The Wheel of Time
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Maybe they can bury it under the "why can't (men/women) be more like (women/men)" bitching that nearly every character does.
Yep, it's awesome! One of em is a princess lol. Mages too, most OP harem ever.
I like that running joke about "if you need help, send for me" that keeps being repeated throughout the series.
I feel there is an even amount of jabs both ways so there's nothing bad about such standard orthodox fantasy themes being enjoyed. If anything it'd be different compared to most other types of current works out there.
Yes, he needed a collection of the two different types of woman in the world.
Perin's a massive powerhouse with a woodcutter background and magic wolf buffs so he runs the danger of getting his axe stuck in the ground after slicing his armored enemy cleanly in half more than it being deflected back at his face. He basically put all his points in strength from day 1 and just kept being that way moving forward.
Saying that there are two different types is charitable. All women swoon over men with varying degrees of acting like they don't.
There's basically 90s ladettes (Min, Brigitte) and Frustrated Mrs Hitler (everyone else).
There's a hybrid too a few books into the story, she's like a black widow archetype.
I guess the significant type differentiation comes in HOW they swoon, one way is more palatable to some people and not others.
But more fundamentally, this is an orthodox fantasy about a group of heroic legendary dudes saving the world and getting pussy, that's like, the oldest story in the book, so I see a lot of people treat it like a bad thing or insinuate it can't be good due to that element which is just silly. Also, in the current day, such a tale would actually stand out and be so old school so as to be fresh-feeling again, since so many other stories are decidedly the opposite of that lol.
No, it's rubbish because it's derivative, overlong, boring, badly written, and populated with a vast list of characters all of whom are dull and repetitive.
In a sense, in many of its faults it's akin to many fantasy series: it's just that because most of these other series are trilogies that finish in a quarter of the time, they're far less at risk of outstaying their welcome.
I remember starting the first book some years ago. Despite never having read that much fantasy, or books in general, and it supposedly being one of the all-time most influential series in the genre, I still felt like I'd read that story a zillion billion times. As far as I'm concerned, taking artistic license with it is the only way to do it.
Every time I see Pike’s face now it’s like she’s secretly planning how to kill me, in the most sick and twisted way imaginable. Or swindle me out of my life savings.
So I just binged the first 3 eps, they don't have any more up or I'd still be on there haha.
Very impressed with it so far. My biggest worry was that they'd change things due to seemingly wanting it to focus on Moiraine and maybe remove some bits but if anything they've only added more stuff on top of what is in the books and condensed it here and there to keep the action going. Moiraine has been safely and accurately passed out for the better part of the last 2 episodes so more interesting chars can get to do things XD.
The most extra bits were added to the main group's backgrounds, now Matt and Perrin are even more relatable, Matt especially, as Perrin is my fav char in the story already, but even he got some good stuff, including one bit that literally made me gasp outloud with surprise. They added stuff to the fight scenes too (ep. 1 had a pretty great fight, gory too, did not see that one coming, was expecting more LotR levels of blood, not seeing guts being ripped out and chewed on) and the magic doesn't look too unlike what I pictured in my head, it's pretty aetherial up until the explosions start happening then it's pretty epic high fantasy fireball and thunderbolt hurling that does not disappoint.
Also all of the cast is generally likeable and feel like "themselves" more or less, the casting makes them, especially the girls, look very weird and different than their book selves but they're all good actresses so they don't feel jarring at all when you sit and watch for maybe 5 minutes, Matt was mayyyybe a bit too nice at first but he has the fucking knife now so he's more like himself...or how I picture him anyways lol. And the guy who they got to play Thom the merryman who they didn't show in the trailer is a really cool guy too, I always pictured him more scrawny and jester-like but they went with basically a rogue looking old dude with a guitar. Can't hate it though.
Very impressed with it so far. My biggest worry was that they'd change things due to seemingly wanting it to focus on Moiraine and maybe remove some bits but if anything they've only added more stuff on top of what is in the books and condensed it here and there to keep the action going. Moiraine has been safely and accurately passed out for the better part of the last 2 episodes so more interesting chars can get to do things XD.
The most extra bits were added to the main group's backgrounds, now Matt and Perrin are even more relatable, Matt especially, as Perrin is my fav char in the story already, but even he got some good stuff, including one bit that literally made me gasp outloud with surprise. They added stuff to the fight scenes too (ep. 1 had a pretty great fight, gory too, did not see that one coming, was expecting more LotR levels of blood, not seeing guts being ripped out and chewed on) and the magic doesn't look too unlike what I pictured in my head, it's pretty aetherial up until the explosions start happening then it's pretty epic high fantasy fireball and thunderbolt hurling that does not disappoint.
Also all of the cast is generally likeable and feel like "themselves" more or less, the casting makes them, especially the girls, look very weird and different than their book selves but they're all good actresses so they don't feel jarring at all when you sit and watch for maybe 5 minutes, Matt was mayyyybe a bit too nice at first but he has the fucking knife now so he's more like himself...or how I picture him anyways lol. And the guy who they got to play Thom the merryman who they didn't show in the trailer is a really cool guy too, I always pictured him more scrawny and jester-like but they went with basically a rogue looking old dude with a guitar. Can't hate it though.
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I watched the first 3 episodes over the weekend as well. There's a lot I like, some stuff I don't like, and one terrible and unfortunate realization.
Like Dreiko said they've added to Mat and Perrin. I did not like what they've done to Mat. They've made him and his family poor, broken, and generally crappy... and that a: destroys the character of Abell Cauthon and b: it just isn't Mat. It doesn't really jive with the "easy come easy go," laced cuff wearing rogue from the books. And the actor chosen fits, he's kind of unhealthily mousy and thin. Not the Two Rivers farmboy who can take out two swordmasters with a quarterstaff that he's supposed to be. Then again they can fix that after the whole "dagger" plotline by having the actor hit the protein and gym. The Perrin thing... was awesome. That actor is also probably the closest to what I imagined the character to look like (save one I'll mention later.) He's done really well so far. Rand... a bit whiny, ehh not bad or great.
All in all the casting has chosen good actors. I like the pacing so far... they've written the individual episodes pretty well. And Thom... that was exactly what I pictured the character would look and sound like. But I had a fairly awful realization fairly early into watching the first episode. This is expensive, and the series is veeeerrrryyyy long. I know Amazon has deep pockets and they will be hacking huge chunks out of the story (especially after say book 3 or 4 or so) but I don't think this is sustainable. Even if it becomes the cultural touchstone that Game of Thrones did (it won't) I don't believe there really isn't any way this goes more than a season or 2. I do hope I'm wrong, maybe Bezos is a huge fan and will just bankroll everything... but I don't think its long for this world.
Like Dreiko said they've added to Mat and Perrin. I did not like what they've done to Mat. They've made him and his family poor, broken, and generally crappy... and that a: destroys the character of Abell Cauthon and b: it just isn't Mat. It doesn't really jive with the "easy come easy go," laced cuff wearing rogue from the books. And the actor chosen fits, he's kind of unhealthily mousy and thin. Not the Two Rivers farmboy who can take out two swordmasters with a quarterstaff that he's supposed to be. Then again they can fix that after the whole "dagger" plotline by having the actor hit the protein and gym. The Perrin thing... was awesome. That actor is also probably the closest to what I imagined the character to look like (save one I'll mention later.) He's done really well so far. Rand... a bit whiny, ehh not bad or great.
All in all the casting has chosen good actors. I like the pacing so far... they've written the individual episodes pretty well. And Thom... that was exactly what I pictured the character would look and sound like. But I had a fairly awful realization fairly early into watching the first episode. This is expensive, and the series is veeeerrrryyyy long. I know Amazon has deep pockets and they will be hacking huge chunks out of the story (especially after say book 3 or 4 or so) but I don't think this is sustainable. Even if it becomes the cultural touchstone that Game of Thrones did (it won't) I don't believe there really isn't any way this goes more than a season or 2. I do hope I'm wrong, maybe Bezos is a huge fan and will just bankroll everything... but I don't think its long for this world.
I think the did what they did with Mat and Perrin to have them be...I guess believable candidates for the dragon for the folks who don't know who it is, since if only Rand has any depth of backstory to him it'll be easy to guess. And Mat was kinda like how I always pictured him appearance-wise actually, the actor is fine, he just was definitely too nice and kind, I think they'll use the dagger plot to turn him to what we know. And yeah the Perrin thing during that fight literally made me gasp with surprise, it was super awesome. I actually pictured him more like a viking than what he looks like now, but either way they got a big kind bear of a guy who you don't wanna piss off to play him so yeah definitely no complaints here. He fucked up that trollock solo in the smithy and I was cheering XD.
And hey man it's Amazon, they have infinite money, I prefer to rejoice at the high budget show I'm getting and rather not worry about the future. Who knows, maybe it'll be big in like...china or something. They made Lan asian so who knows (btw I always kinda pictured him as a western samurai like the hero from Nioh so that's a change from the books I am on board with lol). When I first heard this series is being made I always assumed that amazon saw how many sales the books were getting and decided there was enough of an install base for this, and with the quality they put forth I can see good word of mouth spreading it. Especially since it's more or less accurate to the plot with some extra things added in.
Probably so, and I love how they've kind of added that Egwene is also in the mix as a possibility... where that seemed much less likely a scenario in reading the books. But they kind of over corrected, and really have short-shrifted Rand so far. Now, that is another easy fix. And I'm guessing that's what's ahead, especially when we see Lan start training him to use Tam's sword. Kind of like we haven't had a lot of Nyneave yet, but I can see that's coming. And I'll give credit to the action scenes, some good stuff there. Trollocs don't look all the same, but are varied and monstrous. The myrdrall looked suitably terrifying. Moiraine channeling looked good. My favorite scene so far was probably just the throwaway riding scene where Mat starts singing the song about Manetheren and the others join in, followed by Moiraine telling them the story. I can see in my head the upcoming scene with everyone charging into battle, Perrin and Rand shouting "Manetheren" followed by Mat's "Carai an Caldazar! Carai an Ellisande! Al Ellisande!." Pretty sure I'm going to like that one.
At first I thought they added Nynaeve to the potentials too, but then they explained her age more so I guess they tossed it out lol. As for action scenes, most of them were amazing but that one in ep 3 where the barmaid chases Rand around the village with the katana was a bit comical, I don't know if they were trying to make it be scary or what. But yeah besides that one everything has been tense and epic.
As for fav bit...I loved the bit with Nynaeve and Moirane at the spring, and also the tale bit you mention. Also seeing the wolves made me very happy, I guess they could smell the poison on his leg or something. Bits like this being the sort of stuff they add, I am fine with XD. But yeah we haven't seen Nynaeve much so far but I feel she dominates every scene she's in and I love that. She's just as bossy and overbearing as you'd expect but also has more depth to her. Can't wait for her use her angry magic some down the line.
Oh right and if you're careful they've already given hints about Rand being the dragon, since in the dream everyone else saw the bat being choked in the sky before them, they didn't throw it up from within themselves lol.
Im both afraid to ask if the books aren't worth reading as an adult and indifferent because I'm unlikely to read them due to their massive length and apparently poor pacing.
I've read the first three.
Contrary to what the lizard is implying, the books aren't YA or anything like that. The writing is pretty much on par with A Song of Ice and Fire as far as accessibility goes - not quite as dense as Lord of the Rings, but hardly something like Eragon. That said, the writing isn't without irritating quirks for me, such as Jordan's apparent need to describe anything and everything down to the smallest detail. For instance, a swordmaster named Lan has a no. of fighting styles, each named along the lines of "X of the ." You're going to know every name of those fighting styles, and what they entail, and you'll enjoy it, you illiterate pleb!
Snark aside, I can't say I like the books much. The first is basically Lord of the Rings-lite, and while the later two get their own identity, I can't, for the life of me, tell you a thing about the actual plots, or really any distinguishing character trait. Maybe that's more due to me than the writing, but while the writing is fine, the plotting isn't, so to speak.
So, if you want to try, I'd say at least try the first 2-3 books, as the first isn't indicative of what's ahead, but be prepared for a slog.
Believe it or not that's not me in the picture. Anyways, I recall my classmates in the mid-00's describing some of the books and their enthusiasm for them at the time. Funny enough, the series was practically finished already, as the translator quit after Jordan's passing.