Wheel of Time- concluding trilogy

[GKarsEye]

So Robert Jordan died, and they gave some other writer his notes and he's writing three books to finally end the series. The first one came out and it's getting decent reviews. From what I read about it, it closes some painfully lingering subplots, is not written in Jordan's descriptive style, and accelerates the stores towards the end, all of which seem like the right decisions. (I don't hate Jordan's writing style, but it would just be creepy if someone else mimics it).

I don't know if I'll read it, since I have no idea where I left off, what was going on, etc, but just letting you know it's out there and curious what anyone thinks if they do read it.

 

[KoshFan]

Huh. If he's ditched Jordan's style and resolved some plotlines, I think I'll like those better than the originals.

 

[GKarsEye]

I understand where you're coming from, and lord knows Jordan got ridiculous after a while, but we have to remember that for a time, this story was a landmark accomplishment in the genre. I don't remember most of the story, but somewhere around the 2nd-5th books were universally loved. I think it's safe to say that most WoT fans got to the point where we were frustrated mainly because we wanted to know how the story would end and Jordan would get self-indulgent and repetitive instead.

If I weren't so far removed from the story, I wouldn't hesitate to read the new ones. Heck, I also followed Sword of Truth to the end way past the point it stopped being genuinely entertaining and turned into a right-wing Ayn Randian diatribe, because I had to know how it all ended. But I'm just afraid I don't remember anything from WoT at this point.. I read the first half-dozen books like 10 yrs ago!

 

[KoshFan]

Same here on how long it's been... I loved the books for some of the ideas he was playing with. I loved the mechanics of the world, and it was pretty richly described. But it got so long, eventually I just started reading the plotlines I was interested in and ignored the rest. Tragically this meant mostly ignoring the female characters, because they just got to be so horribly, horribly written.

As for the Sword of Truth: I may have been tempted to pick up the books before I saw the quote from one of them about pacifists, "armed only with their hatred of moral clarity," were being slaughtered by the score, apparently for being stupid.

After that, this Quaker kid just didn't see the point.

 

[GKarsEye]

Same here on how long it's been... I loved the books for some of the ideas he was playing with. I loved the mechanics of the world, and it was pretty richly described. But it got so long, eventually I just started reading the plotlines I was interested in and ignored the rest. Tragically this meant mostly ignoring the female characters, because they just got to be so horribly, horribly written.

As for the Sword of Truth: I may have been tempted to pick up the books before I saw the quote from one of them about pacifists, "armed only with their hatred of moral clarity," were being slaughtered by the score, apparently for being stupid.

After that, this Quaker kid just didn't see the point.

Well on the one hand you can't fault an epic story for using the tired old "sometimes you have to fight" mantra- it's pretty much a staple, including in our beloved Babylon 5, which was our last best hope for peace- it failed, then it became something greater- our last best hope for victory, blah blah.

But yeah, Goodkind got hardcore Randian after like book 5 or 6. The first 4 are straight-up bad-ass epic fantasy storytelling, though and still highly recommended. And- get this- he writes female characters remarkably well. The main female in the story is every bit as richly fleshed out as the main male. Easily the best and most interesting female characters I've ever encountered in the genre; because I agree w/ you re: Jordan's failed approach.

 

[KoshFan]

Well on the one hand you can't fault an epic story for using the tired old "sometimes you have to fight" mantra- it's pretty much a staple, including in our beloved Babylon 5, which was our last best hope for peace- it failed, then it became something greater- our last best hope for victory, blah blah.

Sure. Also I'll admit we need at least some battles and fights in stories, because if nothing else we have battles to fight within ourselves, and the heroic examples help. But B5 never mocked/condemned those who chose not to fight. The monks probably weren't out there pulling triggers, for example, but they didn't get bitch-slapped by the narrator.

Of course the only pacifist I can think of on B5 was Byron. Not exactly a shining example of the cause.

 

[Alluveal]

I've never read the Wheel of Time, but (as many of you know) I love me some George R.R. Martin. If he trusted another author to finish his work and gave that author notes, I would finish reading the series if something did happen to Martin.

I probably would do the same with Jordan, too. I would want to see the artist's vision realize, even if the artist was not there to finish it himself.

 

[KoshFan]

Martin's style is so essential, though. Someone could replicate his plot, but I'd be nervous about the change in language.

 

[Alluveal]

I think if it came down to no resolution for characters and an inferior(ly) told one, I'd want to find out what happened.

 

[XRogue]

Well I have just finished the Gathering Storm, and it's pretty well done.

Although I like Brandon Sanderson's sense of humor, I must say it is sufficiently different to Robert Jordan's that I got jarred a bit till I got used to it.

Didn't intend to go buy it this soon, but I had an opportunity to go to a booksigning in Dallas and am glad I did. Met Brandon, got his sig, and Harriet McDougal was there (Robert Jordan's widow, edited all the WoT books.) Had her sign a copy of the first book for us.