I think it does make them unrealistic. Stylistic choices determine how these scenes are conveyed.
RugbyPlayingAshaman Send a noteboard - 03/06/2011 09:24:21 PM
I agree that he didn't go into the details of the horror in battlefields. He severely curtailed the descriptions of those things. But that was more a stylistic choice based on the tone he wanted for the novels, not a reflection of the realism of the battles.
Taking that part of the battlefield experience out of it, in my opinion, makes it a fairy tale or sophomoric action-adventure, and unrealistic as a result. I understand that this was a stylistic choice but the decision to avoid the gritty parts of it makes the combat scenes less realistic. Then again, I read "The Iliad", so I'm all for making combat as non-glorious as possible using as much graphic description to make the scene come alive as you can. There is a lot to be gained from holding the image of a noble warrior next to the gory reality.
One of my least favorite scenes overall, the Dumai Wells Battle, was actually one of the better battle scenes, in my opinion. It was confusing, we saw corpses, really evoked a feeling of close combat and the Ashaman illustrating the reality of channeling in battle (tearing bodies apart is what fireballs and lightning would do, anyway, so the only reason I can think that Aes Sedai reacted the way they did was because they have taken part in so few battles in the modern era). This was one of those parts where Aes Sedai not dressed for such a melee were depicted as rushing into the midst of it without tripping or their skirts becoming burdened with the blood, which goes to show an example of how one aspect of a scene can be done right while another aspect is handled in a lazy fashion.
"Those who think they have no time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness."
Combat in the World of the Wheel
03/06/2011 04:34:02 AM
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Well, Healing screws things up a bit. But Rand at the end of tGH comes to mind
03/06/2011 05:20:57 AM
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You mean tGH *NM*
03/06/2011 11:13:04 AM
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Of course I did! And that's what I typed
05/06/2011 09:12:45 AM
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I find all of the non-channeling related combat implausible and over-dramatic
03/06/2011 03:51:35 PM
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Gotta diagree
03/06/2011 06:22:52 PM
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The aftermath - but I don't think he really showed the chaos on a battlefield that well
03/06/2011 07:19:20 PM
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That doesn't make them unrealistic...
03/06/2011 08:30:05 PM
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I think it does make them unrealistic. Stylistic choices determine how these scenes are conveyed.
03/06/2011 09:24:21 PM
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Ummm...
03/06/2011 09:55:46 PM
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WoT combat scenes are highly overrated. The non-OP fight scenes aresn't even scenes at all
11/06/2011 12:59:50 AM
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