Give Glen Cook's Garrett P.I. series a shot. Part fantasy, part detective novel.
Books Fantasy Reads
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I'm reading the first one of those at the moment, not enjoying it all that much though. I'm about halfway through, so loads of cool stuff has happened, but I don't care about any of it, if you get what I mean. Usually when I'm reading a good book for the first time I can't stop, and just want to read constantly, Gardens of the Moon is taking me ages to read because I'd rather be doing other things. Shame really, was really looking forward to the seriesWell, there is always Malazan Book of the Fallen
It does seem to be a real crowd-splitter.
Mine would be totally different. My top 5 would be1) The Eye of the World
2) A Memory of Light
3) Towers of Midnight
4) The Gathering Storm
5) Winters Heart (Absolutely loved the Toy/Precious interplay between Tuon and Mat)
Favourite 5 characters:
1) Mat (Most interesting and most fun)
2) Rand
3) Egwene
4) Moiraine
5) N/A
Yeah, a meeting between Siuan and Moiraine would have been so nice.
Maybe they killed Egwene, so let Rand live. this also gives opening for a sequel in future.
My all time favourite parts are Tylin seduction of Mat, Mat's understanding of Couldain's Aiel attack strategy, Logain/Siuan/Leane being healed, Seanchan attack on White Tower, Egwene capturing Sheriam and Black Ajah, Perrin becoming a leader during forging of hammer.
.
The last part about Shaitan not being evil, but a necessary balance was nice though it kinda doesn't jell well with the trollocs and mrydhall type regular evils
Maybe they killed Egwene, so let Rand live. this also gives opening for a sequel in future.
My all time favourite parts are Tylin seduction of Mat, Mat's understanding of Couldain's Aiel attack strategy, Logain/Siuan/Leane being healed, Seanchan attack on White Tower, Egwene capturing Sheriam and Black Ajah, Perrin becoming a leader during forging of hammer.
.
The last part about Shaitan not being evil, but a necessary balance was nice though it kinda doesn't jell well with the trollocs and mrydhall type regular evils
I'm reading the first one of those at the moment, not enjoying it all that much though. I'm about halfway through, so loads of cool stuff has happened, but I don't care about any of it, if you get what I mean. Usually when I'm reading a good book for the first time I can't stop, and just want to read constantly, Gardens of the Moon is taking me ages to read because I'd rather be doing other things. Shame really, was really looking forward to the series
Imo, GotM was the best in the whole series.
Weird to see that The Fires of Heaven isn't in your top 5. For me, it is the second best Fantasy book I have ever read (after A Storm of Swords). And even weirder to see that you liked Winter's Heart.
1) The Eye of the World
2) A Memory of Light
3) Towers of Midnight
4) The Gathering Storm
5) Winters Heart (Absolutely loved the Toy/Precious interplay between Tuon and Mat)
Favourite 5 characters:
1) Mat (Most interesting and most fun)
2) Rand
3) Egwene
4) Moiraine
5) N/A
Yeah, a meeting between Siuan and Moiraine would have been so nice.
Maybe they killed Egwene, so let Rand live. this also gives opening for a sequel in future.
My all time favourite parts are Tylin seduction of Mat, Mat's understanding of Couldain's Aiel attack strategy, Logain/Siuan/Leane being healed, Seanchan attack on White Tower, Egwene capturing Sheriam and Black Ajah, Perrin becoming a leader during forging of hammer.
.
The last part about Shaitan not being evil, but a necessary balance was nice though it kinda doesn't jell well with the trollocs and mrydhall type regular evils
Attack on the White Tower was magnificient IMO. The entire chapters 39, 40, 41, 32 and 43 were a great reading. I've read them, then I just reread them. And then a few days later I came back to them again. The only thing which comes close IMO is the final battle, and especially Egwene's sacrifice.
Yes, I guess that they killed Egwene because Jordan wanted some shock element and has decided to let Rand live. Which IMO, didn't stand well. I think that it might have been possible to let both of them live (considering the amount of deaths on the final book, but still, all protagonists surviving would have been a bit unbelievable. On the other side, they should have killed Elayne whom from a very nice, funny and interesting character became a completely boring one. But Egwene was arguably the second most important character in the saga, so for maximal shock it was either her or Rand. Or if GRRM had written those books, both.
Yes, I guess that they killed Egwene because Jordan wanted some shock element and has decided to let Rand live. Which IMO, didn't stand well. I think that it might have been possible to let both of them live (considering the amount of deaths on the final book, but still, all protagonists surviving would have been a bit unbelievable. On the other side, they should have killed Elayne whom from a very nice, funny and interesting character became a completely boring one. But Egwene was arguably the second most important character in the saga, so for maximal shock it was either her or Rand. Or if GRRM had written those books, both.
Recently finished the Kingkiller Chronicles after seeing it mentioned in here a few times. Really enjoyed the two books, absolutely flew through them. Thanks to anyone who suggested them. Any news on the third?
Yeah definitely, though from what I've heard people who dislike them usually say it's because they don't like being thrown in at the deep end, which isn't the problem for me. People keep saying they get better though, so I'll keep going a bit further at least.
Lol well I'm not finding it crap, it just doesn't grab me... maybe if I do end up liking the characters it'd be great on a re-read :/
I've started reading the last Wot book and feck me, it's feels like I am reading the end of the book. Fast paced throughout and great interactions. Love it!
My ratings so far would be:
Eye of the world - 8
Great Hunt - 7
Dragon Reborn - 9
Shadow Rising - 9
Fires of Heaven - 10 (Agree with @Revan on this. Flawless book imo)
Lord of Chaos - 8
Crown of Swords - 7
Path of Daggers - 6
Winters Heart - 5 (Primarily for the Mat part and the glorious ending)
Crossroads of Twilight - 0 (Literally nothing happens)
Gathering Storm - 9
Towers of Midnight - 7 (First half would get a 5 and 2nd half a 9)
Not yet. He did write a companion book (Slow Regard of silent things) based on Auri. Was decent enough.
Personally I thought the 2nd book dragged a bit in the middle. The first one was great though.
My ratings so far would be:
Eye of the world - 8
Great Hunt - 7
Dragon Reborn - 9
Shadow Rising - 9
Fires of Heaven - 10 (Agree with @Revan on this. Flawless book imo)
Lord of Chaos - 8
Crown of Swords - 7
Path of Daggers - 6
Winters Heart - 5 (Primarily for the Mat part and the glorious ending)
Crossroads of Twilight - 0 (Literally nothing happens)
Gathering Storm - 9
Towers of Midnight - 7 (First half would get a 5 and 2nd half a 9)
Not yet. He did write a companion book (Slow Regard of silent things) based on Auri. Was decent enough.
Personally I thought the 2nd book dragged a bit in the middle. The first one was great though.
My point being, if GotM doesn't strike your fancy, the rest of series is downhill from then.
I still have mixed feelings about that. It was a fantastic adventure, but over complicated so much that it is daunting to think of even after finishing the series
Cheers, I might have a look at that.
Which part? When Kvothe was off trying to find the bandits? If so, I'd agree that it took it's time for anything to really happen during that part.
I thought the entire middle part of the book starting from the bandit part to the Ademre journey and then the Felurian bit dragged on too much. Kvothe trying to learn the sign language thing really bored me to bits if I'm honest.
Yep. I didn't like that part much too.
Slow Regard of Silent Things was one of the worst books I have read in a while IMO.
Yeah I get what you mean, though a few people I've talked to about it have said that they thought they got better as it went along... seems like it's completely random what people like about itMy point being, if GotM doesn't strike your fancy, the rest of series is downhill from then.
I still have mixed feelings about that. It was a fantastic adventure, but over complicated so much that it is daunting to think of even after finishing the series
Lol yeah I can imagine
What's the Mistborn series like? Is it worth downloading the first one? Need something to read on the journeys to and from work. Is it anywhere near as good as the Kingkiller chronicles?
At times it felt like reading a video game.
I think it got mentioned before somewhere in this thread but I can't be bothered to track them down, but what do people think of the First Law books by Joe Abercrombie?
I really enjoyed the initial trilogy and am currently starting The Blade Itself. For those that have read it, how does it compare to the first 3?
I really enjoyed the initial trilogy and am currently starting The Blade Itself. For those that have read it, how does it compare to the first 3?
I really enjoyed reading them. Really good series, though some of the action scenes can be a bit over the top in terms of abilities and such. If you have liked his other books then you will like these ones.
They're worth reading. It might be a good idea to check out The Emperor's Soul first - it shares the strengths and weaknesses of Mistborn (and most of Sanderson's books) but it's a lot shorter. It's actually my favourite Sanderson book because of that, it's short enough that the flaws aren't quite as glaring as they can be in his other books at times.
One of the most fun readins I have ever read.
Quite good, fast paced and a ton of twists during the books (despite that it is clear that everything has been planned from the beginning). On the other side, the writting and the dialogues are far from the best.
Anyway, it is more like standard fantasies (LOTR or The Wheel of Time) rather than the new grim fantasies (ASOIAF or The First Law). Saying that, Sanderson's character are always in danger from a George Martinesque death (which isn't the case with the LOTR or WoT).
Would definitely recommend them.
Read also his new trilogy (The Shattered Sea). The first book was released last year, the second book will be released next month and the third on the end of this year.
I liked the first book (Half a King) more than the First Law Trilogy. It isn't as complex and nor as grim, but Abercrombie now is a far better writter and every word written belongs to the book. It is also very fast paced (and quite short). And a character is named SHADIKSHARRAM!
I liked The First Law but haven't read yet the other three books which are on the same universe.
Thanks for the replies everyone. Think I'll get it and see what it's like - never read a Sanderson book before so should be quite interesting
My point being, if GotM doesn't strike your fancy, the rest of series is downhill from then.
I still have mixed feelings about that. It was a fantastic adventure, but over complicated so much that it is daunting to think of even after finishing the series
Personally I don't agree. I thought both Deadhouse Gates and Memories of Ice were vast improvements on GotM. With GotM you never really get time to get comfortable with the characters. DG and MoI have real potential to thwonk your heart strings.
@akash02 , I want your comments after you finish the final book. Damn it, I want to talk with someone for those books!
I'm going to jump on the WoT ranking bandwagon, despite talking a break from the series after book 10. My ranking seems altogether different again!
Eye of the World - 8
Great Hunt - 6
Dragon Reborn - 9
Shadow Rising - 7
Fires of Heaven - 9
Lord of Chaos - 8
Crown of Swords - 6
Path of Daggers - 6
Winters Heart - 9
Crossroads of Twilight - 4
I seem to be in the minority, in that I really enjoyed Winters Heart. The changing of seasons mirrored the change within Rand after the recent events which was a nice touch by the author, Mats interactions with the Seanchan and in particular Tuon gave some much needed insight into that culture and their motivations and will hopefully move that story arc on now, and the overall framing arc of Rands mission culminating in the excellent ending will hopefully lead to some sweeping changes in the books to follow.
The only downside for me really was the limited time given to Perrin, who is easily one of my favourite characters in the series.
Have to agree though, Crossroads of Twilight is definitely the weakest entry in the series so far.
Eye of the World - 8
Great Hunt - 6
Dragon Reborn - 9
Shadow Rising - 7
Fires of Heaven - 9
Lord of Chaos - 8
Crown of Swords - 6
Path of Daggers - 6
Winters Heart - 9
Crossroads of Twilight - 4
I seem to be in the minority, in that I really enjoyed Winters Heart. The changing of seasons mirrored the change within Rand after the recent events which was a nice touch by the author, Mats interactions with the Seanchan and in particular Tuon gave some much needed insight into that culture and their motivations and will hopefully move that story arc on now, and the overall framing arc of Rands mission culminating in the excellent ending will hopefully lead to some sweeping changes in the books to follow.
The only downside for me really was the limited time given to Perrin, who is easily one of my favourite characters in the series.
Have to agree though, Crossroads of Twilight is definitely the weakest entry in the series so far.
For me, I loved GotM. Moving to Deadhouse Gates after that was like starting a new series. I wanted to get to know on how the beidgeburners move from there. Though individually Deadhouse Gates is a good novel, I really wanted to get past it to Memories of Ice. On MoI, I agree with you, it is as good as GotM.
Finished it yesterday and geez what a brilliant book! Would have given it a 9 yesterday due to the ending (Not that I disliked it, just a bit unexpected) but I will revise that to a 10 now. The last couple of pages don't change a thing about the rest of the book which was just flat out amazing. I felt exhausted even reading the book! The chapter "Last Battle' was just ridiculously good.
Matt is the best character...ever. Actually made laugh out the loud in the middle of the last battle when he says "This man is beginning to annoy me" after Demandred calls out Rand for the billionth time. His list of funny quotes would be a mile long! That letter to Elayne
Gawyn, Egwen Brynee and Siuan in the same bloody chapter
in the same bloody chapterYeah, it was a very enjoyable book.Finished it yesterday and geez what a brilliant book! Would have given it a 9 yesterday due to the ending (Not that I disliked it, just a bit unexpected) but I will revise that to a 10 now. The last couple of pages don't change a thing about the rest of the book which was just flat out amazing. I felt exhausted even reading the book! The chapter "Last Battle' was just ridiculously good.
Matt is the best character...ever. Actually made laugh out the loud in the middle of the last battle when he says "This man is beginning to annoy me" after Demandred calls out Rand for the billionth time. His list of funny quotes would be a mile long! That letter to Elayne
Gawyn, Egwen Brynee and Siuan
So many great scenes.
When Moiraine arrives at the field was probably my favorite scene. The speech was amazing and the shock value (especially for Rand) was great. Her meeting with Rand when she orders Rand to prepare tea was awesome too. And Rand and Egwene finally being at peace with each other.
The entire battle. Mat finding the 'conspiracy' before he takes the entire command. And then yeah, that quote was mental crazy good.
Egwene and her sacrifice. And then Bryne, Bashere, Gawyn (the stupid twat) and Bashere dying all in the same chapter.
The metaphysical duel between Rand and Shai'tan. Rand showing the same trick to Damodred again and then masterminding Ishamael.
By the way, the prophecies of Bao the Wynd were really for Demandred. He was a really great antagonist. Read a short story by Sanderson for him on the Unfettered Tales (I actually illegaly downloaded the book for that story. Didn't bother to buy an entire book just for a story 10 pages long). It is quite nice. And check on forums for him. I actually posted a theory for him on this thread but on short words: If Rand would have joined the Dark Side, then Demandred might have been human's last hope. He didn't care for no-one - not even for the Dark One - and all he wanted was to best Lews Therin. So, if Dragon changes the side, then the pattern had a backup. On that aspect, the prophecy makes sense. Demandred would have saved the Sharans (and probably the entire world) byt killing the Dragon, who had already became evil. Quite interesting and probably this was really meant
When Moiraine arrives at the field was probably my favorite scene. The speech was amazing and the shock value (especially for Rand) was great. Her meeting with Rand when she orders Rand to prepare tea was awesome too. And Rand and Egwene finally being at peace with each other.
The entire battle. Mat finding the 'conspiracy' before he takes the entire command. And then yeah, that quote was mental crazy good.
Egwene and her sacrifice. And then Bryne, Bashere, Gawyn (the stupid twat) and Bashere dying all in the same chapter.
The metaphysical duel between Rand and Shai'tan. Rand showing the same trick to Damodred again and then masterminding Ishamael.
By the way, the prophecies of Bao the Wynd were really for Demandred. He was a really great antagonist. Read a short story by Sanderson for him on the Unfettered Tales (I actually illegaly downloaded the book for that story. Didn't bother to buy an entire book just for a story 10 pages long). It is quite nice. And check on forums for him. I actually posted a theory for him on this thread but on short words: If Rand would have joined the Dark Side, then Demandred might have been human's last hope. He didn't care for no-one - not even for the Dark One - and all he wanted was to best Lews Therin. So, if Dragon changes the side, then the pattern had a backup. On that aspect, the prophecy makes sense. Demandred would have saved the Sharans (and probably the entire world) byt killing the Dragon, who had already became evil. Quite interesting and probably this was really meant
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The Moiraine scene was great. Actually reminded me of her monologue on Menethreen in the very first book. Both fantastic pieces of writing.
Gawyn was an idiot alright (Silviana was right imo in her opinion that warders can be a big weakness) but it did lead to one of the best scnees in the book with Egwene and the Flame of Tar Valon. I really really wished Sanderson had included her funeral in the Epilogue. That could have been another epic scene.
The duel between Shaitan and Rand was great. I wasn't expecting that at all and was a bit surprised that after all Shaitan was just a thing that existed. Not evil, not good but just a thing. That was kinda nice.
I was a bit disappointed by Padan Fain though. Utterly creepy (and cool) character but ultimately a bit pointless. And Lan should have died. Would have made for a much better story if he had died along with Demandred.
My favourite monologue
Been reading about and apparently Robert Jordan planned a Mat/Tuon trilogy in Seanchan. Would have loved to read that!
Gawyn was an idiot alright (Silviana was right imo in her opinion that warders can be a big weakness) but it did lead to one of the best scnees in the book with Egwene and the Flame of Tar Valon. I really really wished Sanderson had included her funeral in the Epilogue. That could have been another epic scene.
The duel between Shaitan and Rand was great. I wasn't expecting that at all and was a bit surprised that after all Shaitan was just a thing that existed. Not evil, not good but just a thing. That was kinda nice.
I was a bit disappointed by Padan Fain though. Utterly creepy (and cool) character but ultimately a bit pointless. And Lan should have died. Would have made for a much better story if he had died along with Demandred.
My favourite monologue
Been reading about and apparently Robert Jordan planned a Mat/Tuon trilogy in Seanchan. Would have loved to read that!
There is a paragraph which indicates that Lews Therin and Demandred were at once very close, brothers/friends/comrades euch. They fought over Ilyena and when she chose Lews Therin, Demandred went became jealous/evil and went to the dark side. I think if Rand went over to the dark side, it would just be a battle amongst forsaken and even if Demandred kills Rand, Dark One will triumph.
Now that is also a good prequel storyline.
Now that is also a good prequel storyline.
Demandred was always jelous on Lews Therin. He was almost as powerful as Lews, almost as celebrated as him, basically the second most important person of his era (although Ishamael was more powerful and probably influential than him too). He was born a single day after Lews Therin. And yep, he loved Ilyena too.
But he was a better general. Even there, the circle of Aes Sedai decided to give the supreme command to Lews, which made Demandred join the other side. Considering that he was a better general, the dark was going to win until Lews bypassed him and went directly to strike to the Dark One.
If Rand would have gone to the other side and become Naeblis, I could have seen Demandred to became the champion of the light. The pattern is always in balance
But he was a better general. Even there, the circle of Aes Sedai decided to give the supreme command to Lews, which made Demandred join the other side. Considering that he was a better general, the dark was going to win until Lews bypassed him and went directly to strike to the Dark One.
If Rand would have gone to the other side and become Naeblis, I could have seen Demandred to became the champion of the light. The pattern is always in balance
The Moiraine scene was great. Actually reminded me of her monologue on Menethreen in the very first book. Both fantastic pieces of writing.
Gawyn was an idiot alright (Silviana was right imo in her opinion that warders can be a big weakness) but it did lead to one of the best scnees in the book with Egwene and the Flame of Tar Valon. I really really wished Sanderson had included her funeral in the Epilogue. That could have been another epic scene.
The duel between Shaitan and Rand was great. I wasn't expecting that at all and was a bit surprised that after all Shaitan was just a thing that existed. Not evil, not good but just a thing. That was kinda nice.
I was a bit disappointed by Padan Fain though. Utterly creepy (and cool) character but ultimately a bit pointless. And Lan should have died. Would have made for a much better story if he had died along with Demandred.
My favourite monologue
Been reading about and apparently Robert Jordan planned a Mat/Tuon trilogy in Seanchan. Would have loved to read that!
Mat was really awesome. I laughed at that monologue quite a lot.
I take it that I am not the only one who enjoyed reading Sanderson's Mat. I have found on many forums that people really didn't like how Sanderson depicted Mat.
I think the complaint was more that it didn't sound like Mat, rather than it not being enjoyable and it was mostly directed at Gathering Storm. Sanderson admitted to it himself as well.
Personally I liked it. If you're being hyper critical then you might say Mat was a bit OTT in the book but you're asking a bit too much from the author to come in midway and nail all the characters down. Overall, Sanderson did a great job in sticking to the Jordan world.
You and me have totally different tastes
I finished it yesterday and did not like it at all. The story had no depth and at no point I sympathised with Yarv character or any other character for that matter. Their suffering in cold, heat and thirst were very flimsily written and the end was so meh!
And I don't see why this is a fantasy. It's just a normal revenge story. I liked First Law much better!
Sanderson really saved the series for me. It should have been wrapped up in 7-8 books but Jordan just couldn't stop describing Nynaeve's braid, stout shoes and similar elements 500000000 times per book. All the women in the series were so annoying, which I'm not a fan of.
I did enjoy the first four books and from then on it was a downhill curve for me. 5 and 6 I'd rate lower than the first 4 (I disagree with Revan, sorry
). 7-10 were just complete disasters and barring the last bit in book 9, I didn't find them interesting at all. Book 11 made it seem as if the plot is finally moving forward again so I felt it was the best book since book 5. Then I finished the last 3 books in a breeze. I'd rate books 12-14 as the best in the series because they are better edited. Jordan's excessive descriptions and annoyingly slow pace got to me. It's a bit like Game of Thrones, where the author refuses to let his books be edited. The last three books in the Wheel of Time series had far better pacing than most of the books in the series and I laughed so hard everytime I read Mat's arc. Really good stuff at the end. Sanderson did justice to the series in my humble opinion.
Sanderson really saved the series for me. It should have been wrapped up in 7-8 books but Jordan just couldn't stop describing Nynaeve's braid, stout shoes and similar elements 500000000 times per book. All the women in the series were so annoying, which I'm not a fan of.
I did enjoy the first four books and from then on it was a downhill curve for me. 5 and 6 I'd rate lower than the first 4 (I disagree with Revan, sorry
Then I finished the last 3 books in a breeze. I'd rate books 12-14 as the best in the series because they are better edited. Jordan's excessive descriptions and annoyingly slow pace got to me. It's a bit like Game of Thrones, where the author refuses to let his books be edited. The last three books in the Wheel of Time series had far better pacing than most of the books in the series and I laughed so hard everytime I read Mat's arc. Really good stuff at the end. Sanderson did justice to the series in my humble opinion.
Sanderson did a good job considering he came in at the end but I wouldn't say he saved the series. Putting the finishing touches is... well much easier than building up something from scratch. He also got a lot of things wrong. The carefully crafted magic system in the last 3 books essentially went for a toss in the final 3 books. The difference between the way Jordan wrote the weaves and Sanderson did is enormous. Then there's time timelines. There's a difference between what Jordan did (Or George Martin for example) and what Sanderson did in the last 3 books. Jordan was deliberately ambiguous, Sanderson contradicted his own timelines in the very same chapter in some cases. If you are going to be precise then you need to get it right.
I really don't get this "women are annoying" thing. People say this for just about every book and every show. Elayne was the only one who got progressively more annoying as the series went on. The rest were fine. Nyneave's progression was very good as well from a some what annoying braid tugger to a great character. The whole "Rise of the Golden Crane" plotline in book 11 was great. Moirraine, Siuan, Min, Tuon, Verin and a few others were excellent as well.
I don't think it could have been wrapped up in 8 books even accounting for the some of the latter books. 10 would have been about right with proper editing but no less. I'm not too bothered about the descriptions or the fascination with certain aspects of clothing. Most authors suffer from it, even the best ones. Tolkeinn spent half of LotR describing the scenery and that was just a trilogy. George Martin seems to have a morbid fascination with rape scenes and describing food. It's part of the ride and not something that overly bothers me. The Lore and the world building is every bit as important as the overall story imo as long as it doesn't drag the book down (i.e the entire book 10).
I rated the last 3 books quite well and it was keeping in mind that Sanderson came into finish the series but I don't think there's a contest between Fires of Heaven and any of the last 3 books. The former is far better for me. A for pacing, I reckon the first half of book 13 killed all the momentum of the previous book. Oh and most of the Mat material in the last 2 books is from Jordan himself which doesn't surprise me. Mat has been best character from around book 3.
So, basically I disagree
You and me have totally different tastes
I finished it yesterday and did not like it at all. The story had no depth and at no point I sympathised with Yarv character or any other character for that matter. Their suffering in cold, heat and thirst were very flimsily written and the end was so meh!
And I don't see why this is a fantasy. It's just a normal revenge story. I liked First Law much better!
Well, time to change your reading taste
Well, The First Law is better and has more depth. But I liked this, because it is written far better. And I am a sucker when it comes to good writting. Abercrombie has become a good writter while in The First Law was a writter who had good idea, but not very good writting skills (although, better than Sanderson - the Mistborn version - for example).
It also may be that I was tired a bit from epic big tales, so I wanted something more fast paced, less serious.
Agree that it isn't much fantasy. Abercrombie never had much magic, but this time there is not magic at all.
Fun fact, did you knew that the world is a post apocalyptic world?
Agree with every word in this post.Sanderson did a good job considering he came in at the end but I wouldn't say he saved the series. Putting the finishing touches is... well much easier than building up something from scratch. He also got a lot of things wrong. The carefully crafted magic system in the last 3 books essentially went for a toss in the final 3 books. The difference between the way Jordan wrote the weaves and Sanderson did is enormous. Then there's time timelines. There's a difference between what Jordan did (Or George Martin for example) and what Sanderson did in the last 3 books. Jordan was deliberately ambiguous, Sanderson contradicted his own timelines in the very same chapter in some cases. If you are going to be precise then you need to get it right.
I really don't get this "women are annoying" thing. People say this for just about every book and every show. Elayne was the only one who got progressively more annoying as the series went on. The rest were fine. Nyneave's progression was very good as well from a some what annoying braid tugger to a great character. The whole "Rise of the Golden Crane" plotline in book 11 was great. Moirraine, Siuan, Min, Tuon, Verin and a few others were excellent as well.
I don't think it could have been wrapped up in 8 books even accounting for the some of the latter books. 10 would have been about right with proper editing but no less. I'm not too bothered about the descriptions or the fascination with certain aspects of clothing. Most authors suffer from it, even the best ones. Tolkeinn spent half of LotR describing the scenery and that was just a trilogy. George Martin seems to have a morbid fascination with rape scenes and describing food. It's part of the ride and not something that overly bothers me. The Lore and the world building is every bit as important as the overall story imo as long as it doesn't drag the book down (i.e the entire book 10).
I rated the last 3 books quite well and it was keeping in mind that Sanderson came into finish the series but I don't think there's a contest between Fires of Heaven and any of the last 3 books. The former is far better for me. A for pacing, I reckon the first half of book 13 killed all the momentum of the previous book. Oh and most of the Mat material in the last 2 books is from Jordan himself which doesn't surprise me. Mat has been best character from around book 3.
So, basically I disagree
It also needs to said that Towers of Midnight was as boring as the bad books in Wheel of Time. It saved itself with an amazing ending (the last 200 or so pages) but until then it was crap (bar Chapter 3 where Rand meets Egwene).
About Elayne, yep. I was quite annoying considering that she changed from the best female character - after Moiraine of course - in the beginning, to by far the most annoying one in the end. While the others were: Moiraine (from amazing to amazing), Siuan (from great to great), Egwene (from good to amazing), Nynaeve/Aviendha (from annoying to good), Min (okay- decent) etc. Almost all female characters progressed for good in the books. It's just that progress takes so long. Almost forgot Elaida, the tragedy of writting. A character that had great potential, but became a tragedy of writting.
But still, the majority were fine as long as you don't mind the repeated phrases (Nynaneve tugging her braid, Egwene skinning Rand etc).
In fact on my favorite 5 characters I have three females (Moiraine, Egwene and Siuan) compared to two males (Mat and Rand).
Even though I don't like the series as much as you and @akash02 do, I can see your points. I got really tired of the way none of the men could ever get along with the women in almost the entire series. Aes Sedai women disagreed with men about fighting the dark side in the long long ago and throughout most of the series most men keep whining about not understanding women and vice versa. That part was quite childish and apparently based on the women Jordan met in his life. I don't relate to that at all based on my experiences in life. That probably explains our different points of view regarding the female characters in the book. I wasn't saying that they're poor characters as I actually love strong female characters, but most people in the book seemed quite immature and unable to get along with the opposite sex. Too many petty arguments all the time for my liking.
The repeated phrases are easy to tolerate in a trilogy, but 11 books full of them just gets a little too much. I started reading this series after seeing numerous recommendations everywhere and I actually found myself intrigued by what happened to Lews Therin and in that time than the current story. Every time Rand had one of those memory leak episodes, I really loved the story of the long long ago.
Also that last chapter in Winter's Heart was really good. But I felt bad for those island folk (forgot their name) who lived near the big statue which broke. That mass suicide was quite sad. Was also disappointed that the Seanchan and their dog-leashes weren't eradicated in the series.
I agree, that's how the book started especially Nynaeve and Egwene. It was a bit annoying and I even posted the same here about it but I don't think that's how it finished. THe changes were apparent from about the 4th book. I thought that was the whole point of the series? Balance. Men and Women, Saidar and Saidin working together for the greater good. We start the series where men who could channel are frowned upon by Aes Sedai and absolutely despised by the Red Ajah. We ended it with a Red Sister falling in love with an Ashaman. Nynaeve who seemed to treat all men with contempt was primarily responsible for Lan raising the Golden Crane. Perrin and Mat, who were utterly clueless ended the series by working together with their wives. Moirriane dropped her Aes Sedai ways to guide Rand on the right path. That was the whole point of Callandor to the story. As an angreal it was useless. Hell, the most effective of the forsaken in Demandred was the only one who seemed to feel any kind of genuine affection for a women (that Sharan women). The world is better off when men and women work together. When they didn't, they broke the world and tainted Saidin. When they did work together, they cleansed Saidin and sealed the Dark one again.
Also, one of the main reasons for the mistrust between the sexes according to my interpration of the series is that taint of Saidin. That lead to all the power being in the hands of the women. The White Tower ruled the world in all but name. Aiel are basically ruled by the Wise Women, the Seanchan by an Empress, the best known Monarch in the series (Morgase) also a women. It imbalanced things too much and sowed the seeds for the mutual mistrust. THat's my vew anyway.
Agree with Lews Therin bit. In general, I'm not a fan of the hero type characters but Rand was written in a way that made it a lot more interesting.
Also, one of the main reasons for the mistrust between the sexes according to my interpration of the series is that taint of Saidin. That lead to all the power being in the hands of the women. The White Tower ruled the world in all but name. Aiel are basically ruled by the Wise Women, the Seanchan by an Empress, the best known Monarch in the series (Morgase) also a women. It imbalanced things too much and sowed the seeds for the mutual mistrust. THat's my vew anyway.
Agree with Lews Therin bit. In general, I'm not a fan of the hero type characters but Rand was written in a way that made it a lot more interesting.