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☖ Forums → Discussion Forum → The Wheel of Time
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The Wheel of Time
2006-01-09, 10:52 AM #1
Just curious as to how many of you have read the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, and up to which book you've been reading.

I myself I'm almost done the sixth book in the series and I must say, I love it. Its packed with action, intrigue, love (some of it is bad though, some excellent), and a lot of plot events that places this series as my all time favorite in Fantasy fiction. To me, Lord of the Rings is nothing but peanuts compared to this epic tale.

I just wish I could read faster and had more time, so I could move in the story faster, I'm always dying to know what's next, matter of fact, I can't wait to get off work to finish my book! >.<
Was cheated out of lions by happydud
Was cheated out of marriage by sugarless
2006-01-09, 11:02 AM #2
I've read up to the 8th book, but my motivation to go on is dwindling. I find that I'm really only interested in the stories of Rand and Matt now.

I'm also not a fan of all the drawn out descriptions of things. I don't care what every bloody dress looks like down to every detail! I like to let my imagination do some of the work. Still, I'll probably finish it before long. I'd also like to get into the prequels.
2006-01-09, 11:11 AM #3
I've read (and own) all but the newest book.
2006-01-09, 11:27 AM #4
The Prequels? I only know of one book (name eludes me right now) but its about Moraine and Lan... are there more? If so, then I guess I'm much farther from completion than I thought.

My interest in the different stories heightens and fades in time. Sometimes I find myself impatiently awaiting Egwene, Nynaeve and Elayne's stories, other time Perrin's, but most of the time I can't wait to get to Rand's storyline.

A few "tacked on" plotlines do tend to annoy me, most of the stuff with Morgase drives me nuts beyond measure. I really don't like that royal wench :#

I'm normally into reading most of those descriptions, I love it generally, but if I'm too tired I'll find myself skipping/skimming over/through a lot of the useless description. I normally can read about 2-3 books in a row, then I take almost a year's break. I completed the first trilogy back in early 2004, books 4-5 in early 2005 and just now book 6, albeit I'm dying to move on to Crown of Swords.
Was cheated out of lions by happydud
Was cheated out of marriage by sugarless
2006-01-09, 11:30 AM #5
I got to the fourth book and then OH DEAR GOD THIS IS BORING
2006-01-09, 11:32 AM #6
Originally posted by Jepman:
The Prequels? I only know of one book (name eludes me right now) but its about Moraine and Lan... are there more? If so, then I guess I'm much farther from completion than I thought.


There may actually be one so far. I seem to remember hearing that there would be a few, but I can't say for sure.
2006-01-09, 11:42 AM #7
tofu, don't be a dick.

(note : I don't mean by voicing your opinion, you're entitled to that, but writing in big *** idiotic letters like that is plain pathetic. There is no need to turn each damn threads into Type bold wars. Sheesh)
Was cheated out of lions by happydud
Was cheated out of marriage by sugarless
2006-01-09, 11:42 AM #8
I have read and own, in hard cover, everything from New Spring to Knife of Dreams. I also have "The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time." My favorite series thus far.
the idiot is the person who follows the idiot and your not following me your insulting me your following the path of a idiot so that makes you the idiot - LC Tusken
2006-01-09, 11:48 AM #9
I got bored after about the 4th book, and quit reading after the 5th or 6th I think.
2006-01-09, 12:12 PM #10
The first six books are decent, but the rest are among the worst fantasy ever written. If I ever meet Robert Jordan I will spit in his eye.

edit: smooth smooth tug tug
2006-01-09, 12:42 PM #11
If I recall correctly, Legend entertainment made a video game based on this book series. They're the same folks that made Unreal 2.
The cake is a lie... THE CAKE IS A LIE!!!!!
2006-01-09, 12:45 PM #12
At the time, I was turned off by the spellcasting (I'm a sword dude myself), and now with those aweful graphics and the fact that the storyline isn't related to Rand, or any characters of the Dragon Reborn storyline for that matter, I'm uninterested. Its about some conflict between the Dark, the Children of the Light and the White Tower. You play as an Amyrlin Seat named Elayne (Seemingly not Elayne Trakand).
Was cheated out of lions by happydud
Was cheated out of marriage by sugarless
2006-01-09, 1:18 PM #13
Originally posted by Jepman:
tofu, don't be a dick.

(note : I don't mean by voicing your opinion, you're entitled to that, but writing in big *** idiotic letters like that is plain pathetic. There is no need to turn each damn threads into Type bold wars. Sheesh)

Sorry, I was just kidding around. Is this better now?
2006-01-09, 1:25 PM #14
Sword of Truth is already getting far too long, and The Wheel of Time is even longer. I have no troubles reading and I'm not generally one to become excessively bored (unless we are talking about Dostoevsky), but enough is enough. Unless somebody gives me the first book as a gift (that's how I began to buy Sword of Truth), I'm certainly not going to start acquiring yet another neverending story.

A good scifi/fantasy critic in a local newpaper once wrote that if an author can't finish his story in 1000 pages (LOTR fits in nicely :p ), then he isn't good at telling stories. In practice that means a trilogy. And it's a good thought. There's something wrong with the youth of today, if they can't handle endings.
Frozen in the past by ICARUS
2006-01-09, 1:32 PM #15
Sword of Truth > Wheel of time

*flames*

I'm about halfway through chainfire, and it's probably the best book series I've ever read. Despite the length, I love 'neverending' stories.
"Jayne, this is something the Captain has to do for himself"

"N-No it's not!"

"Oh."
2006-01-09, 1:44 PM #16
Originally posted by SavageX378:
If I recall correctly, Legend entertainment made a video game based on this book series.


Unfortunately. Instead of doing something similar to a mana system, they simply made all the ter'angreal like shotgun shells - use it, and dispose of it. The Black sisters still said things like "the Forsaken" and "the Dark One." Shadar Logoth only had Mashadar, not the...things...that were running around in that city. The Trollocs looked goofy as all Hell. The only really good part of the game was its music.
the idiot is the person who follows the idiot and your not following me your insulting me your following the path of a idiot so that makes you the idiot - LC Tusken
2006-01-09, 1:57 PM #17
[QUOTE=Glyde Bane]Sword of Truth > Wheel of time

*flames*

I'm about halfway through chainfire, and it's probably the best book series I've ever read. Despite the length, I love 'neverending' stories.[/QUOTE]
Sword of Truth would be better if Goodkind wasn't such a ****ing pervert.
2006-01-09, 2:02 PM #18
I can't deny that. Not one bit, but it's part of the series' charm.
"Jayne, this is something the Captain has to do for himself"

"N-No it's not!"

"Oh."
2006-01-09, 3:37 PM #19
I can't seem to get past the 5th book. I've read it several times, and I always bore myself to death in the slow parts. I really liked the first, and the rest weren't bad, but it has LOTS of slow parts.
ᵗʰᵉᵇˢᵍ๒ᵍᵐᵃᶥᶫ∙ᶜᵒᵐ
ᴸᶥᵛᵉ ᴼᵑ ᴬᵈᵃᵐ
2006-01-09, 3:45 PM #20
Originally posted by Warlord:
Sword of Truth would be better if Goodkind wasn't such a ****ing pervert.

He is a little bit of a perv, but I wouldn't say that to his face. That guy looks mean :(

But the series is still awesome.
D E A T H
2006-01-09, 3:47 PM #21
He looks like the kind of guy to punch you in the mouth if you critisized him. :o :o
"Jayne, this is something the Captain has to do for himself"

"N-No it's not!"

"Oh."
2006-01-09, 4:07 PM #22
Quote:
I have read and own, in hard cover, everything from New Spring to Knife of Dreams. I also have "The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time."


Same. I rank Jordan's books up there with George R. R. Martin, who also has a relatively new book out (reading it after I finish Knife of Dreams, which I'm enjoying).

Quote:
If I recall correctly, Legend entertainment made a video game based on this book series. They're the same folks that made Unreal 2.


I enjoyed the game, and multiplayer was quite fun. I loved how you could create traps, but I also disliked the inability to use melee weaponry. I still think that traveling The Ways was the scariest moment in gaming history. I had all of my lights out and came close to pissing myself when I turned to see what was chasing me. I agree with Wolfy, the music was great.


Quote:
Sword of Truth > Wheel of time


The Sword of Truth is great, but it took a few books for Goodkind to quit stealing from The Wheel of Time. Once he stopped ripping off Jordan and going in his own direction, the story became better and better. ;)
2006-01-09, 4:30 PM #23
Originally posted by MentatMM:
The Sword of Truth is great, but it took a few books for Goodkind to quit stealing from The Wheel of Time. Once he stopped ripping off Jordan and going in his own direction, the story became better and better. ;)

Not really...Jordan blatantly (and admittedly) steals from LotR, automatically making his books stupidly boring to read. Goodkind doesn't follow traditional rules of fantasy for the most part. He's actually got the first series you could call original, IMO.
D E A T H
2006-01-09, 4:38 PM #24
Sword of Truth (and to a lesser extent WoT, the first few books anyway) are fairly enjoyable to read, but they're both unoriginal hack fantasy. Song of Ice and Fire, on the other hand..
2006-01-09, 4:40 PM #25
I don't find sword of truth to be unoriginal at all. I like Richard's outfit (Never read anything like it), the whole confesser business, and the whole D'Hara thing...

However I admit the Order is too much like communism :D
"Jayne, this is something the Captain has to do for himself"

"N-No it's not!"

"Oh."
2006-01-09, 4:51 PM #26
Quote:
Not really...Jordan blatantly (and admittedly) steals from LotR


Virtually everyone who writes fantasy is influenced by and borrows from Tolkien. However, there are some very obvious correlations between WoT and SoT. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy both series', but I'm not the first (this subject was even mentioned to Jordan in an audio interview that I once listened to where he stated, quite comically that he's "aware of Mr. Goodkind"), to say that there are some striking similarities.

Quote:
Song of Ice and Fire, on the other hand..


Agreed. A Song of Ice and Fire feels very original and Martin has a way of being, what some would consider to be "overly descriptive", yet it remains fascinating.

Quote:
I don't find sword of truth to be unoriginal at all.


Agreed. The overall series is somewhat original, but he is obviously borrowing heavily from Jordan in the first two books.
2006-01-09, 4:56 PM #27
Originally posted by MentatMM:
Virtually everyone who writes fantasy is influenced by and borrows from Tolkien. However, there are some very obvious correlations between WoT and SoT. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy both series', but I'm not the first (this subject was even mentioned to Jordan in an audio interview that I once listened to where he stated, quite comically that he's "aware of Mr. Goodkind"), to say that there are some striking similarities.
...
Agreed. The overall series is somewhat original, but he is obviously borrowing heavily from Jordan in the first two books.

I know...which is why I said it's the first original Fantasy novel I've read in a long time. Please, list these similarities that you're touting, becuase I sure as hell don't see them. Oh, and I'm sure Terry Brooks is "aware of Mr. Goodkind", but that doesn't mean that Goodkind's stolen anything from Brooks (except maybe the small similarity in the idea of the Sword of Truth and the Sword of Shannarra, though in practical use they're extremely different)
D E A T H
2006-01-09, 4:56 PM #28
The first two, yes, but the series is now 9 books. If you look at it as a whole, like you said, it seems to be original.
"Jayne, this is something the Captain has to do for himself"

"N-No it's not!"

"Oh."
2006-01-09, 5:06 PM #29
[QUOTE=Dj Yoshi]I know...which is why I said it's the first original Fantasy novel I've read in a long time. Please, list these similarities that you're touting, becuase I sure as hell don't see them. Oh, and I'm sure Terry Brooks is "aware of Mr. Goodkind", but that doesn't mean that Goodkind's stolen anything from Brooks (except maybe the small similarity in the idea of the Sword of Truth and the Sword of Shannarra, though in practical use they're extremely different)[/QUOTE]
Who said anything about Brooks? It's just that there are a ton of similarities between the first two books of Sword of Truth and Wheel of Time (to the point that it seems like Goodkind ripped some stuff off) , just as there are a ton of similarities between WoT and LotR.
2006-01-09, 5:07 PM #30
Originally posted by Warlord:
Who said anything about Brooks? It's just that there are a ton of similarities between the first two books of Sword of Truth and Wheel of Time (to the point that it seems like Goodkind ripped some stuff off) , just as there are a ton of similarities between WoT and LotR.

*moves hand over head while whistling noise is made* :p

I was just making a reference that says that just because an author is "aware" of another author doesn't mean...anything really :P
D E A T H
2006-01-09, 5:09 PM #31
Well yeah, but I think the point was that Jordan was understating.
2006-01-09, 5:16 PM #32
Originally posted by Warlord:
Well yeah, but I think the point was that Jordan was understating.

Or just aware of him?
D E A T H
2006-01-09, 6:07 PM #33
Quote:
I was just making a reference that says that just because an author is "aware" of another author doesn't mean...anything really :P


Jordan was answering a question regarding the similarites between his work and the work of Terry Goodkind.

I can't be bothered to list similarities between the two books, but I'll show you that this is a well established debate by pointing you towards the Wiki.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:The_Wheel_of_Time

Quote:
... The bigger controversy within avid Wheel of Time fans is not so much discussions regarding comparisons with Harry Potter, but comparisons with the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. The latter was published a few years after the Wheel of Time, and many people feel that there are strong similarities; for example the Mord'Sith mirrors the Seanchan of the Wheel of Time, likewise the Sisters of the Light closely match Aes Sedai.

More specifically, the SoL are essentially Red Ajah, and the SoD are Black Ajah. But I think similarities in small details aren't really that important. They are both stereotypical good vs. evil, nobody to somebody underdog hero, and end of the world stories. And I say that as a fan of them both. Goodkind is clearly primarily focused on advancing his Randian social philosophy while presenting his storye, where Jordan is focused on telling the story without a clear socio-political statement in the book beyond the basic themes I already mentioned. The fact that there are similar aspects in each (or any other books) so long as it isn't a direct retelling of the same story is really unimportant to the discussion of the book. Nothing is written in a vacuum, but it is just as true that two different people can come up with similar ideas. Trying to catalogue similarities is one-thing, drawing lines of "this was written after that so this must have been influenced by that" is bound to be faulty. Bornyesterday 21:40, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

I'd take it a step further and (for fear of offending SoT lovers, I mean no offense by this and am only stating my opinion) the SoT saga uses every single cliche ever seen in the fantasy genre and as such is bound to appear to be a ripoff of any single fantasy work, including both Wheel of Time AND Harry Potter, not to mention the LoTR. I don't think Goodkind so much ripped off Aes Sedai and Seanchan (and shadowhounds and who knows how many other things) from Jordan as he emulated the middle road of fantasy by incorporating a little of everything. Oddly enough the first book in the series was wonderfully refreshingly different despite its cliches it wasn't until Goodkind began churning out sequels that it began to look like WoT in any way shape or form.


I personally don't care much about the similarities, I just think it's an interesting subject. The Sword of Truth is a great series regardless of who Goodkind did or didn't borrow from.
2006-01-09, 6:19 PM #34
Wow. I really don't see more than BASIC similarities between the groups.

And since you decided not to come up with an argument period, nor a source for that claim of Jordan's comment (which still doesn't mean much to me even in that context.), I'd have to say you're all batty fanboys who read way too far into fantasy literature. It's fantasy--it's going to be similar to almost everything else and it's going to be cliche. Even (especially) Jordan's works are like this.

And that guy's opinion who wrote the wiki is just...bad. How he sees similarities between it, HP, and LotR is beyond me. Unless you count the human race?
D E A T H
2006-01-09, 6:19 PM #35
While we're taling about interviews. On an unrelated note, there's quite a few interesting video interviews here, including two with Robert Jordan.

Dj Yoshi: I really don't understand why you continue to argue with someone who is agreeing with you.
2006-01-09, 6:24 PM #36
Originally posted by MentatMM:
While we're taling about interviews. On an unrelated note, there's quite a few interesting video interviews here, including two with Robert Jordan.

Dj Yoshi: I really don't understand why you continue to argue with someone who is agreeing with you.

Because you said Goodkind ripped of Jordan, and I don't think that is so. I hardly call that agreeing.
D E A T H
2006-01-09, 6:33 PM #37
It was a joke, with a well-established debate as its background, to poke fun at Goodkind fans who think that his work is so much more original than Jordan's, despite the fact that there are so many similarities. There's an emoticon at the end of my statement to show that I'm teasing the Goodkind fans (I'm a huge SoT fan myself), not being serious. I don't think that Goodkind ripped Jordan off, but I, as well as many others, do think that he borrowed from Jordan. It doesn't matter to what degree he borrowed, it only matters that he borrowed. Borrowing from Tolkien and borrowing from Jordan are two different things. Everyone borrows from Tolkien as he's one of the fathers of the modern fantasy. In other words, I'm simply making a joke and don't care to get involved in a geeky fantasy debate, and I'm sure you don't either. Let's leave that to the Star Wars fans.
2006-01-09, 6:40 PM #38
I would like to take this time to mention how much the Wheel of Time series has awesome relations to ancient celtic/druidic rituals and to the medieval era. That is all.
2006-01-09, 6:44 PM #39
The wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'??
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2006-01-09, 6:51 PM #40
Frankly, fantasy has been run through and through. You can only have so much magic, good vs evil and knights in shiney armor cliché's with a twist. I'm not saying that to degrade the genre, I love it, but its blatantly obviously that you'll run into similar stuff where ever you go.

Just compare Saidin/Saidair to the "magic" Fitz uses in Robin Hobb's Royal Assassin series (which is excellent btw), they have their similarities.

Matter of fact, in the novel I am currently writing, it can annoy me sometimes how the way magic (which I call weaving in my worl) is very similar to the One Power. It had not been intended so when I had started, or when I outlined it, but then I realized how it had similar ties to WoT's magic. I'm sure if my book ever was published, I'd probably be pointed for ripping off WoT's magic, Aiel (albeit they are more like savages than the classy ji'e'toh followers that Aiel were.).

So in the end, you can't read a 5+ book series in the fantasy genre and expect it to be unique. I'm sure it'll have unique stuff, yes, but I trully doubt it'll be all never-seen ideas.
Was cheated out of lions by happydud
Was cheated out of marriage by sugarless
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