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Hateful Wheel of Time review

#21 User is offline   Rhand 

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Posted 03 July 2011 - 05:07 PM

View PostQuickTidal, on 03 July 2011 - 04:27 PM, said:

View PostMacros, on 03 July 2011 - 04:23 PM, said:

initially yes he likely did, but the second he went past the trilogy, WoT was all about the milk.
to hell with the health of the cow


I normally don't agree with old man Macros...but in this case I agree with him 100%. Beyond the trilogy they just started driving dumptrucks full of money up to RJ's house, and he milked it.


I disagree. But I'm a naive person in that because I ALWAYS want to believe in the good of people, even when it borders on just being stupid. For an example: I prefer to believe most cyclists don't dope, I believe Contador's story about the meat and I still don't really believe Lance cheated despite all the confessions of old teammates in the media. However, I'm not saying I'm being really naive in this case, I'm just giving you guys an insight to my attitude.

Regardless of all that, he STILL wrote for your entertainment. And reading comments from other authors when he died, I think it was a good thing he didn't go for a trilogy. Practically every one of them said his work opened doors for their series. Even if they're just being nice, there's probably a bit of truth in there too.

This post has been edited by Rhand: 03 July 2011 - 05:08 PM

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#22 User is offline   Trull's son 

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Posted 03 July 2011 - 08:06 PM

This review was hilarious, and true. Poor WoT. I'm just glad Sanderson did a fantastic job with the last couple. I'd like to think that Jordan was planning on the last books to be better than the previous 7 (or 8, or 9), but I fear that would not have been the case had he been alive to write them.
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#23 User is offline   Rhand 

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Posted 03 July 2011 - 08:12 PM

View PostTrull, on 03 July 2011 - 08:06 PM, said:

This review was hilarious, and true. Poor WoT. I'm just glad Sanderson did a fantastic job with the last couple. I'd like to think that Jordan was planning on the last books to be better than the previous 7 (or 8, or 9), but I fear that would not have been the case had he been alive to write them.


Most of it has been written by RJ actually.
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#24 User is offline   Cougar 

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Posted 04 July 2011 - 10:43 AM

View PostRhand, on 03 July 2011 - 08:12 PM, said:

View PostTrull, on 03 July 2011 - 08:06 PM, said:

This review was hilarious, and true. Poor WoT. I'm just glad Sanderson did a fantastic job with the last couple. I'd like to think that Jordan was planning on the last books to be better than the previous 7 (or 8, or 9), but I fear that would not have been the case had he been alive to write them.


Most of it has been written by RJ actually.



O RLY? I beleived it was just RJ's extensive notes and Sanderson's prose for the most, if not entire part. Where is Terez when you need her?
I AM A TWAT
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#25 User is online   QuickTidal 

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Posted 11 July 2011 - 04:43 PM

View PostCougar, on 04 July 2011 - 10:43 AM, said:

View PostRhand, on 03 July 2011 - 08:12 PM, said:

View PostTrull, on 03 July 2011 - 08:06 PM, said:

This review was hilarious, and true. Poor WoT. I'm just glad Sanderson did a fantastic job with the last couple. I'd like to think that Jordan was planning on the last books to be better than the previous 7 (or 8, or 9), but I fear that would not have been the case had he been alive to write them.


Most of it has been written by RJ actually.



O RLY? I beleived it was just RJ's extensive notes and Sanderson's prose for the most, if not entire part. Where is Terez when you need her?


I believe he wrote the entire wind POV chaptery thing (from the beginning) in TGS and possibly the first chapter, but the rest of TGS and TOM in its entirety is all him based on notes from RJ. That's how I understood it.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 11 July 2011 - 04:43 PM

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#26 User is offline   Illuyankas 

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Posted 11 July 2011 - 05:02 PM

TGS is slightly more Jordan's writing and notes with some Sanderson in there, while TOM has the least Jordan penned stuff in it.
Hello, soldiers, look at your mage, now back to me, now back at your mage, now back to me. Sadly, he isn’t me, but if he stopped being an unascended mortal and switched to Sole Spice, he could smell like he’s me. Look down, back up, where are you? You’re in a warren with the High Mage your cadre mage could smell like. What’s in your hand, back at me. I have it, it’s an acorn with two gates to that realm you love. Look again, the acorn is now otataral. Anything is possible when your mage smells like Sole Spice and not a Bole brother. I’m on a quorl.
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#27 User is offline   Rhand 

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Posted 11 July 2011 - 05:08 PM

View PostQuickTidal, on 11 July 2011 - 04:43 PM, said:

View PostCougar, on 04 July 2011 - 10:43 AM, said:

View PostRhand, on 03 July 2011 - 08:12 PM, said:

View PostTrull, on 03 July 2011 - 08:06 PM, said:

This review was hilarious, and true. Poor WoT. I'm just glad Sanderson did a fantastic job with the last couple. I'd like to think that Jordan was planning on the last books to be better than the previous 7 (or 8, or 9), but I fear that would not have been the case had he been alive to write them.


Most of it has been written by RJ actually.



O RLY? I beleived it was just RJ's extensive notes and Sanderson's prose for the most, if not entire part. Where is Terez when you need her?


I believe he wrote the entire wind POV chaptery thing (from the beginning) in TGS and possibly the first chapter, but the rest of TGS and TOM in its entirety is all him based on notes from RJ. That's how I understood it.


And I read that RJ finished a good deal of TGS, a few chapters in ToM (including ToG-shizzle) and a lot of the ending.
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#28 User is offline   targle 

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Posted 27 November 2011 - 07:47 PM

Maybe I've just been reading them too long, or I'm not well enough educated. But I just enjoy the story.
I for one will be gutted when its all over. I've been reading the series for around 20 years now. I cried when RJ died and I've been made up with how well Sanderson has taken over.
Matt dressed up in pink ribbons was hilarious and I regulary laugh out loud at it.
Why can't more people write cash cows like this?

It's also worth pointing out that although he didn't invent the idea, until the massive success if these books there really wasn't that much around that didn't start with a plucky scullion and end with the docking revelation that he (said scullion) was not only the saviour of the world, but also related in some obvious way to a dead king.
Erickson and Grrm are both brilliant writers, but in my opinion they would've found it much harder to get their books published if JR hadn't already shown that dozens of morally grey POVs could make money.
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#29 User is offline   HoosierDaddy 

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Posted 27 November 2011 - 09:29 PM

I'm glad you like WoT. I like it too.

I'd really also like an example of these "dozens of morally grey povs." WoT is as black and white (often literally) as it comes.
Trouble arrives when the opponents to such a system institute its extreme opposite, where individualism becomes godlike and sacrosanct, and no greater service to any other ideal (including community) is possible. In such a system rapacious greed thrives behind the guise of freedom, and the worst aspects of human nature come to the fore....
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#30 User is offline   JLV 

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Posted 27 November 2011 - 09:39 PM

I also like Wheel of Time. It's rather slow, but I'm reading Covenant currently, and it surpasses. RJ had such a hilariously girly prose, but his overall story was interesting and it was my introduction into non-dragonlance fantasy.
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#31 User is offline   targle 

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Posted 27 November 2011 - 11:12 PM

Maybe "morally grey" isn't quite the right term.

What I mean is that I'm never sure who is good and who is bad.
(although there are plenty of clues. I'm sure that if I did either write things down or have a memory, I'd know exactly who was doing what. But then it would spoil the fun)

I also like the idea that people who are good can be working against Rand because of the harm he's destined to do. (although in fairness that never really happens, damn you tavern twisting of the threads of time)
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#32 User is offline   Pig Iron 

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Posted 28 November 2011 - 12:12 AM

Had not seen this one, best summary of WoT ever :crybaby: Always thought it strange that there's so little written about the heavy S/M elements of it. So much is about dominance games between the sexes, and a book like KoD has spanking in every single chapter. Not that there's anything wrong with that if it's your thing, and the sexless sex must be part of the series attraction.

This post has been edited by Pig Iron: 28 November 2011 - 06:38 AM

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#33 User is offline   braders1234 

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Posted 08 February 2013 - 10:16 PM

I am just about to finish the 7th book, Crown of Swords. I really enjoyed the comedic review but the fact that I read it tonight says a lot

I am looking for inspiration to carry on.

An an aside I have also read a few articles tonight about how sexist towards woman Jordan was when I have just read the most unbelievable systematic raping of a man by a womann that is possible. Apparently all Mats female friends are aware its going on and seem to find it mildly amusing. If this was a woman being dragged into a kings bedroom by his men at arms to be raped I cant imagine it being published!

Dont get me wrong I like a bawdy adventure as much as the next guy but the double standards seem strange.

Anyway back to the series. Can anyone give me the energy to carry on, I have read all 7 books so far , back to back and I am finding myself increasingly skipping forward. I have internal monologues
screaming my hatred for Nynaene tugging her frigging braid and her general stupid pigheadedness and why dont the main protagonists tell each other really important stuff that ight be helpful for them to know? I have literrally no idea whom the different swarms of Aes Sedai are.




perhaps I need a break, but I am increasingly thinking of reading synopsis's of the following books chapters just to know what happened.


Crown of swords seems to have been 500 pages of nothing happening other than confusing subplots and detailed descriptions of nothing happening with a core of 100 pages of interesting writting. It is difficult for me to think of what has happened in this book other than finally the Senachen re-invading and the girls finally finding the bloody bowl of winds?


I need help!


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#34 User is offline   acesn8s 

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Posted 11 February 2013 - 09:14 PM

My take on Mat and Berlain was more of Mat being upset that she was leading than that they were dancing. He was more than happy to dance, he just wanted to lead.

I found one of the later books to be even more frustrating than CoS. There are also some really good books coming up. So, I would say if you are struggling to finish the series, you may want to step away for a while. Read some other stuff and maybe you'll crave some hair pulling, dress smoothing, wool-headed, cast of hundreds, epic fantasy again.
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#35 User is offline   Tehol the Only 

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Posted 13 February 2013 - 03:09 AM

Braders one advice i can give you is: don't skip. Take a break every 5 minutes if you feel the need, but don't skip, it'll only make thing worse(effectively killing your dedication to the series).
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#36 User is offline   Macros 

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Posted 17 February 2013 - 07:10 PM

if you struggled with book 7, boy you're gonna hate 8 and 9
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#37 User is offline   Mikkelinski 

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Posted 17 February 2013 - 07:21 PM

Isn't everyone calling 10 the worst? Crossroads of Twilight? Hearing that after finishing Winter's Heart (9) made me get something else to read, thought I will be finishing it sometime. Ive always found that http://limyaael.live...com/302111.html (Limyaael's rant on Jordan and Goodkin) is a pretty accurate picture, thought I don't agree with it all, and as for how it relates to Goodkin I have no idea (haven't read that). Forgot all about her rants until yesterday, they are interesting overall I think, and this one relates to the topic here.
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#38 User is offline   Macros 

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Posted 17 February 2013 - 07:35 PM

I cant remember which one was the worst, I just remember that after 6 it was a massive slide into meandering bullshit.
I haven't read Sandy's work yet because, well, I would have to do a recap to get me a full frame of reference to continue, and I'm not willing to invest my time in that.
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#39 User is offline   Hinter 

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Posted 18 February 2013 - 06:43 AM

Perhaps we need a thread entitled "How far through WoT did you get before jacking it in?"


Crossroads of Twilight was also the deal breaker for me. After struggling to the end of it I really could not be bothered any more. I'll never go back to it now because, as Macros says, I'd have to start again at the beginning and I just can't be arsed to slog through the crap ones again.




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#40 User is offline   Mikkelinski 

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Posted 18 February 2013 - 04:15 PM

When I eventually start up again I won't be re-reading the first 9, If anything I'll just consult with the internet (the Wiki is quite detailed) if I so require. Sure I might miss out on some foreshadowing, but I do that anyway.
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