a probably premature discussion of what the next group challenge should be

[Allan]

Not all of them are traveling, the characters have to find their places in the drama. I was so engaged by the first book that I just kept going, even though the last few weren’t written. But it does have an ending, and a pretty spectacular one imho.

[Kalin]

Robert Jordan was very much a "pantser" in terms of writing style and got very bogged down in the expanded worldbuilding of the middle books. They were criticized a lot for meandering quite a bit before finding a trajectory again towards the last 4 or so.

But Kateblue is talking about the early books which were quite on track by comparison.

[Allan]

No offense to anyone here, but I find that a very weak criticism, just like I do with GoT fandom. The author has a plan for how it's going to go, and if it doesn't suit the fans or the critics, the author gets slammed. Sure, there are authors who are wordy and can expand a story inefficiently, we've talked about them (looking at you, Neal Stephenson), but I didn't find it so with Jordan. We've said the same about The Expanse, but there it's more like some books are better than others. GoT fans couldn't wait for them to finish, and when they did, they got slammed for rushing it to a close. So which way do you want it? I'd rather have GRRM do it at his own pace, how he wants it, than have him rush to a crappy end product.

[Kalin]

I personally never had a problem with the pantsing, but I think Jordan was very guilty of it. Once I'm invested in the world and the characters, like I was with WOT, I would be happy to continue reading indefinitely.

Also, GRRM isn't going to give us an end product (for ASOIAF), crappy or otherwise.

[Art, Stay home, stay safe.]

Kateblue wrote: "If I have NOTHING else to read I might start the first one again. But probably not.

At least I know that there is an ENDING now. When I quit, I felt there would never be one.

Though I am not mu..."

I think I've read the first and third books when I was a kid. The library didn't have any other volumes so I just forgot about it over the years.
But yes, I remember a lot of traveling involved

[Joe]

I read WoT I while back.. .took me 3 tries to get through the first book.. the beginning was THAT boring.

At the time, I travelled for work, so on the 3rd try I brought it with me on a cross-country trip, so I had no choice but to read it. ONce I got into it, it was pretty good. It REALLY picks up around book 4.. then it grinds to a screeching halt as the weight of the world building is too much in books 7 and 8. Book 9 (I think) the big event the rest of the books were leading too happens... I waited anxiously for the next book. Then it came out, and the entire 800+ page book was all about what everyone ELSE was doing when the event happened, and didn't forward teh plot at all.

I was slightly willing to give that a pass, then the next book released was a prequel (New SPring). I never read the rest. Its clear the series would have never ended or progressed without Sanderson picking it up... just like GRRM ... or Rothfuss... or even Scott Lynch (just re-read Locke Lamora for my local in person book club).

While I greatly enjoying reading a long series with you guys.. that one's definitely not for me.. I have way too many better books to read than tp spend that long re-reading WoT.

[Allan]

I read all of Jordan’s books and of course had to stop when he died. The series had its ups and downs, natural for a work of that length. I can wholeheartedly agree on the first book. I picked it up to test the water and got totally sucked in once it got going. I waited to read the Sanderson books till they were done, then blitzed them. And I did not regret it one bit. There was no drop in quality and the writing was completely seamless with Jordan’s.

After 14 books, it would be easy to be disappointed in an ending that didn’t live up to the series and was anti-climactic, regardless of the author. In this case, you had that to overcome as well as a different author. And I was not disappointed in the least. The finale was spectacular and easily transcended those difficulties. I’d recommend finishing it out, Joe!