The Dragon Reborn
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It's a great series, but it is indeed a slow moving one. The characters change very gradually, and nothing seems to happen within the space of 10 pages, or even 100 pages.Keep in mind that you're less than 30% done with the series, so their changes are still relatively minor :).
I stopped reading at book 10. The story was great, but starting to move more and more slowly. The author spent a lot of time expanding the story with more and more characters. Unfortunately, this caused him to lose sight of the main storyline. The series would have been much better if he had had separate series in the same world.
At least read book 3, which is the one that I have enjoyed most so far (I'm only on book 4 though, and there are reports that when Brandon Sanderson comes in on book 12 the books perk up a lot after the middle slump. There are a lot of books and pages and hours to go before that though...) Unfortunately, a lot of reports say about the repetition and the 2D characters (with particular reference to Nynaeve tugging her braid), but if it is something you can put up with, then continue. I'm looking forward to reading the finale :)
I've read all of them and now impatiently awaiting the final one. The books do get slow in some parts but are well worth it. I found books 8-11 pretty hard going but perservered, when Brandon Sanderson started writing on them they took on a whole new life. I read the last one really quick, couldn't put it down, he brought everyone back together into the concise story it started out as.
The first of the series (The Eye of the World) was a gift to me some years ago, but since then I have continued with the series, because even though some parts were slow, the rest made the series worth the read. I also am awaiting with impatience the finale of the series.
I would agree that the main characters are at first a bit whimpy. But then again they are just three backwater boys who get whisked away from their homes in rather uncertain circumstances. I also agree that many of the female characters seem overbearing, however I would argue it is a cultural issue in this fictional world. Many of the female characters warm up in the later books and many of the male characters grow up as the story progresses. I started reading this series in the early 1990's and I am eagerly awaiting its conclusion.
Thanks for all of the replies. I'm glad to hear that all of the characters do fall into their roles nicely. Even as I have started the 4th book I can see the subtle changes starting to take place.
Really hooked on this series; except like other commenters, there was one books and parts of books 8-11 that were slow going (more in the meanwhile-back-at-the-ranch style and the one book I had trouble with, can't remember exactly where falls in series, was more like adventures/day-in-the-life-of characters but story just didn't move along). Can't rave enough about Sanderson's books (and I really put off reading those thinking I would not like another author messing in with series -- really surprised me pleasantly).
I am really looking forward to reading the ones that Sanderson wrote/co-wrote. He has been one of my favorite authors after I read the Mistborn series...Way of Kings is awesome!
Keep reading, I've been waiting for the series to end for forever but it's not cause I feel a duty to see it to the end but because I really did grow to like the characters. Like just about everyone was saying it is slow moving but it's worth taking the time. I think the characters develop realistically, they have to learn rather than wake up and be awesome. Some of them get worse but a lot of them get better. I am caught up and waiting for the final book to come out and at this point I can say that there are only a small handful of characters that I try to rush through and only one or two are main ones. It's worth it!
I would definately recommend persevering. I actually enjoyed the slow portion in the middle books but can understand why some have struggled. I read through books 1-10 three times but by the time book 11 was published I just couldn't bring myself to start again! I also have to agree with the other commenters regarding Brandon Sanderson. I was skeptical (at best) but his books in this series have been superb. I cannot wait for the last.
If you can get passed the 5th through the 10th books, then it gets interesting again. Those five books are more politics than anything. The story is awsome though, and worth reading all the way through...
This series is one of those which drags on but you can't help but keep reading. It's worth it to stick it out.
Ecsyle wrote: "Hello,I just started here on Good Reads. Basically I just want to know if I should continue reading this series. So far I have enjoyed the plot and am excited to continue on and figure out what..."
Keep reading, it does drag on but by book 9 i got right back into it. It's one of those must reads...
I stopped at book 9 - the plot really dragged from book 3/4 forward and stopped moving around book 7 or 8. If I remember correctly, book 9 actually covered about 3 or 4 days - in 1000 pages.
I am not minding book 9 at all. I hear it does pick up.
I'm pretty certain it would not have picked up if the original author had not died and others had to write the story to the end.I wonder if the change of authors affected anything other than the pace of the books? Writing style? Mood?
Yeah... book 12/13 have Brandon Sanderson writing, a good friend of mine who has read them all say that Brandon's writing is way better than Roberts... he says the writing style is so much better, guess i will make that judgement call once i get there. I will let ya know over the next little while how it goes, i should be done book 9 in the next week or so.
I quit reading after about book seven. It made me sad the first three were so great, but the kept getting worse and worse and there was no end in sight, I wouldn't bother going on.
The middle books start to get really slow. RJ starts to talk a lot more about clothes and stuff.It picks up again though. and book for is one of the best in the series.
KEEP READING!!! Some of it is tough to get through, but eventually you get to the point where you HAVE to see what happens. I'm anxiously (but not patiently) waiting for the last book to come out.
Definitely keep reading! The series really slumps in the middle as far as plot progression is concerned, but it picks back up full pace with book 11, Knife of Dreams. Jordan makes a fantastic exit with his final novel in the series and then Sanderson picks up at full pace to bring the series to its conclusion. The characters definitely grow and mature and towards the middle and end of the series, and we find ourselves with grown men and women vs the kids of Emonds Field we started with. I can't wait for A Memory of Light!
I totally agree Doppelganger!
I both agree, and disagree with your comments. Although there have been a few lulls, we've had our good share of intrigue, and have embarked upon an incredible journey together. I have a few pages left of "The Gathering Storm" to read, and I can't wait to see how the rest of the adventure unfolds. Kudos to both authors.
Nate wrote: "I stopped reading at book 10. The story was great, but starting to move more and more slowly. The author spent a lot of time expanding the story with more and more characters. Unfortunately, this c..."You made it further than I did -- I stopped somewhere in the midst of book six, if I recall correctly. I have been assured by others that when Brandon Sanderson took over the series got much better. I do plan to slog through the rest of them, just to get to Sanderson's take on the world.
Eventually.
you are just getting to where things change, on every level. I found the women nearly nasty myself, but it didn't hinder my reading at all. there are a few points where I felt like it may be dragging on,but in a series with as many volumes as this how could they not. The characters grow big time, and eventually stop the whining, and get in there and getter done :) keep it up
I guess I'm one of the few who don't care for Brandon Sanderson's style of writing. I've read some of his books and his characters seem wooden and undeveloped. I believe that the story picks up in the last books because the characters have finally developed to where the whininess and immaturity are gone and they are now ready to get the job done. I've read the whole series at least ten times (I don't have much of a life other than reading and writing) and I could tell which parts of the story where written by Jordan and which by Sanderson. It is definitely my all time favorite epic fantasy.
having just finished the last book in the series i can say there is only one answer the question "Continue Reading? " which is a very definite yes, the fist few books get you into it, the middle books yes are hard going, but i builds each characters motives, so when you get to the final book it is only action.
I don't know if Robert Jordan had not passed away the last books would have read like they did. no one will know (i like to think they would have), but thanks Robert for developing the plot line and the characters so brilliantly and thanks Brandon Sanderson for finishing it.
I don't know if Robert Jordan had not passed away the last books would have read like they did. no one will know (i like to think they would have), but thanks Robert for developing the plot line and the characters so brilliantly and thanks Brandon Sanderson for finishing it.
I stopped reading this series after book four I believe. I felt the women were all written as stereotypical and man-hating and the plots became predictable. Everything developed too slowly for me and the books just grew longer and longer. I enjoyed the first three books but they just couldn't hold my interest. I did like the overall writing style but not the direction the plots were going.
One of the hallmarks of a god fiction writer is knowing what to stop. This series was awesome...right up until book six or seven - then it was like, "dude, seriously?" Made me quit reading them.
....of course the edit doesn't work. God fiction writer? yeah, that too!
im on book 5 and its much easier to listen with an audio book, and ive also heard that Brandons writings pick the book up a lot, so im going to power through and finish the series
Ecsyle wrote: "I am really looking forward to reading the ones that Sanderson wrote/co-wrote. He has been one of my favorite authors after I read the Mistborn series...Way of Kings is awesome!"The last three books were great. I agree with other post, that the two or three books prior to Jordan's death, were not his best, but that was understandable, considering.
Definitely keep reading. As others have said, the story does move slowly; but the characters are so deep and intriguing that I couldn't put it down. I really appreciate when an author takes such pains to truly develop an entire world around the characters. Many times the author just keeps driving the plot through until the end, and I wind up getting to the end feeling unsatisfied.
I love it when a book is so deep that it takes me a month to read it. That is exactly what the wheel of time series does.
I have read every single one of them, and while there are some books that have a faster pace and more action than others, each one I found to be utterly fascinating. Now that the series is over; I am a bit sad.
I am in book 7 now. The core story is great, but I struggle a bit because of all the characters I can't remember who are. And also it's a bit hard to read Jordan's writing style. But I really want to finish just to read Sanderson's contribution. He is a master!
I loved the whole series with the exception of Crossroads of Twilight.
I quit in the middle of book 4. I hated everyone and the fact that there was so much more useless description in future book was a major turn off.
Stephen wrote: "Ecsyle wrote: "I am really looking forward to reading the ones that Sanderson wrote/co-wrote. He has been one of my favorite authors after I read the Mistborn series...Way of Kings is awesome!"Th..."
I enjoyed Way of the Kings. I own the Mistborn, but haven't started reading them.
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I just started here on Good Reads. Basically I just want to know if I should continue reading this series. So far I have enjoyed the plot and am excited to continue on and figure out what will happen.
My hesitation comes in this though: In some fashion the characters annoy me. It seems as though (and this is a generalization but it seems to be mostly true) all of the women are hard, hate all men and are continually trying to dominate whoever they can. They all seem to be the same character with different names with only a few exceptions.
Likewise the main men characters, with the exception of Lan and Loial, they seem to be very whinny and reluctant to do anything that they need to do.
There seems to be great promise of these characters falling into their role and becoming individuals. However, after three books I still haven't really seen this happen as much as I'd like. It seems as though the plot is working in-spite of the characters not because of them.
Any help would be appreciated.