In defense of The Wheel of Time

Confession: I think what bothers me the most about life is the impermanence. But at other times, I can't help but wonder if that impermanence is really a blessing.

Reading:

• "L. DeBard and Aliette: A Love Story," by Lauren Groff
  
• The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton
  

Writing:

• "Ferian Fetlock Hitches a Ride" - 1,455 words (Estimated completion 14%)
• "Ferian Fetlock Catches a Cold" - Outline 100%
  

Revising:

• "The Revenant"
• "Cora and the Sea" - Third draft 50%

I've heard lots of Bad Stuff about The Wheel of Time, by the late Robert Jordan. How he draws out his plots beyond human endurance, how all his characters are the same, how his story is so fragmented that it's impossible to follow, how it's never going to end.

And you know, there's some justice to all of those points. I'm going to address them now, one by one.

1) The plots are drawn out.

In some cases, yes. In others, I wish he would spend more time. But let's take a look at some of the recent plotlines that have drawn the most criticism. Perrin's attempted rescue of Faile took three books to accomplish. Four, if you count the end of the one in which she was captured. In each of these books, the Perrin plotline took, by my estimate, about a 10th of the book. So we're looking at, what, 150 - 200 pages of that plot? For him to lead a daring chase cross country, catch up with the kidnappers, and develop a plan? Meanwhile, that also includes the scenes from Faile's point of view, where we see her hatching her own plans to escape. Novels have been built on less.

I think the main problem is that we, the readers, had to wait seven years to read these events. Well sure, when you look at it that way, of course it took too long. But will it really seem that tedious on a re-read, with the entire series in front of you? The same applies to Elayne's quest for the throne, which has taken the same three books to accomplish.

2) All the characters are the same

The men are stupid. The women are bitchy. Okay, you have a point.

Except, not all the men are stupid. Lan isn't. Thom isn't. Rand has his moments, but he's the hero, so you expect it. But aside from his stubborness in certain areas, he grows out of it. So do Mat and Perrin. In fact, the majority of the male characters have stupid moments, but are not in general stupid characters.

Likewise, all of the women have bitchy moments. But, with the possible exception of Nynaeve, none are bitchy by nature. And if only one woman in the entire world is bitchy by nature, that's a rare world indeed.

What Jordan has done is write characters who have flaws. He writes strong men and strong women very well. His weakness is that he doesn't do a good job of writing weak characters (can you name one?), and as a result, you have a situation where strength battles strength. This makes for good drama, but less realistic plots. Still, would weak characters really have that much of a part to play in the great drama that has unfolded?

3) The story is too fragmented to follow.

I've never had a problem with it, but I've also read the story multiple times. Still, this is not a series for the casual reader. It demands, and rewards, dedication and problem solving and critical thinking and analysis. That's why, with 2-3 years between books, fans have always found something new to talk about. These books are dense, and that's part of their charm.

Still, early on the narrative is very clear, and by the time of the later books (7 and on, I would say) any reader who is going to be hooked already is.

4) It's never going to end.

I can see where you might think that. The original plan was for a trilogy. Three books then became six, and six became nine. Now the series stands at eleven plus a prequel, and one more to go.

That's right, although Jordan has passed on, he left copious notes, some completed chapters, and a recorded discussion of the whole of his conclusion. This is now being written by an author who, like me, grew up with these stories and respects the task in front of him. The novel is being edited by Jordan's wife, who edited all the others and will be sure that the tone matches the previous volumes. In other words, we're getting the next best thing to the book as written by Jordan himself. And that will be it. The saga will be over. We'll know what happens.

Satisfied now?

I've rather enjoyed the fact that the series was this long. It's marvelous to read each new installment and know that you haven't said farewell to these characters forever. After reading the final volume, I'll no longer have that solace.

The point of all this: if you haven't tried Jordan before, read The Eye of the World. If you don't like it, don't read further; if you do, keep going. By the time you get caught up, there will be an ending waiting for you.

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