There’s a new release today that everyone’s talking about. A perfect topic for a poll:
Your opinion is important to us, so please choose carefully.
You think I’m kidding about the ruptured disc thing? Look at the size of this thing:
Today’s depressing thought: The Eye of the World is copyright 1990. Which means I’ve been reading this series for longer than some of my students have been alive.
Sadly, I’m not able to do the full-on “party like it’s 1995” thing– I think the college would frown on my sleeping in and skipping class because I stayed up late reading trashy genre fiction…
Didn’t we discuss this when the announcement was made that the contract had been inked? I agree, if so, that it was mere extrapolation then. You have the data now.
It’s always sad when you realize how old you’re getting – I hope the book is the start of a good ending to the series.
That series was good for about 4 books. After that they became rather boring. 2 or 3 chapters would pass by with absolutely nothing happening, only two end with 2 pages of action that abruptly stopped in the middle. When the next chapter picked up, Jordan would switch characters. Then you had to read 3 chapters of nothing until you got to the next 2 pages of action, which would only get interrupted. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Ultimately the books themselves were written on this same structure, ending on ten pages of action.
Once the reader recognizes this gimmick and realizes he’s being manipulated. Jordon hangs the carrot in front of you, but never gives it to you. It’s just a cruel way of manipulating the reader into buy the next book filled with 1000 pages of filler and 50 pages of content.
At some point, one gets sick of the tease and moves on to a real author who delivers something.
Boo: I like Sanderson’s own worlds but have no interest in Wheel of Time, and if he’s doing the latter then he isn’t doing the former. (Ignoring economic considerations.)
I picked up the first book not knowing it would be a series. Surprise! The Prologue was enough for one night.Not quite 800 pages — actually that’s not as bad as it could have been. Of course, the original plan was for one final book rather than three…
I had no idea that the ghostwriter for Katie Price’s new autobiography (her third, I think it is) was someone called Sanderson!
Oh, that’s not what this is about . . .?
I would call the Wheel of Time books the worst fantasy books ever written, but Terry Goodkind is still writing isn’t he?
Don’t know but that I agree wtih Paul. However, they do make useful mindless filler during the two and three year waits between Banks’ Culture novs. And if the heat ever goes out in my building in the middle of the winter, well hey…I bet one of those babies’ll burn for the entire night!
Got one on order from Amazon. I’ve been reading this for half my life, so I can’t stop now.
Ha! I’ve read 2 or 3 first books and got disillusioned for precisely the reasons mentioned above by Paul. It was so long ago that it feels like it was in another life.