Robert Jordan - Crossroads of Twilight

Andrew1999 · January 10, 2003, 11:39

I am a huge Wheel of Time fan. I got most of my family and friends to read these books, and I have hardcovers of each of them. I even have a signed copy of one.

However, Crossroads of Twilight is one of the biggest wastes of paper I have ever seen. To describe it as a disappointment would be to describe the Titanic as a minor fender-bender. After the pace picked up at the end of Winter's Heart I was hopeful for the conclusions of the series, but that hope has been destroyed. Jordan has completely lost control of the story and is just flailing around. There's no real movement and there are far to many confusing characters we have no attachment to at all. The few characters we have followed from the beginning have been so diluted by the scale of the books that we don't have any connection to them either. There are far too many threads and they never connect with each other. We never see Mat and Perrin or Rand and Elayne interacting anymore, just their aimless wanderings surrounded by a legion of minor characters.

The last few books have followed a pattern: a long prologoue about events that have nothing to do with the rest of the book, several hundred pages of excruciatingly slow filler material, and finally a couple of chapters of real action. Crossroads of Twilight follows the same pattern except there is no action at the end. It also continues the trend of having the first two-thirds of the book describing events of the previous book from a different perspective. This was interesting at first but it prevents any real progress and has become yet another waste of space.

I would recommend that anyone still vainly trying to follow the Wheel of Time story borrow the book from a friend foolish enough to pay for it, or just wait until they throw it out the window in frustration with the complete lack of progress in the story.

Rogan Josh · January 10, 2003, 11:41

I had already given up before buying Winter's Heart. I just don't have the patience for it any more. It seemed to just be the same stuff over and over again.

I find Robin Hobb much more satisfying.

Boris Godunov · January 10, 2003, 11:48

Jordan did an okay job in the first book, if you can tolerate the 1-dimensional characters. But it's been downhill ever since. I kept reading out of hope and because I had invested so much in the series time-wise already. But now I've resigned myself to it being garbage. I read the first 3-4 pages of Winter's Heart, realized it was more crap, and tossed it aside. I won't pick up another one of his books.

Arrian · January 10, 2003, 11:58

All the stuff you said about whichever book he's up to now applied several books ago.

Rogan, I agree about Robin Hobb. Good stuff

-Arrian

Rogan Josh · January 10, 2003, 12:07

Has anyone tried George R.R. Martin? His books seem to get very good reviews, but I am not sure about the subject matter - it seems a little unimaginative.

I am thinking of trying him out anyway, but wondered if anyone else already had....

Amadan · January 10, 2003, 17:01

It would be nice if Jordan would wrap up the series before he dies of old age.

I agree that it could probably be condensed to a trilolgy without losing much.

our_man · January 10, 2003, 17:11

I'm halfway through Crossroads of Twilight; from what I've read so far it's pretty poor. So many character to remember, so may plots, and when it's been 6 months since you read the last book you tend to end up floundering in it all. An abridged version of the WoT is required.

I'm ever hopeful that the WoT will return to the style of the excellent first few books though, and so I keep buying them.

There's one born every minute I guess.

If Robert Jordan drops dead before completing it there'll be a lot of angry people out there...

Andrew1999 · January 10, 2003, 17:13

At one point he said the original plan was for three or four books, five at most. He should have stuck with that.

SnowFire · January 10, 2003, 18:19

Well, I liked The Eye of the World, but the first few chapters of The Great Hunt were so gut-splatteringly horrible for me I couldn't force myself to read on. I had grown to like at least some of the (1 dimensional as BG points out, but still amusing) characters in the first, but watching them all take stupid pills and betray what coolness they had was too painful.

Jon Miller · January 10, 2003, 18:49

Quote:

Originally posted by Rogan Josh
Has anyone tried George R.R. Martin? His books seem to get very good reviews, but I am not sure about the subject matter - it seems a little unimaginative.

I am thinking of trying him out anyway, but wondered if anyone else already had....

I like them.

Jon Miller

Jon Miller · January 10, 2003, 18:54

umm, him, not them

Jo Miller

Cyclotron · January 10, 2003, 19:17

I'm reading winter's heart now. I'm a quick reader, so wordiness isn't a problem... is it really that boring?

Jon Miller · January 10, 2003, 19:33

I didn't think Winter's heart was that bad

I haven't read the latest

Jon Miller

Cyclotron · January 10, 2003, 20:40

I meant "is the new book that boring." I like Winter's Heart.

Tuberski · January 10, 2003, 20:49

I am really glad that I found the 3rd book really boring, otherwise I might have wasted over 10 years on this piece of crap.

ACK!

Demerzel · January 10, 2003, 20:56

I kinda liked the last one, I do agree that the first few books were far better than the last few. I'll probably stil buy the new one as I'm a fan of the series but I'm worried that even I might not like it if the general consensus is so far against.

shame :/

Cyclotron · January 10, 2003, 20:58

Ten years? I finish one of those books in five days at most.

Boris Godunov · January 10, 2003, 20:58

Quote:

Originally posted by cyclotron7
Ten years? I finish one of those books in five days at most.

Those books can actually burn for five days? Wow!

Cyclotron · January 10, 2003, 21:11

I told you I was a fast reader...

Tuberski · January 10, 2003, 21:11

Quote:

Originally posted by cyclotron7
Ten years? I finish one of those books in five days at most.

Wheel of time came out around 1993 IIRC.

ACK!

Cyclotron · January 10, 2003, 21:29

Oh, I see what you mean. I didn't start reading them until a few months ago.

Jon Miller · January 10, 2003, 22:47

Quote:

Originally posted by cyclotron7
Ten years? I finish one of those books in five days at most.

back when the series was only 7 books I read through the whople series in less than a week

Jon Miller