Just finished reading Eye of the World

I can see why this is so highly acclaimed, so far its my 2nd favorite fantasy series I think, even passing the King killer chronicle

Weelllllll.

The first book is a heavily-Tolkien influenced fantasy that's very much a product of its era (see also, Sword of Shannara).

The next couple books.get better and better as they go, as it grows out of the Tolkien influences and establishes its own personality.

4-6 is probably where the series peaks for a while, with Lord of Chaos probably being one of the best in the series.

7-8 is where the rot starts to set in, as the massive number of characters (with new ones constantly being introduced) and the obvious filler starts to creep in. This is the point where either Robert Jordan lost control of his own story, or where he realized he could drag this thing out pretty much forever and monetize the hell out of it for another 20 years once he realized how popular it was becoming.

9-11 become a hard slog and a painful read. A lot of fans dropped the series entirely somewhere in here, and others had to force themselves to keep reading because "I've already been reading it for a decade/8+ books now, and the ending is just around the corner, so I'm too committed to stop now.

12-14 are written by a different author working from Robert Jordan's notes (because he died before finishing the series), and these books just become so much more streamlined and better told. A charitable person might say it flows much better because it's the end of the story where all the threads finally start coming together, but a more cynical fan might say that it shows just how bad Robert Jordan had gotten towards the end, letting the whole mess spiral out of control and it took a totally different writer to come in and finally fix the mess. Regardless, it's a strong ending, and it kind of takes some of the sting out of the half-dozen bad books you had to wade through to get to it.

Overall it's probably worth a read if you're into reading fantasy and willing to slog through the second half knowing there's a better ending waiting for you. It's also a lot easier to read now when you can go straight from one book to the next, and don't have to wait years between them (which is what it was like reading the series back in the 90s/00s).

Wait, people thought this was a Tolkien clone? Is it just because it's a medieval setting?

I get the Sword of Shannara (even if I disagree) but there weren't even elves in EotW

Muscles posted...

Wait, people thought this was a Tolkien clone? Is it just because it's a medieval setting?

No, there's way more to it than that. And no, "elves" are not the only thing that makes something Tolkien-esque.

The criticism was a lot more common when the book first came out and the rest of the series wasn't there to help differentiate the comparison, but you can still find related conversations about it if you look online:

https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-eye-of-the-world-a-tolkien-like-journey-with-a-twist
https://deathbytsundoku.com/the-influence-of-tolkien-in-the-eye-of-the-world


It doesn't help that Jordan himself mentioned that it was a deliberate thing:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eye_of_the_World#Themes_and_allusions

ParanoidObsessive posted...

And no, "elves" are not the only thing that makes something Tolkien-esque.

Wait so you're telling me Santa's Workshop isn't a Tolkien construct?!

Yeah, I loved the first 5 or 6 books of that series but the rest of it can just fuck off. It is one of the only series of books that I started and then decided that I was done and never bothered to finish.

ItIsSoOver posted...

Sanderson's books were by far the best written in the series, and not just because it was the climactic finale.

Sanderson's own sins are mainly overdescribing a world's magic system that he's put way too much thought into. His Wheel of Time books may be the best he's ever written (IMO) because he's working from someone else's system and plot so he can't really focus on that as much as he's forced to tell the overarching story and its implications.

In a way the pseudo-collaboration kind of brings out the best in both of them.

Wheel of Time was great and the only book that felt blah was book 10. Every other book at least felt like it lead to something.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

No, there's way more to it than that. And no, "elves" are not the only thing that makes something Tolkien-esque.

The criticism was a lot more common when the book first came out and the rest of the series wasn't there to help differentiate the comparison, but you can still find related conversations about it if you look online:

https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-eye-of-the-world-a-tolkien-like-journey-with-a-twist
https://deathbytsundoku.com/the-influence-of-tolkien-in-the-eye-of-the-world

It doesn't help that Jordan himself mentioned that it was a deliberate thing:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eye_of_the_World#Themes_and_allusions

I get where they're coming from but imo it's still different enough from Tolkien to where I don't think it's worthy the criticism of it.

ItIsSoOver posted...

Jordan spends a little too much time describing clothes and food for my taste

Some call it "worldbuilding" I call it "boring"

Sanderson's books were by far the best written in the series, and not just because it was the climactic finale.

I like how he does it tbh, he paints a great picture in your mind

ParanoidObsessive posted...

Sanderson's own sins are mainly overdescribing a world's magic system that he's put way too much thought into. His Wheel of Time books may be the best he's ever written (IMO) because he's working from someone else's system and plot so he can't really focus on that as much as he's forced to tell the overarching story and its implications.

In a way the pseudo-collaboration kind of brings out the best in both of them.

Good to hear, I like Sanderson but he goes into too much detail of his magic systems. Read the 1st Mistborn and Warbreaker, and the worst parts were the magic.

ItIsSoOver posted...

You might feel differently after 3-5 books when you finish your dress makers apprenticeship.

He tells a lot, rather than showing and it gets pretty tired.

~tugs braid~

ParanoidObsessive posted...

Weelllllll.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/9/93d2947b.png