Wheel of Time

[Orius]

As I understand it, Jordan's last few books didn't go through a proper editing process. Rumor has it that his next book has been delayed six months for editing to get the level of quality back up.

Another rumor said that the reason for this is that 1/3 of the rough draft was stripped out in the initial editing phase.

I think this is exactly what Jordan needs to get back on his feet.

If that's true, I hope Book XI will rock. Crossroads really disappointed me, he spends FAR too much time on Elaine, while not giving us the juicy bits we've been waiting for, like when Rand finally meets Logain face to face. I also want to see Cadsuane personally take a hand in training Nynaeve and knocking her attitude down a peg as well. Sh'es the only character in the books that can do it, and it would probably be a blast to read as well.

 

[drothgery]

Nynaeve's spent the last six books getting her attitude knocked around, and she needs it back. The girl from the first few books, who not even Moiraine could push around, was a lot more fun.

 

[Gentlegamer]

Something else I remember about the series: the women. I recall Jordan receiving praise for his positive portrayal of strong women. If I were a woman, I would be angry at his portrayals. Practically every woman in the book is a bossy, grumpy, Calamity Jane type.

I much prefer the strong women of Weiss and Hickman's Dragonlance.

 

[F5]

As I understand it, Jordan's last few books didn't go through a proper editing process. Rumor has it that his next book has been delayed six months for editing to get the level of quality back up.

Another rumor said that the reason for this is that 1/3 of the rough draft was stripped out in the initial editing phase.

I think this is exactly what Jordan needs to get back on his feet.

This puts an interesting thought in my head. If, after the entire series is done (let's say sometime between 2010 and the heat-death of the entire universe...), a competent editor sits down and culls the series into a 3 or 4 volume Abridged Wheel of Time, would the nay-sayers go back and read that? I think it would improve the series tremendously. At the same time, that "competent editor" would have to have superhuman stamina. Also, knowing what I do about Jordan's attitude toward criticism, I doubt it'll ever happen. But it's an intriguing thought.

And, when the inevitable WoT movies are produced, they'll either be cut down to a decent length, or there will be enough footage that our grandchildren will still be eagerly awaiting the next installment...

 

[Rl'Halsinor]

Gentlegamer, I couldn't agree with you more concerning the portral of Jordan's women. Its like every one of them has permanent PMS whose function in life is to emasculate every male they come in contact with. And most of the men portrayed come off as inept souls who are at the complete mercy of their environment.

 

[Desdichado]

Gentlegamer, I couldn't agree with you more concerning the portral of Jordan's women. Its like every one of them has permanent PMS whose function in life is to emasculate every male they come in contact with. And most of the men portrayed come off as inept souls who are at the complete mercy of their environment.

I can't believe I'm defending Jordan here, but one of his stated themes was, "what would a world and culture be like in which Men were responsible for the greatest historical cataclysm known?"

Of course, like most everything he writes, he's taken it too far and shown so much of it that's become tedious rather than interesting, but this time, there's actually a very good reason for it, and the fact that Jordan tried to portray people who had a different cultural history than us would develop different ways of interacting with each other and thinking was one of the Good Things^{[size=-2]TM[/size]} about the series initially.

 

[arnon]

I first picked up the books about 9 years ago, and read everything i could... i think it was 1 through 5. Then there was a long time in which i had not time to read, untill after about 4 years of not reading I entered a book store and found a a shelf containing books 1-8. I was excited, and throught thrar finaly he finished writing the series (8 is a nice round number) and bought them all and read them one after the other, and loved them.

Winters Hears was ok and Crossroads was nice, i still enjoyed the books even though not as much as the firsts... what bothers me most is not remembering what happened in the last book.

My guess is that he's aiming for 12 books.. so hopefully things will get a bit more exciting

 

[gregweller]

Add Joseph Campbell's 4 volume 'The Masks of God' to that list of books shorter than 'The Wheel of Time'. Heck, add the 12 volume complete set of Frazer's 'THe Golden Bough' and Wheel of Time is still longer. Complete studies of world mythology are mere footnotes next to its bulk. My current plan is to wait until Jordan writes the last book and, if I'm still alive, walk into the bookstore, open it, and read the last freakin' sentence. And so help me, if it ends like I think it's going to end, with a loop-back to the first sentence in the first volume, I won't be responsible for my actions.

 

[Vonlok The Bold]

I had a similar experience to many here. I liked the series a lot at the beginning, and by the end of book 7 it just made me angry that I was reading it. Book 8 was the final blow for me.

One of the problems I have with it is that I don't like Ran that much. He's the main character, but I don't think he's all that interesting. Some of the things that happen to him are interesting, and much that happens around him is interesting. Matt, was a character that had flaws, could make mistakes, and yet was a protagonist. I would much rather read a story about him. The whole concept of the Whitecloaks was great. I loved that.

There were a lot of great things, but it seems tainted now, by the last few books.

 

[Orius]

Nynaeve's spent the last six books getting her attitude knocked around, and she needs it back. The girl from the first few books, who not even Moiraine could push around, was a lot more fun.

Well, the thing with Nynaeve is that she has an enormous amount of power, but she doesn't know how to use it. She thinks she's better than the rest of the Aes Sedai, and that she doesn't need them to teach her anything. But she does need to learn control of her powers, and Cadsuane is really the only character who can overcome Nynaeve's dislike of the Aes Sedai, and show her how to use her powers to the fullest.