Robert Jordan and the Wheel of Time

lilyantannous · Post by **lilyantannous** » 05 Jul 2015, 05:25

Best. Series. EVER. I'm currently on my 3rd re-read of the series and I am up to Knife of Dreams. I started reading it 11 years ago and haven't read the final book yet. I'm taking my time with my 3rd re-read before reading the final one as I'm not ready yet to let go of the characters. I feel SO invested in this series, finishing it will break my heart.

-- 05 Jul 2015, 05:27 --

Rachaelamb1 wrote:I want to read this series. I'm afraid of getting started on any series with such a long list of books though. I don't know if I'll have ths money to buy them all!!!

Do you have a kindle? I have the first couple of books as a free kindle file.

Faerie104 · Post by **Faerie104** » 06 Jul 2015, 13:50

I'm about 4 or 5 books into the series, but my bag started to get too heavy from carrying the book itself around when I was reading it. Finally got them all in ebook format so I can continue to read where I left off.

Loved the plot. A cross between several series with its own story.

David Bowman · Post by **David Bowman** » 06 Jul 2015, 17:14

I have never read the Wheel of Time series, but it sounds interesting. However, I'm not sure about the rest of the series (which were written by Brandon Sanderson after Jordan died). Are they good? I'd appreciate some thoughts on this.

Thimble · Post by **Thimble** » 06 Jul 2015, 20:47

David Bowman wrote:I have never read the Wheel of Time series, but it sounds interesting. However, I'm not sure about the rest of the series (which were written by Brandon Sanderson after Jordan died). Are they good? I'd appreciate some thoughts on this.

I think Brandon Sanderson did a respectable job with the rest of the series. At the beginning of first one he does, he mentions that he does not try to imitate Robert Jordan. Also, he is a big fan of Robert Jordan himself. The reader can tell that it's not Robert Jordan, but it's not so far off of the beaten path that it's distracting. Also, all of the plot points were outlined by Robert Jordan and his family before he died, so the ending is still amazing.

Genevieve

btburt · Post by **btburt** » 16 Jul 2015, 17:54

A friend of ours got us started on this series... and, of course, once you've read 4 or 5 of the books in the series, you're as hooked as a crack addict.

My only complaint would be that Jordan sometimes went into excruciating detail in describing settings, scenery, physical character appearances / wardrobe, etc., to the point that my wife and I both felt like "get on with it!" at times. Don't get me wrong, it's brilliantly written. But I honestly think the 14 novels could have been condensed to 10 or less without losing anything essential (and possibly improving the pace just a bit).

When Jordan passed before completing the series, I was devastated: reminded me of when Frank Herbert passed before he could complete his Dune series. I'd say Brandon Sanderson did the entire epic justice, though, and finished it well.

Calicopia · Post by **Calicopia** » 19 Jul 2015, 21:01

I started these books several years ago in high school and I absolutely loved them. I have read all the books but the last one. It has been so long since I've read them that I just haven't been able to start the final book.

wildrose · Post by **wildrose** » 27 Jan 2016, 15:23

I was introduced to this series about 5 or 6 years ago, and I was immediately sucked in. By the time I got to the end, the last book wasn't out yet, so I had to wait a while, and believe me, that was torture! I started my first reread a few months back because I was very interested to see where everyone had started based on where they ended up. I have to say, I just finished book 5, and it took me FOREVER. I really think the story starts to drag a bit right here in the middle. But keep pushing through. It's worth it!

Sarah G · Post by **Sarah G** » 29 Jan 2016, 04:41

After being lent the books from a friend I've finally started the series and already I'm in love. Luckily there are a lot of books so I can stay in the world for that little bit longer

bekkilyn · Post by **bekkilyn** » 29 Jan 2016, 22:09

I read the first five or six of them back when they first came out, but stopped reading them once I realized that Jordan had no idea how many books he was writing and thought that he'd probably die before he was done with them. (Little did I really know....) I figured I'd wait until he was done writing them all and then read them.

Well not long ago, I was introduced to Brandon Sanderson's books and found out that he was also the author that finished Jordan's series, so I started thinking it might be time to finally read them all. I just got done with Eye of the World this morning and started on The Great Hunt. I also have them all in eBook format now too, so no covers constantly falling off the paperbacks or huge, heavy hardback bricks to worry with!

I'm not exclusively reading them though since I don't want to get burned out, so I'm alternating chapters with two other books...Louise de la Valliere by Dumas and the 2nd book of Ludlam's Bourne trilogy.

As much as I want to read them, I don't dare start Martin until he's done, but it's not like I don't have thousands of other books in my backlog for the meantime.

Levi · Post by **Levi** » 30 Jan 2016, 00:38

@btburt I love the Dune story like I love the story of Robert Jordan and the Wheel of Time. I must read both of these series. Wheel of Time was forcefully recommended by a friend last year, and Dune, surprisingly, by a lady at Barnes and Noble last week when I was buying the last Harry Potter book (which I'm also reading for the first time). Both stories behind the series are enough to make me want to read them.

btburt · Post by **btburt** » 30 Jan 2016, 09:04

@Levi Those are 3 great series - you can't go wrong with any of them. Hope you enjoy both Dune and Wheel of Time!

Levi · Post by **Levi** » 30 Jan 2016, 14:52

Thank you @btburt
I'm sure you will see some overly verbose and gushing review from me here sometime

aparsons · Post by **aparsons** » 01 Feb 2016, 18:19

thym38 wrote:Is this series worth finding and reading all the books? They sound interesting, but there are so many... Can you compare it to something so I kinda have an idea of what it's like?

The last three or so books are written by Brandon Sanderson, who I like so much better as an author than Robert Jordan. The books flowed so much better and I read them in about a month, whereas with The earlier Wheel of Time books, it was such a chore to read through everything. Brandon Sanderson wrote another series called the Mistborn trilogy which is a spectacular and unique new universe.

My problem with Robert Jordan is his views of women. They are all "strong, independent potatoes" and I cannot stand any of them. They treat the men like trash and invalids and give them no credit for any sort of rational decisions. As a married woman, it irks me to no end.

My other issue with Robert Jordan is how many characters he draws the action out with. I wrote off the Wheel of Time around the middle of the series when I slogged through a whole narration about some huge ter-angreal explosion. I finished the book with relief that we could move on with their lives...and the second book took us back in time to re-tell the whole painful episode...from someone else's point of view!

I recognize it is amazing work of fiction and a really cool universe, but it is a very annoying one.

Thimble · Post by **Thimble** » 01 Feb 2016, 23:57

Hi @aparsons . I would have to disagree about the strong women. While they are strong, they are all very different and it's refreshing to see a series that features women that aren't just pushed around by men all of the time. It's also seen in the plot that there are repercussions for not listening to everyone (including the men). It's actually a major ongoing plot point when it comes to Rand. Also, the women aren't strong in the same way the men are strong, so when they work together it's really great to read. So, to make it short, I think Jordan balances the female/male power ratio and involvement really well. I actually think how the women behave by themselves, amongst other women, and around men is definitely worth discussing. It's a great way to think about their respective societies in general.

aparsons · Post by **aparsons** » 04 Feb 2016, 18:45

Hi @thimble. I guess their personalities are just polar opposite of mine, they tend to be more aggressive and bossy. I am much more traditional with my ideas about how women should act towards men. I admit, I haven't read the books in years, but I do recall the first few books were very hard to get through because of how the women saw the world. It's as if ALL men were punished and treated like invalids because of a few unstable ones.