Wheel of Time....good series to read after Hobbit/LotR?

[Orius]

Now that it's actually finished, I'd say it's worth the read.

Yes, it does drag noticably from Books 7-10, particularly in Books 8 and 10. A lot of the problem is far too much foucs on minor characters and detailing minutia than in any attempt to actually advance the plot. I think though that Jordan was possibly feeling a bit of burnout when he was going through that part, after doing book 10, he did the prequel novel New Spring and after that Book 11 was much stronger than the previous entry.

Even though it does slow down a bit there, I still think it's worth gong through the whole thing. After all, you won't have to wait 2 or 3 years after a weak and disappointing book to see how the stroy continues, like those of us who went through it before it was finished did.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

I read those first two Wheel books like 6 or 7 years ago maybe? All I remember is a not-Gandalf and three not-hobbits (and weren't two of them named practically Merry and Pippin?) who team up with not-Aragorn while running away from a bunch of not-Ring Wraiths.

LOL. Put that way I can definitely see it, especially for the first book, though it's not-Aragorn, not-Gandalf, and five not-Hobbits for the first part of the book, plus a not-Gimli, consulting partway through with not-Elrond, surviving a trip through not-Moria, and eventually arriving in not-Mordor to not-destroy something valuable and circular. But then by that standard most epic fantasy mirrors the LotR structure, since everything from the Belgariad to Star Wars are based around the "hero's journey" that has the inexperienced, ignorant hero mentored by a guide, then joined by boon companions as they face off against Great Evil (tm).

Though Wheel skews quite a bit from many of the LotR parallels after book 1.

 

[tuxgeo]

I've tried two or three times, but never gotten a third of the way into the first book.

I, too, could not finish the first book: the "railroading" got to me.
(What? The point-of-view character can't even try to escape via the sally port until it's locked against him, and only then does he try? That's railroading.)

I know somebody who got about 2/3 or 3/4 of the way through the first book, got so disgusted she threw the book bodily across the room so it struck a wall; then went over to the book, picked it up again, and carried it to the garbage can to dispose of it properly there.

If you want real quality in your fiction, skip WoT.

("Don't read good books. Read only the best." -- Ernest Dimnet)

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

I have the read the series and it is quite ok. It's not complicated, it has its good moments, the characters are somewhat diverse, the humor is present, the action is ok. It didn't blow my mind but I'm far from thinking that I lost my time reading it.

If you're looking at other series, of those I've read I can say the following:
- Sword of Truth: poor
- Glen Cook / Black Company: different and very interesting take on fantasy (more warfare-y, and is a great intro to my favorite fantasy series of all time
- Steven Erickson, Malazan Book of the Fallen: very complex, very evocative, superbly written, very funny. If I could make babies with those books I would.

AR

 

[SkidAce]

...
- Glen Cook / Black Company: different and very interesting take on fantasy (more warfare-y, and is a great intro to my favorite fantasy series of all time
- Steven Erickson, Malazan Book of the Fallen: very complex, very evocative, superbly written, very funny. If I could make babies with those books I would.
...
AR

Agreed.

 

[Zaukrie]

For pure D&D goodness that is not D&D, Deed of Paksanarrean....

For fun, not lotr, the Jhereg books ny Brust.

The Draginbone Chair is good, not great.

 

[RangerWickett]

Why not skip the middle man, and just read some of Brandon Sanderson's own works? Mistborn is pretty good as a stand-alone, and if you like it there are two more parts.

It's not exactly Lord of the Rings-esque, but it's a nice story, with a novel magic system and a clever genre tweak -- the heroes plan a crime caper to steal from the Big Bad Evil Guy, instead of just wanting to defeat him through force of arms.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

For pure D&D goodness that is not D&D, Deed of Paksanarrean....

Well, yeah, if you're looking for the ultimate paladin with INT as a dump stat.

Why not skip the middle man, and just read some of Brandon Sanderson's own works? Mistborn is pretty good as a stand-alone, and if you like it there are two more parts.

Agreed. The original Mistborn trilogy is quite good, and his new Way of Kings series looks promising though there's only one book out.

 

[Krug]

Wheel of Time #1-11 are on sale (US$4-5) at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Robert-Jordan/e/B000AQ19X6/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1365320819&sr=8-2-ent

 

[MoutonRustique]

For a very fun read, you could do worse than the "Furies" series by Jim Butcher (of Dresden fame). It has a pretty cool magic system and the same kind of wit as Dresden.

I like it - it makes me chuckle.