therion Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 I have read New Spring in the Legends short stroy collection edited by Robert Silverberg and while I felt it was weakest of stories included in the anthology I found the introductory description of the world to be interesting and the stroty itself was all right. What do you guys think about this series? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Bloodraven Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 the Wheel of Time is what got me into fantasy, and the first few books (1-4, and maybe book 5 depending on who you ask) are brilliant, but the next few are average, and reach a low with book 10. I don't really remember much of book 11, but I know it was better than 10. So to answer your question, I recommend it if you're up for a long, often times frustrating series that still manages to have amazing parts to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colder Hands Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 i hate prophecy books. especially when they are gone over so much and always come out true. i don't feel thats a spoiler. its how the series goes for the most part. that said, like many will will echo and what lord bloodraven stated. books 1-4 are very good. some throw in 5, i don't happen to. i got a little sick if it by the end of book 4. but it was still worth the read. so yes, start it and go until you can't go any farther. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serious Callers Only Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcf Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 it got me hooked on epic fantasy and will always hold a special place for me. In reality, it's middle-of-the-road fantasy with some really great moments in it (and some really dull ones). Give it a shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 definitely an alt. ETA: and banned already. Mods, that was faaaast! :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Relic Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 [quote name='Paddy' post='1421952' date='Jun 30 2008, 18.47']definitely an alt. ETA: and banned already. Mods, that was faaaast! :P[/quote] lol my thoughts exactly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arichamus Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 I've read the first one, and I could not believe how many names were taken from Arthurian legend, haven't read it a second time yet, though, which for me is a bad sign. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arie Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 I'm assuming "alt" would imply someone made another account to specifically troll the forums? I'm still uncertain as to how these specific forums work. Either way, I would never really recommend the Wheel of Time series to anyone. I found parts of it enjoyable, but for the most part, his writing did not keep a steady pace, and he was awfully redundant. Dry, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerold Hightower Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 If the mods saw it fit to ban the trolling account maybe they should consider closing the thread, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easterner Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 I read Wheel of Time AFTER I started Song of Ice and Fire. Trust me, you will be sorely disappointed if you do that. Though I think if I had read Wheel of Time first I would still have been disappointed. In many ways, the first book is carbon copy of Lord of the Rings...and the rest of the books are nonsense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zach H Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 I started the WoT after I read Ice and Fire (which isn't a top shelf favorite for me although I like it a great deal) and I still found Jordan's work enjoyable, if a bit frustrating. His prose is quite ordinary, and the character mindsets and interactions are mostly adolescent. Book one especially borrows a little too heavily from Tolkien's standard of inexperienced villagers-turned-world-wanderers. Long-winded might be an understatement with Jordan, especially in terms of description that many readers find incredibly mundane. I've read the first six books plus [i]New Spring[/i], though, and I'd still like to finish the series despite the above flaws and others. For all his stylistic faults, I think that Jordan has a good, strong storytelling voice that creates an appropriate "lazy river" type of atmosphere for the tale he's telling that is essentially one gigantic calm before the supposed Last Battle. And despite the McEurope accusations which are often thrown his way, I think the manner in which Jordan carefully worked clues and allusions to myths, relics, and historical figures from our world assured that his setting is more carefully (and necessarily) constructed than many give him credit for. If you're expecting the uncompromising realism of [i]A Song of Ice and Fire[/i], the sarcastic wit of [i]The Blade Itself[/i], or the chaotic swords and sorcery of Malazan, don't bother with the WoT. But if you can handle a healthy dose of naiveté with the main characters, are capable of viewing questing youths and a Dark Lord as "classic" elements as opposed to automatic clichéd crap, and appreciate a long-winded style of description that alternates between well-rendered epic imagery and an excess of small and extraneous details, I'd say give the series a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 In a fit masochism I decided to pick up [u]Lord of Chaos[/u] again. My lord in heaven Jordan simply couldn't have anything take place off stage could he? Reading this book is like wading through a pool of molasses. If I simply read the three major characters POVs and skim the rest is this book salvageable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
add-on Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 [quote name='Gerold Hightower' post='1422517' date='Jul 1 2008, 04.00']If the mods saw it fit to ban the trolling account maybe they should consider closing the thread, too.[/quote] Yeahhhh...Weird. :unsure: :dunno: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriele Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Well, this one is a valid discussion. The troll trolled in another thread and got banned for that, not for this post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhom Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 [quote name='Ser Scot A Ellison' post='1448766' date='Jul 21 2008, 08.15']In a fit masochism I decided to pick up [u]Lord of Chaos[/u] again. My lord in heaven Jordan simply couldn't have anything take place off stage could he? Reading this book is like wading through a pool of molasses. If I simply read the three major characters POVs and skim the rest is this book salvageable?[/quote] Lord of Chaos ends with one of the coolest scenes in the series... But by consensus, the rest of the series is pretty much downhill from there. Honestly, you could read the very end of Book 9 and that is the only [i]"must read"[/i] part of the series beyond Lord of Chaos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 rhom, I own [u]A Crown of Swords[/u] should I just skip that one and [u]A Path of Daggers[/u] and read the end of [u]Winter's Heart[/u]? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werthead Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 [quote name='Ser Scot A Ellison' post='1449610' date='Jul 21 2008, 21.54']rhom, I own [u]A Crown of Swords[/u] should I just skip that one and [u]A Path of Daggers[/u] and read the end of [u]Winter's Heart[/u]?[/quote] I liked [i]A Crown of Swords[/i], it's about the same quality as [i]Lord of Chaos[/i] but a lot more plot development actually happens in it. I'd say you could probably read online summaries of Books 8-10 and then rejoin the story with [i]Knife of Dreams[/i]. Seriously, Book 9 is way overrated. It's as bad as 8 and nearly as bad as 10, except that a Big Major Event happens at the end of 9. The problem is that it's a Big Major Event Handled Fucking Terribly by Jordan. Very disappointing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilf Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 Hmm, it seems I have a different view on WoT than most people. For me reading a long series is an experience, like being part of that world. So I want to know as much as possible about that world, even if 90% of the information does nothing to further the main story line it does add to my enjoyment. So for me the WoT series can never be too long or have too many unimportant side characters, the more the better I'd say. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister Manticore Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 I like WOT like a soap opera. It goes on forever, and sometimes the actors change, but you don't care, because it's just plain fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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