Wheel of Time series

[judas]

Any fans here? Anyone managed to wade through all 15 (if you include the prequel) books and survive?

I ask because despite several attempts over the years I just give up around book six or seven. It's not so much the breeze-block size of each volume, it's the characters. As the story progresses they get increasingly annoying to the point where any sympathy simply evaporates. I'm three-quarters of the way through Lord of Chaos at the moment and the constant war of the sexes bhing, pettiness and outright stupidity of the characters have left me struggling to keep reading.

Please tell me it gets better - I really want to know what happens at the end but frankly, at the moment, I'm rooting for the bad guys...

[buglabjab]

I am currently upto the shadow rising. Have enjoyed so far but they do take some time to get through.

[MacW]

Like you, I never got past book 7.

It's certainly not the size, an author that writes well simply can't write enough for me, it's just that I stopped caring and gave up.

[mr2aw11]

Persevere, it does find its way again.
Books 7 through 9 were the series' slump for me (though there were still some gems of scenes and character interactions hidden amongst the drudgery): there were too many new characters, story lost its way. It's almost as if he didn't have an idea about how to push on, so just went off on an epic tangent.
I thought Jordan got back on track for 10 and 11, and Sanderson's last three were good also. Last book was great.

[omgus]

Another book seven failure.

I have read the first 6 books twice and never made it all the way through 7.

Frustrating as there seems to be a point where Matt and Perrin stop being likable for me and they are my favorite of the main characters.


Lan, still kicks arse regardless.

[someday]

the last three are fantastic, no bhiness or smoothing of skirts

[ehonda]

Those middle books are hard going, it is worth wading through them though.

[judas]

Thanks guys, it's heartening to hear the story does get dragged out of the mire, but another three books before it picks up?

[Meoricin]

The last ones (Brandon Sanderson's ones) are much better in terms of pacing than the late RJ ones.

It was so long ago that I read the RJ ones though, I can't really compare accurately.

[Dakkon]

Gave up halfway through book six, just could not be arsed with it all.

[judas]

Managed to slog my way to the end of book 6 over the weekend, and by god is was a struggle! Big climax at the end was fun but way, waaaay to much crap to wade through to get there. Now just into book 7 and I'm already wondering if it's worth it. Too many supposedly wise/intelligent/experienced characters acting through blind arrogance and making utterly boneheaded decisions just so the author can push the plot in a particular direction. It's got to the point where the behaviour of few if any of the characters is remotely believable.

Arse

[HorneyMX5]

I've never made it past book 6 either. Might just read up the synopsis on Wikipedia and then jump in for the last 3.

[judas]

Well, I tried... Got a couple of chapters into book 7 and though sod it, life's too short to waste it wading through such tedious literary sludge. I'm just going to read the synopses of the next few books and decide whether it's worth trying to pick up the story around book 10.

But before that, I have the new Charlie Stross book to enjoy

[colonel c]

I have read or listened to them all up to the final book and will be reading that very soon. I have to agree it’s a bit heavy going in the middle. However having them all on audio as well as the books made that a little easier for me. Michael Kramer and Kate Reading do a fantastic job of narrating both the male and female parts. To the point when reading the text I find I have their voices in my head.
Brendon Sanderson was an excellent choice to conclude the series and one can feel the freshness where he takes over. Worth persevering with.

[Lurking Lawyer]

I picked up the first four books in a charity shop for the princely sum of £2 and then steadily worked my way through the rest over the period of a year or so, getting up to date just around the point when RJ departed this mortal coil.

I can see why some would find it a struggle to wade through the middle books. If ever there was a writer who needed a ruthless editor, it was RJ.....

I thought Brandon Sanderson did a good job of finishing the series. He managed to keep the same general style, and I didn't find myself thinking at any point "That's not what Rand/Perrin/Egwene/Elayne/whoever else would say" and spotting things that were completely out of character with what RJ had created.

Even though it ran to three books rather than just one, I still couldn't help feeling that BS had to really work to wrap things up, and the last book in particular was a real whistle-stop tour, trying to cram in as many of the minor characters who had been introduced along the way to give them a last few pages each.

Not the best "epic saga" fantasy I've ever read, but far from the worst either.