I just finished re reading towers of midnight and have a friend who has just started reading TGH, and i'm wondering whether some of the scenes in the later books were as heartfelt as they were to me (e.g. VoG, and 'For what has been wrought') as they would be too someone who just started reading the series. Are these events so emotional just because i've been waiting years for them to happen? Will they be as rewarding to someone who starts reading them now?

 

- longtime lurker

Well, I introduced the books to my Girlfriend, she started reading about half a year ago and has finished them about a 2 weeks ago. (still waiting for AMOL ofc.) She thinks they're great and often goes OOEEEEH! and Aaah! But I do think that I'm more into them because of the long waiting times between books.

Yes and no.

 

On the one hand, I think readers who have all of the books piled up and ready to go may be more forgiving of some of the, shall we say, less tightly-focussed and plotted books in the middle of the series.

 

On the other hand, the reason people got so into re-reads and close textual analysis with these books is because they had to wait months and years for the next to appear.

Well we waited years for Gathering Storm, but only a year from Gathering Storm to Towers of Midnight. I know a lot of things were resolved in Towers of Midnight that we have waited years for a resolution to, but Towers of Midnight does have a few things in it that are resolutions and/or continuations from Gathering Storm. Like Elaida's treatment as a damane for example. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her beg and was eager when Towers of Midnight was released to see her treatment even though I only waited a year.

 

I remember when I first read the series I did it in a period of about two weeks one book after another - I was that enthralled with it. Whenever I manage to get a person to read the series it is about the same result, slow at first but once they hit TDR they are hooked.

I think they'll enjoy it just as much.

 

I think the first re-read is almost more important than the first read as seeing seeds sown in the first books being reaped several books later was always so impressive to me.

 

 

The longer timespan certainly deepens one's attachment, if only by occupying a largely span of conscious memory. I wasn't around from the beginning for WoT, but I remember watching Babylon 5 from the beginning, and then watching it many years later in a very compressed period on disc. Some of the epic magnitude was lost. When a plotline is hanging in your mind, it becomes bigger and forms deeper neural associations than when you're exposed to the same plotline over a much shorter period of time.

 

Edited to correct a mistake.

I think they'd enjoy it even more because they wont have to wait and do a reread for the next book release. They can just pile through it all and then do a reread.

 

Personally I dont have the energy for another reread. Dont get me wrong, I will do it again, just not anytime soon. However I have to say that if AMoL is split again Im not reading anything Wheel of Time ever again EVER.

Super Definitely - or your money back!!! ;-)

 

 

- Fish

I remember when I first read the series I did it in a period of about two weeks one book after another - I was that enthralled with it. Whenever I manage to get a person to read the series it is about the same result, slow at first but once they hit TDR they are hooked.

 

I agree with this, they should be "unputdownable" from "The Great Hunt" to "A Crown of Swords" in my opinion, after that, if they are engaged enough with the characters they will stick with them though thick (KoD) and thin (CoT)because they NEED to know everyone's fate...

I started them about three years ago, read the first three back to back and then began the eternal hunt for the next ones - they had to have the illustrations on the cover or I didn't want them!

 

I couldn't put them down, same with finally getting my hands on ToM - I just had to keep going, because I HAD TO KNOW.

 

Time between books definitely gets your head spinning and I think that's the great things about books in general, they get the imagination fired up. The great/worst things about the WoT series is that there is so much going on that threads are left loose for books. I still get wound up that Mat's mission was teased for a good three/four books before finally concluding!

 

The only thing I can say for anyone picking them up now or when the series has finally finished - lucky buggers!