Getting confused and bored.

[elric01]

I am up to the sixth book and am halfway through it now. Am I the only one who at this point is getting bored with the women griping and moaning all the time? None of the female characters are very likeable and they bitch amd moan no-stop, even at each other. I am also tired of the hundreds of characters I have to keep up with. It is hard to keep track of who is who and what they are doing when there are hundreds of characters. Also, the books are fun to read but after reading them and thinking back not a lot happened other than more talking. No big battles, no small battles just a lot of talking. Any thoughts on these comments? Couldn't his publisher, agent of fans tell him to get to the point and quite dragging these books out? Anyone reading this should read Raymond Feists books, they are much better.

[Thadlerian]

Originally Posted by elric01

Am I the only one who at this point is getting bored with the women griping and moaning all the time?

Definitely not. This is a commonly identified problem with Jordan's novels. For a more detailed study of the phenomenon, dubbed as "wotism", consider this thread.

[pyan]

Welcome to the Wonderful World of WOTism, Elric!
You're only one book away from my own personal point of pitching the volume hard into the wall........

[C Of K]

Originally Posted by elric01

I am up to the sixth book and am halfway through it now. Am I the only one who at this point is getting bored with the women griping and moaning all the time?

But this is how he got so many fans interested in the first place.

I am also tired of the hundreds of characters I have to keep up with. It is hard to keep track of who is who and what they are doing when there are hundreds of characters.

But this is how he got so man fans interested in the first place.

Also, the books are fun to read but after reading them and thinking back not a lot happened other than more talking.

Uh, you should stop, really. If anything, the next books have even less going on, except for talking. They are just as long, but more filler than anything else. Most of the action has already taken place by book 6.

Raymond Feists books, they are much better.

I'll check him out. Thanks. Robert Jordan isn't for everyone. You should stop while you're still only half way through. Otherwise you'll feel obligated to wait for the twelfth book like the rest of us.

In conclusion...the Wheel of Time won't get any better than the books you've already read.

[elric01]

Thanks everyone. I was afraid I would get a lot of responses telling me to stop reading and that I am crazy. I read the link to the Wotism post and I could not agree more. The Belgariad series is much the same way. Have a good one!

[Rosemary]

Well, I am going to continue reading WOT despite the 'wotism'! I'm an optomist and feel sure that WOT will get better. There is a big battle to be fought remember!
As to the 'hundreds of characters' I haven't had a problem with that at all as Jordon seems to introduce new ones steadily. I have read other books where you are thrown straight into a crowd of people in a very short time.

[woodsman]

I can deal with all the Charachters and still enjoy the WoT books, but all the bitchyness is anoying and somehow pointless, having said that Jordan does seem to creat more real and multi-faceted charachters than many other writers, I'd agree about Feist Though: fst storyline, charachter developement, complex plots, twist and turns philosophy and religion discussed without the converluted book long bickering/discussion of Jordan, its all a matter of taste!

[C Of K]

Originally Posted by woodsman

Jordan does seem to creat more real and multi-faceted charachters than many other writers

Interesting take on Jordan. I'd actually attribute many of the different facets of his characters to the location they lived in on the map. If you really think about it, most of his characters are cookie-cutter. Almost any 100 men from the same village/city/town will basically be the same guy. 99% of the Aiel are still indistinguishable, even though they've been around since "The Great Hunt" It is more of a credit to him that he has so many different locations than actual characters.

Someone I've read who seems to be able to handle a lot of characters, give them all different identities, and still make them interesting is George RR Martin. His characters are a whole lot more believable than Robert Jordan's, as well. His locations have little to do with how characters act (neither does gender, for that matter) beyond what is necessary, and the childish bickering is almost non-existent.

[woodsman]

That is actually true now i think about it, although i would still say some of his main charachters are better developed. His use of locations and culture is probably as you say key! Never read Martin will have to look into it.

[Marvolo]

Originally Posted by C Of K

Interesting take on Jordan. I'd actually attribute many of the different facets of his characters to the location they lived in on the map. If you really think about it, most of his characters are cookie-cutter. Almost any 100 men from the same village/city/town will basically be the same guy. 99% of the Aiel are still indistinguishable, even though they've been around since "The Great Hunt" It is more of a credit to him that he has so many different locations than actual characters.

Someone I've read who seems to be able to handle a lot of characters, give them all different identities, and still make them interesting is George RR Martin. His characters are a whole lot more believable than Robert Jordan's, as well. His locations have little to do with how characters act (neither does gender, for that matter) beyond what is necessary, and the childish bickering is almost non-existent.

The sheer number of characters that get mentioned on one page is staggering sometimes with GRRM. But as the book goes on those characters really do spring to life. I swear he's got a ten foot tall stack of character bios written out, because the majority of the characters feel unique to me even if they're only given a few lines.

[C Of K]

Originally Posted by Marvolo

The sheer number of characters that get mentioned on one page is staggering sometimes with GRRM. But as the book goes on those characters really do spring to life. I swear he's got a ten foot tall stack of character bios written out, because the majority of the characters feel unique to me even if they're only given a few lines.

What is often a weakness for writers, GRRM turns into a strength. I've noticed that he often mentions certain tenets, people, and place, like the wall, without explaining their significance right away. Gradually, the reader will be introduced to those things, and their importance to the story.

[JagLover]

Originally Posted by elric01

I am up to the sixth book and am halfway through it now. Am I the only one who at this point is getting bored with the women griping and moaning all the time? None of the female characters are very likeable and they bitch amd moan no-stop, even at each other. I am also tired of the hundreds of characters I have to keep up with. It is hard to keep track of who is who and what they are doing when there are hundreds of characters. Also, the books are fun to read but after reading them and thinking back not a lot happened other than more talking. No big battles, no small battles just a lot of talking. Any thoughts on these comments? Couldn't his publisher, agent of fans tell him to get to the point and quite dragging these books out? Anyone reading this should read Raymond Feists books, they are much better.

If you are getting fed up in Book 6 STOP NOW.

The quality of the WOT series drops off a cliff after book 6. From then up until Book 11 nothing really happens apart from allot of bitching, in depth discussion on women's clothes, and yet more bitching.

I still kept reading though.

[BSOM180]

It seems a lot of people who post on this forum have a distaste for the books after 6. I don't remember much of 6, I'm re-reading the series, and I'm on 4 [It's been a week I think since I started reading] I think I got to 8 before I stopped last time cause there weren't any more we had after that. I don't remember disliking it, but maybe I've forgotten.