• NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.

Anyone else likes Robert Jordan better than Tolkien?


log in or register to remove this ad

Yes I know that last books are a bit slow, but I still love this world. I like Tolkien, Cook, Zelazny, Howard, Salvatore, King, Prachett, some Polish authors etc., but only Jordan` s world makes me care so much. Anyway I was bored and tired of Jordan`s bashing so I made this post.
 

I really liked Jordan's Wheel of Time series.....up to book 10. What exactly happend there? Seemed like there was only 200 or so pages of actual substance....and also whats this about New Spring:the series is long enough as it is...now he's doing a prequel?

At this rate the series will probably be done by the time I'm in a retirement home.
 

Melkor said:
Anyway I was bored and tired of Jordan`s bashing so I made this post.

:lol: A troll!

I think the bashing is because people want an ending, he is starting to drag out a good thing, he could wrapped this story up and started on another and still be seen as a god among other writers but nooooooo he has to out do Ron Hubberts. ;)
 
Last edited:

The things that I really can't stand really don't have much to do with his writing.

My main problem is that the guy apparently has some serious issues with women. Every man in the story is so obsequious towards the female characters it's maddening.

And if I ever read about someone pulling at a pony tail again I'm going to claw my eyes out so I can be sure never to have to see it again.

--Harsh Spikey
 

Cannibal_Kender said:
I really liked Jordan's Wheel of Time series.....up to book 10. What exactly happend there? Seemed like there was only 200 or so pages of actual substance....and also whats this about New Spring:the series is long enough as it is...now he's doing a prequel?

Well, I actually kind of liked the concept behind a prequel. If he's going to milk the series -- and I think we can all agree at least on that point -- then I'd rather he developed the world than write a page and a half of background about a minor character that we only see once.*

As I've said in another post, for me the series was cool (as opposed to good) up to about book 4. There were events in books 5, 6 and 7 that I thought could have been compressed together to make one good book. And 8+ is just wacky. I mean, really wacky. We really don't need a chapter about a bath unless this is a pay-per-view movie, Wheel of Time: Aes Sedi Gone Wild!

Tolkien was weak on dialogue and pacing, but his main strength was setting. One reason he put off finishing the Simerilion was because he was having a hard time working out elvish metaphysics. If Jordan was ever concerned about such a thing, he'd spend a bit of time making something up and writing it down with little attention spent to see if it made sense or not.

I'll likely read other WoT books. But I'll get them from the library or wait a couple of years for them to come out in paperback. Jordan has often said that he already has the ending envisioned and I have a strong feeling that it's not going to be "Hey, the Dark One totally wasted Rand! I guess the bad guys win after all."
 

Planesdragon said:
However, when you deal with art and numbers, the only thing that matters is taste.

I disagree. It is perfectly reasonable to consider Jordan's technical merits as a writer important. I expect every grade school teacher in the country will tell you that one's technical abilities as a writer are important. In the judging of many arts (dance, for instance), the artist's technical abilities are at least as important as their expressive abilities. Why should it be otherwise with writing?

Given two authors - one who tells a good story, but is technically sloppy, and one who tells a good story, but is technically exquisite, which is the better writer? I'd say the latter would be the superior artist.

My fiancee is currently reading a book, lauded by many of her friends as a great story. She says yes, the story's decent. The characters are solid enough. But the author's grasp of structure stinks. Changes from first to thrid person viewpoint can be done, but not in the middle of a sentence!

Jordan's major technical flaw as a writer is as other's have mentioned - a good story has a begining, middle, and an end. The lack of conclusion and resolutions in Jordan's work mars the story as a whole. Jordan knows how to earn money. But, if he doesn't know how to end a story, he's not a particularly good writer. Sorry.
 

First let me just point out that when you typed this stentence..

-Finally, the ratio of beautiful women is much in favor of Jordan
It got me a little fired up :) So, based on this point alone, the book could suck, but as long as there are cute chicks, it does not matter. I know that you did not mean it that way. But it just is not a valid argument on what the girls look like.
The way Jordan writes women makes me want to slap him. Pretty or not.. LOTR women are written much better than WOT women, at least in my opinion. They seem more real.

I have read all the WOT books including New Spring. I enjoyed New Spring. I would encourage anyone who enjoy's jordans books to read it. All and all i enjoyed the WOT series too. I would like it to end. But, after reading George RR Martin, i have realized what good writing is.
Jordan's writing needs a good editor. He is not writing a book, he is writing a manuscript for a movie. :\

The real reason i disagree with you and think that Tolkien is a much better writer than Jordan is because of the time that the books came out..

Tolkien wrote his books before DnD, before the concept of Fantasy was really a developed concept at all. He developed it. He is, in my opinion the father of fantasy and not a hack..he may have had some inspirations from legends and lore, but he developed it in to an epic world. The first epic fantasy world.

Jordan's world is neat. Epic and complex, and full of great fantasy concepts, that have been done, and done and done.

The writing of both these men have driven me batty. They are both long winded and at times a bit on the boring side. Writing alone, i'd say they are both about on par with each other.

As for story, i like LOTRs better. The story is simple, and direct. I feel as if I can identify with a few characters in the books. Granted the movies, help.

WOT is not done yet, perhaps it will have some crazy kick ass ending, but I doubt it. I think it will be about on par with what they have come out with so far. My respect for Jordan is gone as a writer, i feel that he is just trying to get as much money as he can, despite his fans.

So far my favorite books are the song of ice and fire by Martin. I have found the writing style to be easy to read and understand. The story is great, and unpredictable, and the characters very cool.

I love feeding the trolls!
 

I love Jordan, but I've been getting more and more frustrated with each passing book. Something really needs to happen in the next book to get the series back on track. That said, I've never read or saw a battle scene on a television that can compare to Dumai's Wells.

That said, while I adore the story of LotR, I detest Tolkein's writing. I finally managed to make it through The Hobbit and it was like driving a rusty nail into my knee-cap.
 

Jordan's first few books were okay, but I felt there was no character growth and they made the same mistakes over and over. It's been a while since I read them but it's the only series I've read part of and have no intention of ever finishing.
 

Into the Woods

Remove ads

Top