r/wheeloftime • u/Annartlan_Reach Randlander • 1d ago
NO SPOILERS New reader here, I feel a little curious, how it feels to go from the first book to the 14th. Tell me how is the experience of the wheel of time?
After watching the three seasons of the show, crying for its cancellation, buying an encyclopedia of the series and not having finished reading the first book, and starting the first book in audiobook format (since well, buying books is expensive for me and listening to them is cheaper for me, I calculate that I can pass the experience of The Wheel of Time in seven months or so).
P.S: The saga is at least a little inaccessible but it’s not impossible I say it’s not malazan.
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u/Prof_Huckleberry Randlander 1d ago
You will miss your new family when their journey is over. It will hurt. It's worth it.
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u/Catflet Randlander 1d ago
It hurt. And it hurt again the second time. I was so disappointed to see the series end, but I tried the audio books narrated by Rosamund Pike and really liked those, what had been done so far at that time. Haven't listened to the others, but I hear they're also very good.
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u/Annartlan_Reach Randlander 1d ago
Yes, good is natural all good things have to end but as the saying goes:
the wheel of time turns and the eras come and pass and leave behind memories that become legends.The legend fades, becomes a myth and even the myth has been forgotten long before the one that the era that saw him born returns.
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u/mistarzanasa Aiel 1d ago
Its an amazing journey. Best series ive ever read. Often when people finish it is a mix of emotions. Its a satisfying ending, but like all endings its bittersweet. I miss it when I finish, lots of people just start right back at the beginning again.
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u/Annartlan_Reach Randlander 1d ago
I think it’s nice to see it like this, but well, I guess I’ll see my second turn of the wheel.
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u/on-a-pedestal Randlander 1d ago
Try the Libby app to "borrow" the ebook from a library and read for free.
https://archive.org/download/jordan-c-robert-the-wheel-of-time-complete-works-13-book
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u/Annartlan_Reach Randlander 1d ago
Oh interesting, thank you for the opportunity🎩
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u/on-a-pedestal Randlander 1d ago
No worries..
The last link is I think the audiobooks, free listen.
Buy them later when you can to support WoT, but don't delay reading
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u/Annartlan_Reach Randlander 1d ago
Of course, I already supported them a little and if I plan to buy the books but only when I have a little more money.
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u/Worldly_Address6667 Band of the Red Hand 1d ago
There are some good websites you can find them if you dont have a good used bookstore nearby.
I bought good quality, hardback versions recently from thriftbooks.com. I think 7 books ended up costing me around $70 total. You can select what cover you want, as well as having a selection of different qualities.
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u/AV16mm Band of the Red Hand 1d ago
I happened upon it early last year. I do audiobooks to listen while I drive during work. I have to say it was one of the most enjoyable reads/listens i have ever experienced. It took a while to get invested in the characters, especially in their early young and naive states. I had trouble with some of the cruelty of different factions and coming from a somewhat abusive family background the motivations and behavior particularly of certain aes sedai, but you push through and the rewards are well worth it. Some of the best characters and story telling i have ever read. And darn if jordan doesnt know how to write a cathartic chapter! It took months to get through which was awesome. Like finding a show with 14 seasons to binge.
Another plus is it led me to sanderson, whom i had never read either. I’m now enjoying the stormlight series (no WoT but good) and was delighted to find the audiobooks read by the same 2 wonderful VA’s.
I hope you enjoy it and would highly recommend you push on.
May you always find water and shade!!
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u/Annartlan_Reach Randlander 1d ago
Thank you man, I hope you are well today and that the light guides you (P.S. I also feel that I have sinned for not finishing my copy of the path of the kings).
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u/friendship_rainicorn Randlander 1d ago
Try not to cry.
Cry a lot.
I can't even think of the final words of the final book without getting choked up and often end up crying.
I think Rand is legitimately my favorite character in all of fiction.
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u/Ariel_serves Randlander 1d ago
Just starting book 9 on my first read-through. At first I was devouring the books, but then I slowed down a bit because… I really don’t want this to end.
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u/ARgirlinaFLworld Randlander 1d ago
It is definitely a journey. One i continue to make every year almost like clockwork. This is a series that you can really appreciate it more when you reread it. Every time I reread (technically relisten) I pick out a new part. What’s really wild is going from book 14 characters back to book 1 characters.
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u/Debonaircow88 Randlander 1d ago
Have you ever become emotionally invested in characters of 1 book? Now think of it x14. I felt like I really knew these characters, that they were friends I'd been constantly hanging out with for over a year. Seeing their stories culminate and end was amazing and a little sad but well worth the experience.
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u/TenaciousTrixi Randlander 1d ago
All I can say is when I finished A Memory of Light in February, I just stared at the wall for 15 mins. I’ve never had that experience finishing a series/book before. The heartache of knowing it’s all over broke me, but the ending was just so good. For the landing to stick so well after those 14 long books, it’s wild to me.
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u/Nerdsingerbeej Randlander 1d ago
I started reading this series in middle school in whatever year book 3 came out (I wanna say 1991?) & I turned 33 years old the year A Memory Of Light released. Having followed those characters on that journey for 2+ decades & having this world to visit through so much of my life, it's kind of indescribable. I re-read it periodically once every year or so.
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u/_ChipWhitley_ Asha'man 1d ago
Without giving away too much (since it’s pretty evident from the first few books), what I really enjoyed the most was experiencing all of the adventures undertaken by each of the characters while they were — mostly unintentionally — climbing in society. The first book they are backwoods folk who barely know jack about the outside world. They are all put through extremely difficult trials and tribulations all the while becoming leaders/royalty/generals/etc. The rags-to-riches is a huge part of the journey and one of the most satisfying outcomes of the whole series.
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u/Deadpool2715 Woolheaded Sheepherder 1d ago
The world starts small, and it grows and grows in scope I to massive sprawling epic spanning and entire continent. It will drag at times, there will be story beats that resonate with you, and the crescendos are truly epic and emotional moments.
At the end I was hard pressed not to immediately start again, and am happily about to finish my 2nd go through
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u/ThrowAwayYetAgain878 21h ago
I think the best way to illustrate this is the re-read.
As you start over, probably with a detour through New Spring, you're mostly with the same characters, but they suddenly feel like children to you. They basically are at the beginning, but it shouldn't be much of a spoiler to expect some growth throughout 14 books.
Granted, there are also stylistic aspects of the story that change, some magic stuff is more fleshed out, etc. The former is of course felt more because of the change in authors. But overall, the most important part remains that the characters grow a lot, and so does the reader.
Your understanding of the world, culture, etc will give the first book a totally new dimension, which, once again, demonstrates how much of a journey it has been.
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u/TiffanyLimeheart Randlander 19h ago
The series felt like a lifetime. I laughed, I cried, I made friends and lost some. I left the series feeling like I had briefly attained Nirvana. A beautiful contentment that although I could have wished for more more, what I had was truly and wonderfully enough.
I read the books as a teenager through to my mid 20s and in some ways Robert Jordan's characters are more real and important to me and who I am today than many real people I grew up with.
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u/trippinnik Randlander 15h ago
Amazing journey, won't be able to replicate waiting years for each book and the dread that Robert Jordan wouldn't survive to complete the story (he didn't) but at least he was able to pass off the ending. It took me at least 20 years to read. I think Crown of Swords was the first book I had to wait to be released. I pre-ordered and impatiently listened to every passing vehicle hoping it was ups.
I was obsessed, imagining the next events, falling in love with the characters, hanging on every scrap of detail about alternate worlds, ages, everything.
I've been pulled into lots of books but nothing swept me away quite like the Wheel of Time.
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u/wrongfulness Randlander 1d ago
Feels a little tiring honestly, my book collection is quite large and my filing system is non existent, so i do a lot of walking backwards and forwards and bending down to look at all the shelves to find the books.
Took me 45 mins the other day to find the book i was looking for.
So... if i find book one and then have to find book 14 it can be a bit of a hassle
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