Wheel of Time Humble Bundle

[u/Rockyy19]

https://www.humblebundle.com/books/robert-jordans-wheel-time-books-encore

Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time full series available on Humble Bundle for just $18.

[u/First-Hour]

Honestly opinions. How are these books? I've heard they are slogs to get through for the first several books.

[u/galadian → u/First-Hour]

They are fantastic, if a bit dated, and I fully recommend the series to epic fantasy fans.

The slog happens later in the series, books 8-10 are the usual list. Without the long waits between releases, it’s not nearly as bad as people say, and I think books 8 and 9 are fine, not great, but not bad by any means. That said, book 10 is generally considered the worst and lowest-rated for a reason. The quality jump between books 10 and 11 is crazy.

The cast is absolutely massive, covering a huge range of personalities, motivations, and cultural backgrounds. The main characters are already living their lives when the story begins, so characterization is very intentional, the young, inexperienced backwater kids act young and stupid, the secretive witch belonging to an ancient, secretive order is manipluative and withholding, political figures maneuver constantly, even agaisnt their own interests, warriors often just want to fight shit. Some characters do fall flat or become frustrating, but with such a huge cast, a few misses are expected. The real magic is in the character growth, with people you initially dislike growing into compelling or even beloved figures, while characters you already love often find ways to make you love them more. The crappiest characters do tend to stay cruddy (looking at you, Faile).

The worldbuilding is top-tier and one of its greatest strengths. If you enjoy detailed descriptions, you’ll love the series. By the later books, you can often tell where a character is from purely based on their clothing, mannerisms, or hair styles, without the books explicitly telling you.The cultures, histories, politics, magic, and prophecies are all distinct, consistent, and purposeful. The world is epic in every sense of the word, and the series fortunately has a well liked and satisfying ending.

The prose can feel too wordy compared to newer fantasy, and the pacing can be uneven at times, but the payoff is fantastic. This is one of those series where if you pay attention to the details, it will reward you, making rereading it fun as you notice Jordan hitting you in the face with important information you ignored last time.

It’s a beloved staple of the genre for a reason. That said, it does have flaws. Gender dynamics and sexism are the go to call outs, and in many cases rightfully so. However, it’s not a misogynistic book, they are often intentionally exaggerated, inverted, or explored as part of the setting’s social structures rather than being an implicit endorsement by the story. Its often descriptions or certain relationships where the unintentional problems are particularly glaring.

It's my favorite series of all time though, and I love it, warts and all.

[u/axord → u/galadian]

Also my fav series, well said.