Are you doing a re-read?

[Aebram]

This is my first re-read. Started with NS at the end of 2010 after finishing ToM. I'm currently about 200 pages into KoD, so I'm a little worried I won't finish in time, but I'm sure I'll power through it. It's not so much that I'm a slow reader, it's just that I'm a busy person and I don't end up with a lot of extra time to put in a few good hours of reading.

 

I have thoroughly enjoyed this though. I started reading the series in 1994, and had the benefit of being able to read the first 5 in a row prior to LoC, and then the waiting game began. I remember how with each subsequent release I would forget who some of the players were in the minor plotlines that are peppered throughout the series, and that annoyed me, and now those are the chapters that I look forward to: The Prologues, the updates on Galad, Gawyn, The Forsaken, the Red Ajah plotlines etc. It's also been incredible to just see how all the characters have developed, and the foreshadowing with each one that goes all the way back to tEotW.

 

CoT was still my least favorite in the series, I don't think I would have made it through the Andor chapters if it wasn't for the hope getting to some Mat and Tuon. The book I was surprised the most by was aCoS, it has easily become one of my favorites in the series now.

 

And now, being midway through KoD, I'm really curious to see the difference in the writing styles of RJ and BS when I get to TGS. I didn't really notice much the first time, but now that I've read 12 RJ books in a row, I'm interested to see how obvious the difference is

[PaulChauvet]

I'm doing a relisten. I have a ton of work (mostly painting and yardwork) to do at my new house so between that (and trips to/from work, hardware store, etc.) I've been re-listening.

 

I probably won't finish it all before aMoL, but I may skip books 7/8/10 to hurry it up.

[Guest miniv]

Just started a reread a couple of days ago. I couldn't find my copy of tEotW so ended up purchasing it as an e-book and reading it on my computer--not something I want to do very often. I'm reading my hard copy of The Great Hunt now. This will be the third or fourth complete re-read since I first found the series in 1992. I look forward, with melancholy, to the release of the final book.

[Jak o' the Shadows]

Yes. Just started The Great Hunt...

 

I forgot how many plotlines and hints are dropped in Eye of the World that eventually come to fruition over the series. Some still haven't been answered...but it's definitely eye opening.

[Solmyr]

Started a re-listen in september, halfway through Winter's Heart atm. But I won't be able to listen as much in the next 30-40 days so I fear I will need to push the last books around Xmas to make it in time.

[Chaotic222]

Started with New Spring in July. I haven't had as much time for reading as I'd like recently, but I'm almost done with Winter's Heart. I don't know if I'll be able to make it through the other books before January, especially with the holidays coming up, but just re-reading the early and middle books has been revitalizing. I'm constantly reminded of why I fell in love with this series in the first place. Although it only recently occurred to me that I should have taken notes. It's difficult to keep everything in my head over 6 months of casual reading.

[Vambram]

I started reading the WoT series in 1991shortly after EotW was released. I have made it a practice to do at least one full re-read of the series before each new book came out.

 

With AMOL being the final book of the series, I have continued the tradition of my re-reads. On August 1st, I started again on The Eye of the World and read no other books but the WoT series until I had finished WH a week before Halloween. I took a break from WoT for a couple of weeks, and read the Level 26 Steve Dark novels. On Wednesday, I began a re-read of CoT and I plan on reading the remaining books of the best series of fantasy books ever written.

Like most of us fanatics here, I can barely contain my excitement until I can get my hands on A Memory of Light in order to finish the journey and story started in The Eye of the World.

[Tensai0211]

Started mid June but couldn't give much more than 20 minutes a day to reading just finished LoC last week when i had a stroke of fortune/misfortune and broke my wrist giving me 6 weeks off work (probably end up off until the new year at this point). Now i have to work out a way to keep then books open so i can read comfortably and try to pace myself up to aMoL and not go mad through boredom between readings. My books are also starting to look a bit tattered so i'm hoping for some kind of complete set to buy after aMoL.

[Shaidar]

I am current about 1/3 of the way through The Great Hunt. The most I hope for is to finish up DR. I really don't see myself reading beyond that book.

 

What have I noticed?

 

* More than ever I notice how TEotW jars with the rest of the series. Not only facing off but killing Aginor and Balthamel, two of the Forsaken, should have been an experience that would henceforth figure prominently in the Randlanders' minds, but to the contrary, they're hardly ever mentioned or recollected henceforth. I also notice that quite a few of the things Moiraine does with the OP in this book are never adequately explained in the future.

* I also noticed that the dialog is remarkably clunky, far worse than I remember (presumably back then I didn't notice such details).

* Nynaeve is every bit as stupid and annoying as I remember her, but Moiraine is a lot more understandable; I sympathize with her difficulties in keeping the country louts in tow much more than I had previously.

* It was jarring then, but now this too is more noticeable than ever: The good characters have way too many lucky breaks for plausibility. Aginor could have crushed Moiraine in literally a second, given what we now know of the mismatch in strength; instead, she "held" him for a minute or so. And then he didn't even kill her but left her with a sore head. Then in the Great Hunt, Egwene and Mat were merely knocked out down in the dungeons, and woke up right as rain; while the two guards with them down there were killed in gruesome ways. Why the difference in treatment?

[SesameTree]

I have re-read the series several times already that it's kinda pointless to do it again. I remember pretty much all of the major events, so

there is no need to start reading to refresh my memory.

 

However I do like to re-read some of my favourite books once in a while.

[*Saidin*]

finished my re-read in like sep. now im reading TOM again.....

[Dagon Thyne]

I'm on TDR now. I just got to Mat's first scene, when he meets Selene.

[herid]

one thing I never understood about the Selene scene is where Mat could have seen her before. he thinks that she looks familiar. And she seems to think he may have seen her too.

[he who comes with a bong]

one thing I never understood about the Selene scene is where Mat could have seen her before. he thinks that she looks familiar. And she seems to think he may have seen her too.

 

Maybee some type of rememberance of her in one of his dreams, but i really think they were all Ishmael.

[he who comes with a bong]

I am probally on my last and final read through for a few years at least. This has to be at least the 50th time i have read the series over the last 20 years. Used to be id finish what was out there then start right back at the eye of the world. I am at the point now where i can breeze through every book in a few days. i am currently on The Gathering Storm,just after Hinderstrap. Probally finish up this one this weekend then slowly go through towers of midnight so i can be ready come january 8th.

[wotfan4472]

I am doing a re read and am on ACoS, and have no plans to skip any books. I am struck at how easy it is to read sraight through, and having read straight through WH,CoT and KoD back to back last year, these books flow well, and are not difficult to me at all, the pace does not slow at all. The problem I think was just that the books came out a large amount of time and people were just reading them as stand alone books. I am one of those that find a CoT to be an annoyingy interesting novel of how the world itself is dealing with all the sings of Tarmon Gaidon's imminent approach, and found it still to be enjoyable, and marks a big change in Egwene's character, from previous books.

[TheBeerPatriot]

Yep, I am currently halfway through TDR so I have some serious cranking to do if I'm going to finish the reread before 1/8. I truly do love the first trilogy of this series, the sense of adventure in the first 3 books is never quite recaptured in subsequent books. I'm not saying the subsequent books are bad of course, just that these three books are teeming with adventure throughout.

[herid]

one thing I never understood about the Selene scene is where Mat could have seen her before. he thinks that she looks familiar. And she seems to think he may have seen her too.

 

Maybee some type of rememberance of her in one of his dreams, but i really think they were all Ishmael.

This is still the most likely explanation given that this scene is the first Mat POV in the series. Lanfear showed up in both Rand's and Perrin's dreams in TDR and could have done the same with Mat, just offscreen. The only other possibility I can think of is that Mat saw her in some of his alternate lives when they used a portal stone in TGH. But this would not explain Lanfear expecting him to recognize her.

[Balefire to da face!]

This is still the most likely explanation given that this scene is the first Mat POV in the series. Lanfear showed up in both Rand's and Perrin's dreams in TDR and could have done the same with Mat, just offscreen. The only other possibility I can think of is that Mat saw her in some of his alternate lives when they used a portal stone in TGH. But this would not explain Lanfear expecting him to recognize her.

 

Yeah, I started TDR after reading his post and Perrin's dream with Lanfear, and his subsequent experience in the Ways, or TAR, or where ever that was mimics Mat's experience closely. Perrin kind of thinks he maybe recognizes her. Ishy and Lanfear are both trying to be more subtle then Ishy was in tEotW.

 

 

Yep, I am currently halfway through TDR so I have some serious cranking to do if I'm going to finish the reread before 1/8. I truly do love the first trilogy of this series, the sense of adventure in the first 3 books is never quite recaptured in subsequent books. I'm not saying the subsequent books are bad of course, just that these three books are teeming with adventure throughout.

 

I still love how the books can almost be read as a standalone trilogy. I think Ba'alzamon being Ishy was the biggest plot twist I had ever read up to that point. Hell, it may still be. Brilliant.

 

The Dragon Reborn is always the point in the series where I am able to start reading more quickly. EotW is action packed at the beginning, but drags a bit in the middle, and the last 200 or so pages just fly. I don't think I enjoy The Great Hunt as much as many do(surprised how high it ranks in that ranking thread), but on rereads I have come to appreciate it more. It's a long book for the relatively little that happens in it. But few of the scenes are boring. This reread in particular I was really enjoying keeping an eye on Verin.

 

I guess now we know that her "Moiraine sent me" line was a lie, but what about her telling Rand not to channel in Falme. Is that just early series inconsistency, or did Verin have a reason to prevent Rand from channeling in Falme?

 

Anywho, I have come to like Mat more over the years. I used to not care for him much at all, really. The first two books remind me why, he really is just an annoying kid in those first two books. But TDR is when he starts getting more enjoyable. I don't think the series really opens up to the wider world until The Shadow Rising, but you can kind of see it coming in The Dragon Reborn.

[hjustinpace]

Just started KoD this weekend. I may have only read it once--I hardly remember anything that happened.

[shadowofomioc]

Nah ... re-reading this series is almost like going back into an MMO. Way too much of a time sink.

 

Would probably take a month to re-read this entire series and with all these characters and such I would need a box full of Advil to keep the headaches at bay.

 

I remember enough important details to know exactly what is going on in the final book. RJ did a ton of minor character building in the previous books, but as we have seen it was done unnecessarily. Brandon is not going back and even touching 90% of the minor characters described in these books or the conversations that those people had. It is all about the main characters, as it always should have been.

[FanoLan]

Nah ... re-reading this series is almost like going back into an MMO. Way too much of a time sink.

 

Would probably take a month to re-read this entire series and with all these characters and such I would need a box full of Advil to keep the headaches at bay.

 

Too bad for the lack of mental capacity required to avoid digesting a box full of Advil merely for reading a work of fiction. Cannot imagine how much of a challenge the real world must be to deal with for you. Condolences.

 

I remember enough important details to know exactly what is going on in the final book.

 

Fortunately for this thread, not everyone is as brilliant as you present yourself.

 

RJ did a ton of minor character building in the previous books, but as we have seen it was done unnecessarily. Brandon is not going back and even touching 90% of the minor characters described in these books or the conversations that those people had. It is all about the main characters, as it always should have been.

 

Guess you could have saved a bunch of time for not only the author but also the multitude of fans worldwide by revealing this fact a couple of decades ago. Why hold out so long?

 

 

For me, I've appreciated every bit of the depth and breadth of the series. Currently on my twenty-something re-read and on the last few chapters of tFoH; will definitely finish by aMoL. Started the series for the first time in '94 or '95 and can hardly believe the end is nigh.

 

Unlike the above poster, it amazes me how many apparently irrelevant pieces of information come back into play later in the books. Even on this read, I'm catching foreshadowings that I'd missed in prior reads. Great stuff from RJ and nearly incomprehensibe talent. After an aMol re-read, I'll probably not revisit for a while, but imagine at some point the stroll down memory lane will prove irresistable. Hope everyone derives as much pleasure from the ending of this masterpiece as I will.

[mrdravid]

Yep, started in July and finished Winter's Heart this morning. On track to finish by 1/8, but we'll see what happens!

 

Found Wot late, so this is really my first reread. In my first read, I pretty much went through 1 - 13 (probably finished about 12 months ago).

[Guest rmf]

I did a complete re-read after tGS and finished this week, no skipping or skimming. I can't remember when I started the re-read, but I think it was about a year ago. I found WoT after the 5th book was published, so I had read the first 5 back to back & never went back to them. I have been through each book since then at least twice, and 4-5 times on the last few books. I really enjoyed going back to the beginning like this.

[hjustinpace]

Books 5-11 blended together on my first read. I had to wait on each and came away largely feeling the same way: loved reading them then got to the end and said, 'Wait, what? Nothing happened!' On re-read they stand out from each other completely. As I said early in the thread, the Perrin-Faile-Shaido plotline doesn't bother me nearly as much. The Elayne succession plotline, on the other hand? Virtually every action from Elayne in her bloc of chapters in KoD paints her as (a) a terrible person, (b) a terrible ruler, or © both. It's doubly frustrating considering that (a) we have absolutely no reason to believe Andor wouldn't be better off with Dyelin as queen and (b) Elayne is actively and consciously putting her own ambitions above the good of the world. It's triply frustrating that, after the events at the beginning of AMoL, it appears the entire plotline was for naught.