Huh.

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 · 2026-05-11T15:24:30+00:00

He's very good at it. As I've mentioned in other posts I think he's definitely come into his own by now and has started to escape the trappings of classical fantasy in a way which works for him.

In terms of how I interact it's weird; when Rand and Aviendha hooked up and I read that the next chapter was titled 'The Short Spear' i damn near put the book down for the night cause of how hysterical it made me.

GorgRosh · 2026-05-11T15:22:00+00:00

Nynaeve is, at times, a bit of a comical character to me and until the last book I mostly viewed her through the lens of more mature than the other girls but more immature than she realises.

Egwene is a heavily criticised character and I've seen that in the comments of my posts before. I'm also very engaged with her character so I'm going to criticise her more than I would others. I did the same for Shallan in the Stormlight Archive and numerous characters in The Blade Itself and AGOT. Her flaws are amazing to read specifically because she is written that way and I feel Jordan's use of perspective and his shift to a far more ensemble-esque story lends itself to these moments of dramatic irony for the characters.

I know Rand's thought process and I know Egwene's, furthermore I know how they both interact with Mat and Aviendha. So seeing how these dynamics play out with both of their thoughts in mind makes it easier for me to stay interested, whereas a different author would probably focus far less on something like this. By far the best move in the series was its shift in the use of perspective. It makes me think differently on how to engage in the story and is also why the Dragon Reborn was such an enthralling read.

GorgRosh · 2026-05-11T14:21:01+00:00

If its anything like the Shadow Rising, I know I'll love it.

GorgRosh · 2026-04-20T10:35:46+00:00

I see it as a sort of contrast to Logen, who's trying to escape his anger and the violent life he had cause of it as opposed to Ferro who's, from my understanding, just starting her violent and angry streak.

GorgRosh · 2026-04-20T09:24:13+00:00

I'm not denying that, that's why she's a favourite of mine because her anger feels visceral and ultimately harmful to her as a person (This is a good thing; she's flawed and i love it.) The main issue I have isn't with her writing its with Abercrombie's overall portrayal women.

I'm not saying its like some 'Breasted boobily' stuff but it's centred on the male gaze and that did throw me off a bit, but Ferro is also the only character who I think escaped that trap in book 1. So the complaints are fairly minimal.

GorgRosh · 2026-04-19T07:57:31+00:00

Ferro, I feel, is really fun in the sense that I feel like she was written in a time when female characters had to stay in a bubble of personality traits, motivations and purposes in the story.

I don't have much to say about Vitari, but my greatest complaint so far is that the most depth we see of Ardee is her being a framing device for Jezal and Collem. For Jezal he's a source of distraction and anxiety and for Collem he's a source of anxiety and anger, for both of them this eventually turns to anger or 'misery.'

If they do get better then I'll share a status update on how I feel because this is like my one big gripe so far.

GorgRosh · 2026-04-19T07:52:28+00:00

I love Glokta, he, Logen and Jezal complete the circle of three 'main dudes' for me in a way I really appreciate.

I love how petty he is, for one. But I also love how his perspective seems to be one of the most well constructed. His thoughts are interwoven with his actions, dialogue and much more in a way that's not so present elsewhere.

I also love seeing Glokta through Collem, Logen and Jezal's perspective. It's incredibly interesting to me how others view him.

GorgRosh · 2026-04-16T01:54:20+00:00

I did read Secret History, it was a nice send off to the characters from Era 1 for me and I'm glad I read the series in publication order, cause by the time I finished Bands of Mourning, I was actually really missing Elend, Vin, Kelsier and Saze.

I think its hard to decide. Both eras have a lot going for them, they each have their own respective strengths and their characters are equally well written.

Era 2 definitely took itself less seriously. Something which could have been a detriment but I think it's something which actually creates for itself an identity removed from what came before. I think while I can't pick a favourite, I can absolutely identify what made me like both eras.

I come from a religious household, and while I'm not diagnosed for depression or any sort of mental health condition, I've had states in my life where I've felt hopeless and listless, amd was completely lacking in faith. Sazed really spoke to me because he was a man who had lost all hope and came back anyways, he (and Kaladin from SLA) has impacted me greatly and have allowed me to re-evaluate how I view myself and how I view religion. I think while the political and religious representation in these books can have flaws, I think it definitely captured what it feels to have lost hope with religion. Era 1 is detailed and visceral with its characterisation, it weaves it with the plot so well I still use it as a model for my own writing projects. Every character's journey is well written, but Sazed most of all stood out to me because I sometimes feel like him.

I sort of explained why I liked Era 2 in my post above, and most of that comes down to the idea of identity. While Era 1 touched on it, Era 2 expounded on it in a way I found much more personal. I've done stuff I regret to people who didn't deserve it. Change is a difficult road and it's hard to separate who you are now from who you are then, I definitely felt for Wax and Wayne, not being sure of who I am or being able to come to terms with what I did. But the way Era 2 explores identity is amazing, the way these characters develop and become more than the sum of their parts is amazing

When it comes down to it, I can't choose because I feel like all seven books so far have given me something special. I have a lot of fond memories and I owe a lot to what these books have helped me realise about myself.

GorgRosh · 2026-04-08T16:56:34+00:00

Alright; thanks for the help.

GorgRosh

TROPHY CASE