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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
Reread. It’s a different experience the 2nd time around. Looking forward to rereading the rest of the series.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I decided to listen to the audiobooks of this series due to the fact that I really really wanted to re-read the series, but wasn't prepared to dedicate the time it takes to read 14 long books - mainly as there are so many books I want to read! The audiobook also makes good use of my 20-30 min commute each morning and evening.
The voice actors are both American; Michael Kramer and Kate Reading with Michael doing the majority of the reading. I enjoyed the parts done by Michael most. They will do entire chapters each, not switching between characters. I admire both of them, but particularly Michael, for the sheer number of different character voices he can pull off, and how he can return to the same voices in a later chapter/or within the same chapter.
As far as the story goes, on a re-read(listen), far more happens in the book than I remembered. Perhaps a slow start, the story soon ramps up and sets up lots of things for the future books. The characters are well set up in this first book - and great characters they are too!
I rate it four stars due to the fact that I enjoy Kate Reading's parts considerably less than Michaels. A personal preference for sure! This has not stopped me continuing straight on to book 2: [b:The Great Hunt|233643|The Great Hunt (Wheel of Time, #2)|Robert Jordan|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1312031860s/233643.jpg|1574475]. I highly recommend this series!
The voice actors are both American; Michael Kramer and Kate Reading with Michael doing the majority of the reading. I enjoyed the parts done by Michael most. They will do entire chapters each, not switching between characters. I admire both of them, but particularly Michael, for the sheer number of different character voices he can pull off, and how he can return to the same voices in a later chapter/or within the same chapter.
As far as the story goes, on a re-read(listen), far more happens in the book than I remembered. Perhaps a slow start, the story soon ramps up and sets up lots of things for the future books. The characters are well set up in this first book - and great characters they are too!
I rate it four stars due to the fact that I enjoy Kate Reading's parts considerably less than Michaels. A personal preference for sure! This has not stopped me continuing straight on to book 2: [b:The Great Hunt|233643|The Great Hunt (Wheel of Time, #2)|Robert Jordan|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1312031860s/233643.jpg|1574475]. I highly recommend this series!
See my review of the paper back.
I love the narrators of these books, they’re spot on.
I love the narrators of these books, they’re spot on.
I DNF’d at the halfway mark.
Many years ago someone told me I should read this if I liked ASOIAF… Huh? Not really sure how these were comparable except for many long-winded descriptions of landscapes, but yikes. I DNF’d because this one had nothing going in it for me. ASOIAF might be slow-paced at times, but it had constant political scheming, tons of three-dimensional characters, and threats of dragons and ice zombies to keep me invested. This, had a bunch of whiny teenagers and know-it-all adults trying to rip off Tolkien. Would it be cool to get to the end of this super long series and see the growth these characters undergo? Sure, if it was like a 6 book series. But I’m going to stop here and that’s alright with me. Perhaps this will be an instance where the show is better than the book? If I end up giving it a try after this, that is.
Many years ago someone told me I should read this if I liked ASOIAF… Huh? Not really sure how these were comparable except for many long-winded descriptions of landscapes, but yikes. I DNF’d because this one had nothing going in it for me. ASOIAF might be slow-paced at times, but it had constant political scheming, tons of three-dimensional characters, and threats of dragons and ice zombies to keep me invested. This, had a bunch of whiny teenagers and know-it-all adults trying to rip off Tolkien. Would it be cool to get to the end of this super long series and see the growth these characters undergo? Sure, if it was like a 6 book series. But I’m going to stop here and that’s alright with me. Perhaps this will be an instance where the show is better than the book? If I end up giving it a try after this, that is.
adventurous
dark
medium-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:
Complicated
I thought the first book was pretty good but there were some very slow parts in it and sometimes Jordan went into too much detail over small things, but overall it was a very goo read.
3.5 stars. Some parts I really liked, but the book is so long with so little actual happening other than traveling, that it feels anticlimactic. Apparently I am one of those people who appreciate the journey, but I still like to reach somewhere. This book...it's all journey, just leading to the next (many, apparently) books. Perhaps if it weren't upward of 700 pages, I might be excited about that prospect, but I have other stories to read.
Re the story: characters - interesting (Egwene, Perrin, Mat, Nynaeve, and Rand, all of them), but so much left unsaid and undone - presumably all will occur in those future books. The E Field folks are the most interesting, given their ages and possibilities, though the politics of the Aes folk obviously will fill another book or two - ones I'd rather skip, given the last few years we've lived through.
The world is interesting. All that wheel and weaving stuff was a bit vague and annoying, but eventually I'll return to this series.
Re the story: characters - interesting (Egwene, Perrin, Mat, Nynaeve, and Rand, all of them), but so much left unsaid and undone - presumably all will occur in those future books. The E Field folks are the most interesting, given their ages and possibilities, though the politics of the Aes folk obviously will fill another book or two - ones I'd rather skip, given the last few years we've lived through.
The world is interesting. All that wheel and weaving stuff was a bit vague and annoying, but eventually I'll return to this series.
So it has been...years.. more than a decade, but probably not two, since I read this book the first time. I had read most of the series and then got stuck waiting on the last book (that became books) and never finished the series.
And then stumbled on the Amazon series the other day (I vaguely knew it had been made, but forgot because I always forget about what's on Amazon) and I really enjoyed it. It was fun and I remembered enough to enjoy it, but not so much that it ruined it. But it did make me want to read the books again.
I had some audible credits...and they had re-recorded the first three books with Rosamund Pike narrating....
I enjoyed it all over again. (It did ruin the TV version a bit - they could have done so much better....) but I'm excited to keep going. And maybe even get all the way through the series this time.
And then stumbled on the Amazon series the other day (I vaguely knew it had been made, but forgot because I always forget about what's on Amazon) and I really enjoyed it. It was fun and I remembered enough to enjoy it, but not so much that it ruined it. But it did make me want to read the books again.
I had some audible credits...and they had re-recorded the first three books with Rosamund Pike narrating....
I enjoyed it all over again. (It did ruin the TV version a bit - they could have done so much better....) but I'm excited to keep going. And maybe even get all the way through the series this time.