I more or less loved them, especially Achamian. I think what you're calling navel gazing I'd call 'fleshing out wonderfully human characters who also happen to be epic level monks and sorcerers'.
Most of them are human, although my problem with Kelhus is that he isn't human enough. I don''t want to root for him, I don't care about him, I just sort of enjoy watching him play puppetmaster, but I'm not even sure to what end anymore. I don't think they are well fleshed out. Martin does a far better job of showing characters personal journeys as the backdrop to the plot, managing to juggle both pretty effectively. In Bakkar, the plot just grinds to a halt every time a character starts to agonize over something. Achamian and Esmenet are particularly bad at that--especially when they are together.
That's a gross misrepresentation of the novels. More so than any recent fantasy they have a beginning, middle, and end. It is the story of the Crusade, from the political machinations at it's inception to the eventual siege of the Holy City, plus the gradual revelation of connections to several more ancient conflicts. A lot happens.
Not really. I'm halfway through the Thousandfold thought and other than the exile of Conphas (better known as Alexander the Great) I can't think of a single important event. There are more in the prologue to Storm of Swords.
Besides, it's also
Nietzsche Christ Überstar... that has to count for something.
I do spend a silly amount of time attempting to create a Dunyan character class
Raistlin
is a good character. Good enough that he survived Weiss and Hickman's attempts at portraying him.
But they invented him. The bare bones to the character are in the published adventure sure, but the wonderfully complex relation between him and Carmon and Bupu and Lady Crystiana are all from their writing.
He still gives me goosebumps in Dragons of a Summer Flame. I can't wait to here Kiefer Sutherland portray him in the animated movie.
