Wheel of Time

[kingpaul]

I've tried a number of times to get into this series and just can't get interested. Any suggestions?

A friend in HS loaned me the 1st book and I was hooked. I have the 1st 3 in softcover and every other one in hardcover. Because I'm a bit of a competist (as others on this thread), I've got every book. The last one *really* ticked me off because it didn't go anywhere. The one before wasn't to bad, but could've been better. All the others I liked.

 

[kingpaul]

Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow And Thorn? It's a bit like Wheel, but with more things like excitement, real characters, and a definite ending.

That is a great series. I haven't read it recently...perhaps I'll re-read it again. I would've been happier if he hadn't called it a trilogy and, therefore, been compelled to have the lat book thicker than the first two combined to fit it into 3 books. That's my only complaint with the series.

 

[Desdichado]

... and even more so when you get the in-jokes because you've been reading the newsgroup forever (I didn't realize quite how many their were when I posted the link).

Where has that discussion moved to these days anyway. Or do newsgroups still exist somewhere and I've just been out of the loop the last 7-8 years?

 

[drothgery]

Where has that discussion moved to these days anyway. Or do newsgroups still exist somewhere and I've just been out of the loop the last 7-8 years?

The newsgroup's still around, though far less busy and rarely on-topic. Dragonmount's probably the busiest on-topic WoT fandom site, but I don't visit it very often and I don't think anyone of note moved there (though a lot of discussion has drifted off to various members' blogs/livejournals/whatever); they seem to have inherited the newsgroup's old connections with Tor books, at any rate.

 

[Mark]

Don't.

Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow And Thorn? It's a bit like Wheel, but with more things like excitement, real characters, and a definite ending.

I'll look into that. Thanks.

A friend in HS loaned me the 1st book and I was hooked. I have the 1st 3 in softcover and every other one in hardcover. Because I'm a bit of a competist (as others on this thread), I've got every book. The last one *really* ticked me off because it didn't go anywhere. The one before wasn't to bad, but could've been better. All the others I liked.

For many years I avoided it, vowing to always wait until a series was completed before diving into it. A few years ago, I got the first four at a used sales for $10 and they've been on the shelf laughing at me ever since.

 

[Orius]

I've never read RJ, so... does he really capitalize certain WORDS? Or is that part of the humor?

No. I assume it's part of the joke, as the capped words are characterizations he tends to emphasize.

 

[Dragonblade]

Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow And Thorn? It's a bit like Wheel, but with more things like excitement, real characters, and a definite ending.

Hmm, different strokes and all that. I hated Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. I consider Wheel of Time to be far superior.

 

[drothgery]

Hmm, different strokes and all that. I hated Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. I consider Wheel of Time to be far superior.

They're not really comprable, in my eyes, beyond being big fantasy novels. Memory, Sorrow, & Thorn is three books (okay, four in paperback because they split To Green Angel Tower in two) that are long-since finished; Wheel of Time is a series in progress of 12 (probably) books. WoT works on a much larger scope, and has far more common magic; MS&T stays a lot closer to the Tolkein-esque baseline for fantasy epics. Tad Williams is much better at crafting prose than Jordan. Jordan is a much better world builder. They both have a habbit of telling the same story two or three times within a series.

 

[ssampier]

Not bad, but they need lots of pointless dialogue where all men are fools (feminine perspective) and women are confusing (male perspective). Plus, where's the thousands' of subplots involving Dark Friends?

*wondering if I could buy a Cliff Notes version of Wheel of Time*

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

Heck, here's a link to the (rather out of date, for various reasons) newsgroup humor archive: http://humor.darkfriends.net/archive.html

Oh, that brings back memories.

I recognize...three, maybe four names, from that particular list.

Brad