Need Advice on WoT Series

[djme]

Hi all,

I'm semi new to this genre. I've finished RR Martin and Hobb (loved both). I've now finished the first 4 books of WoT. Through reading reviews, many people say the series starts to slow down after book 4 or 6 or 7. Everyone has different opinions on this. My question is this:

How does the series start to fall off? Is it still readable after book 7? Should I just read synopsis on books 8-11? Or should suffer through it or speed read said novels?

Let me also say this, I love this series thus far. Books 1 and 3 were good and I thought books 2 and 4 were amazing.

Thanks everyone in advance!

[Evil Agent]

Just keep reading, is my suggestion. If you are liking it this much, you will probably want to keep with the series. But in my opinion, this is what happens:

The subplots around book 7 start to take up most of the book, and (in my opinion) become fairly boring.

Book 8 is okay, not quite as bad as some people would have you believe, but nothing special.

Book 9 is a slight improvement.

Book 10 is the worst of the entire series.

Book 11 is pretty good.

Sadly, Robert Jordan just passed away before finishing the 12th (and final) volume.

[cougs]

Just keep reading, is my suggestion.

i agree.

In my opinion the series as a whole is much easier to read now that books 1-11 are out. Reading WoT is a much more enjoyable experience if you have all the books fresh in your mind, still care for the characters, still want to see what happens, etc. I guess the "good feelings" you get from the early books kinda carry over to the later volumes. When there was 1~2 yr breaks in between books it got pretty rough since it was easy to move onto other things and forget/stop caring about what is going to happen next.

and, welcome to the board!

[Bond]

My take on the whole WoT takes a steep downturn after books 4, 6, 7, or whatever (take your pick) is that after a certain point in the middle of the series Jordan managed to create such an interesting brew of possibilities that the reader is left craving a satisfying resolution to at least some of them which one could be forgiven for thinking will come in the next book---except that it doesn't. And it doesn't come in the next one either, or the one afterwards. Instead what you get are a whole slew of new characters and less interesting subplots that drag on and on and that have little bearing on all the good stuff left hanging three books ago. The indulgent repetition and tedious attention to detail also becomes wearying when what you really want is plot development.

It's frustrating especially when you have years in between books and were anxiously hoping certain things would be resolved with the new release but find they weren't even mentioned. My guess is that if you are only starting now and have pretty much the whole series available it won't come off as annoying since there will be no waiting between books until the last but you'll probably notice the big slowdown in later books. His writing doesn't really change, it's like his writing in slower parts of earlier books but extended and without the strong finishes that tied them up. In my mind there are three subplots that become tiresome later on that I might skip on a reread but I find that there is still enough new and interesting in each book that I don't think you should skip any book entirely. The poorest WoT books may descend to the rung of ordinary but I don't see the justification in labelling any of them as dreadful as others I think get carried away in doing.

[Power to the J]

I've never noticed a downturn or decline at all, but I started the series late. I guess that goes with what Bond says. I tore through all of the books, and after 4, kept expecting the next one to be bad, and it never was. Just keep on keeping on I say...but just about everybody else has as well.

[Bluestar]

The books are not bad, it's just that people didn't get enough out of each books and were pissed at having to wait for the next one to come out. It's different when you've got them all and can get your fill.

Personally I think the subplots introduced in the later books are better than the plot in the previous books.

[clockwirk]

Personally I think the subplots introduced in the later books are better than the plot in the previous books.

It's not the quality of the plots that is the problem. It's the fact that the plots are rarely (if ever) resolved.

[Bluestar]

It's not the quality of the plots that is the problem. It's the fact that the plots are rarely (if ever) resolved.

That's because they are not supposed to be resolved until the end.

[clockwirk]

That's because they are not supposed to be resolved until the end.

Um, OK...But here's the thing.
In the beginning of the story RJ would introduce a new twist or thread into the story line and I would find myself thinking, "Wow. This is really complex. I wonder how he's going to tie this up at the end." And I would be very excited and intrigued by the depth of his overall story. I had never read anything like it before.

Several books later RJ was still introducing new threads and layers to the story but not resolving, or even progressing on, many of his older story lines. Many times a thread would be left as a cliff-hanger to be resolved (presumably) in the next volume. So I'd wait 2-4 years only to find out that that particular story line wasn't even visited at all.

Now RJ has written himself into a place where there are no good options. He keeps introducing complexity, but all it serves to do is convince me that the final book is going to be very unfulfilling. Too many deep plot lines resolved to fast for what they deserve. And many plot lines, I fear, won't be resolved at all. His later books are bogged down with the detail of all of these story lines which means that some books barely move chronologically at all. His most important plot arcs sometimes get 2 or 3 chapters at most per book.

Yes, the threads should be resolved at the end of the story. The problem is that the end of the story should have begun 3 books ago, and lasted over a 4 book span to give proper treatment to all of the plot lines.

my opinion, of course.

[Power to the J]

Um, OK...But here's the thing.
In the beginning of the story RJ would introduce a new twist or thread into the story line and I would find myself thinking, "Wow. This is really complex. I wonder how he's going to tie this up at the end." And I would be very excited and intrigued by the depth of his overall story. I had never read anything like it before.

Several books later RJ was still introducing new threads and layers to the story but not resolving, or even progressing on, many of his older story lines. Many times a thread would be left as a cliff-hanger to be resolved (presumably) in the next volume. So I'd wait 2-4 years only to find out that that particular story line wasn't even visited at all.

Now RJ has written himself into a place where there are no good options. He keeps introducing complexity, but all it serves to do is convince me that the final book is going to be very unfulfilling. Too many deep plot lines resolved to fast for what they deserve. And many plot lines, I fear, won't be resolved at all. His later books are bogged down with the detail of all of these story lines which means that some books barely move chronologically at all. His most important plot arcs sometimes get 2 or 3 chapters at most per book.

Yes, the threads should be resolved at the end of the story. The problem is that the end of the story should have begun 3 books ago, and lasted over a 4 book span to give proper treatment to all of the plot lines.

my opinion, of course.

I agree with the part about the story should have ended earlier I guess. That being said, I don't think the last book would be unfulfilling. While there still will be a few plots left unresolved, I think that it will answer most of our questions. It better

[Evil Agent]

You all know that he has passed away, right??

[Power to the J]

Yeah, but he already wrote the notes for how it ends and at least started it, plus there are a bunch of writers (or so I have heard) working on the last book, so it'll pretty much be WoT with a slightly different writing style. Hopefully....

[elric01]

My advise is to stop now. The first five books are okay but after that they are sooooo boring I regret ever starting them. I have read all 11 of them hoping they would get better but they do not. People in this forum who are more eloquent and thoughtful than me have listed the MANY reasons why these books suck so much. They should have been finished around the 6th book but he just keeps dragging it out. In some of the books you can read 600 pages and NOTHING HAPPENS but a lot of talking and plotting and women complaining and..................sorry I fell asleep just thinking about it. Here is what you can expect for the next 6,000 pages;


"Rand knows a lot about women." Mat thinks.
"Mat knows a lot about women". Rand says.
Nynave tugs her braid in anger.
"She will change her mind after a good spanking." The Aes Sedai or Wise Ones say.
SHE (Meaning all women in this series) sniffed in anger.
Men will cringe in fear at the least little thought of making a woman angry.
None of the women in this series treat each other with even the smallest amount of decency. They all are constantly snooty and angry and threatening to spank each other. Even the ones who are supposed to like each other.
Plot lines wil be left unaddressed for hundreds of pages until you forget about them and if he ever picks it up again you dont care or cant remember what was happening.
A character you like will disappear for two books which is like 1,600 pages so by the time you see them again (if you ever do) you have forgotten what they were doing and why.
You will be introduced to dozens of new characters every other chapter until you are totally confused as to who is doing what and most will have names you cant pronounce but you will know what they are wearing and why they chose to wear it and how many pearls lined their clothing.
Mr. Jordan will waste hours of your life detailing the clothes the women wear but not advancing the plot or stoy line.

***************SPOILER ALERT DONT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED AT LEAST THE 7th BOOK***********


Rand gets to choose from three different girls and they choose to share him. Yeah, we all know women who are cool with that!
Everything listed above happens over and over and over again until you know it is coming every time.

[elric01]

You all know that he has passed away, right??

Duh..yeah.

[columbob]

You all know that he has passed away, right??

And that no official announcement has been made as to whether the final book will be published, whether it is unfinished or finished by someone else than RJ. So all we write here is pure speculation, fueled by a few hints.