How to start reading WoT again after very long break?

[AlexandeRand]

So the last time I ever read this was about 2 years ago. (possibly longer)
I had things going on in my life that kept me from having time to just read nor did I really have the motivation.
This year I've been reading a lot more and just realized I really would like to finish this. 
I left off in the beginning of Winter's Heart, but I'm a bit intimidated to start again as it's been so long, I might not remember what characters are who and what they do and look like, etc.
Also I've heard Winter's Heart is really long and boring, which makes me tempted to just read a summary for it somewhere and then skip on to the next book.

Any suggestions/advice?

[Basel Gill]

So the last time I ever read this was about 2 years ago. (possibly longer)

I had things going on in my life that kept me from having time to just read nor did I really have the motivation.

This year I've been reading a lot more and just realized I really would like to finish this. 

I left off in the beginning of Winter's Heart, but I'm a bit intimidated to start again as it's been so long, I might not remember what characters are who and what they do and look like, etc.

Also I've heard Winter's Heart is really long and boring, which makes me tempted to just read a summary for it somewhere and then skip on to the next book.

Any suggestions/advice?

Whatever problems exist with Winter's Heart, Crossroads of Twilight is worse. Read WH and do the summary thing for CoT.

[damandred]

i usually skip alot when rereading anything, so if i was in your position i would start from the begining skipping through some of the more boring parts, but not too much, i sometimes have enjoyed WoT rereads more than the origanal read and appreciated some of the more subtle bits a bit more.

[AlexandeRand]

I don't think I'd go as far as to reread all the books I've already finished.. But I'll probably just read Winter's Heart.
Although I'm considering starting the Book of The New Sun series

[Suttree]

Read WH and then treat CoT/KoD as one long book. The pacing issues with CoT aren't nearly as bad as some make out when one doesn't have to wait for the release. There are also very handy summaries at http://www.encyclopaedia-wot.org/ if you want to catch up on anything.

[Sabio]

What made WH and COT even worse was neither was very good and you had to wait for 3 years or so for each to come out.  So for me it made it that much worse to wait all that time for books and discover they were just not very good.

[Barid Bel Medar]

Unlike CoT, where you can 99% say that it is ponderous and loses it's way,  the view on WH is mixed. Some don't like it, but others love it. So all I suggest to the OP is not to skip through it based on opinions. I would read it myself and decide, and at the very least read the last 3rd of the book if you find the beginning boring. 

 

Personally, I would suggest reading CoT. I find that a lot of the dislike surrounding the book comes from the fact that people waited for years for it to come out, and another few years for the next to come. With it's slow pace, this obviously annoyed people. But it is not as bad when you don't have to wait. I personally enjoyed it. It is far from excellent, but readable.

 

However, there's no denying that for a lot of people, CoT is unbearable. To this I would say: CoT is not a book made for 'first time' reading. That might not seem to make sense, but on the original reading of it, it is definitely slow and relatively little happens. However, in my experience people have come to appreciate CoT's finer points when they are going back and re-reading when they are not waiting in anticipation for events to unfold and take a more 'relaxed' approach to the book. There is much in CoT - it is just foreshadowing and minor points, which doesn't satisfy the urge to find out what happens next. 

 

On the whole, I would suggest flicking through a summary of each of the books - like on the site Suttree provided- to remind yourself of the plot, then read WH/CoT as I have suggested above, based on your own discretion. Once you hit KoD, things are sped up again. The shift in authors may be another obstacle, however, not much can be advised on the matter - it is something each individual decides for themselves. I guess all I can say is that, while many dislike a lot of things about the change, it is not universally regarded as hopelessly terrible. So it can go either way. 

[jack of shadows]

@alexanderand,

skip perrin's "rescue" mission,robert jordan dragged faile's kidnapping over four books,

(pod,wh,cot and kod),and the only thing worse than reading the whole boring saga is

listening to cement-head whining ad nauseam about his wife.

by the way,if rand is your favorite character,and you'll decide to brave crossroad of twilight,

be warned,read the book very carefully,because if you blink once,you'll miss him.

[Lord-Dragon-Reborn]

@AlexandeRand

 

Well, this is only my opinion about your question:

 

After two years in which you stopped reading, it's very difficult to remember the characters and plot lines in such a complicate series, if it's your first read. You are probably going to have serious trouble in following the plot line of book 9 or 10, if you don't remember much of the previous events. Probably you aren't going to enjoy AT ALL your read of these books and the following ones. And if you read the summaries of the previous books they're only likely to mess the things up for you, condensing such complicated books.

 

I would suggest you, if you now do have time, to simply reread the series from the beginning. I mean, start again with The Eye of the World, and so on, but this time read it consecutively till A Memory of Light (book 14, last book). I recommend also to read New Spring, the prequel, which is very good (and short by WoT standards!) but AFTER book 10 and before book 11 (publication order). Take your time to read the series, you don't have to go fast if you don't want to. But for such a long series I think it's very important to read it without too much interruption. Don't misunderstand me, I do have a real life: I started reading WoT in early 2013 and I needed almost a year (till the end of 2013) to finish the series. But the fact I want to point out is that I read it consecutively. When I finished a book I picked up the next one. Currently I'm planning a reread with other fans (see http://wotrereads.tumblr.com for more info about that)

 

You will REALLY enjoy more the series this way. You need to really understand what's happening in the book you're reading. And it's very, very difficult to understand so ahead in the series if you don't remember the previous events. (You're not likely to remember well some fast-read summaries)

And, by the way, if you follow my suggestion you won't need to restart reading WoT from books 9-10, that are, in many people's opinion, the two slowest books of the series (though, except for some slowing, I still think they're good books)

Instead, you will start from the early books and you will be reading some of the best books in the series (4-5-6 are the best in the first part of the series IMHO)

 

The Wheel of Time is a VERY valuable fantasy work (the best ever, in my opinion, together with The Lord of The Rings and the Silmarillion, by Tolkien) but it's challenging. You have to accept its huge size. And to enjoy it at its best you have to read it consecutively. The Wheel is demanding but will reward its readers in an incredibly good way. No series will make you as deeply involved with the characters and the plot as WoT.

 

It's definitely worth the time you spend reading it

 

Again, it's only my humble opinion, but I hope you follow my suggestion

[mb]

One way to remember plot is to read summaries at sites that give them.

the Encyclopaedia site is one.

 

Another way could be to write (or type) notes.

 

 

I generally remember the general plot of any fiction I reread; regardless of the number of times I read it and regardless of the amount of time between rereads.

[udbabor520]

Listen to Barid and LDR!

 

 

So the last time I ever read this was about 2 years ago. (possibly longer)
I had things going on in my life that kept me from having time to just read nor did I really have the motivation.
This year I've been reading a lot more and just realized I really would like to finish this. 
I left off in the beginning of Winter's Heart, but I'm a bit intimidated to start again as it's been so long, I might not remember what characters are who and what they do and look like, etc.
Also I've heard Winter's Heart is really long and boring, which makes me tempted to just read a summary for it somewhere and then skip on to the next book.

Any suggestions/advice?

 

No offence but I really doubt that you have read the books up to WH. After "reading" TSR, FOH, LOC you claim that you

 

have heard (???) WH is really long?

 

I don't buy it.

 

Anyway, WOT has two parts. The first one ends wit LOC, the second one ends with KOD. The second group is much weaker but there are awesome things in WH (AVI+EL, Avi+El+"others", an exciting battle, MAT's chapters are brilliant, chapter 20-21 are also good and Shalon's chapters are really funny)

 

Let's see COT! Eg shines, Mat is still in good form, Rand is basically missing in action in that book too but he needs to rest (his plot is way ahead), Hanlon's story good, El's story is interesting (yes, even the bathing) but weak. So, don't skip it!

[AlexandeRand]

Thanks everyone for your input.
I started reading this morning and am finding that I do start to remember things quickly, even at the mention of a name I remember then who they are and I connect them with other forgotten names and places, etc. So far it's not been hard, and I'm enjoying it again.
 

[Orderofolde]

 

So the last time I ever read this was about 2 years ago. (possibly longer)

I had things going on in my life that kept me from having time to just read nor did I really have the motivation.

This year I've been reading a lot more and just realized I really would like to finish this. 

I left off in the beginning of Winter's Heart, but I'm a bit intimidated to start again as it's been so long, I might not remember what characters are who and what they do and look like, etc.

Also I've heard Winter's Heart is really long and boring, which makes me tempted to just read a summary for it somewhere and then skip on to the next book.

Any suggestions/advice?

Whatever problems exist with Winter's Heart, Crossroads of Twilight is worse. Read WH and do the summary thing for CoT.

 

I found that COT is okay, read Mat's POV if nothing else.

[udbabor520]

Thanks everyone for your input.

I started reading this morning and am finding that I do start to remember things quickly, even at the mention of a name I remember then who they are and I connect them with other forgotten names and places, etc. So far it's not been hard, and I'm enjoying it again.

 

 

[Orderofolde]

Start all over in the beginning.