Hey Wheel of Time Readers....

Adex_Xeda · Post by **Adex_Xeda** » August 5, 2002, 11:32 am

Ok I was told this series was a great read, but I find starting up the first book is akin to getting a 2 cycle weed wacker to start.

Please tell me its worth the initial effort to get this train rolling.
Please tell me the books just take off and I'll enjoy them.

If not tell me now so I can move on to something else.

Oh yea I like the Dune Series, Tolkien, TSR junk fantasy, etc.

Post by **Xouqoa** » August 5, 2002, 11:33 am

First book starts off slow as you get the background info, and character development.... then it takes off about halfway through and doesn't slow down till around book 7 or 8 .... which is where it kind of drags again. Still a great series. Tons of history and characters are why it's so long.

Aabidano · Post by **Aabidano** » August 5, 2002, 11:56 am

I read the first 5 and lost interest in the long interim between book releases.

They are all pretty good reading, the first one does take a bit to get rolling. There are some horribly slow spots in a couple of them, it's needed background for later stuff though. All in all a very good read if you like fairly immersive fantasy.

Has the "last" one been written yet? I'll probably pick up where I left off if it has.

masteen · Post by **masteen** » August 5, 2002, 12:02 pm

This is one of the few popular fantasy series that I could never get into. Everyone says how it picks up in the second half, but I found the entire book excessively wordy and boring. Needless to say, I haven't bothered to read the rest of the series

Aabidano · Post by **Aabidano** » August 5, 2002, 12:07 pm

I'm pretty sure I started on book two, then went back to book one etc...

Might have helped

Bubba Grizz · Post by **Bubba Grizz** » August 5, 2002, 12:14 pm

The first 5 books is where the series should have ended. The first 5 are definitly a damn good read though. The author does get wordy and some parts are slow but over all it was really fun to read.

Drustwyn · Post by **Drustwyn** » August 5, 2002, 12:33 pm

I got through the first five and was hoping for the damn thing to end... So I put the sixth book down and haven't picked it up in a long time. It's a good series though, just waiting for there to be a definite end in sight before I go back and read them all again.

The only other thing I hate about the series is how he repeats facts OVER AND OVER AND OVER again in the same book - Especially about the Aes Sedaii (sp?).

Truant · Post by **Truant** » August 5, 2002, 2:42 pm

iirc adex, it's the third chapter where it finally starts to pick up....it is kinda slow at first, but there is a reason for it.

This series isn't for everyone, so it's understandable. Get past that first part before you decide though. It's slow at first for a reason.

and no, it's not complete yet. Book ten is due out fairly soon I would guess. And he's not going to be able to wrap it up in ten like he had hoped.

Mak · Post by **Mak** » August 5, 2002, 4:28 pm

No- do yourself a big favor and do't even start reading it.

The first book was published in 1990- and it's on book 8... 9? and there is no end in sight. Hell, I'll be 40+ before the last book is written. I personally stopped reading them at book 6 or 7, and I refuse to spend another dime on the series until it's finished (and even then it will be from used bookstores.)

Vaemas · Post by **Vaemas** » August 6, 2002, 10:23 am

He loses focus about tht 5th book. God knows I've been through that debate over and over with a bunch of friends and we all agree. He sold out for money and should have ended the series long ago. The first 4 books were pretty good but after that, the ghostwriter left.

Oh, and Ender's Game is one of my all-time favorite books. Recently read Ender's Shadow which runs concurrently (I think that's the right word) with the timeline of EG. Decent book although I still like EG better. Also finished Shadow of the Hegemon last night which is the sequel to ES and takes place immediatly following ES. Another decent book, IMHO.

Avatarofmal · Post by **Avatarofmal** » August 6, 2002, 11:52 am

Sweet jesus man... if you could get through all the Dune books, you can make it through WoT.

btw, first post. Jackass me please.

Adex_Xeda · Post by **Adex_Xeda** » August 6, 2002, 12:39 pm

The Dune books had interesting thought experiments.

Colal · Post by **Colal** » August 6, 2002, 5:13 pm

Amazing books in my opinion.

The books are long, and wordy, but the world he creates is worth it. If you are looking for high fantasy with insane plot twists this is the series for you. Throughout the series you will see recuring themes, and one of the ones that I enjoy the most is the commentary about the differences between men and women. Its quite humerous at times, and I often caught myself with a big wide grin accross my face. You really feel for the characters, and he takes the time to massively develop each and every one of them, and there are lots.

Maybe you will like this, and maybe you wont. The first book seems long, and it doesnt get going until the end, but by the end of the second book, I was hooked.

Voronwë · Post by **Voronwë** » August 6, 2002, 5:15 pm

the first couple of Dune books were good.

Dune itself was great.

Children of Dune, pretty good

God, Emperor of Dune was pure shit.

EviliaeSoulmender · Post by **EviliaeSoulmender** » August 6, 2002, 8:06 pm

While I was a big fan of the WoT series there is much better out there now, IMHO. Here are some to try:

From Robin Hobb
The Farseer: Assasin's Apprentice, Royal Assasin and Assasin's Quest
The Liveship Traders: Ship of Magic, Mad Ship and Ship of Destiny
The Tawny Man: Fool's Errand, assume two more to come

From George R. R. Martin
A Song of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, (more to come)

Adex_Xeda · Post by **Adex_Xeda** » August 6, 2002, 8:19 pm

If you want a break from Fantasy, try the Winds of War and War and Remembrace by Hermon Woulk. Its a kick ass fiction covering WWII. He works his characters into all of the best spots so you can journey there and experience it.

kyoukan · Post by **kyoukan** » August 6, 2002, 11:26 pm

I was going to make this same exact thread about a month ago. I read the first half of book 1 and I had to hit myself in the face with a dictionary to keep from falling asleep. Why is this hack so popular? He makes Tolkein's pacing look like a Jerry Bruckheimer car chase. Even if it got 1000x more exciting it would just start scratching the surface of in flight magazine style excitement.

For really good fantasy read David Gemmell's books. Especially his Drenai and Rigante novels.

Tenuvil · Post by **Tenuvil** » August 7, 2002, 1:09 am

Wheel of Time?

First three books were unbelievable. Great reads.

Next three dragged somewhat but had enough interesting twists to make me keep reading.

I plowed through the seventh. It was painful. I have started on book eight at least a half dozen times and just can't get into it. I also own book nine, which reviewers say moves along better. The ones that didn't off themselves rather than continue reading anyway.

Niding · Post by **Niding** » August 8, 2002, 12:30 pm

Plowed through WOT series only to find out it wasn't complete. Now waiting for next book.

Anybody know when it will be out for sale?

Personally i like it (who would dare say otherwise after 9 books). But some parts are slow. But overall a nice reading.

Redklaw · Post by **Redklaw** » August 8, 2002, 4:33 pm

OK here is the deal with the wheel of time series

Books 1-3 = decent books

Book 4 = Hmmm.. not as good, maybe next book...

Books 5 - (winter's heart - 1) = what the hell is this crap? What happned to the action. Why won't Nyevae shut up? Are you supposed to hope most of the protaginistic charactors die in a painful way? Where the hell is Mat? Does every major conflict have end with Rand doing some ultra powerful magic crap at the moment of need, no variation? Why am i reading this boring crap? How can they possibly fit more politics in one of these books than the entire dune series? I feel sick....

Winters Heart = Damn, suprisingly good book, hope he keeps it up... May even possibly make trudging on through all the waste in these books worthwhile.

Personally if your looking for a good book series in the whole sci-fi region try the Otherlands series by Tad Williams, I'd recomend it to anyone who plays eq (you'll see why). But until the next book comes out and decides whether or not Jordan got his crap together give up on the series for now.

Tenuvil · Post by **Tenuvil** » August 9, 2002, 12:21 am

Oh yeah, the Otherland series owns.

Hammerstalker PE · Post by **Hammerstalker PE** » August 9, 2002, 2:30 am

For really good fantasy read David Gemmell's books. Especially his Drenai and Rigante novels.

Wow Kyoukan and I agree on something. David Gemmel novels grab you right from the start and keep your interest all the way through. I especially like the one called "Druss the warrior"

Anyway I read all of the WoT books and the first one is really slow at the beginning but the pace does pick up and it is worth the punishment.

Rikk Wolvenkin · Post by **Rikk Wolvenkin** » August 10, 2002, 4:21 am

I loved Enders Game, one of my all time favorites.

I started reading the WoT series when only the first book was out. I've read every book since but its been hard for me to really follow since its something like a year between each book release.

the last few books, as everyone has said already, pretty much suck, he sold out, made a lame FPS/wanabee RPG game out of it and wrote more books that went no where just to drag the damn thing out.

But before all that happened I was loving the series. The character development is fantastic. I can't remember now which book was the first one I didn't like, but its pretty far into the series. The first.. six? are totally worth reading.

VeeshanVault

Hey Wheel of Time Readers....

Hey Wheel of Time Readers....

The Layout for the WoT series