Winds of June- Not a Blog Post

[The Bard of Banefort]

The last time George seemed genuinely convinced that he was almost done with Winds was in 2015, the same year the Mets made the World Series. They’re playing well this year, but they always play well in the beginning. . . 

[sifth]

8 minutes ago, The Bard of Banefort said:

The last time George seemed genuinely convinced that he was almost done with Winds was in 2015, the same year the Mets made the World Series. They’re playing well this year, but they always play well in the beginning. . . 

As someone who comes from a family of Mets fans, I can relate to this. It's always sunny in April and May.................but then the second half of the season comes along.

[The Bard of Banefort]

33 minutes ago, sifth said:

As someone who comes from a family of Mets fans, I can relate to this. It's always sunny in April and May.................but then the second half of the season comes along.

Same. No one in my dad’s immediate family is divorced, and I like to joke that that’s because being lifelong Mets fans desensitized them to disappointment.

[James Arryn]

I read a story about Mets fans back in the 60’s when I guess they were the perennial doormat team. So it’s Opening Day, in NY, televised game. Mets pitcher takes the mound, winds and delivers the first pitch of the season. Umpire calls ball one.
 

Immediately behind home plate a Mets fan raises a sigh reading ‘WAIT TIL NEXT YEAR!’

[Lord Lannister]

On 4/24/2022 at 9:49 PM, Fool Stands On Giant’s Toe said:

Thank you. I thought I was the only one. It’s always a series recommended to me. I really tried several times but I just can’t pick the book back up after a while 

WoT has been recommended to me repeatedly. Others have told me to avoid it like the plague. So.. definitely seems an either you love it or hate it kind of thing. I'm still thinking about taking the plunge. At least it's done, right?

[EggBlue]

12 hours ago, Lord Lannister said:

At least it's done, right?

well ,that's low expectations! it's 14 books my friend!

[SeanBeanedMeUp]

George said Winds will be the biggest book in the series so far when it’s done in his latest blog post. Does this mean he’s close? He’s definitely trying to sent a cryptic message here.

[James Arryn]

13 hours ago, Lord Lannister said:

WoT has been recommended to me repeatedly. Others have told me to avoid it like the plague. So.. definitely seems an either you love it or hate it kind of thing. I'm still thinking about taking the plunge. At least it's done, right?

FWIW, when I read WOT (it was just the first or maybe second book of the series) I had very little experience with fantasy beyond Tolkien and Arthurian related works, GGK and maybe one or two others. My impression of it was…ok. Kinda formulaic and trope-ridden, but at times very engaging and immersive. It seemed to me one of the more obvious Tolkien emulations, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing…every fantasy writer is responding to Tolkien in some way or other.
 

I was in grade 8, I remember, but being an only child surrounded by adult artists/teachers/academics, ie readers, my reading level was atypical (my Mom had me reading the Russians at 10, for example)…anyways, the characters were imo the worst aspect, they felt a bit shallow and stock, but I think I ~ believed in the world. I can’t say for sure whether finding out Jordan had died made me quit or gave me an excuse. I think over time I would have probably tried at least one or two more, but I can’t swear to it. I know people whose opinion I value who love them. 

[LynnS]

1 minute ago, SeanBeanedMeUp said:

George said Winds will be the biggest book in the series so far when it’s done in his latest blog post. Does this mean he’s close? He’s definitely trying to sent a cryptic message here.

I've heard others speculate that the end of Dance only told about half the story.  So yes I can believe the next two books will be humungous.  I will not complain.  I thought the post was very positive but he has a lot of work to do.  I'm OK with that.

[James Arryn]

5 minutes ago, SeanBeanedMeUp said:

George said Winds will be the biggest book in the series so far when it’s done in his latest blog post. Does this mean he’s close? He’s definitely trying to sent a cryptic message here.

Close, no, never. He’s given so many false hopes over the years, some MUCH more explicit and concrete than this, that I’ll believe it when it happens. But huge books don’t bother me one bit, same goes for long movies, I’ve never understood the complaint. More of something I love is always better than less. 

[LynnS]

3 minutes ago, James Arryn said:

Close, no, never. He’s given so many false hopes over the years, some MUCH more explicit and concrete than this, that I’ll believe it when it happens. But huge books don’t bother me one bit, same goes for long movies, I’ve never understood the complaint. More of something I love is always better than less. 

Huge books don't bother me either except they make my wrists sore.

[James Arryn]

1 minute ago, LynnS said:

Huge books don't bother me either except they make my wrists sore.

Spending over half of each year travelling eventually and sadly forced me into the kindle world, and now with the twins my library is in boxes filling the garage and basement.  
 

But it does help with Tolstoynitis.

[LynnS]

9 minutes ago, James Arryn said:

Spending over half of each year travelling eventually and sadly forced me into the kindle world, and now with the twins my library is in boxes filling the garage and basement.  
 

But it does help with Tolstoynitis.

I sympathize.  There is something about having your own library of old friends,  I've had to downsize after moving to a smaller more manageable home.  I pretty much established an entire section of classic sci-fi, at the second hand bookstore, that supports the disabled community where I live.  Tears were shed.

We also have twins in my family.  That is rather special!

[The Bard of Banefort]

I don’t think he’s close. Saying that TWOW may be bigger than ASOS or ADWD would imply that he hasn’t approached that page number yet.

It’s been almost four years since FnB though. I really hope he releases something new soon (I’m not counting Rise of the Dragon since it’s a reconfiguration of FnB). He talks so much about the expanding world of ASOIAF, but he hasn’t presented anything to show for it.

[LynnS]

23 minutes ago, The Bard of Banefort said:

I don’t think he’s close. Saying that TWOW may be bigger than ASOS or ADWD would imply that he hasn’t approached that page number yet.

I can't guess or rationalize anything about it.  So I've stopped having expectations.  It's less of a roller coaster ride.  I'll  take this bits and pieces over the last bits and pieces post.  That one made my heart sink.

[Lord Lannister]

2 hours ago, LynnS said:

Huge books don't bother me either except they make my wrists sore.

Get a kindle! I can balance hundreds of books in the palm of my hand!

[the trees have eyes]

23 hours ago, sifth said:

I sort of hate, the trope of the "farm boy becoming the chosen one". I mean heck, the series even had it's own evil dark lord, because why not.

Some tropes are hard to escape from entirely.  If not the farm boys (or hobbits) then it's more or less the prince that was promised.  Or if we don't have a Dark One / Sauron we have The Others.  Different takes on the same theme.  It's hard to avoid this kind of oppositional set-up in heroic fantasy (maybe an evil king or dark sorcerer instead) or sci-fi (Luke vs Vader/The Emperor, Neo as "The One") but if the author's way of dealing with the tropes and the way the story's written or characterised doesn't appeal then I can see how it's not going to grab you. 

Spoiler

Rand and Mat on the way to Caemlyn dragged the first time I read it.  It still does tbh.  But the author is trying to show Mat's gradual corruption by the dagger over time rather than too abruptly, how unprepared the two of them are without Moiraine or then even Thom to protect them, have them constantly reeling and off balance and build in enough desperation for another unconscious use of the One Power by Rand. 

As to repetition, that's a valid point which is explained when Moiraine tells them the dagger acts like a beacon and has been drawing dark friends to them.  Duh, you dummies!!

 

[the trees have eyes]

3 hours ago, James Arryn said:

FWIW, when I read WOT (it was just the first or maybe second book of the series) I had very little experience with fantasy beyond Tolkien and Arthurian related works, GGK and maybe one or two others. My impression of it was…ok. Kinda formulaic and trope-ridden, but at times very engaging and immersive. It seemed to me one of the more obvious Tolkien emulations, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing…every fantasy writer is responding to Tolkien in some way or other.

The opening book of WOT, The Eye of The World, is often described as being a homage to The Lord of The Rings.  Really that amounts to the opening part of the book and the roles some characters play and there are noticeable parallels to The Fellowship of The Ring but that doesn't apply to the series overall.  The map of WOT has a patchwork quilt of nations with some large neighbours off map and as the story unfolds the political and military aspects of the competition for power are a huge part of the story, alongside the magic and prophecy.  Even mid to late story key powerbrokers do not believe in certain realities that as a reader we have been clued into since early in book one and are working on their own powerbase.

There is a certain amount of Arthurian influence - a few name drops are obvious as is a certain prophecy of drawing the sword from the stone  but these are really just references rather than determinative in terms of story direction.

Anyway, I don't mean to advocate for WOT - people know what they like and choose what they want to read and this is a very wide-reading group to boot - but having completed a re-read it's fresh in mind and the story is an awful lot bigger (and I don't just mean longer) than the opening book and the JRRT comparisons suggest.

Spoiler

We have to get pretty deep into book two before the Aiel and the Seanchan first appear and we realise that the map is not the world and the story, just a part of it, and that these outside influences are going to be huge.

 

[sifth]

1 hour ago, the trees have eyes said:

Some tropes are hard to escape from entirely.  If not the farm boys (or hobbits) then it's more or less the prince that was promised.  Or if we don't have a Dark One / Sauron we have The Others.  Different takes on the same theme.  It's hard to avoid this kind of oppositional set-up in heroic fantasy (maybe an evil king or dark sorcerer instead) or sci-fi (Luke vs Vader/The Emperor, Neo as "The One") but if the author's way of dealing with the tropes and the way the story's written or characterised doesn't appeal then I can see how it's not going to grab you. 

  Reveal hidden contents

Rand and Mat on the way to Caemlyn dragged the first time I read it.  It still does tbh.  But the author is trying to show Mat's gradual corruption by the dagger over time rather than too abruptly, how unprepared the two of them are without Moiraine or then even Thom to protect them, have them constantly reeling and off balance and build in enough desperation for another unconscious use of the One Power by Rand. 

As to repetition, that's a valid point which is explained when Moiraine tells them the dagger acts like a beacon and has been drawing dark friends to them.  Duh, you dummies!!

 

I mean The Others are very much in the background for most of A Song of Ice and Fire. As of book 5 they only showed up two times. The dark lord in the one and only Wheel of Time book I read showed up all the time, either trying to kill the main characters and convince them to join him.

I think it's sort of why, I like this series over most fantasy series. Horrible things happen to the main characters and the villains can and actually do win sometimes. That doesn't happen often enough in stories I feel.

[Takiedevushkikakzvezdy]

3 hours ago, The Bard of Banefort said:

I don’t think he’s close. Saying that TWOW may be bigger than ASOS or ADWD would imply that he hasn’t approached that page number yet.

It all depends on how much editing he's planning to do in order to hit 1500 manuscript pages. We should remember that he moved the Battle of Ice, The Battle of Fire, and many of the sample chapters that we got from Dance to Winds in order for Dance to be publishable. In other words, he had too much written and had to trim it down. Maybe he is in a similar situation now.