pat5150 Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Hmmm, can't reply because I did promise Tor not to give away any spoilers.Within that spoiler tag, you got some things right, others wrong. And what you got right may sound pretty cool like this, but the execution of those storylines left a lot to be desired in many cases. Sometimes rushed in a way that robs them of any satisfaction, sometimes they just felt too contrived for my taste. And sometimes, they were just lame.So what sounds good in a synopsis won't necessarily turn out that great when you read it. Had I read what you just posted, I'd be jumping up and down. But as I mentioned, the execution is not always up to par.One scene, which I'm surprised hasn't been mentioned yet, has to do with Rand being reunited with someone who was very close to him. This was supposed to be a very emotional scene that should have gotten to you. Well, it's more or less done in a way that precludes any emotional impact. There are a lot of near misses in this book. Scenes that should have been the shit, and for some reason there's always a failure to launch. . .I'll give you an example. The whole male a'dam plotline which has been hanging around since it was first seen in Tanchico (IIRC) gets resolved in about a paragraph. All this build-up across a panoply of WoT volumes gone just like that. One would expect the resolution to live up to the build-up, right? But like the Bowl of the Winds, it's just over before you know it. There's a lot of this in TGS.Yes, stuff does happen. But I'm not sure the execution of those scenes will please everyone. . .Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cseresz Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 So what sounds good in a synopsis won't necessarily turn out that great when you read it. Had I read what you just posted, I'd be jumping up and down.That's why we need the notes only! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werthead Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Well, that's fair enough and a similar criticism to what was levelled at the end of the torturous Faile-imprisoned arc in Book 11 or the Cleansing in Book 9, but that wasn't what the original criticism was. It was that the pacing and general 'eventage' of 12 was back to the appalling level of 8-10. That clearly cannot be the case if even half of what I spoilered is correct. That would be substantially more than what happened in Books 8-10 combined.That it doesn't work, feels contrived, is ineptly handled or the writing doesn't do it justice is an altogether different argument and likely to be highly subjective ;)I think as was pointed out at the time, a significant number of WoT fans just want to know after such a long wait (four years or up to nineteen, depending on your POV) what happens or how events unfold regardless of how well it is written, and would have been happy with just a bland plot summary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renasko Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Since review copies (like mine, Pat's, and presumably kcf's) are now arriving, perhaps it's just time to start a thread devoted to the book as a whole?What he said.Can't wait for this to be released. :) Big WoT fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaesterLuwin Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 If the scene you're obliquely referring to is a Rand-Tam reunion, I'm really looking forward to it, and also sort of dreading it if it's as emotionally bland as you described. Would you say the end of these plot arcs are similar to the (unsatisfying) end to the Sammael plotline in Book 7? There was a guy who had a lot of build-up, and whose demise was covered in about three pages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fionwe1987 Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Okay, I got this spoiler that has me wildly excited for the book. Those who wish to may read...SPOILER: Verin's 70 year planApparently, Verin is Black Ajah! Shocked? She deliberately turned in order to collect the names of all the BA, and she returns to the Tower to give that list to Egwene. She somehow saves Egwene's life, gives her the list, and then dies (no clue how).I think this means she was the third member of the BA who knew all the Black Sisters. Egwene thankfully used the knowledge well and has all the Blacks unceremoniously stilled and executed!That's major! A whopping fucking blow to the Shadow. I'd buy the book for just this sequence!*Leaps around in joy! :DIncidentally... Dragonmount has crashed. Anyone know what's the problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werthead Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Okay, I got this spoiler that has me wildly excited for the book. Those who wish to may read...SPOILER: Verin's 70 year planApparently, Verin is Black Ajah! Shocked? She deliberately turned in order to collect the names of all the BA, and she returns to the Tower to give that list to Egwene. She somehow saves Egwene's life, gives her the list, and then dies (no clue how).I think this means she was the third member of the BA who knew all the Black Sisters. Egwene thankfully used the knowledge well and has all the Blacks unceremoniously stilled and executed!That's major! A whopping fucking blow to the Shadow. I'd buy the book for just this sequence!*Leaps around in joy! :D Incidentally... Dragonmount has crashed. Anyone know what's the problem?You damaged it whilst leaping around with joy ;)Although it's back now and running much faster than it has for months. They must have moved servers or pruned a ton of old threads or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fionwe1987 Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 You damaged it whilst leaping around with joy ;) Although it's back now and running much faster than it has for months. They must have moved servers or pruned a ton of old threads or something.Just found out. If you want some direct spoilers, Deadsy in rafo has started putting up some quotes that he found great. Gotta say, they're great. Having read Sanderson's work, and knowing now some of the things that occur in this book, I think Brandon would have to fuck this up really bad for the book to not work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordofavalon Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 fuck every single one of you.do you know how hard it is to not highlight your posts? I almost caved and highlighted everything and was about to read it but was able to stop myself at the last second. 5 more days !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fionwe1987 Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 A priceless quote from Egwene. I was rolling in laughter. Truer words have not been spoken...SPOILER: Not too spoilery"You are a coward and a tyrant. I'd name you Darkfriend as well, but I suspect that the Dark One would perhaps be embarrassed to associate with you." :lol: I'm sure you know who she's talking to.What a moment that is going to be... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aidan Posted October 23, 2009 Author Share Posted October 23, 2009 Now that's a piece of Sanderson dialogue through and through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fionwe1987 Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Now that's a piece of Sanderson dialogue through and through.Dunno. Something about the sentence structure reeks of RJ. Either way, its a cool statement. And maybe true as well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werthead Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 fuck every single one of you.do you know how hard it is to not highlight your posts? I almost caved and highlighted everything and was about to read it but was able to stop myself at the last second.Yeah, there's probably more spoilers floating around then is healthy. The last-but-one one from Fionwe is absolutely, monstrously huge, and probably best encountered in the book itself.Although we're doing much better than we did for KoD, where the whole book was spoiled, in detail, weeks before release. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordofavalon Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Yeah, there's probably more spoilers floating around then is healthy. The last-but-one one from Fionwe is absolutely, monstrously huge, and probably best encountered in the book itself.Although we're doing much better than we did for KoD, where the whole book was spoiled, in detail, weeks before release.So why is it for huge fans you guys decide to spoil yourselves, rather than wait and find out. especially after 4-19 years of waiting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ro_ Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 1. Sitatution2. Availability3. Online reviewerFor example, I knew over half of AFFC, and probably 25% of ADWD due to going to Cons and hearing the chapters read. I could have chosen to skip the reading, but that would be stupid. Hearing George read his work is not to be missed. I did highlight one spoiler above since I have already had the book spoiled for me. I swore after AFFC I'd never read spoilers again since it really ruined the new book experience for me.Ah well.I checked with BN and they are sticking to the date. I am going to check around Target and the grocery store tomorrow on the off chance they are selling early, but I've lost my excitment. Prolly just wait until its shipped here and read it while the kitten gets his nuts chopped off - most apt book to read during a castration really. :lol:eta: I forgot to put in the reviewer parts - just about everyone in this thread is a reviewer. I don't know if reading books early really counts as spoilers tho - its more like awesomesauce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fionwe1987 Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Yeah, there's probably more spoilers floating around then is healthy. The last-but-one one from Fionwe is absolutely, monstrously huge, and probably best encountered in the book itself.Yeah. Though I did ask someone to mail me part of that conversation. Suffice it to say that 70 year plans should be read about in the correct setting of shock and awe. Not within spoiler tags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mashiara Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Yeah, there's probably more spoilers floating around then is healthy. The last-but-one one from Fionwe is absolutely, monstrously huge, and probably best encountered in the book itself.Tell me about it! :/ I managed to resist your spoilers and then I read this. I have no self-control, none at all.That's why I was staying away from this thread. I blame Pat. And Pod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry. Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 I finished the book tonight. I think I'll give my general impressions (NOT a review with anything directly referring to events in the book) in a separate thread, since there has been quite a bit of threadjacking here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poobah Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Meh I spoilered myself. I suppose I'm shocked but I'm kinda at the point where I'm leaning towards reading the wikipedia summary anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myrddin Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 I had to look at one spoiler... about Verin.Well, it'll put my re-read in new perspective. :/ I decided to take my time reading through the series inbetween other novels and non-fic. I'm on book 4 now. At the rate I'm going, I might get to book 12 by next summer or fall in time to jump into 13. Then it'll only be another year for the last.After that, I'll probably never read the Wheel of Time ever again. :) Too many books to read without reading these 14 again.This may be better in the Great Hunt thread, but I've been suprised how much I've been enjoying the re-read. My opinion of the series has soured snce book 7 or 8 and I assumed my reading tastes have grown too much in the last 20 years to really enjoy the main characters as teenagers again. Strange, but it's brought back memories of my own teenage years. The uncertainty about things and that odd transition stage between child and adult. Especially Perrin's return to Two Rivers, where he expects to be treated as a "boy" yet he's not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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