Why should you care. Just stop reading the series.
RabidWombat Send a noteboard - 28/04/2011 09:45:17 PM
I was disappointed by Towers of Midnight, but the reasons had little to do with Sanderson's "failure" to "accurately portray" terribly written and two-dimensional characters created by Jordan or his "consistency errors".
I was disappointed for two reasons: (1) the book was poorly edited, with typos everywhere and (2) the story was turning out to be entirely too predictable, mundane and derivative.
I was disappointed for two reasons: (1) the book was poorly edited, with typos everywhere and (2) the story was turning out to be entirely too predictable, mundane and derivative.
I just don't get why people care about typos, unless they are an editor of course. Nor do I understand about people caring about predictability. I like surprises, but I also like it when an author tells me he is going to do something then goes ahead and does it. It is much harder for the author to live up to the anticipation but if he/she does the payoff is greater for it.
I don't think that WoT is mundane; I would argue that it is precisely where it is different that it is most hated. "Mundane" is one of those words, like "boring", that has no objective meaning. We throw it at anything we don't like when we are too lazy to defend our opinions with something we can defend as fact.
As far as being derivative, everything is derivative. If it wasn't derivative it would be unconnected with culture and society and therefore useless.
The first problem is of course a problem for Tor to resolve, because they obviously needed a bit more time in the proofreading. This could also, of course, have resolved any "consistency" problems without requiring the replacement writer to re-read the series.
The second problem is really ultimately a problem with Jordan's vision. No real unexpected twists have been encountered for some time and plotlines are resolving with a sort of boring inevitability. Everyone lives and good will triumph because evil is dumb. Even if Sanderson were to re-read the series ten times, nothing could fix that.
The second problem is really ultimately a problem with Jordan's vision. No real unexpected twists have been encountered for some time and plotlines are resolving with a sort of boring inevitability. Everyone lives and good will triumph because evil is dumb. Even if Sanderson were to re-read the series ten times, nothing could fix that.
Again, I don't care about unexpected twists. Unexpected twists are for lazy authors catering to lazy readers. In the real world, evil IS dumb. It is the mostly good and the neutral that do the most damage, though. RJ doesn't care to glamorize evil and I strongly agree.
As a result, I'm in the exact opposite camp as you. I just want the damn thing to end and get "closure" to a series that I now at times wish I had never wasted time or money on. The bright spots of Wheel of Time for me now are (1) meeting some great people at wotmania and continuing to talk to them on RAFO and (2) getting introduced to Sanderson's own books, which have been enjoyable reads. The rest is just tedium at this point.
I just don't get why you care. I remember quitting one book at the ninety percent mark (I think it was called the stone and the flute). My only regret is that I didn't realize it was a horrible book before then. If you don't like it then don't read it. Stop torturing yourself.
And if you can, I personally would prefer if you didn't torture others about it as well. Personally, I love the WoT for what it is, and find it one of the few books that I can stomach. I won't pretend that my opinion is better than yours. Nor do I mind when people give some actual reason why they dislike WoT, including evidence. But the use of nebulous words such as 'tedium', 'flat characters', 'predictable', 'mundane', and 'derivative', is useless and egregious without evidence to back it up.
Is it just me, or is Sanderson's re-read of WoT taking an inordinate amount of time?
- 25/04/2011 08:35:10 PM
2132 Views
I would prefer it if he re-read it 5 times. I don't mind waiting.
- 25/04/2011 08:41:31 PM
1100 Views
I would love BS to get a better handle on the characters as well.
- 26/04/2011 05:42:24 PM
958 Views
My problems with the series have little or nothing to do with Sanderson.
- 27/04/2011 10:50:15 PM
829 Views
Why should you care. Just stop reading the series.
- 28/04/2011 09:45:17 PM
939 Views
Because I want to find out how it ends. I was quite clear about that.
- 30/04/2011 12:34:51 AM
838 Views
It's not like he's just reading for the hell of it.
- 25/04/2011 09:31:18 PM
1159 Views
He probably doesn't think he can afford to skim; which bits are the trivial ones?
- 26/04/2011 04:36:56 AM
896 Views
After TOM re-reads, more beta readers and lots more edits is the order of the day
- 26/04/2011 01:00:15 PM
1021 Views
That could be just as easily fixed by having a few dedicated proofreaders.
- 27/04/2011 10:53:49 PM
748 Views
I agree. I don't mind waiting, but it seems this re-read takes longer time than the previous one.
- 26/04/2011 04:30:25 PM
968 Views
I agree with that sentiment. Team Jordan is there to address these issues.
- 27/04/2011 10:56:17 PM
745 Views
You're comparing him to Martin? lol This book is going to come out 2 years after the previous *NM*
- 28/04/2011 01:01:41 AM
480 Views
*dry* but imagine if he got those skimmable parts WRONG!!
- 26/04/2011 04:41:23 PM
837 Views
Once again, that's what Maria and Team Jordan are there for. *NM*
- 27/04/2011 10:56:59 PM
393 Views
I prefer him to complete his re-read and have enough time for a good series of round(s) for editing
- 26/04/2011 05:06:22 PM
1015 Views
not everyone can read and retain a book in a day like i can
- 26/04/2011 05:51:39 PM
1002 Views
I'm pretty sure most people around here can, and Brandon Sanderson can too.
- 27/04/2011 10:59:31 PM
820 Views
He has said that he is starting to write the book since it's taking so long.
- 28/04/2011 05:13:09 AM
873 Views