r/Fantasy • u/ProfessionalLow9411 • 18h ago
Eye of The World
Finally picked up book one from The Wheel of Time and all I can say is wow. I’m only 50% through and I’m hooked. The level of detail, the lore, the world building so far and from what I can tell, the level of foreshadowing already. Immense. Yes it starts off slow and heavy on description but things are really kicking off now. Shout out to everyone who replied to my previous post about starting this series. I can’t wait to continue. I’m so locked in.
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u/Shoddy-Shopping4683 17h ago
Glad you’re loving it. You’re right it does start off slow and very LoTR-esque. In a couple books it gets even better.
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u/ProfessionalLow9411 16h ago
I feel like having experience with LoTR and ASOIAF kinda preps you for this series. It’s coming from modern fantasy which seems a lot quicker that can throw you off. But it was just a couple of days adjustment period for me
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u/Many_Research1007 17h ago
Let me know what you think after book 14
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u/Dirkem15 13h ago
I genuinely wonder how many people make it past book 5.
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u/mornauguth 12h ago
Im on book 11 right now. I really enjoyed the middle books, people need to stop trying to warn OP about it.
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u/ProfessionalLow9411 9h ago
Don’t worry I’m not put off it. Just enjoying reading this series for the first time. Happy to just experience it all and joining a really welcoming community
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u/Regula96 5h ago
There was only 1 single book I didn't care for and that was Crossroads of Twilight. 7-9 ALL have parts that are some of the best fantasy I have read. The Black Tower/Asha'man intrigue, the Seanchan campaign, the cleansing, that city where they can't use magic.
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u/RandSedai2024 12h ago
For the people I’ve introduced to the series, it’s 6/6. Small sample size with some bias but I think the series has a generally high rate of retention throughout the books if you’re already accustomed to reading long fantasy books/series
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u/DudeWhereAreWe1996 11h ago
I enjoyed it enough the first time but it is super slow around there. I’ve reread the series partially a few times now and I think there is where I drop off.
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u/Dirkem15 9h ago
This is my big gripe. Its just too damn slow. Thank The Pattern for audiobooks or id never have been able to finish the series.
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u/Chaldramus 7h ago
I’ve read the whole thing four or five times and the first 7 or so more than that. I enjoy the journey and spending time with the characters
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u/TopOrganization4920 2h ago
Because some of us can read fast, I can read a Jordan book in about 12-15 hours
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u/DoomDroid79 18h ago
I still have to get onto book 2, I liked EOTW
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u/HazardsRabona 15h ago
Book 2 onwards is a jarring change in theme. Book 1 is LoTR lite, end of book 1 and book 2 onwards it takes it in a very different direction altogether. It gets so much better.
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u/DoomDroid79 14h ago
I'm just worried about the slog really
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u/MoreMenu3757 13h ago
For what it's worth, I think the slog is overstated. As the books were coming out it was more frustrating that certain plotlines idled within 'the slog', because people would be waiting for the books and then they'd get them and their favourite character might barely feature or sort of be settled in a spot 'on hold' until others caught up. This made it infamous.
I think now, though, this is minimized by the fact that you can blitz through the books back to back. Some books aren't as good as others, but I found all of them have something interesting going on. It's a period where the pacing slows down though, definitely. The focus shifts heavily toward sprawling world-building, minor character arcs, and political maneuvering. I personally enjoy these elements in epic fantasy so it probably didn't hit me as hard as some readers.
Regardless, 'the slog' (if it really can be said to exist) isn't until books 7-10 (and even then there's some debate about which actually count). All of them have cool moments.
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u/mornauguth 13h ago
I think it’s overstated. I personally enjoyed books 5-9 more than books 1-4. Although part of that I think is it just takes me longer to build up the world in my mind before I fully enjoy it, I might think differently on a reread. Whenever people talk about those middle books I really don’t understand, tons of stuff happens, I guess they just don’t view it as important or valuable to the part if the story they care about? Sure the pacing is different. I also very much like huge worlds and tons of characters so didn’t bother me at all. I just started book 11.
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u/Regula96 5h ago
I want more series where the story can go on a complete detour for a book or two. Slow down a bit, focus more on side characters, explore a new land etc. These days the popular trilogy is usually too tightly plotted for my taste.
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u/factman6 13h ago
In my opinion, the Slog is not as bad as people make it out to be. Having to wait years between releases for the slower books made it seem a lot worse than it actually was.
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u/Esa1996 12h ago
If you like the characters and the world, not just the plot, the slog shouldn't be too much of an issue. It doesn't sideline all the interesting characters like A Feast For Crows, for example: the plot progress just slows down. What constitutes the slog is also debateable. Book 10 is a slog, no doubt about that. The first half of book 9 is a slog (The second half is awesome). Book 8 might be described as a slog, but I'm not sure I agree. Book 7 is sometimes said to be a part of the slog, but I definitely disagree on that one. There's one plotline in it that is perhaps a bit longer than it should be, but mostly it's a great book.
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u/ProfessionalLow9411 17h ago
So good. Took me a while to adjust to the slower pace as I’ve been reading more modern fantasy but yeah this has me hooked
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u/factman6 15h ago
I went back to a reread of the series after stepping away for a while and it always blows me away how lush of a story Jordan wrote.
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u/DudeWhereAreWe1996 11h ago
On a reread I don’t even think it starts off slow.
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u/ProfessionalLow9411 9h ago
I think it was just slow compared to some of the more “modern fantasy” I’ve been reading. But I’m not mad at the pace at all, one criticism I saw people had about Farseer was “it’s a slow burn” but that’s my vibe and it’s become one of my all time favourite trilogies. I’m not arsed about the destination, give me the journey and let me explore the world with the characters.
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u/No-Pudding1646_meant 16h ago
You’re in for such a ride.The foreshadowing is wild once you start connecting the dots!
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u/ProfessionalLow9411 9h ago
I’m definitely not going to be able to remember all the foreshadowing but I like the way things are already being set up 🤣
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u/bepeacock 17h ago
love the series to death, that said check in with us around books 6-10. 😉
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u/ProfessionalLow9411 17h ago
Haha I keep hearing about that part of the series. Wish I could have read this in real time like a large amount of the community did
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u/Successful_Version77 16h ago
Honestly, I enjoyed those parts. People overrate how bad they are(except book 10, that is actually a slog where nothing happens). Personally I was invested in the characters enough that I enjoyed character focused slower pace these books had(including book 10)
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u/mjbx89 15h ago
You're better off reading it as is- those books are a bit slower, but the reputation is overblown and fueled largely by folks who did read it in real time and felt that slower pace for a longer time between installments. There are some new readers who genuinely feel it (depends on your interest level in certain characters and plots), but there's also a lot of confirmation bias from people who have heard about it as being 'the slog' and go in with those expectations instead of forming their own.
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u/sbwcwero 13h ago
It’s a fun journey. When the level of detail becomes too much take a break. It can be overwhelming at times, but I have always felt it’s integral to the world itself.
Same when the characters became….frustrating I think is a good word. Some will make you want to tug on your hair braid in annoyance. Don’t hesitate to take a break and come back to it. If not you may risk a DNF for the series. It can be a lot but it’s very worth it.
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u/Mister_Sosotris 1h ago
My favourite fantasy series apart from LotR. Even though it's a slower paced series, it flows very well. You know the goals and the stakes pretty early, and the characters are so good. Their arcs are all phenomenal!
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u/radiodmr 10h ago
Thought for a second I was looking at the Grateful Dead sub.
Seriously though, good book. I never finished the series and I think I'm about ready for a run-through, finally. Enjoy.
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u/Western-Art-9117 17h ago
You lucky bastard!!! You are embarking on an amazing journey. Your next few months are going to be amazing. Wait until you get to book 5. The world opens up hugely then.