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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
This is the first Wheel of Time book I haven't enjoyed more than the last. I was hoping the loss of narrative control I'd been warned about would start later for me than book five. It varies from person to person, from all the reviews I've read; some people note a decline starting with this one, others as late as eight, some never (though those are rare, at least in my friends' GR reviews). Even though I ended up enjoying this book more than I enjoyed the first book in the series (which I thought very derivative), it doesn't quite live up to the last two. There's just a little bit too much meandering, too much time spent on things that didn't need to be shown, or that were simply uninteresting for the larger narrative. But the strengths aren't quite strong enough to drown out the problems.
To be honest, if I didn't know that these problems with pacing will only grow with each book, they would have been completely bearable, perhaps even ignorable. Many stories I love have sections I don't enjoy. But when you know it's just the first sign of symptoms of a larger disease*, they become harder to ignore.
*And that disease is called narrative diarrhea. Or wait, actually, wouldn't it be chronic narrative constipation? Things are moving sloooowwwly and nothing is happpppeeenning. Poooop joooookes.
Still, for every thing in the book that went on too long (like all the focus on the traveling menagerie, Nynaeve's obsession with people making her wear low-cut dresses, the ceaseless bickering between all the female characters, and men and women being up each other's butts all the time), there was actual plot movement and character development. At the beginning of the book, I was ready to strangle Nynaeve. She is arrogant, stubborn, and willfully blind, like a petulant child that thinks it knows everything. She's also argumentative. It's not a great combination. But something happens about halfway through that humbles her a great deal, and then she is humbled still further. After that, even though it's only the beginning of what will probably be a verrrrry slow process of character evolution, she's much more bearable as she wrestles with her faults. There is also progress for Rand, Mat, Moiraine, and Egwene (though none for Elayne, as Nynaeve takes center stage here) that alleviates some of my concerns with the way things were going for those characters. I still have concerns about Rand, though, and it's hard to tell from Jordan's style if he thinks they are problems, as well. He's too cold and hard and unkind. He has power, but he is not an effective leader, one who inspires trust and loyalty, even if he makes mostly all the right decisions. And yet people follow him.
I'm not quite sure yet how I feel about Rand and his many love interests, so I think I'll leave that for a future review. I like his relationship with Aviendha for the most part, but that may just be because I like Aviendha.
The main thing that is really starting to bug me, and which stands out much more when things are slow, is the battle of the sexes thing. I am really starting to hate the way Jordan writes his characters. Not only do the sexes constantly bicker with one another and ascribe stupid stereotypes to each other AT ALL TIMES, but he has characters of the same sex doing the same thing. All the women characters are constantly fighting with one another and being petulant. The men proclaim friendship, but you rarely see any evidence of it. I don't understand why Jordan can't just have his fucking male and female characters talk to each other first as individual people and not representatives of some foreign nation with different naughty bits. (STOP CALLING MEN FOOLS AND WOOLHEAD, for example. Like, maybe just fucking explain to Rand why that particular thing he just did was not a good idea instead of namecalling and stomping off?) It's too prevalent not to be the author's fault, as opposed to intentional flaws in his characters.
Ultimately, I'm still really intrigued by the larger world and story Jordan created, no matter what his asshole characters are up to, and I know that's what's going to pull me through the sloggy bits to come.
[3.5 stars]
To be honest, if I didn't know that these problems with pacing will only grow with each book, they would have been completely bearable, perhaps even ignorable. Many stories I love have sections I don't enjoy. But when you know it's just the first sign of symptoms of a larger disease*, they become harder to ignore.
*And that disease is called narrative diarrhea. Or wait, actually, wouldn't it be chronic narrative constipation? Things are moving sloooowwwly and nothing is happpppeeenning. Poooop joooookes.
Still, for every thing in the book that went on too long (like all the focus on the traveling menagerie, Nynaeve's obsession with people making her wear low-cut dresses, the ceaseless bickering between all the female characters, and men and women being up each other's butts all the time), there was actual plot movement and character development. At the beginning of the book, I was ready to strangle Nynaeve. She is arrogant, stubborn, and willfully blind, like a petulant child that thinks it knows everything. She's also argumentative. It's not a great combination. But something happens about halfway through that humbles her a great deal, and then she is humbled still further. After that, even though it's only the beginning of what will probably be a verrrrry slow process of character evolution, she's much more bearable as she wrestles with her faults. There is also progress for Rand, Mat, Moiraine, and Egwene (though none for Elayne, as Nynaeve takes center stage here) that alleviates some of my concerns with the way things were going for those characters. I still have concerns about Rand, though, and it's hard to tell from Jordan's style if he thinks they are problems, as well. He's too cold and hard and unkind. He has power, but he is not an effective leader, one who inspires trust and loyalty, even if he makes mostly all the right decisions. And yet people follow him.
I'm not quite sure yet how I feel about Rand and his many love interests, so I think I'll leave that for a future review. I like his relationship with Aviendha for the most part, but that may just be because I like Aviendha.
The main thing that is really starting to bug me, and which stands out much more when things are slow, is the battle of the sexes thing. I am really starting to hate the way Jordan writes his characters. Not only do the sexes constantly bicker with one another and ascribe stupid stereotypes to each other AT ALL TIMES, but he has characters of the same sex doing the same thing. All the women characters are constantly fighting with one another and being petulant. The men proclaim friendship, but you rarely see any evidence of it. I don't understand why Jordan can't just have his fucking male and female characters talk to each other first as individual people and not representatives of some foreign nation with different naughty bits. (STOP CALLING MEN FOOLS AND WOOLHEAD, for example. Like, maybe just fucking explain to Rand why that particular thing he just did was not a good idea instead of namecalling and stomping off?) It's too prevalent not to be the author's fault, as opposed to intentional flaws in his characters.
Ultimately, I'm still really intrigued by the larger world and story Jordan created, no matter what his asshole characters are up to, and I know that's what's going to pull me through the sloggy bits to come.
[3.5 stars]
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This one took me a hot minute to get through. It feels slower than the others and some repetitive themes. Getting a wee bit bored. I might take a break and come back.
adventurous
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Another very strong entry in the series following on from TSR.
Definitely noticed the change switching back to Kramer and Reading after RPs amazing narration.
There's a feeling of the Gender Wars revving up a lot more in this book, I'm not sure if does, or if I just noticed it due to the switch in narrators. I did find that Pike seemed able to make the characters seem less bratty than Kramer and Reading do.
Really enjoy the development of Rand and Aviendha in this book, and Rand's whole Becoming Hard deal is done very well.
The Elayne and Nynaeve stuff in this book is great too, the circus arc is always a joy, and there's some great moments with the girls and Thom and Juilen. Nynaeve in particular gets some brilliant development in this book, and her fight against her fear is so good. The start of the Salidar arcs is exciting too, I'm a big fan of any of the life in the tower/salidar segments. Birgitte is also always a fun addition to the cast.
Egwene also gets some good development with the Aiel and Moiraine, love seeing her journey being shaped by both.
Moiraine's death always hits, she gets such a good send off with the reveal of the Ruidean foreknowledge and her commitment to doing what needs done is so fantastically characterised.
No Perrin/two rivers stuff in this book, but you don't feel the lack really since the other arcs are so interesting and the story is well paced across them.
Definitely noticed the change switching back to Kramer and Reading after RPs amazing narration.
There's a feeling of the Gender Wars revving up a lot more in this book, I'm not sure if does, or if I just noticed it due to the switch in narrators. I did find that Pike seemed able to make the characters seem less bratty than Kramer and Reading do.
Really enjoy the development of Rand and Aviendha in this book, and Rand's whole Becoming Hard deal is done very well.
The Elayne and Nynaeve stuff in this book is great too, the circus arc is always a joy, and there's some great moments with the girls and Thom and Juilen. Nynaeve in particular gets some brilliant development in this book, and her fight against her fear is so good. The start of the Salidar arcs is exciting too, I'm a big fan of any of the life in the tower/salidar segments. Birgitte is also always a fun addition to the cast.
Egwene also gets some good development with the Aiel and Moiraine, love seeing her journey being shaped by both.
Moiraine's death always hits, she gets such a good send off with the reveal of the Ruidean foreknowledge and her commitment to doing what needs done is so fantastically characterised.
No Perrin/two rivers stuff in this book, but you don't feel the lack really since the other arcs are so interesting and the story is well paced across them.
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced