Struggling to re-read from eye of the world prior to MoL

[Mosseonup]

Hi all,

Just wondering if any other fans who Have read the series as they were released over the past 15+ years are having or had the same troubles as I've found in the last week, namely;

I can't seem to forget who the characters are NOW.

I found myself laughing at how scared rand and Co were of the fade at the beginning of eye of the world and pretty much haven't stopped laughing since (now up to dragon reborn).

It's great as I'm picking up on things I missed the first time round, but I can't get over the fact that I am not supposed to be laughing at these "tense moments" and tbh it's kinda ruining it for me!

Any other long term fans had the same problem and if so how did you deal with it?

 

Cheers,

Moss

[Valley of Death]

I like when they're just starting out. Its good to remember how the main characters were before they all had armies or became very powerful

 

Also after reading new spring, I have so much more respect for Moraine and get kind of annoyed when Rand, Perrin, or Mat are complete dicks to her the whole time

[Barid Bel Medar]

I know what you mean, my opinion on the characters is definitely influenced by what I know they grow to become. However, it has the opposite effect for me. It makes me sad and nostalgic watching the TR gang in EotW - before Rand knew he could channel, knew he had a death sentence hanging over him. 

 

I look back fondly. I also laugh at some of the things they do/say/think but it is more out of fondness at the silly things than anything else. 

[Finnssss22]

I know what you mean, my opinion on the characters is definitely influenced by what I know they grow to become. However, it has the opposite effect for me. It makes me sad and nostalgic watching the TR gang in EotW - before Rand knew he could channel, knew he had a death sentence hanging over him. 

 

I look back fondly. I also laugh at some of the things they do/say/think but it is more out of fondness at the silly things than anything else. 

 

 

Yep, same here. I always find something new to laugh about on every re-read.

[DaoineSidhe]

I concur with Finss & Barid.  The beginning of every re-read is always so nostalgic.  Even though they are on the run for their lives, they are so much more naive as characters, bumbling from mis-step to mis-step.  They don't yet have the weight of the world on their shoulders  It also continually amazes me about the three under pressure.  At first, it is Mat who deals with the pressure his is under the worst, while Perrin kind of bumbles along, and Rand seems to do pretty well with it.  However, as they progress, Mat seems to accept his importance much easier, and without as much "weight of the world" feeling, whereas Rand and Perrin seem to be buried under their senses of responsibility.

 

In addition, the tone and pacing of the beginning is nostalgic for is hearkening back to traditional High Fantasy.  Running from the Enemy, winning a seemingly impossible victory only to find it is just the beginning, the Enemy Strikes Back (stealing of the Horn), making the main characters be forced to grow, and finally a desperate last push to win through and Win BIG against the Enemy (Callandor & Stone of Tear).  I almost consider the first three books their own little prequel to the series, introducing the characters, and setting up the story, but the WoT doesn't really begin its turnings until tSR.

[Jason Williams]

I'm on a reread too, and was really enjoying it up until Fires of Heaven. I'm tempted to start skipping every chapter with Elayne and Nynaeve. Urgh.

[Jak o' the Shadows]

I also enjoyed picking up things I missed, but I was definitely in the same vein as you...

 

You know they live, you know they get stronger and gain armies and so forth...so all the 'self doubt' and 'self reflection' to me, lost a little luster.   But the #1 thing I found trying was the characters view of Aes Sedai.   I mean, at this point we know a LOT about how they work, how the tower is setup, political and internal motivations...but in EoTW they're like the boogie man out of a ghost story.   We know nothing about the 3 Oaths and it's sort of funny because they spend half their time in Book 1 wondering if Moraine is lying to them.

 

I get the why, I get that it makes sense, but coming back...you're like "You know nothing Jon Sno....Rand al'Thor!"

[Drakkon]

I'm on a reread too, and was really enjoying it up until Fires of Heaven. I'm tempted to start skipping every chapter with Elayne and Nynaeve. Urgh.

I actually started doing this about my third time through the series.  For whatever reason, I didn't find those scenes nearly as bad when I went through the audio book.

[Charlz Guybon]

It took me 3-4 months to get up to chapter 35 of The Eye of the World, in the last 4 weeks though I've read 12-15 hundred pages a week and am currently on 10 of The Path of Daggers. I'm on pace to finish just in time for the new book, though it will take a bit to get here (Korea), so I have a cushion.