Reader Question Day #9 ADDENUM – more on the Wheel of Time

Manwe writes with additional questions about The Wheel of Time:

First of all, I can;t believe you read the entire series all over again, lol! That is one heck of a long saga, and to read most of it twice?? You got a lot more chutzpah than I ever had! I usually only read a tale once, to read Jordan's saga twice?! Madness I tell you! Jokes aside, you must have enjoyed the series alot to do that.

Yep. I read it twice. Specifically, I only read books 1-10 twice. By the time I decided to pick it up again, it had been so long that I feared many of the details had slipped my mind. So I started over from the beginning again.

Nevertheless, the Wheel of Time Wiki proved invaluable for refreshing my memory. They didn't have wikis back in 1998 when I started reading!

And this is where my second point comes in, was it just the piles of unresolved subplots that made it frustrating for you, or was it the length as well, or rather Jordan's habit of 'padding' his books (which I have seen him accused of).

The unresolved subplots. I suspect the subplots were necessary for a story of that size – it's hard to get 13 books out of the same three point-of-view characters. That said, it does slow things down. I don't know if that constitutes "padding", since it retrospect a lot of the subplots do hang together well. Of course, a final judgment will have to wait until the final volume comes out later this year.

Also you recommended that I read to the 200 page mark of the first novel, but then you went on to say in another paragraph how boring the first 200 pages were, and that it was only AFTER the 200 mark that it got good. So which is it then, read to the 200 mark, or should I continue a little further to see if I get hooked as well?

I'd say read the first third of the first book or so, and see if you like it or not.

Next on the list, I have stacks of books to read, adding another series to that pile, especially one as long as Wheel of Time, well you can see why I might be a little hesitant. You seem to like the series very much. So let me ask you this, overall, is it worth my time? Let me say it another way. Of all the many fantasy stories out there, is the Wheel of Time one of the better ones, so that if I didn't read them, I'd be missing out on something great?

I'd say it's one of the better ones. Granted, there's not a lot of competition in the "15 book fantasy series" field. And the comparative worth of literature is almost wholly subjective. But the Wheel of Time did have a big impact on the current fantasy field, since people seem to either hate or love it.

Since you have read through the many books, can you give me a brief synopsis of what the saga is all about. LOTR, for example is about Frodo's quest to destroy the one ring, and thus save middle-earth from the dark lord Sauron. Is there a way you can make a statement like that about Wheel of Time, or does it's many subplots make it to difficult to do so?

Basically, the main character, Rand al'Thor, discovers that he is the reincarnation of the Dragon, a legendary hero who sealed away the Dark One (sort of a combination of Satan, the Gnostic Demiurge, and the Zoroastrian Ahriman) three thousand years earlier. Except the Dragon screwed up, and in the process of sealing the Dark One's prison, the Dark One tainted the male half of the One Power, the source of "magic" in the world. That means that any male magic user inevitably descends into homicidal insanity.

Including Rand, who must somehow stay sane long enough to face the Dark One at the prophesied Last Battle.

Of course, a lot of other stuff happens.

Last but not least, is the world of Wheel of Time worth saving? By that I mean it is not another crapsack world right? I trust you know what I mean by crapsack, seeing as how I remember you used that to describe GRR Martin's world in a previous post. This series is nothing like his right? I'd hate to be immersed into a saga only to have it turn sour on me, that is why I ask. I did hear the books have some eastern/buddhist/hindu philosophy in them, in the sense of an eternal return mechanic working in them, not sure if that is a good thing or not?

Oh, certainly not. The Wheel of Time is nowhere near as nihilistic as A Song Of Ice And Fire, or a lot of the other current popular fantasy series. Granted, there is a lot of violence and some sex, but it's nowhere near as explicit or graphic as A Song Of Ice And Fire.  And Rand, the main character, struggles constantly to do the right thing, or to figure out the right thing to do, even if he frequently goes about it the wrong way, or causes himself (and others) immense harm in the process. (In fact, I didn't catch on to this the first time, but I'd say one of the chief conflicts in the series is Rand's inner struggle, his fight to stay sane and to retain his humanity.)

As for the eastern influences, it's hard to pin down any one thing, since there are a lot of influences in the Wheel of Time. The conflict between the Dark One and the Creator is very dualistic, a bit like the Cathars or the Zoroastrians. There are parts taken from Norse mythology – Rand al'Thor is a lot like the Norse god Tyr, and his friend Matrim Cauthon grows increasingly similar to Odin. Like "Lord of the Rings", there is no organized religion in the series, but everyone seems to share a belief in "the Light" and "the Creator", whereas Darkfriends (secret worshipers of the Dark One) have to stay underground. The idea of "the Wheel of Time" is of course from eastern philosophy. The idea that there is a "male" half and a "female" half to the One Power is intriguing – and I like the premise that neither is superior to the other, and that the greatest works of the One Power could only be achieved by men and women working together. The Aiel nation in the book is a lot like the Apache or the Sioux, and the Children of the Light are a bit like the Teutonic Knights. Arthurian mythology also plays a part – there's a sword in the stone (literally), and several of the character names are Arthurian.

Given the breadth and number of influences, it's difficult to say that the Wheel of Time is an explicitly eastern work – I think Jordan just used whatever he thought would strengthen the story.

-JM