An Ode to The Wheel of Time

[snooze1128]

In lieu of the holiday spirit, I'd like to take this opportunity to reflect upon how The Wheel of Time series has affected me as a reader.

 

Before The Wheel of Time entered my life, I primarily read fictional novels written by the likes of Dan Brown, Ken Follett, and Nelson Demille.  While I have read the Lord of the Rings trilogy & Harry Potter, I had never considered fantasy novels to be "page turners," which is what I consider most of the books written by the aforementioned authors.  

 

In April of 2011 (my final semester of undergraduate life) a close friend of mine, who was staying at my townehouse for the weekend, brought with him the Eye of the World and promptly began a 2 day quest to convince me to read it.  Hesitant at first, I reluctantly agreed and within ~2 weeks, had finished the Eye of the World: my first Robert Jordan book.  

 

While I was fortunate enough to enjoy the Eye of the World as a softcover, I proceeded to read books 2-13 by iPod Touch or Laptop--both of which are irritating and less than preferable.  (Note: Rest assured, I'll be reading A Memory of Light as a hardcover)

 

I now spend a good chunk of my spare time perusing Dragonmount as I attempt to ease my anticipation for a Memory of Light, as I regularly read posts, yet periodically voice my opinon.  

 

My general opinion for dragonmount is neither here, nor there; rather, I am quite thankful for the mark imprinted on my opnions forcibly left by the likes of the Wheel of Time and its fans.  As a teacher of select subjects (well, at least I like to think of myself in this light), I realize that influence can take on the appearence of many beasts.  It is one thing for one to read and comprehend a subject (fictional novels of the late 21st century), a book (the Wheel of time), or a concept (individuals are reincarnated and ultimately serve a purpose and/or role in the "wheel of time.")...

However, it is another thing entirely to motivate an individual to the point where they come to respect a subject, to truly enjoy a book, or to buy into a concept.  Regardless of my philosophical or spiritual idealologies, I find myself--time and time again--diving into the intricate theories manifested  by Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson, and the fanbase that makes up the entire Dragonmount community.  As a result, The Wheel of Time has taught me to appreciate the genre of fantasy fiction in an entirely new light (haha see what I did there? :-P).  I may be wrong, but I'd guess that other fans on this forum have similar feelings, and I think it's important that we sit down and appreciate this for a few minutes before all hell breaks lose on the forums Jan 8th.

 

Thank you Dragonmount. Thank you Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson.  And most importantly, thank you to the fans: without whom, my portrayal of the Wheel of Time would be far more objective, far simpler, and far more boring.

[Apocalyte]

There's a thread already for this stuff.  Search function works great even though this one was on the front page of this forum...

 

http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/topic/77454-what-has-the-wheel-of-time-series-meant-to-you/

[Elgee]

I love it when someone expresses my feelings on the Wheel of Time series so much better than I ever could ... thank you, Snooze :)