Nicomo Cosca Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I started reading The Wheel of Time back in June 2012. I reaally enjoyed the first 3 books, I felt it started kind of meh but by the end of the 3rd one I was totally into it. But then I couldn´t find time to start the 4th one and when I did I was constantly getting stuck in it (I only got through 200ish pages) and I just stopped reading (moved on to read The First Law trilogy instead). Recently I´ve been having this urge to continue reading WOT but I´m not sure if I should start from the beggining or just carry on from where I was.What do you guys think I should do? Is the series worth it in the end? I have all the books in paperback (they were gifts from my parents) and I want to know if I should just drop the series, carry on from where I was or restart the series and finish it. PS: First Post! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhom Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I started reading The Wheel of Time back in June 2012. I reaally enjoyed the first 3 books, I felt it started kind of meh but by the end of the 3rd one I was totally into it. But then I couldn´t find time to start the 4th one and when I did I was constantly getting stuck in it (I only got through 200ish pages) and I just stopped reading (moved on to read The First Law trilogy instead). Recently I´ve been having this urge to continue reading WOT but I´m not sure if I should start from the beggining or just carry on from where I was. What do you guys think I should do? Is the series worth it in the end? I have all the books in paperback (they were gifts from my parents) and I want to know if I should just drop the series, carry on from where I was or restart the series and finish it. PS: First Post! :D First off... welcome to the forum. With a name like Nicomo Cosca, I'm sure you'll do well here. ;) Be sure to poke in on one of the infinite Joe Abercrombie threads. If you haven't noticed yet, the author himself posts here quite frequently. As to the WoT question; well that's a hard one. I liked it well enough, but I started reading it in 1999 and by the time the series finished I basically felt like I had to follow through to the end. Opinions on this board are quite split. Some love it. Some hate it. Many love what it represents about a different time in their life and the nostalgia that goes with it. Personally, I think the totality of the work is worth it. There are some dreadfully low spots (the entirety of Crossroads of Twilight specifically), but you also have yet to reach what most readers see as the pinnacle of the series (most seem to like books 4,5, and 6 the best). I don't think you would need to re-read the first three books at this point, its only been a year and a half for you. Pick up with the beginning of book four and take it from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicomo Cosca Posted January 29, 2014 Author Share Posted January 29, 2014 Ok, I´m probably going to read the summaries of the first three on wikipedia and then I´ll start with the fourth. I´m sectretly hoping that the "low point" in the series isn´t as low as people say :p I used to read how awful AFFC was before starting ASOIAF but once I got to it I was loving almoust every page on it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhom Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Ok, I´m probably going to read the summaries of the first three on wikipedia and then I´ll start with the fourth. I´m sectretly hoping that the "low point" in the series isn´t as low as people say :P I used to read how awful AFFC was before starting ASOIAF but once I got to it I was loving almoust every page on it! Well, the low spot is certainly lower than AFFC. That being said, I think part of the low spot experience for both WoT and ASoIaF comes from having to wait so long for the next entry in the series and then nothing. happens. at. all. That's how I felt about AFFC and ADWD and its how I felt about Crossroads of Twilight. If you are able to just read straight through without waiting, you may have a different experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Switchback the Second Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I think the series as a whole is definitely worth it, though I suppose it's dependent on what you're reading it for. If you want and expect 14 books chock-full of non-stop action, you'll likely fizzle out somewhere in the middle. I personally always loved the world more than anything else in WoT, so even when some of the books spent hundreds of pages not advancing the plot very much, I still always really enjoyed just being in that world. And all the way through the last book I eagerly waited the next volume so as to spend a few days in Randland, and read about places and people and history and politics and villains that I really had fun with. It's a slow series to be sure, but if you're captivated by the place at all I think the slow bits are as much fun as the fast ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceChampion Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 The 4th book is the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicomo Cosca Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 Ok now I´m getting excited about it! I´ll probably read Memory, Sorrow and Thorn before diving into WOT though (I´ve been looking forward to starting MSaT recently, looks promising) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaxom 1974 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Damn. I thought this thread was going to be dedicated to getting JJ Abrahms to reboot and rewrite the series. You know. He can fuck that up too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhom Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Damn. I thought this thread was going to be dedicated to getting JJ Abrahms to reboot and rewrite the series. You know. He can fuck that up too...Ooooh... Could you imagine how awesome the cleansing of Saidin would look with some lens flare?!!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frey Pie Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Ok, I´m probably going to read the summaries of the first three on wikipedia and then I´ll start with the fourth. I´m sectretly hoping that the "low point" in the series isn´t as low as people say :P I used to read how awful AFFC was before starting ASOIAF but once I got to it I was loving almoust every page on it! I think this is the most sensible way to go about it anyway! As Rhom said it is tough to get through parts of it but well worth it in my opinion Then again it was the first huge fantasy series I ever got into so it has a special place with me (possibly a bit biased) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicomo Cosca Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 I think this is the most sensible way to go about it anyway! As Rhom said it is tough to get through parts of it but well worth it in my opinion Then again it was the first huge fantasy series I ever got into so it has a special place with me (possibly a bit biased)Well I don't think I have read THAT many epic fantasy series even though I love the genre (I've only read LotR, SoIaF, HP (is that epic fantasy?), TFL trilogy and I think Narnia may count :p) so I hope this series may become one of my favourites when everything is said and done (I really liked thr first 3 and they are deffinetly up there in my at least top 10 or 15 books) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiriki Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 I started reading The Wheel of Time back in June 2012. I reaally enjoyed the first 3 books, I felt it started kind of meh but by the end of the 3rd one I was totally into it. But then I couldn´t find time to start the 4th one and when I did I was constantly getting stuck in it (I only got through 200ish pages) and I just stopped reading (moved on to read The First Law trilogy instead). Recently I´ve been having this urge to continue reading WOT but I´m not sure if I should start from the beggining or just carry on from where I was. What do you guys think I should do? Is the series worth it in the end? I have all the books in paperback (they were gifts from my parents) and I want to know if I should just drop the series, carry on from where I was or restart the series and finish it. The first three Wheel of Time books were quite good (parts were truly brilliant), but Jordan's plot development slowed and decayed to the point where the plot was barely moving; for example, entire chapters were dedicated to time spent in a dressmaker's shop and other similar things. This slowing of the plot happened around Book 4, and the series did not speed up again until Book 12, when the speed suddenly shifted full-throttle. In my opinion, it's not worth it to slog through the middle eight books in order to read the WOT series. If I had it to do over again (I started reading in the early/mid-1990s), I would skip books 4-11 or even have stopped reading the series after book 3. The final payoff isn't worth it, although there are some great parts in book 12 and 13. Book 14, the final volume, is another slog, and does not tie up many of the loose ends from the first three books. Ultimately, it is a disappointment. Ok now I´m getting excited about it! I´ll probably read Memory, Sorrow and Thorn before diving into WOT though (I´ve been looking forward to starting MSaT recently, looks promising) "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" remains the greatest fantasy series of all time, in my opinion, with characters that are more fleshed out than in LOTR, a world that's a bit deeper than ASOIAF, and a plot that doesn't peter out partway through the way WOT did. I've been told that the first 200 pages are 'boring', but I don't see it that way (I love world building), and if you stick it through the first 13 chapters, you're golden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frey Pie Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Well I don't think I have read THAT many epic fantasy series even though I love the genre (I've only read LotR, SoIaF, HP (is that epic fantasy?), TFL trilogy and I think Narnia may count :P) so I hope this series may become one of my favourites when everything is said and done (I really liked thr first 3 and they are deffinetly up there in my at least top 10 or 15 books) Well I'd say epic fantasy has some proper definition but by epic I really mean a long series, with a bucket load of characters. I'm in the middle of the Malazan series where if you wanna get the full story you have to read books by two different authors! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicomo Cosca Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 The first three Wheel of Time books were quite good (parts were truly brilliant), but Jordan's plot development slowed and decayed to the point where the plot was barely moving; for example, entire chapters were dedicated to time spent in a dressmaker's shop and other similar things. This slowing of the plot happened around Book 4, and the series did not speed up again until Book 12, when the speed suddenly shifted full-throttle.In my opinion, it's not worth it to slog through the middle eight books in order to read the WOT series. If I had it to do over again (I started reading in the early/mid-1990s), I would skip books 4-11 or even have stopped reading the series after book 3. The final payoff isn't worth it, although there are some great parts in book 12 and 13. Book 14, the final volume, is another slog, and does not tie up many of the loose ends from the first three books. Ultimately, it is a disappointment. "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" remains the greatest fantasy series of all time, in my opinion, with characters that are more fleshed out than in LOTR, a world that's a bit deeper than ASOIAF, and a plot that doesn't peter out partway through the way WOT did. I've been told that the first 200 pages are 'boring', but I don't see it that way (I love world building), and if you stick it through the first 13 chapters, you're golden.That entire last paragraph made me geek out a little :D I´m soo glad I´m starting that series! Even though I got one death already spoiled and for some reason i doesn´t go away from my mind! (I HATE spoilers) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jiriki Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 I really hate spoilers, too, Nicomo. But luckily it's only one death (of many). Glad you're starting the series. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D_P Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 lord of chaos has a moment that has me wetting my pants just thinking about it so i'd read at least that far and it may make the lull easier to handle. in addition something happens towards the end of books 4 that just blows up a certain character who remains near and dear to my heart. crossroads isn't really even that long page wise i don't think. JUST DO IT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anatúrinbor Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Who's Nicomo Cosca again? I'm pretty sure I've heard that name before but I haven't read WoT... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicomo Cosca Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 Who's Nicomo Cosca again? I'm pretty sure I've heard that name before but I haven't read WoT... He is one of the most badass characters I have found on any source of entertainment, up there with The Red Viper and Boba Fett :D He is a character from The First Law series (just finished BSC, don´t spoil anything from the following books please) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicomo Cosca Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 lord of chaos has a moment that has me wetting my pants just thinking about it so i'd read at least that far and it may make the lull easier to handle. in addition something happens towards the end of books 4 that just blows up a certain character who remains near and dear to my heart. crossroads isn't really even that long page wise i don't think. JUST DO IT I´m dreading but getting excited to read the 4th book now, it sounds that someone important is bitting it at the end. Fingers crossed it isn´t Perrin, Moraine, Perrin´s girlfriend (who´s name I can´t remember but she was cool) or any of the main characters for that matter hahaha One thing that Robert Jordan did a great job with its making the reader fell in love with his characters (YES EVEN THE FEMALE ONES) I just can´t express how great I found this set of characters, I mean its just FUN to read about them even if the plot gets a bit stale here and there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anatúrinbor Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Ah, Cosca... good times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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