The first time I read COT, I too was almost ready to give up WOT. I had waited more than a year for it, and I was desperate to see what the consequences of cleansing Saidin would be. I was bitterly disappointed to read practically nothing about that subject. It would be a year or more until the next book. It was extremely frustrating.

 

I've just finished COT for the second time. Perhaps it's because I'm listening to the audiobook version for the first time, but Jordan's prose has a musical and poetic quality to my ears that I thoroughly enjoyed, even if it was about Elayne complaining about goat's milk and Egwene complaining about her headache and Perrin complaining about the lack of Faile and Mat complaining about women in general.

 

COT was basically about world building. It's a pretty unconventional approach to write a book with nothing but world building 11 books into the series. However, this time I already knew how the story would end, and I could pick up KOD right away, so I was able to just sit back and enjoy .

2 hours ago, solarz said:

 

 

COT was basically about world building. It's a pretty unconventional approach to write a book with nothing but world building 11 books into the series. However, this time I already knew how the story would end, and I could pick up KOD right away, so I was able to just sit back and enjoy .

 

I have to agree -- when I started on WOT I admit to not being very interested in the climax. It's epic fantasy of the good vs. evil variety, the ending is a foregone conclusion. In fact, I still haven't read the ending! What I enjoyed was the completeness of the world, the time spent with the characters not confronting world-changing events (heck, even presidents pause to play golf and watch movies!) and the quality of the prose. WOT is definitely torture for readers who crave steady plot development and a narrative that drives relentlessly to a conclusion ;)

It was a failed experiment, Jordan admitted too. (There are many good parts in it, of course.)

I love the series but RJ's biggest failure is being too over descriptive at times.  Some the middle/late books also fail from waiting 2 - 3 years for the book only for things not to really advance much.

Edited January 25, 20188 yr by Sabio

Funny, going back and reading some of my old posts - UPDATE, I did stick with COT, trudged through Knife of Dreams which was not nearly as bad but not nearly as good as earlier books, mourned greatly when Robert Jordan succumbed to his illness, cheered when Brandon Sanderson took up the helm (HUGE fan of Mistborn), and felt that Towers of Midnight was the finest book since Lord of Chaos, and was deeply satisfied by A Memory of Light despite feeling it didn't quite live up to 13 hefty volumes worth of setup.  

 

Now, I'm going through the series again, this time in audiobook form, and taking my time, trying to really focus on the world building and depth of history, which is impressive thus far.  It does strike me as odd that nearly every character is somehow an expert of prophecy, so schooled that many can quote prophetic passages from memory.  Would welcome a deep discussion on the role of prophecy as either a force that drives the circumstances of the characters that is fully beyond their control (like leaves on the wind...poor Wash) or, as Moiraine sees it, some kind of roadmap for guiding one's actions in order to achieve the desired outcome.  Suppose I should start another thread unless one is already out there.

well, most of the characters are very learned people. 

It is literally Thom's job, and Aes Sedai, are indeed Aes Sedai.

the later it is the less reason to bother.