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Wheel of Time – Final Thoughts

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14 Books

Over 4.4 million words

Over 100 POV characters.

There’s no doubt that Wheel of Time puts the “epic” in epic fantasy. I began reading the series as part of NPRs top 100 sci-fi and fantasy books of all time. I spent two years working my way through that list, and read the first three books of WoT as part of that, enjoying them a fair amount. I pledged to myself that I would eventually return to the series, and in 2018, I made it my goal to read the rest of the books. I completed my challenge, and finally have the space to think and write about the experience.

Perhaps more than any other emotion, I am astounded. As an avid fantasy reader, I’m no stranger to worldbuilding, but Jordan’s work feels to me like it is a step beyond anything else I’ve ever encountered, including Tolkien and Martin. WoT has both breadth and depth, and although I probably will never read the series again, it feels to me like one that will reward readers with multiple read-throughs.

But the worldbuilding has been mentioned often enough. The aspect of the books that still resonates with me, weeks after reading, is how the story of good versus evil has perhaps never been done quite so well.

I know that in my own writing, I try desperately hard to avoid the simple good vs. evil. Most of the modern writing I encounter does. We prefer complexity, where competing valid viewpoints strive for dominance.

But WoT, at its core, is about good and evil, light and dark. But it manages to be that without overly simplistic storylines. Both light and dark feature complex, interesting characters with varied motivations. Nowhere is this better represented than in Rand’s character and the slow transitions he works his way through throughout the series.

I left this series tremendously pleased. I made no secret of the fact that I really disliked books 8-10, and I think I still stand by my argument. When considered as a whole, yes, the books are necessary and tell important parts of the story. But as a writer (and avid reader), books are also commercial units. It’s my belief that each should contain at least some complete arcs. I know that plenty of people will disagree, but it’s definitely my personal preference. Had there not been such an overwhelming number of people telling me to stick it out, I absolutely would have quit the series right before it returned to glory.

But at the end, I am tremendously thankful to have read this series. Jordan deserves an enormous amount of credit, and I’m extremely grateful to Sanderson for finishing the series – somehow managing to give everyone a conclusion and role to play in the finale. It’s a staggering achievement.

Now for 2019: Malazan.

Towers of Midnight

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Only one more book to go.

It’s hard to believe, but this long and epic journey has almost reached its conclusion.

What can I say that hasn’t already been said about this book? Brandon Sanderson continues to dazzle with incredible ability, finishing a series that had to be an incredible challenge to complete. There are so many characters, so many plot lines, so much world to work with. I’m intimidated with it as a reader – I can’t image what it was like as a writer.

I’ll admit that I liked this slightly less than The Gathering Storm, although both are incredible books. To me, this felt like the middle book of a trilogy. Loose ends are being tied up, the weaves of the story are being brought together for their final conclusion. There’s nothing wrong with this – it feels very natural, especially with a story this large. But it didn’t hit me emotionally quite as hard as the last book did.

There’s some amazing scenes in this book – the fight for Maradon being one of my favorite. Perrin’s final transformation is also a highlight. But it still feels like a giant intake of breath before the final blow falls and the Last Battle comes.

I’ve already started reading Book 14, hungry to finish this story before the year ends. I can’t think of a better way to close out 2018.

The Gathering Storm

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I just finished reading The Gathering Storm (TGS here on out) a few minutes ago, and I’ve literally been pacing back and forth in my house, trying to work off my excitement from finishing the book. In my mind, it was almost as though I was reading a masterclass on how to write epic fantasy.

I’ve been working my way through all the Wheel of Time books this year, and plan on finishing before the year is out. I’ve not made any secret about my feelings. I generally liked books 1-7, with my opinion of them ranging from “good” to “very good.” I really, really disliked books 8-10. But book 11 was fantastic, and I’m happy to report that I really loved TGS.

The hardcover version I was reading came in at about 750 pages, and I burned through them more quickly than I finish some 200 page stories. To keep a perfectly balanced tension for that long requires tremendous skill, and I am always impressed when I encounter such a work. TGS marks Brandon Sanderson’s first entry into the series, completing the vision that was ultimately Robert Jordan’s.

I love to see the continued development of the characters. After seeing periods of intense growth, followed by the slowing down in the story that happens through books 8-10, it is an absolute delight to see the characters truly come into their own. In TGS, this is represented perfectly by Egwene. I’ll freely confess that in the past books, I’ve forced myself to keep my eyes open through the Aes Sedai sections of the books. Here, though, Egwene finally shows the full depths of the woman she has become, and I cheered for her speeches and triumphs in this story as much as I have for any battle that’s been written thus far. The story of the White Tower is thrilling, and is one of the centerpieces of this classic.

However, as a fantasy writer, I can’t help but remark on Rand’s journey. For books now he has been sliding downward, his character becoming harder and harder and more unlikable. I’ve found the descent fascinating. All too often, us fantasy writers utilize the trope of “The Chosen One,” but rarely do we see the effects on a person’s character as realistically as we do in Wheel of Time. Personally, I feel like Sanderson handled this character masterfully. Rand al’Thor sits at the intersection of politics, magic, and prophecy, and I’m convinced that he is one of the most fascinating characters in modern fantasy. I cannot wait to see where this story goes.

Thankfully, book 13 is already sitting on my Kindle.

Knife of Dreams

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Finally!

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I really did not like books 8, 9, and 10 of Wheel of Time. I stand by those claims. But I’ve never experienced a turnaround in quality so abrupt as in book 11. I went from thinking how horrible finishing this series might be to becoming excited once again. It’s like Christmas, where the last few gifts you opened weren’t very good, but then someone brings out one last hidden gift, bigger than any other, and you’re excited all over again.

Calling the pace of the last few books “glacial” is an insult to all glaciers, which move much faster than Jordan’s narrative in 8, 9, and 10. Here in 11, the pace gets cranked up. Every chapter has something important happening that moves the plot forward.

Not only that, but this book has some of the most incredible magical battle scenes I’ve ever read, which were a true delight to read. It reminded me of the earlier books, where the fights left me in awe of Jordan’s imagination.

I’m also impressed by just how powerful and pervasive the magic is in Wheel of Time. I feel like modern conventions put harder limits on magic, but in Wheel of Time, the magic of individuals can cause illusions over an entire continent and cause the entire structure of reality to shift. It’s an exciting, exciting read.

Onward to 12!

Lord of Chaos review

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I’d heard the warnings. “Beware the middle!” they exclaimed. But I’d enjoyed the first few books so much, perhaps they were wrong?

 

Nope. They were right.

 

I’ve been tremendously impressed with Wheel of Time thus far, and I’ve written a fair amount about books 1-5. Not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, but I’ve enjoyed them. I’ve even written about how Robert Jordan does an excellent job of maintaining tension throughout, which seems particularly funny given this book.

 

Here, I almost clawed my eyes out.

 

I mean, I came really close to reading the Wikipedia summary instead of finishing the book.

 

Here’s the short version: This book is a thousand pages of repetitive nonsense.

 

I’ll try to be more fair, as for the last few days I’ve been sitting with my thoughts and trying to understand how this book has a four star rating on goodreads. Even given selection bias, that’s just ridiculous.

 

It seems like the consensus is this: pretty much everyone can agree this book lacks almost any action. It’s almost entirely character development and moving people from one place on the map to another to prepare for future stories. Those who love the book love the character development aspects and love the depth of the world.

 

I can respect that. Character development and worldbuilding are both great.

 

But by themselves, they do not make a story.

 

The way I look at it, there are two ways to evaluate this book. The first is as part of the larger Wheel of Time series, as one entry among fourteen. Most of the positive reviews seem to take this tack, arguing that the character building present here result in a more dramatic payoff down the road.

 

But I disagree. I believe that if you write a book, you need to tell a complete story within, even if it is just one part of a series. The arcs need to close, even if there are a few open loops. Nothing like that happens here. As a story, Lord of Chaos is horrible.

 

I would also argue that great character building doesn’t require a thousand pages. Same with great worldbuilding. The best writers can give us powerful characters and worlds through small glimpses, not pages and pages of exposition.

 

I’m a completionist, though, so I’ll keep slogging forward, even though I know I’m in for more of the same.

The Shadow Rising Review

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Oh, Wheel of Time, I’m glad I’ve gotten back into you.

I first encountered the Wheel of Time series when I was reading through NPR’s top 100 sci-fi and fantasy list. I had heard of it before, but had never read anything until then. I read the first three books of the trilogy (my rule for the list) before moving on.

I had mixed feelings about the first books. There were certainly parts that I loved, but I got a little tired of reading about every detail of every town they visited. I like world-building, but only in service to the story. Not for the sake of itself.

As these books have gone on, though, I think that I like them more and more. I really like The Shadow Rising. For a thousand page book, the tension is almost constant and action present throughout. To say I’m impressed would be putting it mildly. As an author myself, I find keeping the tension high enough on a 400-page book to be a challenge. Keeping the pages turning for 1000 straight pages is a herculean task.

There’s a few aspects about this book I really loved that I want to point out. First, I’m blown away by the different societies in the series, and how each of them has a rich history. I’m a sucker for a world in which history plays such a pivotal role, but in which much of that history is unknown. It makes for great world-building and constant reveals.

The magic system continues to impress, especially with the interplay of history. I continue to love Rand’s dilemma of being so strong but not knowing how to use or in some cases even access his strength. It also makes for excellent action scenes.

And finally, I love the characters. There are clearly some I love more than others (I hate Mat), but all of them are relatable and all of them bring something new to the table.

I can’t help but compare this to GoT (the books). I know I bash on the series a lot, especially recently. There’s a lot about G0T that I love, but for me, at least, getting through the last few books has been a bit of a chore. Both worlds have incredibly deep characters and impressive world-building, but I’m looking forward with excitement to book 5 of Wheel of Time, where I’m a little nervous about book 6 of GoT.

We shall see. I’ll definitely keep reading both series, but I’ll say this again:

I’m very impressed with Robert Jordan.