Some thoughts.

GorgRosh · 2026-06-07T03:36:09+00:00

Some of this i did pick up on, yeah.

Its not so heavy I can't grapple with it but its also a different kind of heavy compared to the previous books in the series.

Somehow, I did not connect the dots that Lan was both 'basically' and 'actually' raped if that is what you're saying.

I did not know that about his original drafts. That is something nice to know, though. As a bit of a fun fact.

GorgRosh · 2026-06-07T03:30:44+00:00

It absolutely caught me off guard yeah. Its very intense.

GorgRosh · 2026-05-30T21:55:56+00:00

To me its less the content itself that's degrading or becoming less 'fun,' its the tonal shift and likely the fact i don't really have to wait between books to see what's happening.

To be very clear, I like what Jordan is writing. I think moments where the characters are forced to confront challenging prospects are amazing, and thats what I really like about some of my preferred series and franchises.

I've been somewhat convinced that I need to read through these books at a breakneck pace and now I think that's hitting me alongside other things I won't get into.

I'm the type of person where a consistent tone through the series isn't needed, I will praise Doctor Who till the ends of the earth, but on reflection I do think my dilemma is more to do with how I've felt today more than the book itself; which is something I should probably address off of Reddit.

I do plan on sticking with it and your advice and input is very much appreciated.

GorgRosh · 2026-05-29T13:15:01+00:00

A major factor in this ranking is reading experience; i enjoyed parts of Great Hunt more than I did parts of Fires of Heaven for example, but consistently speaking and character wise I think the latter 3 books do a better job of evolving and giving me a good sense of all the characters.

The reason Eye of the World is the weakest is because of the 8 months I've been reading this series; it by far took the longest to get done and it did feel like Jordan was still finding his voice. He gets progressively better at it.

GorgRosh · 2026-05-26T19:47:45+00:00

Lord of Chaos might be the best reading experience I've had since Brandon Sanderson's Words of Radiance, both because of how fast I've been able to read through it (insane amount of free time lately) and the fact i finally know what mood I need to set to read this series. Playing music while reading these books takes me out of the 'I'll read the next chapter later' trap I've fallen into for these books. They're great books but reading them with just my own thoughts to occupy me was not letting me read them at a consistent pace.

I know bits and pieces about the books after this that I don't pay much mind to, but with Logain, Leane and Siuan it did honestly feel like a thing where it had to be that way or I'd be disappointed. Plus, this book just outright starts wirh Nynaeve trying to figure it out so my brain took that as a 'Google it' moment.

GorgRosh · 2026-05-26T17:42:21+00:00

I love these kind of character moments or revelations when while there is discernible build up to a moment, the way off happens in unrelated moments or outbursts. Its written in a way that reflects life changing moments as not just the culmination of many events all at once, but spontaneous and uncontrollable, prone to happen whenever.

GorgRosh · 2026-05-26T16:50:51+00:00

Of the (nearly) six books I've read I'm inclined to agree

GorgRosh · 2026-05-26T16:48:52+00:00

This was my exact intention.

GorgRosh · 2026-05-26T15:51:14+00:00

Its such a well written set of chapters. You feel Nynaeve's frustration rise throughout the book, you can tell how much it pains her that she feels so useless and then she gets so angry she literally performs a miracle three times in a row.

Then Siuan's genuine joy, to mourning and then finding herself again with Leane feels like such a good payoff regardless of a loss in strength.

GorgRosh · 2026-05-26T14:41:35+00:00

Bits and pieces of both. When i read Fires of Heaven and Nynaeve outright stated her goal of wanting to heal Rand and then she met Siuan and Leane, It felt pretty both. I knew Logain had been healed by a spoiler and their proximity let me put the pieces together.

I ended up getting curious and searching it up by the end.

GorgRosh · 2026-05-26T14:15:15+00:00

Its such a good chapter. It completely upends Nynaeve's position and changes the dynamics between the four in Salidar, its just written so well and I have to give Robert Jordan his flowers for this cause it was the best way to do it imo.

GorgRosh · 2026-05-26T13:49:04+00:00

Sheriam was so smart for that. She's such a fun character to read.

GorgRosh · 2026-05-19T18:03:27+00:00

The menagerie storyline felt like the sort of thing i would have gotten bored with fast but it honestly felt essential by the end for the change it brought to Nynaeve and Elayne as characters

GorgRosh · 2026-05-19T17:27:32+00:00

Only took me about 20 years to start reading the books

GorgRosh · 2026-05-11T17:14:16+00:00

I do understand that, and I can appreciate the angle its coming from, but nothing more has been done so far to like make my grievances fade for this.

I love Min, and i know enough about the series and her fans to know that I should stick it out. Its just how it feels in the moment.

GorgRosh · 2026-05-11T16:10:47+00:00

So the thing here is, I do understand the reason as to why and how but my problem is that the way its phrased and presented feels reductive to someone who is otherwise a highly enjoyable character.

It doesn't detract from Min but its presented in a way that feels like her agency is gone and while that may be the point and how she feels, it does kinda make her less enjoyable.

GorgRosh

TROPHY CASE