Wheel of Time S3

[Parmandur]

Perrin is going to become a lot more interesting here very soon, given what storylines for him are coming up!

If they pull off the Goldeneyes storyarc from Shadow Riaing...many sins would be forgiven.

 

[OB1]

Finally finished book 8! From the end, feels like book 9 will start things ramping up again. Is that the case or does 9 spin it's wheels?

 

[Parmandur]

Finally finished book 8! From the end, feels like book 9 will start things ramping up again. Is that the case or does 9 spin it's wheels?

Well, no, but sort of yes? It's complicated.

The canonical "The Slog" is books 7-10, all inclusive. I enjoy Jordan's writing style, so even the worst book (Crossroads of Twilight, number 10) is still readable. Winter's Heart does have some series defining stuff in it, but it sure does still spend a lot of tien spinning those wheels. Book 10 gets worse on thwt front, but then Knife of Dreams (Jordan's last novel) is an all-time a solute banger, and Sanderson brings it home hard.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Finally finished book 8! From the end, feels like book 9 will start things ramping up again. Is that the case or does 9 spin it's wheels?

It spins its wheels (in the snow, presumably), but its end is a top moment in the series.

 

[OB1]

Well, no, but sort of yes? It's complicated.

The canonical "The Slog" is books 7-10, all inclusive. I enjoy Jordan's writing style, so even the worst book (Crossroads of Twilight, number 10) is still readable. Winter's Heart does have some series defining stuff in it, but it sure does still spend a lot of tien spinning those wheels. Book 10 gets worse on thwt front, but then Knife of Dreams (Jordan's last novel) is an all-time a solute banger, and Sanderson brings it home hard.

Okay, well, I'm ready for it! Watching S3 has got me pushing through 'the slog' at a quicker pace now. And yeah, I don't dislike the prose, just the conflict/resolution cycle of individual scenes.

 

[TheSword]

Finally finished book 8! From the end, feels like book 9 will start things ramping up again. Is that the case or does 9 spin it's wheels?

Book 9 contains possibly the most spectacular scene in the series. Don’t want to spoil it but it is probably the most momentous of the moments of awesome I talked about. That said, a lot of the book builds up to this. You might find some elements slower - though I think worth sticking with it. If you want to know what I’m talking about then just ask.

 

[Parmandur]

Okay, well, I'm ready for it! Watching S3 has got me pushing through 'the slog' at a quicker pace now. And yeah, I don't dislike the prose, just the conflict/resolution cycle of individual scenes.

Yeah, that doesn't really pick up fully until book 11, unfortunately: but when it does, it does so with a vengence.

As @Demetrios1453 alides to, without spoilers...in Robert Jordan's original "I think I can do this in 3 novels outline, the end of the first projected novel ended up being the climax of The Dragon Revorn, while the projected end of book 2 ended up being that of Winter's Heart. So, technically, arc wise Winters Heart is the fairly decisive conclusion of Act II, and books 10-14 were what Jordan thought he could do in a third novel.

Outlines were not his strong suit.

 

[OB1]

Book 9 contains possibly the most spectacular scene in the series. Don’t want to spoil it but it is probably the most momentous of the moments of awesome I talked about. That said, a lot of the book builds up to this. You might find some elements slower - though I think worth sticking with it. If you want to know what I’m talking about then just ask.

I've managed to stay away from spoilers this long, so another 3-4 weeks to get to the end of book 9 won't kill me! Looking forward to seeing what you are hinting at here

 

[Parmandur]

IMO, one of the issues with The Slog is the intercut narrarive: I think a book of all Perron POV chapters from books 7-11 would flow better, or omw of all of Mat's chapters. By being entirely intercut, each plot just moves that much slower...when they are all actually moving to a goal, Zeno's Paradox style.

 

[TheSword]

It’s interesting that the weight of evidence and repeated ‘rules’ of the setting that exist create these amazing moments when main characters turns those rules on their head. There are many examples but it is amazingly powerful and always done sensitively and powerfully.