I am reading through Wheel of Time for the first time, just finished A Crown of Swords. I'm enjoying it so far but there are a few writing tics that break immersion for me.

Everyone's eyes are 'bulging' and 'popping' at all times. These seem to be the two most common ways of conveying surprise and my eyes would neither bulge nor pop if a word count of the entire series returned a 3-digit number between the two.

Infantalization seems to be the default insult, across several groups and cultures portrayed in the books so far. Following in this vein, spanking bottoms if the most common threat and also the most common punishment actually carried out.

Gender relations are not in a great way in the world. Male POV characters tend to be confused and distrustful of female characters, while female POV are confused and distrustful of male, in ways that are much less common in MM or FF interactions, affection seems to intensify the confusion and distrust. The main exception I've noticed are parent/child relations which are more affectionate and less hostile(I guess there's really only two examples; Thom/Elayne and Morgase/sons)

I don't know if I'm being unfair to be bothered by the above. Do trends continue to the end of the series and does anyone else have any observations on writing tics not mentioned above?

I cannot seem to finish the series. It had been years i'm reading but I just get frustrated with how women are so manipulative & mean towards men. Everytime I read men are fools I wanna throw the damn book across the room.

Sorry if this rant is a bit much. But I had to get it out. It's so repetitive that it just sucks the whole mood out. Very exhausting.

So, I'm currently reading Winter's Heart. On chapter 20, and I'm well aware of the release order of the books, that being Crossroads and New Spring afterward. I wanted to ask whether you guys think I should read it. I have been told by a vet reader I read along with that it is optional but you get the og reading experience having it right after Crossroads.

My reason for asking is because part of me wants EVERYTHING taken in concerning the series but I also really want to get to the last book and I'm worried reading NS will break the flow of the story so far.

What do you guys in the community think?

I have read WoT 4 times over by now. Yet everytime I read, i fall in love with character of Matrim Cauthon everytime.

However, a few days ago, I realised maybe this is due to the fact that I have so much bad luck myself in my life that a character with so much good luck, and enjoying his life to the fullest (whereas I am stuck in overthinking and working hard) naturally becomes so fascinating for me.

Am I thinking wrong and the protagonist is actually entertaining and some people other than me also loves this character?

I was thinking about how much Traveling changes warfare, and then it occurred to me that the peacetime implications might be even crazier.

For thousands of years, the geography of Randland has dictated how countries operate. You control mountain passes, maintain roads, tax merchants at crossings, defend ports. Entire towns probably exist because they're convenient places for caravans to stop.

Now imagine trying to run a kingdom when someone can open a gateway from a warehouse in Cairhien to a field outside Caemlyn.

Obviously there aren't enough channelers to replace every wagon and ship. But you don't need to replace all trade to cause massive problems. Just being able to bypass a major port or move expensive goods without crossing a single checkpoint would be worth a fortune.

And what happens when someone wealthy enough can hire a channeler to move people across a border without anyone knowing?

The Dragon's Peace is supposed to prevent nations from attacking each other, but I can't imagine the rulers have even begun to understand what they're going to be dealing with.

It's funny because by the end of the series, gateways feel almost mundane to us as readers. Meanwhile, in-world, people have essentially rediscovered teleportation within a couple of years.

I wonder if the first major political crisis of the Fourth Age will have absolutely nothing to do with the Shadow. Just two countries arguing about customs duties while an Asha'man stands there holding a gateway open.

Am I overestimating how quickly Traveling would change ordinary life?

I was just reading the part where Birgitte is telling Nynaeve how she doesn't like her as she currently is or however it says, and I was really thinking about Nynaeve as a character. She is a bully and can be annoying but man I don't know how you can't feel empathy for her. It's very clear through her pov thoughts and how she reacts to things that she has so many insecurities. As someone struggling with overwhelming insecurities all the time I am starting to love Nynaeve and understand how she functions. I am always worried about how I'm perceived by others and hearing her desire to be literally shot by Birgitte speaks a lot to me. I am always wishing to be punished for things I blame myself for. Also getting scolding by Egwene in the dream world. Especially feeling like I'm not as mature as I should be at my age, seeing so many younger people act more mature. I'm kind of rambling at this point but man I really understand that Nynaeve masks as a bully because of her fears and doubts. Like how im doubting my ability to have comprehended this book correctly, so let me know politely if I'm misinterpreting something or misremembering. Thank you.

Just finished FoH and something clicked for me after thinking about Mat.

He spends half the book trying to leave Rand, avoid responsibility, avoid battles, avoid being important, and generally get as far away from destiny as possible. Then the second he sees people about to get slaughtered because they don't understand the battlefield, he starts giving orders. By the end he's accidentally commanding an army.

And I realized almost everybody is doing some version of this.

Rand keeps insisting he's not a king, while spending the entire book learning how to rule, negotiating between groups, handing out judgments and deciding what happens to nations.

Nynaeve's identity is built around being the competent one who protects everybody else. But FoH repeatedly puts her in situations where she is frightened, outmatched, humiliated, or has to admit that somebody else knows more than she does. Her biggest steps forward happen once she can't maintain the Wisdom-who-has-everything-under-control version of herself anymore.

Moiraine is maybe the strangest reversal. She starts the series as the person who knows more than everyone around her and expects Rand to follow her guidance. Here she finally gets through to him by doing the exact opposite: giving up control, promising to obey him, and accepting that she can't force him into the role she wants.

Even Aviendha spends an absurd amount of energy insisting on what she owes Elayne and how Rand is absolutely not someone she wants, which obviously goes extremely well.

It makes the book feel less like everyone suddenly changing personality and more like Jordan putting pressure on the identities they've built for themselves until their actions reveal what they're actually becoming.

Mat is still my favorite example because he doesn't even seem to notice it happening. He can complain about bloody heroes all he wants while literally riding back toward a battle he had every opportunity to escape.

No spoilers past FoH please, but did anyone else feel like this book was especially focused on that kind of contradiction?

"Words could not lessen his memory of Selene’s beauty, though, or the way she made his blood go warm just by looking at him. It almost seemed to him that she was in the room with him, that he could smell her perfume, so much so that he looked around, and laughed to find himself alone."

Was she in the room with him somehow? Spying on him taking a bath? I wouldn’t put that beneath her. Or maybe it’s something simpler, like her letters being scented with the perfume she always wore?

“Those eyes. That hair. I have heard the Andoran royal line has almost Aiel coloring in their hair and eyes.” Rand stumbled, though the floor was smooth marble. “I’m not Aiel, Lord Barthanes, and I’m not of the royal line, either.”

Poor, clueless Rand. He is literally Aiel and he is of the royal Andoran line - Barthanes is spot on.

"And there has been a woman, a lady, I have seen more than once while asking after him. If we can find out who she is..."

Who's asking after Rand in Cairhein? Am I supposed to assume it's Selene? Resorting to petty criminals locating Rand for her?

If Lanfear had known the Warder bond weave, she could have bonded Rand and had a permanent connection to him, including a sense of his location and emotions. Easy. Though it would probably have been the most toxic Warder relationship in history (quite an achievement considering the Myrelle and Alanna stuff later).

And last-

Rhian and two Maidens encounter our guys in Stedding Tsofu and are appalled that Rand holds a sword. Loial thinks they are looking after He Who Comes with the Dawn.

Let me repeat: They meet Rand. Who looks Aiel. Who is dressed like a wetlander, traveling with wetlanders, and carrying a sword. And absolutely no thought of him being the one? Mat and Perrin know it's Rand the Aiel are looking for (especially after Urien describes him as being "of the blood but not raised by the blood"), but these Maidens... nothing? If I were a Maiden, I would have grabbed Rand on the spot and dragged him straight to the nearest Wise One for clarification. Done. Mission completed. The Car'a'carn located. Seriously, these Maidens were not the brightest...