Active Users:616 Time:23/12/2024 06:35:28 AM
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.
Reply to message
Re-reading WoT Ten Years Later - 16/04/2010 06:07:40 AM 2871 Views
The Eye of the World (1997-2000, 2010 reads) - 16/04/2010 06:08:54 AM 1333 Views
Ah, jumping on Roberts' bandwagon... - 16/04/2010 09:17:08 AM 1079 Views
- 16/04/2010 03:32:41 PM 1004 Views
Re: The Eye of the World (1997-2000, 2010 reads) - 16/04/2010 06:29:53 PM 1060 Views
I think you misrepresent me - 16/04/2010 11:15:34 PM 962 Views
Re: I think you misrepresent me - 17/04/2010 02:56:53 PM 983 Views
Re: I think you misrepresent me - 17/04/2010 09:45:25 PM 929 Views
Re: I think you misrepresent me - 17/04/2010 10:59:20 PM 1087 Views
MA in History? Is there a more useless degree? - 16/04/2010 09:56:36 PM 925 Views
PhD or MA in Classics - 16/04/2010 10:15:51 PM 874 Views
Yes, whatever degree you have/are studying for - 16/04/2010 11:12:55 PM 927 Views
MBA. Sorry - 17/04/2010 04:38:03 AM 934 Views
There's lots of jokes about MBAs, unfortunately - 17/04/2010 09:46:28 PM 935 Views
Interestingly, I disliked EotW because of its 'youth appeal' - 17/04/2010 12:33:55 AM 1039 Views
Funny how takes can change, huh? - 17/04/2010 12:55:05 AM 1047 Views
Funny, I started my own first-ever reread not long ago. - 17/04/2010 02:16:35 AM 1013 Views
Must be something in the water, no? - 17/04/2010 02:28:23 AM 1029 Views
Gah! - 18/04/2010 12:30:17 PM 911 Views
I thought you meant it! - 18/04/2010 05:29:55 PM 1027 Views
Pfft! - 18/04/2010 08:11:36 PM 922 Views
I'm glad I didn't start with EotW - 19/04/2010 04:16:03 PM 886 Views
Seems Tor is now tweeting about this commentary - 19/04/2010 06:31:39 PM 1099 Views
Re: Re-reading WoT Ten Years Later - 16/04/2010 06:26:51 PM 1022 Views
It'll be interesting to see if I hit a "wall" - 16/04/2010 11:13:55 PM 930 Views
Aww... - 16/04/2010 07:58:27 PM 1028 Views
That's next month or June - 16/04/2010 11:12:02 PM 888 Views
Be sure to send me a noteboard then . - 17/04/2010 03:45:46 AM 910 Views
Oh, I'd post it at this site as well, perhaps - 17/04/2010 03:51:19 AM 863 Views
Yeah, but I only lurk in the OF when I'm interested in getting new books... - 17/04/2010 04:00:14 AM 875 Views
Ah - 17/04/2010 09:47:37 PM 884 Views
Malazan 9 is out? - 17/04/2010 09:58:23 PM 751 Views
Been out for several months - 17/04/2010 10:24:15 PM 855 Views
Can anybody please explain to me - 17/04/2010 08:45:18 PM 1075 Views
It's hard to explain - 17/04/2010 09:42:16 PM 1113 Views
was thinking the same thing *NM* - 18/04/2010 03:59:36 PM 602 Views
Re: Can anybody please explain to me - 19/04/2010 04:17:39 PM 762 Views
The more posts from this larry guy I read, the more I think......... - 18/04/2010 08:56:34 AM 1050 Views
Interesting metatextual analysis there - 18/04/2010 09:47:43 AM 1075 Views
Nice, but in the future... - 18/04/2010 04:04:07 PM 952 Views
I know... - 18/04/2010 08:11:18 PM 909 Views
If you don't like WoT....Don't read it - 19/04/2010 12:36:06 AM 872 Views
Aren't you being a bit presumptuous there? - 19/04/2010 12:53:00 AM 1288 Views
... - 19/04/2010 12:59:33 AM 1048 Views
Re: ... - 21/04/2010 03:41:08 AM 1019 Views
Re: The more posts from this larry guy I read, the more I think......... - 18/04/2010 10:26:12 AM 1064 Views
I am disappoint - 19/04/2010 01:17:20 AM 1053 Views
- 19/04/2010 01:24:29 AM 914 Views
Who the hell are you? What the hell are you doing here? - 19/04/2010 06:48:56 PM 1046 Views
Oh crap, a troll! - 02/05/2010 08:53:36 PM 883 Views
The Great Hunt (1997-2000, 2010 reads) - 19/04/2010 09:22:40 AM 1040 Views
I guess I'm just weird. - 19/04/2010 06:44:59 PM 1123 Views
If anything, I suspect my reaction is the minority one - 19/04/2010 09:20:25 PM 1065 Views
It's interesting you thought this about The Great Hunt. - 19/04/2010 07:06:57 PM 860 Views
Yeah, I almost gave up this series after The Eye of the World too. *NM* - 19/04/2010 08:38:25 PM 539 Views
My actual introduction to the series was A Crown of Swords - 19/04/2010 09:26:19 PM 998 Views
By the way... - 19/04/2010 09:44:59 PM 793 Views
Ah, that. - 19/04/2010 09:53:02 PM 880 Views
My experience has been different: - 19/04/2010 09:04:27 PM 982 Views
That may indeed be the case - 19/04/2010 09:27:36 PM 1167 Views
The Dragon Reborn (1997-2000 reads; 2010 re-read) - 22/04/2010 08:49:23 AM 1133 Views
The Shadow Rising (1997-2000 initial reads; 2010 re-read) - 25/04/2010 06:41:08 AM 982 Views
The Fires of Heaven (1997-2000 initial reads; 2010 re-read) - 28/04/2010 08:47:14 AM 946 Views
Lord of Chaos (1997-2000 initial reads; 2010 re-read) - 30/04/2010 01:33:37 PM 1156 Views
A Crown of Swords (1997-2000 initial reads; 2010 re-read) - 02/05/2010 03:30:39 PM 1008 Views
The Path of Daggers (1998-2000 reads; 2010 re-read) - 04/05/2010 03:20:12 PM 838 Views
Winter's Heart (2000 initial read; 2010 re-read) - 07/05/2010 01:35:13 PM 825 Views
Re: Winter's Heart (2000 initial read; 2010 re-read) - 08/05/2010 09:43:31 AM 942 Views
But I must - 08/05/2010 09:59:42 AM 766 Views
Re: But I must - 08/05/2010 02:57:03 PM 861 Views
I just think of bath porn - 08/05/2010 03:12:29 PM 1036 Views
Crossroads of Twilight (2006 initial read; 2010 re-read) - 10/05/2010 02:00:06 PM 933 Views
Knife of Dreams (2009 initial read; 2010 re-read) - 13/05/2010 03:27:53 PM 1080 Views
New Spring (1997 read (novella); 2010 read (novel)) - 14/05/2010 07:39:40 AM 1016 Views

Reply to Message