If anything, I suspect my reaction is the minority one
Larry Send a noteboard - 19/04/2010 09:20:25 PM
Because I really liked TGH over EotW. Sure there were more of the same problems as in the first installation - but I liked the originality of this book. I liked the 'creepy' scenes that RJ put in, like the moment in the house when Rand has an experience with the flies. I liked Hurin, the sniffer. I liked Black Ajah, and I liked the Seanchan, and I liked the mirror worlds. I liked how Rand became a 'Lord', and I liked that Moraine wasn't around . My experience with this novel was so much better than the first, it gave me a lot of momentum to continue the series. There were enough good plot elements that I tended to forgive the negative parts.
OK, in hindsight, that fly scene was particularly well-done. The mirror world bit seems to be more of a plot device than anything that's fully integrated with the whole series, although doubtless that is a potential debate point there. Oh, and samurai-lite cultures don't interest me as much, so that could have been a contributing factor.
Some of it was still annoying though. Like you mentioned, repetition has been an issue for me throughout the series. WOT does cater to an audience that likes a feeling of depth and reality, and delving into these elements helps this out. However, a good portion of the descriptions are repetitive and unnecessary. Clothing and attitudes are two points that get under my skin at times. Readers like to know what their character looks like. It is good for the imagination. But let the reader have some room to insert their own images - too much detail isn't always a good thing. It would be far more beneficial if that space was spent describing some new element of the WOT universe. Readers often don't really care how embroidered a dress is. And the numerous reinforcements of character attitudes is sometimes over the top. Rand is angsty, Mat is whiny, Perrin is slow, Nyneave is bitchy, Moraine manipulative, and Egwene selfish. I was aware of this trend by the second book. RJ just described them in the same way too much, too often. At times, it flows smoothly, and RJ can incorporate these characteristics into their actions without being over-the-top. I felt like there were a lot of times in TGH where he was able to nicely tie in both his character's attributes as well as the plot.
Good points about the characters. That is something I worry about the further I progress in the re-reads. It'll be Wednesday or Thursday at best before I have a commentary on The Dragon Reborn up.
Illusions fall like the husk of a fruit, one after another, and the fruit is experience. - Narrator, Sylvie
Je suis méchant.
Je suis méchant.
Re-reading WoT Ten Years Later
16/04/2010 06:07:40 AM
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The Eye of the World (1997-2000, 2010 reads)
16/04/2010 06:08:54 AM
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Re: The Eye of the World (1997-2000, 2010 reads)
16/04/2010 06:29:53 PM
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I think you misrepresent me
16/04/2010 11:15:34 PM
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Re: I think you misrepresent me
17/04/2010 02:56:53 PM
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MA in History? Is there a more useless degree?
16/04/2010 09:56:36 PM
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Yes, whatever degree you have/are studying for
16/04/2010 11:12:55 PM
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Aww...
16/04/2010 07:58:27 PM
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That's next month or June
16/04/2010 11:12:02 PM
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Be sure to send me a noteboard then .
17/04/2010 03:45:46 AM
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Oh, I'd post it at this site as well, perhaps
17/04/2010 03:51:19 AM
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Yeah, but I only lurk in the OF when I'm interested in getting new books...
17/04/2010 04:00:14 AM
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The more posts from this larry guy I read, the more I think.........
18/04/2010 08:56:34 AM
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Interesting metatextual analysis there
18/04/2010 09:47:43 AM
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Nice, but in the future...
18/04/2010 04:04:07 PM
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I know...
18/04/2010 08:11:18 PM
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Re: The more posts from this larry guy I read, the more I think.........
18/04/2010 10:26:12 AM
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The Great Hunt (1997-2000, 2010 reads)
19/04/2010 09:22:40 AM
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I guess I'm just weird.
19/04/2010 06:44:59 PM
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If anything, I suspect my reaction is the minority one
19/04/2010 09:20:25 PM
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It's interesting you thought this about The Great Hunt.
19/04/2010 07:06:57 PM
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Yeah, I almost gave up this series after The Eye of the World too. *NM*
19/04/2010 08:38:25 PM
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Winter's Heart (2000 initial read; 2010 re-read)
07/05/2010 01:35:13 PM
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Re: Winter's Heart (2000 initial read; 2010 re-read)
08/05/2010 09:43:31 AM
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