

I can understand that, and I don't think it's cheesy at all. I love reading. And, although, who I've considered my author has changed over time, I completely understand the sentiment.

 

Edit to add: I actually think this sums up a lot of the issues.

[capuga]

Again people read books for different reasons and I spend as much time out of the genre as in. The issues with TGS and ToM are very real as you have admitted. It is ridiculous to pretend they don't exist(not saying you but many posters do) and our universal praise after TGS I feel stunted Brandon's growth as an author. I often wonder if things would have changed had we been more vocal at an earlier stage.

 

I'm just not sure how much either the praise or the criticism from places like this would actually have on his writing decisions. There's maybe, what, a couple of handfuls of regulars here. Maybe a few hundred members. Add in the other fansites and you have maybe a 1000 people posting their thoughts on the books. These books sell hundreds of thousands of copies. So in reality, virtually every fan that reads these books does not post online about them. It's truly just a few fans. That's not a large enough sample size to draw any conclusions as to the overall fandom's feelings on the books.

 

Which is why I feel that basing your story telling decisions on the thoughts of that small percentage of fans is not only unlikely but usually would be a mistake.

 

If your phone is broken do you typically go to your neighbors and ask them how to fix it or do you go to the phone company and ask them to help you fix it? There's a lot of people out there who use the same phone as you, but very few experts working for the phone company who know phones well enough to fix them.

 

Which, of course, is not a very good analogy. First, that makes the assumption that the people posting here are more "expert" than the tens of thousands that don't. Which is obviously unlikely. Secondly, it's easy to tell when your phone is broken. The point to this entire thing is that not everyone agrees that the book is "broken" or to what extent.

 

So why think that BS would change things to cater to a vocal few fans that comprise less than 1% of the readership? Why believe that that 1% is representative of what the other 99% thinks. Just like I doubt that any praise he saw around here made him feel so confident that he quit working to improve. It's just such a small blip in reality.

 

I'd guess when he talks about feeling he got things right based on feedback that he's referring to things like Team Jordan and his beta readers. And maybe a select few people like Luckers and Jason. I'd be surprised (and disappointed) if he paid much attention to what we say here. He (and any artist) has to stick to their own creative vision, not cater to a vocal minority.

[Suttree]

I'd guess when he talks about feeling he got things right based on feedback that he's referring to things like Team Jordan and his beta readers. And maybe a select few people like Luckers and Jason. I'd be surprised (and disappointed) if he paid much attention to what we say here. He (and any artist) has to stick to their own creative vision, not cater to a vocal minority.

 

They seem to talk about it at Theoryland more than but many comment on Brandon recently isolating from the HCFF's as the criticism ratcheted up and using praise from the more "casual" fans as proof of getting things right.

 

I think it is fair to say that some of the people here and at TL at least could be considred more "expert" as those are the types that would gravitate towards these sites.

[capuga]

I'd guess when he talks about feeling he got things right based on feedback that he's referring to things like Team Jordan and his beta readers. And maybe a select few people like Luckers and Jason. I'd be surprised (and disappointed) if he paid much attention to what we say here. He (and any artist) has to stick to their own creative vision, not cater to a vocal minority.

 

They seem to talk about it at Theoryland more than but many comment on Brandon recently isolating from the HCFF's as the criticism ratcheted up and using praise from the more "casual" fans as proof of getting things right.

 

But, again, that "casual" fan comprises 99% of the readership. So it makes sense that pleasing them would feel like you've gotten things right. Would you feel better about pleasing the vast, vast majority of the fans or the small percentage of HCFF (many of whom will find fault somewhere about something no matter what you do)?

 

I just find this thought that artists in any industry are greatly influenced by message board posts to be pretty unlikely.

 

I think it is fair to say that some of the people here and at TL at least could be considred more "expert" as those are the types that would gravitate towards these sites.

 

Some, sure. But there are undoubtedly huge fans that know plenty about the series that never bother to post online. And you only have to read through a few threads to realize that many people on these fan sites are much more enthusiastic than they are well versed in the details of the series.

[Suttree]

I think it is fair to say that some of the people here and at TL at least could be considred more "expert" as those are the types that would gravitate towards these sites.

 

Some, sure. But there are undoubtedly huge fans that know plenty about the series that never bother to post online. And you only have to read through a few threads to realize that many people on these fan sites are much more enthusiastic than they are well versed in the details of the series.

 

Good call...

 

As for your question I would feel much better about getting it right for the HCFF's and those that truly know the material. Just have never been much of a "pop" sort.

[MarkDiLillo]

I'm going to be a bit cheesy here, but RJ was my author. His style just fit with my personality perfectly, especially the humor. So it's really difficult for me not to get emotional when BS is writing humor. It's so inorganic with him. Talmanes' little sarcastic joke thing was so unnatural and his thoughts about it afterward were annoying. And then when he does slapsticky humor, which he usually puts on Mat (one of my favorite characters) this is how it reads to me:

 

I'M WRITING MAT NOW SO I NEED TO BE FUNNY! LOOK AT HIM BEING FUNNY!

 

lol yes that is exactly how it reads to me too

[Sid]

I guess it's written for the readers, and not for the re-readers. Re-readers don't really make publishers or authors any money, because they don't buy the books twice. It's just enough to sell the books, stringing people along for the promised ending with a few nice climactic moments thrown in. Casual fans won't care so long as it's good enough to get you to the 'satisfying' ending, but between the end of KoD and the end of the series is an enormous chasm with a few random cliffs jutting up to make islands of solid ground which are now connected mostly by frayed rope bridges. They will maybe get you through it the first time, but if you try using them again they'll more than likely snap under your feet.

 

Jordan wrote for the enjoyment of both casuals and hard core fans. He wouldn't compromise. It was his story, and he was going to tell it the right way. Brandon... wrote to get us to the ending. I think he got in way over his head, but decided to do it anyway (and very quickly too), legacy be damned. It's sad. Taking extra time could have fixed a lot of things. He never even finished his reread! WoT fans can wait for quality, this has been proven. Just put in the necessary effort!

 

I just... can't... seem... to vent... enough.

 

I think Mark D is right, it's that excerpt of the Mat Chapter's fault. At least that's what put the burr under my saddle about this subject lately.

[TootThatHorn]

@Sid You're probably mostly right about the re-readers, but it would take more than one hand to count how many times I've bought EotW, from lending it out to people, which in turn got them to buy books. Or the 2 hardcovers for tGS and CoT due to a stinkin dog that thought paper was better than rawhides lol.

[MarkDiLillo]

When the entire series is over and we all know how it ends...how many of us are going to post here and keep talking about it? Most will probably gradually lose interest and move on to something else.

 

I suspect the process went something like this:

 

1 - Brandon is super excited and gets to learn how WoT ended.

2 - Brandon reads the notes, finds out how things ended, and loves every bit of it.

3 - Brandon cant wait to begin work on WoT to finish it for the fans.

4 - Brandon suddenly realizes that he is no longer excited about anything anymore because...as a fan...the story is finished for him.

5 - Suddenly he just has 3 years of work on his plate.

6 - Now suddenly he realizes that he would rather work on his own stuff because he is interested in it and has a passion as a creator - not as a fan.

7 - Books suffer because Brandon isnt too interested in WoT anymore and just wants to get the work out of the way so he can work on things hes interested in.

[ozimandias]

I've definitely felt people are overly critical of BS, but I was not particularly surprised by it. I actually like his version of Mat, even though there were a couple scenes that didn't ring true for me, when he's portrayed as a bit of a buffoon for example, (like the clumsily written note to Elayne). However, Chapter 11 felt right on for me - the only jarring bit was the seanchan blademaster who felt a little more like a wetlander. This is despite the fact that Mat is my favorite character and that I've reread his scenes dozens of times. I see some of the changes in his character as signs of maturity, he's married now and some of his thought processes have started to come a bit more in line with what he actually does (he's always been a bit of a contradiction). Throughout all of RJ's books his characters underwent changes - the handoff the BS just happened to coincide with a major life-change in Mat - he's a complicated fellow who seemed completely unlikely to take a wife who is now married. Even matisms like 'blood and bloody ashes' changing happens in normal every day life (What things that you say go through minor changes through the years?) so it didn't bother me, though I understand why that bothers some people and fairly so if it ruins the immersion for you.

 

Anyway, no one should be surprised that complaints on a forum outnumber praise: more people prefer to pick out the things they don't like than what they do. Particularly when there's a change. If you look at RJ's own work, people complained about mistakes or offputting parts in his books well before BS took over - its just the way hardcore readers react. The things that jar them and make them forget that they are enmeshed in a world are the things that they make note of and talk about. Don't take it too seriously.