[Aimless]

I admit, I liked the novel version better because I'm a nerd/junkie and wanted more backstory

[Terez]

Aimless;336188 said:

Huh, I remember the days when all we had to go on wuz our MEMORIES

lol...I remember those days with WoT too, before I had ebooks or access to the search engine. The didn't last long, fortunately. And now I'm spoiled.

Aimless said:

It's a very sweet idea, and I am very impressed with theoryland's implementation.

I'm wondering if perhaps it wouldn't be good to tag some passages with, er, tags, as well

Well, it seems a lot of extra programming work for something that's not really necessary. Finding good keywords is sometimes difficult, but if you want the most commonly needed quotes for a subject, then Brood's quote database will probably do the trick.

By the by, I just came across this quote from RJ, from between the publications of The Fires of Heaven and Lord of Chaos, when he was just starting to get accustomed to his scrutinizing fanbase:

RJ said:

One thing -- don't think you've reached bottom in your digging. I tried to make the books fairly simple on the surface, and quite complex underneath. You've dug up a number of points that I thought I had buried well enough that they wouldn't come to light for some time yet (don't expect me to say which ones), and you've also dug up one or two that I never buried in the first place (no hints there, either). Jordan's Law, I think, can better be stated along these ~lines: "Ah, you think you know how the game goes now? Very good, gentlemen. what say we increase the bets just to make it interesting?".

So this is where RJ started getting sidetracked, right? Progressively so after Lord of Chaos...but at the same time, this is why I like the later books so much. There was a lot of complex clue-dropping in them - he gave us over-scrutinizing fans a bunch of neat stuff to play with. IMO, the story only suffers if you're in a hurry. I can understand why it would suck waiting 3 years for each book when each book progressively moves slower, but books don't exist only for the time that they are made - they stay around forever. Most of us can read a tome the size of RJ's in around a week - a month at most if we're really busy, right? - and there's a big difference in that and 3 years.

I know that some of your opinions don't have anything to do with that as you read them recently...just sayin.

[Terez]

Werthead;336237 said:

I'd say steer well clear of the novel version. The first half or so is extremely poorly-written, among some of RJ's most lacklustre writing. I'd say track down the short story version that appeared in Legends as it was much better, or the comic book adaption although IIRC due to the licensers messing around the comic book wasn't finished.

I was bored to death with the Legends version, but the novel version was awesome. I

What did you think was so bad about it?

By the way...I made my own html file for New Spring, as the only handy version on the net was the Legends version, so I've scrutinized the two against each other extensively...and there was some stuff that was switched around a bit, but the Legends version was essentially wholly a part of the novel version - the novel version only added to it. And while the Legends version mostly focused on Lan, and didn't begin until after Moiraine was raised Aes Sedai and went to the Borderlands, the novel version went back to the night Rand was born, and the Foretelling. I'm with Aimless on this one - the backstory was great stuff. Moiraine and Siuan are two of my favorite characters, especially Moiraine, and I think that seeing her as a young woman added a great deal of depth to what was already a fantastic character.

[Pig Iron]

Amazon has all of the MBOTF searchable, though only one book at a time. You get short quotes and can also get the entire page. I think you can search as many times as you like, but only get the full page a limited amount of times. I haven't figured out how to copy/paste the quotes.

[Aimless]

Btw, apropos of comparisons between Erikson's and Jordan's works... is there any repository of Malazan fanfiction (humorous or otherwise), anywhere?

[Terez]

Pig Iron;336248 said:

Amazon has all of the MBOTF searchable, though only one book at a time. You get short quotes and can also get the entire page. I think you can search as many times as you like, but only get the full page a limited amount of times. I haven't figured out how to copy/paste the quotes.

You probably can't copy/paste cause they're probably scanned images rather than converted to text. And you probably can only search words or phrases, knowing that format (which bites).

[Gabriele]

Xander;302597 said:

My favorite oddity from WoT was how most of the women had nice perky breasts.

All recruited from the HAWT GIRLS thread.

And they probably use their magic the way Hollywood actresses and models use a cosmetic surgeon.

[Optimus Prime]

Even the uggos had big boobs.....RJ was definitely a boob man.

I'm going to keep my expectations low...that way if the last book is even decent I'll be happy

[Gabriele]

Xander;336567 said:

RJ was definitely a boob man.

Aren't most men?

[Optimus Prime]

Gabriele;336571 said:

Aren't most men?

Nah.

Not that I don't like em...

To steer this back on topic before it is derailed and taken over by the "HAWT" thread lovers...what does everyone think the last book will be on a scale of 1-10? 10 being awesome, 1 being a disaster.

I'm expecting a 5.....

[Gabriele]

Xander;336574 said:

To steer this back on topic before it is derailed and taken over by the "HAWT" thread lovers

Och, the HAWT thread lovers aren't that bad. It's the Evil Chicken That is Not a Chicken you have to beware of. It has been sighted rather frequently on the forums these days.


I'm not sure about Sanderson's book. I have to read WoT first and see how far I'll get because I'm a ruthless series abandoner if I start to get bored. Depending on that, I may or may not buy the last book.

[Optimus Prime]

I have to finish it, I started WoT so long ago that I have to see it through...though my regard for the series is much lower than it was 5+ years ago

I'm not a huge Sanderson fan. MISTBORN isn't bad but not anything to rave about.

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

I'm hoping for a 4, about the lowest score i can stand without having to force myself to finish.

[Optimus Prime]

LOL, RLY and Xander....aiming high!

I'll always remember WoT for the good times....but also realize that it's not the epic series it could've been

[Terez]

I As if that weren't obvious...

I try not to think too much about how the last book will turn out. It will turn out like it turns out...

[Optimus Prime]

That's a good way of looking at it.

Who knows? Maybe he'll nail it and it will be awesome. It'd be a nice bonus

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

I'm certainly rooting for it to be good.

[Terez]

Yeah, me too. Big difference between rooting and hoping.

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

I'm not sure how I'll read this book. I own the rest of the series, but I can't see myself dropping the cash to buy it new in hardback. I don't want to wait forever to read it though, as I would like to take part in the inevitable discussion.

Maybe I'll just wait and pick it up from the bargain bin at the grocery store!

[Gabriele]

My box arrived today. Nice little thing, though it has those cheesy covers with questionable anatomy and perspective.

Since I'm usually reading more than one book at the same time, I'll give Deadhouse Gates and Bloodheir a break and read a few chapters of Jordan tonight. One of the problems, I think, is the fact I came to WoT after Martin, Abercrombie, Keyes, Ruckley and Erikson - whose books I just love. I had no problems getting into Gardens of the Moon and when I finisehd that, I bought the rest of the lot up to Reaper's Gale. But Jordan is a different generation of Fantasy. I'm sure if I had read him when I was through with Eddings and Feist and had just discovered David Gemmell and Tad Williams (his Memory, Sorrow and Thorn is still one of my favourite series), I'd have loved at least the first books. But I didn't want to start on an unfinished series back then, a rule I only broke when Feast of Crows came out and I just Could Not Wait Any Longer To Get Started.

Well, we'll see. There's nothing wrong with an easy read and fun romp, if it turns out to be that.