He was a helicopter gunner in Vietnam? Jesus Christ! Those guys had a life expectancy measured in minutes. We’re lucky to have gotten Wheel of Time (and Robert Jordan) at all.
Marko Popovic I’m right there with you. I watched his video on why you should read the Wheel of Time series and I’m into book two. I feel like a bad fantasy fan for never reading this before.
I stared reading the Wheel of Time because of this channel and I’m five books in but so far it is the most enchanting exciting and interesting story I think I’ve ever read. Thanks a lot for turning me onto it 💜 Can’t wait to watch this video
I just started the first book because of this channel too! Only about 150 pages in, but I'm loving it already. Which is cool, since I tend towards the more grounded and gritty stuff versus the high fantasy stuff.
Trae Sanford I’m about the same number of pages into book 1 and it’s really enjoyable. I’m getting to the point now where if I’m ever not reading the book I’m thinking about reading it just to see how the story develops.
@Fianna that phenomenon happens to me often and with multiple media platforms....animes, books, tv shows.....but I eventually return....this happened for the first book as well. I'm glad I came back because this series is amazing.
I started reading the series nearly 12 years ago. I am from India, and the only person I know who has read the series is a friend's mother (who introduced the series to me in the first place). And that's it. So, I am so glad I found this channel and someone who is as much in love with this series as I am. . About the feminist angle, I have heard criticism from both sides. My sister thought it was being condescending to women by making them seem like "know it alls" who thought they knew the best. Also, she took an issue to the number of women in Rand's life and she saw it as validating the idea of a male saviour and his female followers. So, she dropped the series midway (ahem, she didn't read beyond the fourth book). But personally, I am a feminist as well, but I found no such issues. I actually loved the way Jordan portrayed men and women and their struggles with the opposite gender and how gender and power tend to influence each other. For eg, here the male channeler is a reviled member of the society while a female channeler is feared, sometimes not trusted, but is respected nonetheless. I find that power flip so fascinating. I am really loving these author deep dives! Please think of doing one on Neil Gaiman next?!
I have never been a reader but about a year ago I stumbled upon Eye of the world. In less then a year I finished all books. And i had to read the last 3 in English because they never were translated to Swedish. I fell in love with the world and characters he created. Simply amazing. The first time in my life that i would rather be home on a Saturday and read instead of going out. My man Jordan. Love your content btw Daniel Regards from Sweden
I always liked Jordan's female characters (with a few exceptions). Moiraine was the reason I kept going with the series after the first book, and Egwene is the reason I kept going to the end. These are some of the best female characters I've encountered in fiction.
It annoys me that everyone expects authors to go with modern trends in fantasy. Yes, the more realist, "grim-dark" type fantasy is in right now, but there are plenty of books being published in this era, such as many of Brandon Sanderson's books, that do not have these elements and yet are original, exciting, and engaging. So I can't agree that that would be a fair criticism of Jordan's work. An author should write what he or she sets out to write and that's it.
I just started with his series! And I am enjoying it so much. (even more than i thought because u do hype it up Daniel hahahahaa) I want to thank you for recommending it in your previous videos! When im further in the series I can finally listen to the wot talks. Greetings from the Netherlands
When I picked up Eye of the World in the early nineties in my local library, I had no idea that it would be the start of such a life long literary love for me. Finding your channel Daniel long ago reinvigorated that love and allowed me to reread and finish the series, not to mention providing many more works to dive into. I will always be greatful for Jordan's stories and your continued enthusiasm regarding them. Cheers!
I had been singing the praises of WoT for years before my mom admitted that she had finally started it. That meant so much to me. My husband also read it and loved it after we got together. Last year, all three of us did a full reread of the series. It’s a special bond.
I started WoT in high school, and it got me through some pretty bad times. I was legitimately crushed when he died. This was a very good video, and I hope it inspires someone else to pick up this wonderful series.
I haven't started them. I am looking forward to it after i finish the witcher saga. My only concern is i have heard he over writes and over explains scenes at times from what i have heard. Do you have any thoughts on that?
@@michaelmacleod2665 Yeah he can go into detail a bit much, but I honestly didn't mind that. You get comfortable with his writing style I guess. There is a slow section of books though, be warned, but don't let that put you off. I think it's books 8-10 that slow down in pace quite a bit. Brandon Sanderson does an amazing job of finishing it all up though. Regarding the over writing question, when this happens I reckon you could speed read over those parts quite easily. Enjoy mate, you're in for a ride!
I’m proud that he was a fellow South Carolinian and fellow soldier as well. I wish I had known about the series before he died so maybe I could have met him at a signing or something in Charleston.
I once went to a booksigning of Jordan's. It was on the Barnes and Nobles on sam rittenburg road in charleston. They had redid the entire store to have all the bookshelves as a one massive line path, which was needed as it seemed like there was easily about 300 people there in line. Before it all started Jordan got up on a stool and proceeded to pronounce all the major characters, he went on for about a good 5 minutes. I get that, having people constantly come up to you saying the characters you made all wrong would rather irk after a while. Unfortantly my wife and I got there nearly on time which meant we were wayyyyyy down the line. Had two books bought to be signed and my wife gotten cold feet about speaking to him so Jordan just signed both of our books at once. I knew by that point he must have been absolutely PESTERED about things people had think they came up on how things were going to turn out so i didn't even bother with that. I just told him that his books made a huge impact in my life and my wife and I both were very grateful for his works, which embarrassed the crap out of my wife.
Hah! His world is too large!? Those folks should never read Malazan. My problem was not with his strong female characters, but rather with his male/female relationships being rather petty and caustic whether old or young, magic or non-magic. I am still surprised anyone in the book was able to actually have a marital or even committed relationship. I liked most of his main characters, but this pettiness and continuous male/female bickering were annoying imo.
W.C. McPherson Agree, the women in his series seem almost borderline sexist in their nonstop shit talking about men. After awhile it begins to make the female characters extremely unlikeable and appear as arrogant and spoilt brats.
Regarding the “Robert Jordan is too descriptive” criticism, I may only be 9 chapters into Eye of the World at this current moment but his descriptiveness is one of the things I’m enjoying about the book. I have a very clear picture of what things are supposed to look like and I love that. I also am still finding it very easy to read through this book. It might be descriptive but his writing style is very easy for me to grasp and enjoy.
I've noticed a few times you say Sanderson was hired due to his blog post. That is what introduced Brandon to Harriot but not why she made the decision. She requested a Sanderson book after reading his post and was brought The Final Empire. She made her decision based on that book, coupled with the fact that he was such a big fan.
I bought the first three books in WoT in 2014. I started EotW but didn't get far because of starting a new semester at university. After being a subscriber to your channel for coming on a year I dug out my copies, starting EotW again last week. Today I finished it and I can't wait to push forward with the series! Don't think I would have picked them up again if not for your channel my dude. So, thank you. Stay safe and shit.
@@planetzdr I apologize for this pretty irrelevant comment and how my mind works, but when I read "fingers crossed" I could only think of Freddy Got Fingered... I am leaving now
I am so happy I discovered Robert Jordan from an early age. Not only did it allow me to experience WoT(arguably one of my favorite series) but it introduced me to epic fantasy. Also, since RJ was unable to finish his series I was able to find Brandon Sanderson. BS is my favorite author of all time and I enjoy his books thoroughly. Robert Jordan has had such a large impact on so many people... I wonder if he ever thought his works would be so popular? This man deserves to be spoken in the same breath as Tolkien and Mark Twain.
I met Mr. Jordan at dragon con years ago when book 10 came out & got his signature. There i saw a first edition of eye of the world & in this book it read book 1 of 6. I also believe in an interview with Larry King he talked about thinking he could get the books done with 6 however once he got started he soon realized it would take him many more. Just thought i would share...
I am forever grateful that my friend introduced me to the series. I was my first epic fantasy series I read and I’ve been more of a fantasy book reader ever since.
I'm reading book 7 of Wheel of Time and I absolutely love the series. I almost stopped reading it after the first book because it seemed like a horror-fantasy but I'm so glad I kept reading. It might be my favorite series second only to The Golden Compass trilogy. I just discovered your channel yesterday and it's awesome!
I am soon going to start the Wheel of Time, which I decided to pick up because of your videos, so thanks for that! Superb video, maybe you should do Stephen King next :D
i grew up with a brother praising the wheel of time books. Lots of his friends as well. remember them laying around the house. im going to a bookshop, hopefully finding them today. Thanks for this video. I read every genre, but there nothing that can stand up to a solid crafted fantasy.
First time watcher, and thumbs up for a great and positive video! Hope to see you at Jordan Con, for sure! It'll be my second year going, and I loved how joyful and relaxed the con is! Can't wait for the WoT fanbase to explode with the show's release! (Now time to go down the rabbit hole of your channel, lol!)
I am motivated to start The Wheel of Time after finishing the current Lord of the Rings and The Dark Tower series. I also would like to see if you could review Anthony Ryan and his Raven's shadow and Raven's blade books. I feel like he is utterly underrated.
Yeah I heard/read about the four books. It's understandable. One of my favorite non-fiction works The Civil War: A Narrative by Shelby Foote was meant to be 300 pages and one book but ended up around 3,000 pages in 3 big books (and was responsible for launching successful documentarist Ken Burn's career). It's not just that the lengthy books and series are part of the art, it also is incredible that the art can be maintained on such a large scale with the coherency it does.
I read WoT in elementary through highschool and later found out that RJ went to the same college that I attended The Citadel. Which was cool because I got see how the military college inspired The White Tower and the hierarchy between the students and the parallels with the Aes Sedai. Even the three oaths have similarities with the honor code (A cadet shall not LIE cheat or steal)
I love Robert Jordan and The wheel of time. I had to read a lot of young adolt novels to train my skills to read in English because the last books where not translated to Swedish because they where dropped by the publisher when he died. But I managed to read them and can now read other alult novels in English without problem.
I will preface this by saying, I have read the entire series of Wheel of Time through at least 5 times and reread my favourite chapters many more times over the years. Matt is definitely my favourite character. I have recommended Robert Jordan to many. Having listened to what you say about his early Conan stories, I read Robert E. Howard's Conan nearly 50 years ago. His Conan stories set my blood racing. Many authors have written Conan stories. I have to say the worst Conan stories I ever read were written by Robert Jordan. How they ever got published I simply do not understand. I am very grateful Robert Jordan persevered with his writing and went on to write the WOT. Still, I cannot lie about his earlier writing skills., they were atrocious. If I was ever asked to vote on my favourite American fantasy author, I would have to vote for the father of Sword and Sorcery, Robert E Howard. I think he was an amazing pioneer, and light years ahead of anyone else. Yes, I know his work was patchy, but nobody has ever come close to being able to write the blood pumping action sequences he did. Yes, they are very outdated today and very politically incorrect, but so what? I still prefer his stories, even so. Perhaps I enjoy them even more because of it. Long may he be read.
I am thrilled that you're coming to JordanCon this year. I'm loving your channel. Are you going to be on any of the WoT Track panels? I want to make sure I get to break away from the Charity Auction to see those. Jeff - Director, JordanCon Charity Events.
I just watched an interview (Fast Forward) with him saying he originally signed a contract for six books- I am not sure if he meant up to six books, but was planning on it being less, but there it is.
this was masterfully done! I have to say that I feel somehow emotional after this and sad because this masterful mind is no longer with us. I really enjoy these, keep them going, Daniel!
I concede that I am a huge Tolkien Fan and have since circled the WoT warily like a curious wolf lurking in the shadowy trees just short of the Campfire.
I liked the series. The first book was by far my favorite. I felt like he wrote how the world was and then tried to retrofit facts into old books to fit the new narrative and it didn't feel right. That said, I made it through all the books and was satisfied at the end.
The Wheel of Time is one of my favorite fantasy series (the others being LOTR, Malazan Book of the Fallen, GoT and Earthsea series). What I especially found interesting was the different ways in which male and female channelers channeled the One Power. The men wrestling with the power and the women surrendering to it. It did have a Masculine / Feminine principle to it. I didn't much mind the "gender wars" between men and women in it because in real life it is usually the same until you figure it out lol. Favorite part was the way Rand, Perrin and Mat reflected a mix of Norse gods legends. And the Ash'aman were pretty cool too ;) Edit : also the fan art by John Seamus of the various WoT characters are the best I have ever seen
Why mr. Rigney used pen name? There's nothing wrong with Robert Jordan, i'm just curious. :) BTW, Thanks to your channel, i'm now reading "Eye of the World", and it's very good. :)
I’m halfway through the fourth book and so far nothing it soo descriptive to me. I’m guessing this becomes more troublesome during the rest of the series? Hopefully it’s just me not minding descriptiveness. (The witcher having so few descriptive stuff is more of a complaint to me than wot having too much description)
A "fun fact" about Robert Jordan: When Jordan served as a helicopter gunner during the Vietnam War, he gained the nickname "Ganesha" (after the Hindu God of Good Fortune). This was because his fellow soldiers considered him a lucky cham and a "Remover of Obstacles", since he and his crew always made it back (it went to the level that the pilots argued between themselves about who was gonna have him on their ship). He also once shot down a Rocket-Propelled Granade heading towards his helicopter during a landing, close enough for shrapnel to hit the ship. In his own words "First off, it definitely comes under do not try this at home even if you ARE an expert. Expert is defined as anyone who has tried it once and is still breathing". This seems to be referenced in Mat's Luck.
Maybe late 70's/80's authors (my early reading years) if you've read them. Terry Brooks, Piers Anthony, David Eddings, Weis/Hickman, or even earlier authors such as Anne McCaffrey or Ursula Le Guin.
Jordan is a giant in the fantasy genre as you note, and he is largely responsible for its spread and popularity. It is terrific escapist fiction. One criticism that you, I think too quickly glide over, is maybe a problem with the genre in itself. It is largely formulaic. The Wheel of Time for all of it’s charms follows that formula. Some of that origin may go back to the points you touched on, the ghostwriting and genre pieces he cut his early teeth on writing. The sword and sandal hero pulps of Robert Howard’s Conan and Louis Lamour’s Westerns. Those pulps, were popular because they did not ask much of the reader, and the publishers often paid by the word (something that any reader of Jordan may consider). The criticism that it is not grimdark, as you note is not fair as that is largely blaming it for not adhering to a literary style that comes after it. But what I really think those critics may criticize the books for is that they are fundamentally children’s morality stories. As much as one may believe that evil has a chance of prevailing it does not. No major character in the story fails or dies in its course, and indeed most come out at the end of the series in better shape than when it started. Nothing wrong with wanting a happy ending, but the grimdarkers, if I can call them that, probably wanted to see a major character or two die over the course of the novels, or suffer somehow that did not see them achieving either greater wealth, privilege, or acclaim.
The Pen Name Robert Jordan is from the main character from the Ernest Hemingway book For Whom the Bell Tolls. There are six toed cats in the Two Rivers is an homage to Ernest Hemingway. www.hemingwayhome.com/cats/ Here is a letter that Robert Jordan wrote to George Martins publisher about Game of Thrones: winteriscoming.net/2016/03/16/robert-jordans-kind-words-for-a-game-of-thrones-back-in-1997/ Here is a blog post that Jordan wrote about his experience in Vietnam. His nickname was 'Ice Man. dragonmount.com/blogs/entry/375-hi-there/
I don't understand this thing against long series. Sure, if it's long and boring with little content, then yeah it can be crap. Crossroads of Twilight But before WoT, I had only ever read two other fantasy series, His Dark Materials, and, LOTR. At the time, CoT was just about published (might even have been before then) and I saw this massive series of then 9 massive books and that was part of the reason I wanted to start reading it.
Nynaeve is... not perfect but then who is. She is still my favorite of the supergirls. For reference Perrin is my fav ov the boys, though they are all great characters. ;-) By now WoT by Robert Jordan has been part of my life since I was... 13? 14? Which means that Jordan has been with me for over 50% of my lifespan so far. And I am stil reading the books on and off. So I guess he and his book series DID influence my life. It is hard to think how my life would have been without his books. So, your dad is almost done with WoT? Hope you can make him do a few WotTalks after he is done Daniel, he has some refreshing points on the story. :-)
Too long/ too big? Naaa... the only thing that drove me to desperation were one or two instances where a reference was made to someone or something that had happened what felt like ten books ago without giving me a clearer idea of whatever the context may have been or even wether I was just confusing similar names.... I mean, I don't expect there to be a dickensian reintroduction of a character introduced three chapters ago, but remembering the name, Ajah and political affiliation or characterization of a character that was mentioned in passing five books ago? I don't need much hand holding and explaining - but sometimes I felt that an online text archive that could be searched for a bibliographic reference would have been awesome!
Honestly I hated reading, I thought if it was any good they would make a movie out of it, so I'm done in 2 hours, not weeks of reading. And them a buddy handed me the 1st and 2nd books for something kinda interesting to read to put me to sleep as I had a real bad problem sleeping right then. It worked great for 2 weeks. I would read a bit and go to sleep, then I started really getting into the story. Soo went thru those 2 books and went to a book store to get the 3rd and what I thought was final book, well I reserved my 4th book while there as it was due out 2 weeks later. I was hooked I got several other friends hooked. We would reread every previous book right before the new one would hit the shelves. After all this I really have to Thank Mr. Jordan for getting me to experience reading, wish he could have finished it as Sandersons righting felt a bit rushed.
Tbh Tolkien and George RR Martin (very different styles) are far better writers. I LOVE the Wheel of Time, but the aforementioned authors are far better. Tolkien was the amazing at epic poem style, and Martin perfects the merging of fantasy with realistic history.
It's all a matter of personal preference and taste.... but my list of fantasy authors puts Tolkien and Jordan in their own league, with everyone else in some ranking under them. I sincerely wish those two could have met. I am convinced Tolkien would have LOVED WoT. But again, this is all taste. Many hate the wordy descriptions... but I love them. He paints a picture and I see that world. I can understand why some might hate that. But for me, it's a selling point, a personal favorite aspect of his writing style. Shrug. To each their own you know. A lot of the 'versus' mentality is from hyperpartisan fans. They need their opinions validated to salve their frail egos, so they explain ad nauseum why what they like is 'best' and what others like is 'inferior'. It's not about the authors really at all. There is no Martin vs Jordan... those dudes liked each others work. I'd wager if you started trash talking Jordan around GRRM, George would probably get pissed off with you over it. It's OK to like Jordan, Tolkien, Martin, Sanderson and others. Nothing wrong with enjoying lots of variety. Nothing wrong with having a personal favorite either.
I agree with your comments on Nynaeve but when she treated Matt like a punk kid after he saves her ass multiple times it really bugged me. That is the only time I felt like Nynaeve was being a B. I am really glad she finally apologized
I will say this: I don't have an issue with the character portrayals themselves. I like strong characters with depth, be they man or woman, and R.J. does them well and with justice. However, since all of his characters are generally intelligent and empathetic, it begins to be incredibly grating how the relationships between men and women in this world are portrayed. After awhile, all this "Women are confusing" and "Men are lumps" (no matter the society) turns into a bit of a plot crutch. A "Chekhov's Gun" of sexism, as it were. Even the bloody Age of Legends falls victim to this, as the Aes Sedai split along those lines at the very end, to the detriment of all. I mean, what the fuck? How enlightened do we have to be to not pull this shit? That would never happen in our current Age (since technically we're a spoke on the Wheel as well), so why the hell does it suddenly matter at the end of the world? Anyhoo, that's my take on things. Tear me to shreds! To shreds you say? Yes, to shreds.
I personally wasn’t a fan of Nynaeve when she first showed up in the books but as time passed she became one of my favorite characters on the flip side of that I liked Egwene a lot early on in the books and I loved her bit as when she was locked in the Tower and was fixing the tower and putting Eliada in her place. But then I kinda just lost interest in her character a lot.
We shouldnt get rid of women that rely on fantasy completely tho. Its pretty realistic to have those type of characters. I do like "stronger" and more complex female characters too tho but we shouldnt be shaming the woman that relys on man because thats been going on since the beginning of time so it only makes sense
I used to be one of those fans who thought his female characters were annoying and I even noticed all the tics he gave them (like how they sniff a lot and they put their hands on their hips a lot), and that's why I thought his female characters sucked. But, as I went further into the series and as I got older, I understood what he was going for a lot more and appreciated them more for having much more agency than a lot of female characters in fantasy.
I like big worlds, I cannot lie. Also, I never thought that of Nynaeve - she is almost a parody or caricature in some parts, but not that... Faile, on the other hand....
I'll tell you what bother me about Robert Jordon. I'll start talking about something, and someone who knows, and loves the books goes, "You're wrong!" Then they inform me of something, and say, "Ah...I don't rememeber that." Then they whip-out a copy of the specific book, jump to the well worn page, and read the part I missed, forgot, or just skipped over. The I say, "I guess I'm wrong." They say, "Damn right you're wrong." Hey, I just realized, I don't dislike the book, it's the rabid fans that bother me.
As a negative. What about the fact he always calls people fat. Or the constant exposition. Book 5, could have been cut in half if it was removed and a bit more if the endless skirt smoothing and Rand longing was taken out.
I adore the wheel of time, it’s like a giant feast. It can be overwhelming, and sometimes it can be a bit of a slog to keep going. But it’s a feast that your sharing with so many others. And when you look back on it your filled with a sense of contentment. Ps. Nynaeve is still incredibly annoying, not a badly written character mind you. And one that I actually quite like. But that doesn’t change the fact the so many of her scenes make me want to grit my teeth.
Who should I do next??
I'd like to see a video about Saidin, Saidar and the Dark One's "True Power."
Robin Hobb, she is the writer of the Realms of the Elderlings series
Patrick Rothfuss 😛😛😛😛
Joe Abercrombie please!
Robert E Howard
Terry Goodkind next. I dare you.
Laughing so hard! 😊
He was a helicopter gunner in Vietnam? Jesus Christ! Those guys had a life expectancy measured in minutes. We’re lucky to have gotten Wheel of Time (and Robert Jordan) at all.
The wheel would of spun a tavearan to correct the pattern
It's gonna be another one of those videos after which I will want to read 14 books in like 3 days, eh?
Marko Popovic I’m right there with you. I watched his video on why you should read the Wheel of Time series and I’m into book two. I feel like a bad fantasy fan for never reading this before.
@@willchazeal2000 you're not. I'm also on the second wheel of time book.
I stared reading the Wheel of Time because of this channel and I’m five books in but so far it is the most enchanting exciting and interesting story I think I’ve ever read. Thanks a lot for turning me onto it 💜 Can’t wait to watch this video
I just started the first book because of this channel too! Only about 150 pages in, but I'm loving it already. Which is cool, since I tend towards the more grounded and gritty stuff versus the high fantasy stuff.
Trae Sanford I’m about the same number of pages into book 1 and it’s really enjoyable. I’m getting to the point now where if I’m ever not reading the book I’m thinking about reading it just to see how the story develops.
af hverju heitirðu 'Komið'?
Welcome to the Light
@Fianna that phenomenon happens to me often and with multiple media platforms....animes, books, tv shows.....but I eventually return....this happened for the first book as well. I'm glad I came back because this series is amazing.
I started reading the series nearly 12 years ago. I am from India, and the only person I know who has read the series is a friend's mother (who introduced the series to me in the first place). And that's it. So, I am so glad I found this channel and someone who is as much in love with this series as I am.
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About the feminist angle, I have heard criticism from both sides. My sister thought it was being condescending to women by making them seem like "know it alls" who thought they knew the best. Also, she took an issue to the number of women in Rand's life and she saw it as validating the idea of a male saviour and his female followers. So, she dropped the series midway (ahem, she didn't read beyond the fourth book). But personally, I am a feminist as well, but I found no such issues. I actually loved the way Jordan portrayed men and women and their struggles with the opposite gender and how gender and power tend to influence each other. For eg, here the male channeler is a reviled member of the society while a female channeler is feared, sometimes not trusted, but is respected nonetheless. I find that power flip so fascinating.
I am really loving these author deep dives! Please think of doing one on Neil Gaiman next?!
Another Indian. Finished it months ago, Now I know a fellow Indian who read this massive epic series. :D
Haha! Yayie! Hi :D
Another Indian. I'm reading Eye of the world now.
I have never been a reader but about a year ago I stumbled upon Eye of the world. In less then a year I finished all books. And i had to read the last 3 in English because they never were translated to Swedish. I fell in love with the world and characters he created. Simply amazing.
The first time in my life that i would rather be home on a Saturday and read instead of going out. My man Jordan.
Love your content btw Daniel
Regards from Sweden
I love how both Tolkien and Jordan were both War Veterans
War makes people write fantasy? 🤔 That is the question
@@Laura.K.makes sense, when you see hell on earth you probably want to escape to another world entirely.
I always liked Jordan's female characters (with a few exceptions). Moiraine was the reason I kept going with the series after the first book, and Egwene is the reason I kept going to the end. These are some of the best female characters I've encountered in fiction.
I love them. Even the ones I struggled with I found feeling very real. Egwene, Avienda, Cadsune, Moiraine and especially Verin!
I like most of them. Except Cadsuane and Egwene. They can be balefired.
It annoys me that everyone expects authors to go with modern trends in fantasy. Yes, the more realist, "grim-dark" type fantasy is in right now, but there are plenty of books being published in this era, such as many of Brandon Sanderson's books, that do not have these elements and yet are original, exciting, and engaging. So I can't agree that that would be a fair criticism of Jordan's work. An author should write what he or she sets out to write and that's it.
I hope you bring your dad back to WoTTalk when he finishes WoT.
I just started with his series! And I am enjoying it so much. (even more than i thought because u do hype it up Daniel hahahahaa) I want to thank you for recommending it in your previous videos! When im further in the series I can finally listen to the wot talks.
Greetings from the Netherlands
One of us, one of us.
Hello fellow Dutchie! I actually started rereading the series again after 15 years. So nice to see everyone enjoying it so much. :-)
When I picked up Eye of the World in the early nineties in my local library, I had no idea that it would be the start of such a life long literary love for me. Finding your channel Daniel long ago reinvigorated that love and allowed me to reread and finish the series, not to mention providing many more works to dive into. I will always be greatful for Jordan's stories and your continued enthusiasm regarding them. Cheers!
I had been singing the praises of WoT for years before my mom admitted that she had finally started it. That meant so much to me. My husband also read it and loved it after we got together. Last year, all three of us did a full reread of the series. It’s a special bond.
I started WoT in high school, and it got me through some pretty bad times. I was legitimately crushed when he died. This was a very good video, and I hope it inspires someone else to pick up this wonderful series.
So many people only starting the series now. I'm a little jealous of them to be honest. I will never forget my first read through.
I never thought I'd think the same about a series, but I can feel it.
I haven't started them. I am looking forward to it after i finish the witcher saga. My only concern is i have heard he over writes and over explains scenes at times from what i have heard. Do you have any thoughts on that?
@@michaelmacleod2665 Yeah he can go into detail a bit much, but I honestly didn't mind that. You get comfortable with his writing style I guess. There is a slow section of books though, be warned, but don't let that put you off. I think it's books 8-10 that slow down in pace quite a bit. Brandon Sanderson does an amazing job of finishing it all up though. Regarding the over writing question, when this happens I reckon you could speed read over those parts quite easily. Enjoy mate, you're in for a ride!
I agree 100% about the size of the world being one of the main strengths of the series.
I’m proud that he was a fellow South Carolinian and fellow soldier as well. I wish I had known about the series before he died so maybe I could have met him at a signing or something in Charleston.
I once went to a booksigning of Jordan's. It was on the Barnes and Nobles on sam rittenburg road in charleston. They had redid the entire store to have all the bookshelves as a one massive line path, which was needed as it seemed like there was easily about 300 people there in line. Before it all started Jordan got up on a stool and proceeded to pronounce all the major characters, he went on for about a good 5 minutes. I get that, having people constantly come up to you saying the characters you made all wrong would rather irk after a while. Unfortantly my wife and I got there nearly on time which meant we were wayyyyyy down the line. Had two books bought to be signed and my wife gotten cold feet about speaking to him so Jordan just signed both of our books at once. I knew by that point he must have been absolutely PESTERED about things people had think they came up on how things were going to turn out so i didn't even bother with that. I just told him that his books made a huge impact in my life and my wife and I both were very grateful for his works, which embarrassed the crap out of my wife.
Just finished A Memory Of Light an hour ago...now I have no idea what do with myself😂
Hah! His world is too large!? Those folks should never read Malazan. My problem was not with his strong female characters, but rather with his male/female relationships being rather petty and caustic whether old or young, magic or non-magic. I am still surprised anyone in the book was able to actually have a marital or even committed relationship. I liked most of his main characters, but this pettiness and continuous male/female bickering were annoying imo.
W.C. McPherson Agree, the women in his series seem almost borderline sexist in their nonstop shit talking about men. After awhile it begins to make the female characters extremely unlikeable and appear as arrogant and spoilt brats.
Makes for a great drinking game though! Take a shot every time a female character sniffs. 🥃🤕
@@a_bookish_gemini Let's not forget shawl adjusting!
@@willprotector and skirt-smoothing
I’ve been meaning to start reading wheel of time. Glad you made this video
Have you yet?
Regarding the “Robert Jordan is too descriptive” criticism, I may only be 9 chapters into Eye of the World at this current moment but his descriptiveness is one of the things I’m enjoying about the book. I have a very clear picture of what things are supposed to look like and I love that.
I also am still finding it very easy to read through this book. It might be descriptive but his writing style is very easy for me to grasp and enjoy.
I share the last name Rigney with him, and my family originates from the same region of NC. Hmm...
Get a DNA test on ancestry to see if you are related to Robert Jordan a.k.a. James Oliver Rigney Jr.
I've noticed a few times you say Sanderson was hired due to his blog post. That is what introduced Brandon to Harriot but not why she made the decision. She requested a Sanderson book after reading his post and was brought The Final Empire. She made her decision based on that book, coupled with the fact that he was such a big fan.
The size of the world and the details of the world are amazing! They feel totally real.
May Jordan rest in piece and let his legacy live on with the Wheel of Time
I bought the first three books in WoT in 2014. I started EotW but didn't get far because of starting a new semester at university.
After being a subscriber to your channel for coming on a year I dug out my copies, starting EotW again last week. Today I finished it and I can't wait to push forward with the series!
Don't think I would have picked them up again if not for your channel my dude. So, thank you.
Stay safe and shit.
The show is going to break the world
Let’s hope!
Daniel Greene Fingers crossed! I also hope your channel grows along with the show.
@@planetzdr I apologize for this pretty irrelevant comment and how my mind works, but when I read "fingers crossed" I could only think of Freddy Got Fingered... I am leaving now
I am so happy I discovered Robert Jordan from an early age. Not only did it allow me to experience WoT(arguably one of my favorite series) but it introduced me to epic fantasy. Also, since RJ was unable to finish his series I was able to find Brandon Sanderson. BS is my favorite author of all time and I enjoy his books thoroughly. Robert Jordan has had such a large impact on so many people... I wonder if he ever thought his works would be so popular? This man deserves to be spoken in the same breath as Tolkien and Mark Twain.
Just finished Eye of the World. I look forward to acquiring the next one this upcoming payday.
I met Mr. Jordan at dragon con years ago when book 10 came out & got his signature. There i saw a first edition of eye of the world & in this book it read book 1 of 6. I also believe in an interview with Larry King he talked about thinking he could get the books done with 6 however once he got started he soon realized it would take him many more.
Just thought i would share...
I started reading the WoT series because of this channel. Im 6 books in and am loving it, thanks Daniel.
Knight Owl44bc start taking on notes on which characters know each other and who has met who.........
I am forever grateful that my friend introduced me to the series. I was my first epic fantasy series I read and I’ve been more of a fantasy book reader ever since.
I'm reading book 7 of Wheel of Time and I absolutely love the series. I almost stopped reading it after the first book because it seemed like a horror-fantasy but I'm so glad I kept reading. It might be my favorite series second only to The Golden Compass trilogy. I just discovered your channel yesterday and it's awesome!
I'm on book 2....and plan on reading them all straight thru....thanks to your channel!
I am soon going to start the Wheel of Time, which I decided to pick up because of your videos, so thanks for that! Superb video, maybe you should do Stephen King next :D
I just ordered the first book of the wheel of time all because of your videos and love for this author and his books
i grew up with a brother praising the wheel of time books. Lots of his friends as well. remember them laying around the house. im going to a bookshop, hopefully finding them today. Thanks for this video. I read every genre, but there nothing that can stand up to a solid crafted fantasy.
Some other names for Deep Dive:
CONN IGGULDEN! GUY GAVRIEL KAY! STEVEN ERIKSEN!
Why is this one not in the Author Deep Dive playlist?! /wagglesfinger Voting for Philip Pullman next. Really enjoying this series, Daniel. xo
I have started reading the wheel of time because of you thank you.
Honestly I would love you to talk sometime about Tanith Lee and Andre Northon.
After reading the WOT series, I believe Robert Jordan had some angry and unstable women in his life.
First time watcher, and thumbs up for a great and positive video! Hope to see you at Jordan Con, for sure! It'll be my second year going, and I loved how joyful and relaxed the con is! Can't wait for the WoT fanbase to explode with the show's release!
(Now time to go down the rabbit hole of your channel, lol!)
You got me reading wheel of time ,and I became very interested in Robert Jordan's work
Welcome to the Order.
@@revan0890 thanks
I am motivated to start The Wheel of Time after finishing the current Lord of the Rings and The Dark Tower series. I also would like to see if you could review Anthony Ryan and his Raven's shadow and Raven's blade books. I feel like he is utterly underrated.
I would smash the like button more but it wont let me. Awesome premise for a video! Hope your dad is enjoying the series.
Yeah I heard/read about the four books. It's understandable. One of my favorite non-fiction works The Civil War: A Narrative by Shelby Foote was meant to be 300 pages and one book but ended up around 3,000 pages in 3 big books (and was responsible for launching successful documentarist Ken Burn's career). It's not just that the lengthy books and series are part of the art, it also is incredible that the art can be maintained on such a large scale with the coherency it does.
I read WoT in elementary through highschool and later found out that RJ went to the same college that I attended The Citadel. Which was cool because I got see how the military college inspired The White Tower and the hierarchy between the students and the parallels with the Aes Sedai. Even the three oaths have similarities with the honor code (A cadet shall not LIE cheat or steal)
I love Robert Jordan and The wheel of time. I had to read a lot of young adolt novels to train my skills to read in English because the last books where not translated to Swedish because they where dropped by the publisher when he died. But I managed to read them and can now read other alult novels in English without problem.
There are actually some hidden reference to Robert Jordan and WoT in ASOIAF.
I will preface this by saying, I have read the entire series of Wheel of Time through at least 5 times and reread my favourite chapters many more times over the years. Matt is definitely my favourite character. I have recommended Robert Jordan to many.
Having listened to what you say about his early Conan stories, I read Robert E. Howard's Conan nearly 50 years ago. His Conan stories set my blood racing. Many authors have written Conan stories. I have to say the worst Conan stories I ever read were written by Robert Jordan. How they ever got published I simply do not understand.
I am very grateful Robert Jordan persevered with his writing and went on to write the WOT. Still, I cannot lie about his earlier writing skills., they were atrocious.
If I was ever asked to vote on my favourite American fantasy author, I would have to vote for the father of Sword and Sorcery, Robert E Howard. I think he was an amazing pioneer, and light years ahead of anyone else. Yes, I know his work was patchy, but nobody has ever come close to being able to write the blood pumping action sequences he did. Yes, they are very outdated today and very politically incorrect, but so what? I still prefer his stories, even so. Perhaps I enjoy them even more because of it. Long may he be read.
I am thrilled that you're coming to JordanCon this year. I'm loving your channel. Are you going to be on any of the WoT Track panels? I want to make sure I get to break away from the Charity Auction to see those. Jeff - Director, JordanCon Charity Events.
I really like these deep dives but I love if they were longer and if they went into more detail
I just watched an interview (Fast Forward) with him saying he originally signed a contract for six books- I am not sure if he meant up to six books, but was planning on it being less, but there it is.
this was masterfully done! I have to say that I feel somehow emotional after this and sad because this masterful mind is no longer with us. I really enjoy these, keep them going, Daniel!
I concede that I am a huge Tolkien Fan and have since circled the WoT warily like a curious wolf lurking in the shadowy trees just short of the Campfire.
The greatest gift a loved one can give to their WOT fan, is to actually read the entire series.
Great vid dude, keep them coming!
These were some of the first books I read when I was young. These and the Weiss & Hickman books were my favorite series. Jordan most of all though.
great video. Just wanted to ask is your pronunciation of the word nuclear your personal quirk or its american pronunciation?
I liked the series. The first book was by far my favorite. I felt like he wrote how the world was and then tried to retrofit facts into old books to fit the new narrative and it didn't feel right. That said, I made it through all the books and was satisfied at the end.
The Wheel of Time is one of my favorite fantasy series (the others being LOTR, Malazan Book of the Fallen, GoT and Earthsea series). What I especially found interesting was the different ways in which male and female channelers channeled the One Power. The men wrestling with the power and the women surrendering to it. It did have a Masculine / Feminine principle to it.
I didn't much mind the "gender wars" between men and women in it because in real life it is usually the same until you figure it out lol.
Favorite part was the way Rand, Perrin and Mat reflected a mix of Norse gods legends. And the Ash'aman were pretty cool too ;)
Edit : also the fan art by John Seamus of the various WoT characters are the best I have ever seen
“I’m going to dive deep.”
10 minutes later
“Ok cya guys.”
I still haven’t finished the wheel of time. Legend will fade to myth before I do.
Why mr. Rigney used pen name? There's nothing wrong with Robert Jordan, i'm just curious. :) BTW, Thanks to your channel, i'm now reading "Eye of the World", and it's very good. :)
Thanks man for getting me into Wot its a fantastic series
All the feels!
I’m halfway through the fourth book and so far nothing it soo descriptive to me. I’m guessing this becomes more troublesome during the rest of the series?
Hopefully it’s just me not minding descriptiveness. (The witcher having so few descriptive stuff is more of a complaint to me than wot having too much description)
I'll be there, can't wait to try the game with you if you're interested
A "fun fact" about Robert Jordan: When Jordan served as a helicopter gunner during the Vietnam War, he gained the nickname "Ganesha" (after the Hindu God of Good Fortune). This was because his fellow soldiers considered him a lucky cham and a "Remover of Obstacles", since he and his crew always made it back (it went to the level that the pilots argued between themselves about who was gonna have him on their ship). He also once shot down a Rocket-Propelled Granade heading towards his helicopter during a landing, close enough for shrapnel to hit the ship. In his own words "First off, it definitely comes under do not try this at home even if you ARE an expert. Expert is defined as anyone who has tried it once and is still breathing".
This seems to be referenced in Mat's Luck.
Maybe late 70's/80's authors (my early reading years) if you've read them. Terry Brooks, Piers Anthony, David Eddings, Weis/Hickman, or even earlier authors such as Anne McCaffrey or Ursula Le Guin.
Steve Erikson and how he turned a tabletop rpg campaign into arguably one of the few series that can stand up to WoT
Jordan is a giant in the fantasy genre as you note, and he is largely responsible for its spread and popularity. It is terrific escapist fiction. One criticism that you, I think too quickly glide over, is maybe a problem with the genre in itself. It is largely formulaic. The Wheel of Time for all of it’s charms follows that formula. Some of that origin may go back to the points you touched on, the ghostwriting and genre pieces he cut his early teeth on writing. The sword and sandal hero pulps of Robert Howard’s Conan and Louis Lamour’s Westerns. Those pulps, were popular because they did not ask much of the reader, and the publishers often paid by the word (something that any reader of Jordan may consider).
The criticism that it is not grimdark, as you note is not fair as that is largely blaming it for not adhering to a literary style that comes after it. But what I really think those critics may criticize the books for is that they are fundamentally children’s morality stories. As much as one may believe that evil has a chance of prevailing it does not. No major character in the story fails or dies in its course, and indeed most come out at the end of the series in better shape than when it started. Nothing wrong with wanting a happy ending, but the grimdarkers, if I can call them that, probably wanted to see a major character or two die over the course of the novels, or suffer somehow that did not see them achieving either greater wealth, privilege, or acclaim.
The Pen Name Robert Jordan is from the main character from the Ernest Hemingway book For Whom the Bell Tolls. There are six toed cats in the Two Rivers is an homage to Ernest Hemingway. www.hemingwayhome.com/cats/ Here is a letter that Robert Jordan wrote to George Martins publisher about Game of Thrones: winteriscoming.net/2016/03/16/robert-jordans-kind-words-for-a-game-of-thrones-back-in-1997/
Here is a blog post that Jordan wrote about his experience in Vietnam. His nickname was 'Ice Man. dragonmount.com/blogs/entry/375-hi-there/
I don't understand this thing against long series. Sure, if it's long and boring with little content, then yeah it can be crap. Crossroads of Twilight
But before WoT, I had only ever read two other fantasy series, His Dark Materials, and, LOTR. At the time, CoT was just about published (might even have been before then) and I saw this massive series of then 9 massive books and that was part of the reason I wanted to start reading it.
Nynaeve is... not perfect but then who is. She is still my favorite of the supergirls. For reference Perrin is my fav ov the boys, though they are all great characters. ;-)
By now WoT by Robert Jordan has been part of my life since I was... 13? 14? Which means that Jordan has been with me for over 50% of my lifespan so far. And I am stil reading the books on and off. So I guess he and his book series DID influence my life. It is hard to think how my life would have been without his books.
So, your dad is almost done with WoT? Hope you can make him do a few WotTalks after he is done Daniel, he has some refreshing points on the story. :-)
love these videos!
Too long/ too big? Naaa... the only thing that drove me to desperation were one or two instances where a reference was made to someone or something that had happened what felt like ten books ago without giving me a clearer idea of whatever the context may have been or even wether I was just confusing similar names....
I mean, I don't expect there to be a dickensian reintroduction of a character introduced three chapters ago, but remembering the name, Ajah and political affiliation or characterization of a character that was mentioned in passing five books ago? I don't need much hand holding and explaining - but sometimes I felt that an online text archive that could be searched for a bibliographic reference would have been awesome!
Honestly I hated reading, I thought if it was any good they would make a movie out of it, so I'm done in 2 hours, not weeks of reading. And them a buddy handed me the 1st and 2nd books for something kinda interesting to read to put me to sleep as I had a real bad problem sleeping right then. It worked great for 2 weeks. I would read a bit and go to sleep, then I started really getting into the story. Soo went thru those 2 books and went to a book store to get the 3rd and what I thought was final book, well I reserved my 4th book while there as it was due out 2 weeks later. I was hooked I got several other friends hooked. We would reread every previous book right before the new one would hit the shelves.
After all this I really have to Thank Mr. Jordan for getting me to experience reading, wish he could have finished it as Sandersons righting felt a bit rushed.
Tbh Tolkien and George RR Martin (very different styles) are far better writers.
I LOVE the Wheel of Time, but the aforementioned authors are far better. Tolkien was the amazing at epic poem style, and Martin perfects the merging of fantasy with realistic history.
Fact: Beagles Are Best. true, Robert Jordan was a great overall World builder, but He is not a ‘skilled’ writer imho.
First book i got my older brother to read. Now he reads everything i leave for him and got a heron tattooed on his ribs as his tattoo for me
It's all a matter of personal preference and taste.... but my list of fantasy authors puts Tolkien and Jordan in their own league, with everyone else in some ranking under them. I sincerely wish those two could have met. I am convinced Tolkien would have LOVED WoT. But again, this is all taste. Many hate the wordy descriptions... but I love them. He paints a picture and I see that world. I can understand why some might hate that. But for me, it's a selling point, a personal favorite aspect of his writing style. Shrug. To each their own you know.
A lot of the 'versus' mentality is from hyperpartisan fans. They need their opinions validated to salve their frail egos, so they explain ad nauseum why what they like is 'best' and what others like is 'inferior'. It's not about the authors really at all. There is no Martin vs Jordan... those dudes liked each others work. I'd wager if you started trash talking Jordan around GRRM, George would probably get pissed off with you over it.
It's OK to like Jordan, Tolkien, Martin, Sanderson and others. Nothing wrong with enjoying lots of variety. Nothing wrong with having a personal favorite either.
I agree with your comments on Nynaeve but when she treated Matt like a punk kid after he saves her ass multiple times it really bugged me. That is the only time I felt like Nynaeve was being a B. I am really glad she finally apologized
Have you read Conan series of Robert Jordan ?
I will say this: I don't have an issue with the character portrayals themselves. I like strong characters with depth, be they man or woman, and R.J. does them well and with justice. However, since all of his characters are generally intelligent and empathetic, it begins to be incredibly grating how the relationships between men and women in this world are portrayed.
After awhile, all this "Women are confusing" and "Men are lumps" (no matter the society) turns into a bit of a plot crutch. A "Chekhov's Gun" of sexism, as it were. Even the bloody Age of Legends falls victim to this, as the Aes Sedai split along those lines at the very end, to the detriment of all. I mean, what the fuck? How enlightened do we have to be to not pull this shit? That would never happen in our current Age (since technically we're a spoke on the Wheel as well), so why the hell does it suddenly matter at the end of the world?
Anyhoo, that's my take on things. Tear me to shreds! To shreds you say? Yes, to shreds.
I personally wasn’t a fan of Nynaeve when she first showed up in the books but as time passed she became one of my favorite characters on the flip side of that I liked Egwene a lot early on in the books and I loved her bit as when she was locked in the Tower and was fixing the tower and putting Eliada in her place. But then I kinda just lost interest in her character a lot.
Grim dark criticism don't mean a thing, when padan fain can nail a fade to a wall with stakes through the eyeless skin. What a series. Peace
I live in Charleston and wish they did JordanCon here. It only makes since... he has a huge following here... obviously. Lol.
Neil Gaiman or Stephen King. For Stephen King, his Book "On Writing" is a fantastic resource for this.
We shouldnt get rid of women that rely on fantasy completely tho. Its pretty realistic to have those type of characters. I do like "stronger" and more complex female characters too tho but we shouldnt be shaming the woman that relys on man because thats been going on since the beginning of time so it only makes sense
I used to be one of those fans who thought his female characters were annoying and I even noticed all the tics he gave them (like how they sniff a lot and they put their hands on their hips a lot), and that's why I thought his female characters sucked. But, as I went further into the series and as I got older, I understood what he was going for a lot more and appreciated them more for having much more agency than a lot of female characters in fantasy.
So much love for RJ
I hated Nynaeve at the beginning of the series but as it went on I really grew to like her
I like big worlds, I cannot lie.
Also, I never thought that of Nynaeve - she is almost a parody or caricature in some parts, but not that...
Faile, on the other hand....
I'll tell you what bother me about Robert Jordon. I'll start talking about something, and someone who knows, and loves the books goes, "You're wrong!" Then they inform me of something, and say, "Ah...I don't rememeber that." Then they whip-out a copy of the specific book, jump to the well worn page, and read the part I missed, forgot, or just skipped over. The I say, "I guess I'm wrong." They say, "Damn right you're wrong." Hey, I just realized, I don't dislike the book, it's the rabid fans that bother me.
As a negative. What about the fact he always calls people fat. Or the constant exposition. Book 5, could have been cut in half if it was removed and a bit more if the endless skirt smoothing and Rand longing was taken out.
I adore the wheel of time, it’s like a giant feast. It can be overwhelming, and sometimes it can be a bit of a slog to keep going. But it’s a feast that your sharing with so many others. And when you look back on it your filled with a sense of contentment.
Ps. Nynaeve is still incredibly annoying, not a badly written character mind you. And one that I actually quite like.
But that doesn’t change the fact the so many of her scenes make me want to grit my teeth.
You mean you want to tug your braid, don't you?
You should do a conspiracy theories video within the wheel of Time!!!