Wheel of Time - Giving It Another Spin (Har Har)
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- Jiffy
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Re: Wheel of Time - Giving It Another Spin (Har Har)
Finished my read through. From start to finish, with no other books being read, it took me more than a year to get through the series. I started in July 2019...
I had read probably the first 7-8 books previously, years back, so there was a bit of familiarity early on, and indeed, there still were a few books where I slowed. It's interesting looking back on my purchase history on Amazon to see that I generally would go at a 3-5 weeks per book pace....except for Crossroads and Knife, which were 6 and 7 weeks.
All in all, it was a great journey. Some frustrating aspects to be sure, but the final books being wrapped up by Sanderson were well done and I found very satisfying for such a big, detailed series.
That 'chapter' in a Memory of light was probably one of the most exhausting parts of a book I can remember (in a good way). I stayed up waaaaay too late several nights in a row reading that part of the book.
I had read probably the first 7-8 books previously, years back, so there was a bit of familiarity early on, and indeed, there still were a few books where I slowed. It's interesting looking back on my purchase history on Amazon to see that I generally would go at a 3-5 weeks per book pace....except for Crossroads and Knife, which were 6 and 7 weeks.
All in all, it was a great journey. Some frustrating aspects to be sure, but the final books being wrapped up by Sanderson were well done and I found very satisfying for such a big, detailed series.
That 'chapter' in a Memory of light was probably one of the most exhausting parts of a book I can remember (in a good way). I stayed up waaaaay too late several nights in a row reading that part of the book.
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Re: Wheel of Time - Giving It Another Spin (Har Har)
I find the slowness of the middleish books are way more palatable when you know the whole series is finished as opposed to when they were coming out at such a slow pace. (I mean not as slow a pace as Rothfuss or Martin, but they have set new standards for failing to write the books that made them famous....) And, when I re-read the WoT after having finished it, I blitzed through the slow books because I already knew how great the ending was.
My only criticism of Sanderson is that I don't think he quite got Mat "right". Don't get me wrong the Mat stuff in his books are GREAT, but they didn't quite click completely for me. (shrugs). Just one idiot's opinion that I have probably already shared in this thread.
My only criticism of Sanderson is that I don't think he quite got Mat "right". Don't get me wrong the Mat stuff in his books are GREAT, but they didn't quite click completely for me. (shrugs). Just one idiot's opinion that I have probably already shared in this thread.
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- Jiffy
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Re: Wheel of Time - Giving It Another Spin (Har Har)
Indeed, it was what kept me going - knowing that others had said they found that the ending actually was well done.JCC wrote:And, when I re-read the WoT after having finished it, I blitzed through the slow books because I already knew how great the ending was.
I do agree that Mat felt a bit off under Sanderson. I felt Mat was always a bit more conflicted/dynamic in what he said or did, compared to the other two. Less predictable and therefore I can imagine harder to take over. Still, his final arc was great, especially as I generally *didn't* like him as much as Perrin.
Now just to wait for Amazon to do the series justice... hopefully.
- Moat_Man
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Re: Wheel of Time - Giving It Another Spin (Har Har)
Lord of Chaos put me on the mat. I haven't picked up the next one but I gotta get back into it.
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- Hipolito
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Re: Wheel of Time - Giving It Another Spin (Har Har)
Lord of Chaos is where I am now (about 100 pages in). For previous books in the series, I was listening to the audiobooks. I got frustrated by all the excess ponderings and confusing details. But now I'm listening to the audiobook while reading the hardcover book, and I'm enjoying it a lot more. Not that the book+audio combo makes the story amazing all of a sudden, but it's a lot more easy to follow now.
To avoid spoilers, I haven't been reading this thread except for little peeks here and there. But I look forward to posting my impressions of all the books (and even a certain OOer's favorite game of 1999) when I'm done with them!
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- Paingod
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Re: Wheel of Time - Giving It Another Spin (Har Har)
I was curious what this was in terms of Audible. I had re-purchased the books I owned for my Kindle to complete my last reading and have since taken a shine to listening to audio books during my drives.RunningMn9 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 11, 2019 6:50 pm It’s taken almost 30 years, and in the end the only way to do it was to switch to Audible and consume the series in 50 minute intervals as I commuted to and from work, but I have *finally* completed The Wheel of Time.
The whole series, 15 books, is 462.68 hours for $812.08
In 50 minute chunks each way to and from work, that's 278 days of driving. My commute is 25 minutes. It'd take me 556 days.
I've embarked on the Lord of the Rings trilogy this way a while back when I had a long drive ahead of me one day, and am only partially into the second audio book. This is just a 54 hour endeavor.
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- Blackhawk
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Re: Wheel of Time - Giving It Another Spin (Har Har)
Or about 18 months, which means you could get the entire thing on membership credits for a tiny fraction of the cost (annual membership = $150 = 12 credits.)
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- Paingod
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Re: Wheel of Time - Giving It Another Spin (Har Har)
I'll keep it in mind for my next hankering for the series. I don't know when that'll be. It's several years between each one. I'm reluctant to 'waste' my monthly credit on anything insubstantial, so these books certainly count.
The Kindle versions were mostly because most of my paperbacks had disintegrated and I didn't own anything past book 8.
The Kindle versions were mostly because most of my paperbacks had disintegrated and I didn't own anything past book 8.
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- Smoove_B
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Re: Wheel of Time - Giving It Another Spin (Har Har)
“The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Lord of Chaos breaks Smoove_B again.”
Maybe next year, maybe no go
- Formix
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Re: Wheel of Time - Giving It Another Spin (Har Har)
Not to denigrate the wheel series, which I think I've read through three times total??? Maybe 2.5. But really, if you want absurdly long, well-written books, just start on The Way of Kings.
- stessier
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Re: Wheel of Time - Giving It Another Spin (Har Har)
It's on my list, but I won't start until he finishes. Burn me once...
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Re: Wheel of Time - Giving It Another Spin (Har Har)
Man, lots of Lord of Chaos talk, and not necessarily in a good way. I admit I find that a little strange as it is one of my favorite books in the entire series. In my last read through a couple things I noticed were that book 5 was not as good as I remembered but that #6 (Lord) was. A lot of stuff happens. And not just random new stuff but important to the series things that need to happen. And it has one of the best endings.
- coopasonic
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Re: Wheel of Time - Giving It Another Spin (Har Har)
Sanderson writes like a madman. The downside is that he has SO MANY concurrent projects.
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- stessier
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Re: Wheel of Time - Giving It Another Spin (Har Har)
Yep, but they still space this series every 2 or so years. Given the 10 book target, I'll be reading around 2030.coopasonic wrote: ↑Thu Sep 24, 2020 11:25 amSanderson writes like a madman. The downside is that he has SO MANY concurrent projects.
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- Isgrimnur
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Re: Wheel of Time - Giving It Another Spin (Har Har)
It's almost as if people are the problem.
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Re: Wheel of Time - Giving It Another Spin (Har Har)
You are correct. If you look at the two release histories, Sanderson is actually on a slower pace then Jordan was.
Here is Jordan (I left out the first few as he already had them partially written when the first one came out):
#4 The Shadow Rising 15 September 1992
#5 The Fires of Heaven 15 October 1993
#6 Lord of Chaos 15 October 1994
#7 A Crown of Swords 15 May 1996
#8 The Path of Daggers 20 October 1998
#9 Winter's Heart 7 November 2000
#10 Crossroads of Twilight 7 January 2003
Prequel New Spring 6 January 2004
#11 Knife of Dreams 11 October 2005
After that he got sick. 2.5 years between 7&8 was the longest gap. For books of this length I don't think that is bad. Even Sanderson, who most consider one of the fastest writers around has himself said it takes him 1.5 years to write new Stormlight books. With his other projects mixed in his will be done no sooner.
Here is Sanderson:
#1 The Way of Kings August 31, 2010
#2 Words of Radiance March 4, 2014
#3 Oathbringer November 14, 2017
#4 Rhythm of War November 17, 2020
He's currently at a 3 year pace, slower than Jordan's.
- stessier
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Re: Wheel of Time - Giving It Another Spin (Har Har)
I should mention I read his Mistborn series and really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to reading all his series. I just don't like starting something I know isn't finished. I only started The Expanse because I was under the mistaken impression that the 8th book was the last. At least I got lucky and it will be done next year.
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- coopasonic
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Re: Wheel of Time - Giving It Another Spin (Har Har)
I was more comparing Sanderson to the likes of Martin and Rothfuss where I have spent most of my adult life waiting for their next books.
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- Zarathud
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Re: Wheel of Time - Giving It Another Spin (Har Har)
Sanderson writes multiple series. He’s not stuck on one book for years, he’s between projects for years. Big difference.
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"I don't stand by anything." - Trump
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill, Inaugural Address Delivered to the University of St Andrews, 2/1/1867
“It is the impractical things in this tumultuous hell-scape of a world that matter most. A book, a name, chicken soup. They help us remember that, even in our darkest hour, life is still to be savored.” - Poe, Altered Carbon
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Re: Wheel of Time - Giving It Another Spin (Har Har)
Yes, and I mentioned that. Doesn't change the fact that if Stormlight is what you want they come out like I said.
If one of the fastest writers takes 1.5 years to write a book, 2 or 2.5 for a book of similar length for other normal writing speed people seems right on track to me.
- Blackhawk
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Re: Wheel of Time - Giving It Another Spin (Har Har)
Nine years later...Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Jan 14, 2013 2:33 pm I'm a little tempted. I read Eye of the World shortly after it came out. A year or so later, when the second book hit, I re-read the first, then went straight into the second. I missed the third, but when the fourth came out, it had been a long time since I'd read them, so I started again with the first and read straight through. I believe I did that again with the sixth, then read the seventh without going back. I never picked it back up after that, and that's been oh, 17 years.
I'm partway through book three. I've been reminded that A) women are all wise, mysterious, and universally responsible for keeping men from walking off of cliffs, and B) whoever isn't there is the one who doesn't have any problem talking to women.
I'm really enjoying it, though. It's been 26 or 27 years since I last read them, and I remember only a few 'major' scenes without any context. That gives me a clean palette for giving the finished beast a full read (it's the longest fantasy series ever written if you count the prequel.)
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- Blackhawk
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Re: Wheel of Time - Giving It Another Spin (Har Har)
You know, I just realized something about Mat (Spoilers through the end of book 13, haven't finished 14 yet):
Spoiler:
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