Should I re-start WoT?

[Argenti he/him]

I started WoT once a couple of years ago and read up to the place where Rand got that magic Sword and went to the desert. I remember being very bored; it was like Tolkien (Who really sucks at writing, in my eyes. Way too descriptive) The question is, should I try it agian? Now, I want to hear your honest opionions whether I should or shouldn't read it, and more than "it's a good book go read it"

[king of nowhere]

4 hours ago, Argenti said:

I started WoT once a couple of years ago and read up to the place where Rand got that magic Sword and went to the desert. I remember being very bored; it was like Tolkien (Who really sucks at writing, in my eyes. Way too descriptive) The question is, should I try it agian? Now, I want to hear your honest opionions whether I should or shouldn't read it, and more than "it's a good book go read it"

well, there are plenty of books that are considered masterpieces, but they would bore most people. so "it's a good book, read it" is not a good argument.

 

you yourself provided the best argument there: you started it, went as far as book 4, got bored, dropped it. now, what makes you think you may like it now? did you change? did you realize you are liking things you didn't? if the answer is no, then it's very clear you should not read wot. if, on the other hand, you noticed that you like longer stories than you did in the past, then you could give wot another try.

 

as for wot itself, i read the whole saga at least 4 times, and still I'm not sure what is good about it. I mean, it clearly is good, because i keep reading this 10000 pages behemot and I keep enjoying it; and yet, when it comes to individual plotlines, a lot of them are mediocre at best. A lot of the main characters are unlikable. A lot of fans agree on it, too. perhaps it's the sheer scope of the size of the series. perhaps the worldbuilding. maybe the amount of attention to details. perhaps something else ineffable. whatever the reason, yes, wot has a lot of serious flaws, but it's still a great read regardless. however, it's not for everyone. i can't help you any more than that.

 

by the way, book 4 is by many considered the best of the original books (I'm leaving aside the last 3 - those written by sanderson - because they are divisive. some dislike them because they liked jordan's style better, some like them because they never liked jordan's style, and some like them because they finally solve more plots than they introduce). books 6 to 10 are considered of lower quality, as the huge number of characters swamp the action and everyone gets stuck into minor plots. so, if you didn't like book 4, chances are you won't like the rest either.

[Argenti he/him]

11 minutes ago, king of nowhere said:

well, there are plenty of books that are considered masterpieces, but they would bore most people. so "it's a good book, read it" is not a good argument.

 

you yourself provided the best argument there: you started it, went as far as book 4, got bored, dropped it. now, what makes you think you may like it now? did you change? did you realize you are liking things you didn't? if the answer is no, then it's very clear you should not read wot. if, on the other hand, you noticed that you like longer stories than you did in the past, then you could give wot another try.

 

as for wot itself, i read the whole saga at least 4 times, and still I'm not sure what is good about it. I mean, it clearly is good, because i keep reading this 10000 pages behemot and I keep enjoying it; and yet, when it comes to individual plotlines, a lot of them are mediocre at best. A lot of the main characters are unlikable. A lot of fans agree on it, too. perhaps it's the sheer scope of the size of the series. perhaps the worldbuilding. maybe the amount of attention to details. perhaps something else ineffable. whatever the reason, yes, wot has a lot of serious flaws, but it's still a great read regardless. however, it's not for everyone. i can't help you any more than that.

 

by the way, book 4 is by many considered the best of the original books (I'm leaving aside the last 3 - those written by sanderson - because they are divisive. some dislike them because they liked jordan's style better, some like them because they never liked jordan's style, and some like them because they finally solve more plots than they introduce). books 6 to 10 are considered of lower quality, as the huge number of characters swamp the action and everyone gets stuck into minor plots. so, if you didn't like book 4, chances are you won't like the rest either.

hm..... Once i finish disc world I'll give it another try, if for no other reason than to read everything sanderson

[YeomanoftheBowman he/him]

On 5/12/2023 at 5:19 PM, king of nowhere said:

books 6 to 10 are considered of lower quality, as the huge number of characters swamp the action and everyone gets stuck into minor plots. so, if you didn't like book 4, chances are you won't like the rest either.

That is very true. It just takes soooo long for people to actually start doing things. 

 

On 5/12/2023 at 5:19 PM, king of nowhere said:

as for wot itself, i read the whole saga at least 4 times, and still I'm not sure what is good about it. I mean, it clearly is good, because i keep reading this 10000 pages behemot and I keep enjoying it; and yet, when it comes to individual plotlines, a lot of them are mediocre at best. A lot of the main characters are unlikable.

I wholeheartedly agree. I'm not sure if this is what king of nowhere is trying to get across, but for me, its not about reading the individual books, because those aren't incredible. It's about reading the whole series. The Wheel of Time as an entity is REALLY good. There are very few other books series where you can find a story that can match the sheer magnitude and brilliance of the Wheel of Time. 

I don't know how clearly I got that idea across, but basically, I wouldn't recommend the books. They aren't really good. However, I would definitely recommend slogging through the books for the sake of experiencing the whole story.