The Wheel of Time: a brief review

[claidheamhmor]

"The Wheel of Time turns, and ages come and pass,
leaving memories that become legend.
Legends fade to myth, and even myth is long forgotten
when the Age that gave it birth comes again."

I spent the last couple of months re-reading Robert Jordan's "The Wheel of Time" series, books 1 through 11, plus the prequel, "New Spring". Now, I've read the whole series before, and I've read the earlier books in the series multiple times, and found parts somewhat long and complex; this time, I decided not to skim, but to pay attention to events more than I have done in previous readings. It made a difference; being able to keep track of the many events and characters made the story easier to follow.

Now, there's no mistaking the fact that this series is long. There are 11 books out, with one more to come - but the final book, "A Memory of Light", will be split into three parts, to be released in November 2009, 2010 and 2011. That's a serious number of pages. The Wheel of Time has been castigated somewhat for its length, and certainly it's daunting when you're used to a small 3-5 book series. There, however, some good reasons that the series is so long.

One is the number of major characters. In most fantasy series, the story typically follows one character or a group of characters through the tale in a relatively linear fashion, with occasion diversions into other characters. Even in something like Lord of the Rings, where there are two or three groups being followed, they're generally not being followed simultaneously. By contrast, in The Wheel of Time, there are 6 major characters - Rand, Mat, Perrin, Egwene, Elaine, and Nynaeve - and while they are together at some points, for much of the series, they are involved in their own separate story lines, all running contemporaneously. So, in a way, the reader is getting six separate viewpoints of the whole story. In addition, there must be dozens of minor characters that have a chapter or more (sometimes many more) dedicated to their viewpoints.

Another is the massively grand scale of the world. The world (Randland, as it's known to fans) is worked out in fairly extreme detail; the countries, peoples, customs, legends, languages/accents, history, weapons and magic are all so detailed that it makes me, a D&D world builder, absolutely green with envy. I have no idea how Robert Jordan managed to keep track of everything, and keep it all consistent. I imagine Jordan's organisational methods and notes are some of the reasons it's even possible for Brandon Sanderson to write the final book of the series.

There are some downsides to all this detail, of course. One is that with so many characters, there are inevitably characters with names that sound somewhat similar, and that can be a bit confusing. Also, trying to remember everything that's happened in the books can be daunting; given that some seemingly minor events turn out to be quite relevant several books later, one can end up desperately trying to remember what had happened earlier.

There are many good points about the series. Some of these are:

• The magic system, utilising The One Power (saidin and saidar, the male and female halves respectively) and weaves, is the most comprehensive and most internally consistent system I've seen in any fantasy novel (or game system, for that matter). A character's capability at magic depends on their innate strength, training, skill at using the weaves, and experience, and those are all quite well defined.


• I love the fighting styles and stances used by expert swordsmen, the sword forms. Based somewhat on Asian fighting styles, the forms have distinctive and descriptive names (like "Cat Crosses the Courtyard", "Parting the Silk", and "Tower of the Morning" *snigger*), and this adds a lot of character to sword combat.


• Women have power. More specifically, there's no differentiation between the accomplishments of men and women. There are powerful men, and powerful women; at the start of the books, the most powerful single organisation in the world is the White Tower, consisting entirely of the female Aes Sedai. I enjoyed following the strong female characters; in The Wheel of Time, three of the major characters are male, and three are female. Entertainingly, the characters often had interesting perceptions of the other sex.


• During the story, things are happening everywhere. Even while events are being related in the books, there are interludes describing other events taking place at the same time in other parts of the world. One gets the feeling it's a real, living world, not a static world where events only happen to the lead characters. Everything is in motion.


• I like the way characters are described. Minor characters are usually described in some detail - for example: hair like the sun, but with sun-darkened, leathery skin, blue eyes, large-nosed, tall, and with a slender build; it makes it easy to form mental images of these lesser characters. By contrast, with major characters, only major features like height, build, eye and hair colour are described; facial features are left for the reader to form images of. In a way, that makes it possible to mentally picture those major characters the way one would like them to look.


• This is not a fantasy series based on the medieval European milieu, where the good guys are all pale skinned. People in Randland are not differentiated by skin colour; in fact, colour is mentioned often only in passing (like many of the Sea Folk are described as brown, or dark), and one of the relatively major characters in the last couple of books, Tuon, is described as looking like a doll made of black porcelain. There are some interesting incongruities too; for example, the desert-dwelling Aiel people typically have what one might think of as Celtic features, like gold or red hair, tallness, and freckles.


• The characters are likeable; even with characters that are villains, you can get inside their skin and understand them.


• Relationships are not necessarily real-world conventional. Rand, for example, ends up in a bit of a polygamous relationship, some societies have polygamous relationships (multiple husbands as well as multiple wives), and though subtle, gay relationships are accepted too ("pillow friends" are how some are referred to).


• The machinations of various political entities is described nicely; many people or groups are not necessarily "good" or "bad", they're engaged in political manipulation to their own ends. The description of Daes Dae'mar (the Game Of Houses), the political and social manoeuvring of nobles and noble houses, is entertaining.

Robert Jordan wrote the books in a plain style; it's not as colourful as the writing of Robert E. Howard, as beautifully classic as that of Tolkien, nor as ornately descriptive as Jack Vance's; it's more than competent though, and given the elaborate detail of the setting itself, probably for the best. I know there are a lot of readers who aren't keen on the series, but as for me: I read them, and just want to read more. I don't want the series to end.

Comments

[melancthe.livejournal.com]

Brandon Sanderson looks a bit like Teh Marco.

Also, win for mentioning Vance and Howard in the same sentence. An OTP, except for ten years.

[ihlanya.livejournal.com]

Um. Mel? Your icon? Looks like you with short hair... you haven't cut it?

[melancthe.livejournal.com]

... chin-length?

[kennitalternity.livejournal.com]

I loved this series and have re-read it several times, though only through book 10. Never picked up 11, as I simply got burnt out on it. That is what has happened to most of the people i have recommended it to, they make it to book 6 or 7, then kind of overload on it.

They loved it as well, but the whole series is so vast, that it is a rather daunting prospect for most people to make it through.

Another thing I would add to his work, a willingness to do the unexpected with established characters. The story line with Pedron Niall still stuns me.

Later

[claidheamhmor]

Oh yeah, Pedron Niall was interesting. But then, I rather liked the Whitecloaks - Lawful Good Paladins in their own minds...

Books 6-7 do seem to be the hill; it's a rush up to there, then it slows down for a few books, then picks up speed again around book 9.

[redqueenmeg.livejournal.com]

I enjoy it and reread it from time to time. The things that bother me the most are: an inability to stop describing dresses or how women are always fidgeting with their clothing. ALWAYS.

And, the argument about how men are stronger in the power because women can cooperate. That to me is just REALLY cliched.

I do overall really enjoy the series.

[claidheamhmor]

I must admit, I kinda like the dress descriptions...although altogether too many people seem to like the good Two Rivers woolens. :)

[redqueenmeg.livejournal.com]

After awhile I'd think they could taper off... and seriously, see if you can find ANY female character who doesn't fidget and adjust her blouse/necklace/skirts/hair/whatever INCESSANTLY.

I read a funny dictionary once that had the definition of "sniffer" as something like "any female in the WOT universe--they all spend all their time sniffing at men."

[ubet-cha.livejournal.com]

The series is a mainstay in my library although no one else in the family will read it. This icon, my default, is supposed to be Mat Cauthon who usually suits my mood.

[claidheamhmor]

Of course - I thought the icon seemed familiar. :)

[jcd1013.livejournal.com]

Maybe I should try to reread it. I *loved* the first 4-5 books. Incredible. But then I felt like he got bogged down in describing the politics of the world, and adding yet another sort-of villain, and the multiple rebirths, and all of the politics (can you tell that's a major gripe of mine?), and how nothing important has happened in the last 3 books (save the detainting of Saidin which was cool)... yeah. I think I just skimmed through the last one.

[claidheamhmor]

I found a re-reading really helped, taking it slowly. I'm a skimmer, generally, but if you do that, it's really hard to keep track of things.

But yeah, there is a hump around book 6, and the politics can swamp one a bit.

[lyonza.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... I might have to smile prettily at melancthe to distract you so I can ask you if I can borrow them. Never got around to picking them up in the first place. Think I will enjoy them, just couldn't read them and having to wait for the next one.

Like Jean M. Auel with her Clan of the Cave Bear books. There was something like 11 years between book 4 & 5.

So, what I'm actually asking is if I can borrow book 1 and see if it grabs me enough to want to read the others.

[claidheamhmor]

No problem, grab it tomorrow.

[nimnod.livejournal.com]

I'm not reading behind the cut tag because I never finished the series. Has the final book actually been released now? I told myself I'd reread and finish when the last book came out...

[claidheamhmor]

It's behind the cut; there aren't any spoilers. :)

[evildmguy.livejournal.com]

Hmm.

Actually, my gripe with the series wasn't its length. I like long books. I read books one through six three or four times to catch up.

What irked me was how NOTHING happened, in terms of the overall plot, in books seven thru ten. Further, the big event in ten? Yeah, I guessed that from book one, so when he finally does have a big event happen, it wasn't anything I didn't realize, which made the book more of a let down.

Now, I am being picky. It's not that nothing happened but the previous books had a pattern of the big events of that book happening at the end of the book. The rest of the book was merely about moving people around where they needed to be and it was very interesting. I could probably still read books one to six with no problem. However, he did change his style, and the books after that don't have the big reveal like the others do.

But, oh yes, this was a very big influence on my life up until then! I certainly have tried for Epic campaigns since then!

edg

[claidheamhmor]

I'm not sure I'd agree on nothing happening in 7-10 - it's just that it was different things, like politics and relationships, rather than action.

[evildmguy.livejournal.com]

Hmm.

No, those are actions, too, imo. And, unfortunately, I no longer have the books as I gave up on him years ago, to look up what happened in each book after six. From what I remember, again, it was things that were obvious, even to me, that happened and it didn't follow the pattern.

That Nyneave (sp?) got past her block? Duh. That she got together with Lan? Duh. That Rand has to deal with the woman who love him? Duh. That Rand and Nyneave fixed the weather? Duh.

I don't think I am the most "observant" when it comes to these things but I saw all of them coming, some from very early on as I said, and so I thought the lead up to them was overly dramatic. It's my recollection that he usually had something big happen at the end of each book but after book six, the lead up to the cleansing took two books with nothing huge happening.

It's not that I don't think the relationships are important but the tone of the books have been about the world shattering things. Rands relationship with three women fits because it's against the norm for Rand and the woman involved. However, the others, I don't think are as important, at least not world shaking like what is portrayed in the rest of the book.

Again, I am sorry to attack it. I really enjoyed books one through six and he really influenced me in terms of role playing and how I approached campaigns. But, I still think that the books after number six didn't have as many plot events happening as they should and focused on small things. That was my impression, after reading them all twice.

edg

[gsl.livejournal.com]

I have read WOT for a few years now, and love the series, though the last few books I've gone through as audiobooks only.

I felt he used the named fighting styles as a way of not having to write out the combat, he just had to describe the stances instead of how the sword sliced through the air before tearing into the opponents body.

You might find the following links interesting:
http://www.tor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=blog&id=13372
A read through, with summaries and thoughts on each chapter.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/13912471/the-world-of-robert-jordans-the-wheel-of-time
A description of the world and the important characters, it was released a few years ago as a hardcover book.

[claidheamhmor]

Good point about the fighting styles. Something good about that: he didn't have to describe stilted-sounding fights, or have people say "That doesn't sound realistic".

The "Wheel of Time Re-read", interestingly, was what prompted me to re-read the books and post this review. It got me thinking a little deeper.

I have a feeling I have that book around somewhere. Maybe I must check my shelves...

[themyst.livejournal.com]

Damn, Now I have to go back and read the books again. I just don't know if I have the energy, they were so long.

[claidheamhmor]

They were, and I was wondering if it would be too long for me, but I enjoyed the re-read.