Guide to an 'abridged' Wheel of Time?

[Aesmodan]

Googled and searched the forums here for a while, and didn't find exactly what I was looking for, so I thought I'd post.

The Wheel of Time is considered a foundation of the modern fantasy genre, but it's also veryyy long (and also considered very long-winded). Large parts of it I'm told (depending on who you talk to, books 6 or 7 through to 11) don't really add much to the overall story.

I'm looking for a guide (or advice, comments) on an abridged approach to the WoT, which I would like to read -- without slogging through the full text of the full 14 books. (The guides I have found, largely being written by ardent fans, don't really go into what not to read).

Any advice?

Thanks,
-Aes

 

[NeutralDrow]

Wikipedia has Dragonmount, but they might be a little shorter than abridged length. If you ever want fill-in details, you might check out <url=http://www.steelypips.org/wot-tgs/node/6.html>the FAQ, though it's more for people in the middle of reading or who have caught up. I could swear I came across something a little better at one point; I'll look for that.

Not sure I have advice beyond that. I don't really get the idea of not reading the books themselves. But then...I'm also one of the few people who legitimately enjoyed Crossroads of Twilight, and even other fans talk about that book like it punched them in the nuts and killed their dog, so I'm probably not qualified to give advice, either. Either way, good luck! I love the series.

EDIT: Aha! Found it!

The Encyclopedia WoT. Has chapter-by-chapter summaries of all the books so far, as well as general setting information.

 

[mixxuletz]

I don´t recommend it, if you want the full experience as it was intended by Robert Jordan you should read all the books, I did and they`re worth reading.

 

[Aesmodan]

Thanks for the links NeutralDrow --

Would you recommend reading books 6-11? Or could I go from book 6 or so straight to when Brandon Sanderson takes up the series?

Thanks,
-Aes

 

[Melon Hunter]

Read them all. The problem is if you skip to book 12 from book 6 you will miss some massive plot points and wonder what the hell is going on in book 12. Yes, the series is more long winded than most but I can't think of an entire book you could legitimately drop and still have a full handle on the series. Individual chapters could be skipped, but every book brings something vital to the table.

 

[Saltyk]

I don't know why, but for some reason I was thinking he was asking for a comical "abridged" take on the series. That word has forever been changed by Little Kuriboh and Team Four Star.

 

[BabyRaptor]

Snip

CoT was good...I fail to see the hate. But I don't like Sanderson's work and most people do, so...

 

[Sethran]

Wheel of Time Abridged = Read them Quickly.

No amount of Clifnotes or skimming will recreate the books.

And read them ALL.

 

[NeutralDrow]

Thanks for the links NeutralDrow --

Would you recommend reading books 6-11? Or could I go from book 6 or so straight to when Brandon Sanderson takes up the series?

Of course I would, and hell no, respectively. I'd recommend going until you can't stand it, then if you absolutely must, pick up with Knife of Dreams (book 11). While I can sorta see why people don't like books 9 and 10 (though 9 ends on a face-meltingly awesome note), I don't see what the big problem is with 7 and 8.

Keep in mind, I liked book 10, widely considered the worst...and I can agree it's the worst, but that just means I like it less than the others. I don't think it's bad enough to skip.

Snip

CoT was good...I fail to see the hate. But I don't like Sanderson's work and most people do, so...

Yeah, hate to say it, but I do like Sanderson's work a lot, too. I think they picked a good guy to finish the series.

Let me guess...is Mat part of your issue?

 

[BabyRaptor]

Snip

CoT was good...I fail to see the hate. But I don't like Sanderson's work and most people do, so...

Yeah, hate to say it, but I do like Sanderson's work a lot, too. I think they picked a good guy to finish the series.

Let me guess...is Mat part of your issue?

Part, yes.

Spoiler

What the Fuck was the deal with the letter? That entire situation just...Ugh.

But there are several huge things he's done with the series that I just don't agree with.

 

[Isaac The Grape]

I don't know why, but for some reason I was thinking he was asking for a comical "abridged" take on the series. That word has forever been changed by Little Kuriboh and Team Four Star.

Dibs on that if the WoT movie ever gets made.

 

[NeutralDrow]

Snip

CoT was good...I fail to see the hate. But I don't like Sanderson's work and most people do, so...

Yeah, hate to say it, but I do like Sanderson's work a lot, too. I think they picked a good guy to finish the series.

Let me guess...is Mat part of your issue?

Part, yes.

Spoiler

What the Fuck was the deal with the letter? That entire situation just...Ugh.

But there are several huge things he's done with the series that I just don't agree with.

I loved the letter. It sounded perfectly in-character for him, especially since Elayne has been annoying the hell out of him (and sometimes actively trying to screw him over) for nine books.

Really, though, I don't know that Sanderson's really changed anything from what was going to happen anyway. Supposedly, they're following Jordan's copious notes, and with the exception of some more exaggerated comedy (like the character sheets), he seems to follow Jordan's writing style.

 

[CannibalCorpses]

Long winded is an understatement, them books are so full of waffle that i gave up when i got to number 7. I can't be arsed reading 900 pages+ for the 300 that are actually entertaining.

That said it left an impression on me because i started reading the dictionary afterwards

 

[BabyRaptor]

Long winded is an understatement, them books are so full of waffle that i gave up when i got to number 7. I can't be arsed reading 900 pages+ for the 300 that are actually entertaining.

That said it left an impression on me because i started reading the dictionary afterwards

My roommate complained that he had a hard time getting into the series because Jordan would spend a chapter describing a hallway and only dedicate a few paragraphs to major battles.

Snip

The entire situation with the city just made me mad.

Spoiler

The way Mat ignored the letter the entire time runs completely counter to the massive fix the series has had so far on his curiosity and his ability to always find himself in the middle of trouble. It just feels like a giant 180 for me.

And then there's Egwene.

Also, spoiler tags don't work if you capitalize the S anywhere. Nifty.

 

[omicron1]

For an abridged version, possibly follow a Wikipedia-style summary when you get to book eight or so?
By that point, the cliches and stunted, unnatural (and sometimes fanservice-oriented) situations and dialogue begin to undermine any sense of progression the books have - sure, things get done, but in between you get half a dozen scenes of the various girls in the series upstaging, mistreating, or generally looking down on the guys. (or even just talking about having done so!) And then it all ends with a climactic battle where Mr. Marty Stu gains a new superpower and dukes it out with another of the thirteen Evil Henchmen. It was interesting the first couple of books; by the eighth or so it's downright boring. Better to read the summary, unless you're somehow that engrossed in the story...

 

[WolfThomas]

Crossroads of Twilight is the only real filler book, even then it's not that terrible. Knife of Dreams is important because it has the battle of Maldern and alot of other stuff.

The thing is once you hit the Sanderson books, stuff really starts to pay off, mutliple character lines get conlcuded and a whole bunch of stuff revealed. It's worth going through the boring stuff to get there.

 

[Slip05]

You can't really skip 6-10, although not a lot happens the only reason for that if because there are so many characters he's following that it takes that many books to cover all of their stories you will be pretty lost if you just skipped them (even with summaries) and would miss out of some of the mood he was trying to create

Long winded is an understatement, them books are so full of waffle that i gave up when i got to number 7. I can't be arsed reading 900 pages+ for the 300 that are actually entertaining.

That said it left an impression on me because i started reading the dictionary afterwards

My roommate complained that he had a hard time getting into the series because Jordan would spend a chapter describing a hallway and only dedicate a few paragraphs to major battles.

Snip

The entire situation with the city just made me mad.

Spoiler

The way Mat ignored the letter the entire time runs completely counter to the massive fix the series has had so far on his curiosity and his ability to always find himself in the middle of trouble. It just feels like a giant 180 for me.

And then there's Egwene.

Also, spoiler tags don't work if you capitalize the S anywhere. Nifty.

As for your last spoiler

Spoiler

Mat ignores the letter because he is dedicated to rescuing Moraine and since he promised to follow the letter if he opened it he may not be able to rescue her for years so he ignores it so that he can keep his promise and still rescue her

 

[NeutralDrow]

Snip

The entire situation with the city just made me mad.

Spoiler

The way Mat ignored the letter the entire time runs completely counter to the massive fix the series has had so far on his curiosity and his ability to always find himself in the middle of trouble. It just feels like a giant 180 for me.

Oh, that letter. I thought you were talking about the "Dear Bloody Royal Pain in the Ass," letter to Elayne.

I didn't really see it as out of character for him, though clearly <color=aliceblue>Verin did. It's not like he really owed her anything or even trusted her, and his desire to get shot of Aes Sedai once and for all overpowered his curiosity. It didn't really feel like a 180 for me, so much as a 30, 30, 30, 60, and 30, applied variously to Moiraine, the Tear incident, Salidar, Ebou Dar, and the road back to Caemlyn.

And then there's Egwene.

Unless you're talking some of the interactions with Gawyn, I seriously doubt I'll agree or even understand. I like the fact that she's become a badass (something that started under Jordan's purview in Knife of Dreams).

Not as much as Nynaeve's maturing, granted, but still.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Just read everything, OP, it's worth it. Out of the 12 books that have been released so far, only two or three of them actually dragged on; for the most part, while each book is equivalent in length to the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy, they don't feel like it, at all. I routinely knock back the latest release in a day or two, and it usually takes me months to get through much shorter novels (more do to lack of time and interest than ability, though.) Besides, the ones that dragged were crucial for setting up the plot of the 11th, 12th, and soon to be released 13th books, which so far have been more like the first volume than anything else (in that book, a lot, and I mean a lot of stuff happened, while most of the other books seem to have fewer major events, and more buildup.) Just read it, you won't be disappointed.

 

[Bouchie Bouch]

no idea what this thread is about but I think this is still relevant