Hugo & Nebula Awards: Best Novels discussion

Comment here on the second volume in the Wheel of Time series

This book tells us a whole lot about Aes Gesserit.. I mean Bene Sedai.. anyway, the world building is great. I'm starting to lose interest in the lead bad guy, it's too one-dimensional. Adventures are much more fast paced and unpredictable.

And Rand is still being Rand.

It does get more diverse, in terms of story and baddies.

But there's always that aspect of one-dimensionality, IMO.

I've started my re-listen today and I already have to 'complain' in the prologue ;). This continuous repetition of "the man who called himself Bors (? I'm listening, so I don't know how the name is spelled)" got thoroughly on my nerves. Horrible, horrible prose.

... so complaint done, on with the story :)

ETA: about 10% in. I love the Aes Sedai society. Like Art said, they have a Bene Gesserit vibe - and those I found fascinating as well.

Okay, I shamefully admit that I ship Lan and Nynaeve full girlie style. ... now back to being adult and impartial.

I really like the different plots and the dynamic of the female characters, but I could have dearly done without all this cringe YA romance swooning stuff. That's unbearable in parts.

Gabi wrote: ". . . but I could have dearly done without all this cringe YA romance swooning stuff. That's unbearable in parts."

Wow! I remember I quit reading this series after 3 or 4, but I did not recall the cringe YA romance swooning! I'm sure that must have had some influence on my decision, as I have detested such since the first time I ever read any.

I'm finshed now and I must say the series is really fascinating. On one side the only thing that hinders me from burning the pages whenever the girlish 'but he can't marry me' talks occur is the fact that I was listening to the audiobook. I mean, honestly, (view spoiler)[ there was this great interaction/scenes with Nynaeve, Egwene, Min and Elayne nearing the end of the book. 4 female characters, no male, fighting for their own, having talks that pass the Bechdel test. I mean ... which Fantasy series has this? - and then, as soon as they find Rand again, it is all about him and marriage again. I could have screamed!!!!!!! I really wish Rand would die as soon as possible and we could follow the paths of the four young women on their own. (hide spoiler)]

but on the other hand I'm totally into the (female) characters and Jordan managed to weave a story where I just want to follow the characters and see how they are doing. This is something that seldomly happens to me (i.e. I gave up on GRRM's ASoIaF because I stopped caring about anybody) and that will have me reading on no matter how often I wish I could shake the author.

Gabi you'll probably want to keep shaking RJ for his decisions, but the good news is of those 4 women you'll see some of them a LOT doing fun fascinating stuff completely independently of the 3 ta'veren blokes.

@Kalin: I'm totally looking forward to it (well ... not the shaking part ;D). I'm mightily curious about the screen adaptation where they certainly have tuned down the marriage parts.

I'm definitely gonna be watching. Maybe we can use the general thread to discuss the show?

I just started and it’s slow going. Hopefully I’ll get through more of it this weekend. Right now I’m not thrilled with the male/female dialogue. The male/male dialogue is good, but whenever Rand and Egwene talk to each other it seems forced. I’m ready for some Bene Gesserit version 2.0 action!

Reading this book I realized that this could've been a huge part of inspiration behind the Broken Earth series.

(view spoiler)[Enslaved Egwene learning how to rend earth, weaponizing the one power, inhumane treatment of captured Aes Sedai. Egwene tipping over the edge and destroying an entire street. I can just see how a seed of imagination drops into the fertile soil of Jemisin's talented brain. (hide spoiler)]

Good point, Art! I could definitely see that.

I think the bad M/F dialogue is deliberate, because he's painting a picture of how these characters' lives have changed. If none of this happened, this is how ordinary and provincial their lives would have been. Much change to come.

Art wrote: "Reading this book I realized that this could've been a huge part of inspiration behind the Broken Earth series.

[spoilers removed]"

That's not so improbable, indeed.


Kalin wrote: "I'm definitely gonna be watching. Maybe we can use the general thread to discuss the show?"

I'd love that!

Kalin wrote: "I'm definitely gonna be watching. Maybe we can use the general thread to discuss the show?"

Or we can make a thread for TV show discussion, if you want. It's up to you guys.

Even though I didn't continue with the books, I liked them enough to read a few. So I intend to watch the show when it starts.

Does anybody know if the first season of the show is only about book 1 and 2 or is it using elements from book 3 as well? I want to have read all the books that served as basic material before the series airs.

Gabi wrote: "Does anybody know if the first season of the show is only about book 1 and 2 or is it using elements from book 3 as well? I want to have read all the books that served as basic material before the ..."

Quote:
The first season of Amazon's adaptation is based on the first book in the series, The Eye of the World, which follows Moiraine Damodred, a member of the Aes Sedai (an all-female magic organization), as she attempts to find the Dragon Reborn, a prophesied figure whose actions will eventually save or doom humanity. After arriving in the small town of Two Rivers, Moiraine is unable to ascertain which of three young men—Rand al'Thor, Mat Cauthon, and Perrin Aybara—is who she's looking for. Accompanied by their friend Egwene al'Vere and wise-woman Nynaeve, the group sets off for the Aes Sedai city of Tar Valon, avoiding forces sent by the Dark One that are also in search of the Dragon Reborn

Thanks, Art!

Thanks Art. One note - there were several scenes in just the trailer alone that I didn’t recognize. Maybe some backstory elements that are explained in other books?

Rebecca wrote: "Thanks Art. One note - there were several scenes in just the trailer alone that I didn’t recognize. Maybe some backstory elements that are explained in other books?"

I felt half of the scenes of the trailer were from book 2. I think you will recognize them when you read on.

Rebecca wrote: "Thanks Art. One note - there were several scenes in just the trailer alone that I didn’t recognize. Maybe some backstory elements that are explained in other books?"

I don't remember the early books well enough to say, but I've heard the show is adapting more loosely than, say, GOT did.

Art wrote: "Reading this book I realized that this could've been a huge part of inspiration behind the Broken Earth series.

[spoilers removed]"

There's a high likelihood she never read this series. She's on the record as being pretty uninterested in Tolkien-style fantasy.

@Kalin
There was a post on her blog where she speaks of Jordan books as if she's familiar with the content. (She said that the idea which started it all came to her in a dream, a woman walking with a mountain floating behind her back)
It's just a hypothesis, I do it with all of my favorite writers. Trying to understand what the inspiration behind their works was.
One of my favorite books was written because the author cut himself shaving. Go figure.

I'm about 40% through and wondering who the heck Selene is! Gabi commented she had the same thought - so I'm not being completely dense in thinking she came out of the blue. Right? I assume we'll get her story at some point.

I'm also missing a Perrin storyline about his abilities, but I keep telling myself we have 14 books of dense content so be patient. And ditto that for Loial.

Re Nynaeve and Lan - maybe I haven't reached their "story" yet, but it feels a bit like insta love. I don't get the sense that they have had time to really get to know each other. This and the Rand/Egwene bits make me think Jordan doesn't do romantic subplots very well?

Yes, I'm pretty convinced that Jordan isn't good with romantic plots. I have to agree that the Nynaeve/Lan part is written very unconvincingly - yet I still found myself instantly rooting for them cause both characters are my favourites in the series so far.

Regarding Selene: I my have slept through some of the explanations in the book, but till the end I wasn't entirely sure what Selene's sudden appearance meant.

I didn't have much trouble figuring out Selene originally but the reasons for her appearence, well, I agree (view spoiler)[Jordan isn't good with romantic plots. (hide spoiler)]