I've never read the books and they were not on my radar before the show. I liked S1 decent enough and so far S2 is pretty good. Through the grapevine I have heard that it is not very faithful to...
I've never read the books and they were not on my radar before the show. I liked S1 decent enough and so far S2 is pretty good. Through the grapevine I have heard that it is not very faithful to the books, but I find the premise interesting and the show more or less well done. Since I don't know how accurate (or not) it is to the source material, my take is from the approach of "generic fantasy" TV. So take my opinion with a grain of salt. Lastly, I also agree with the authors sentiments and takeaways.
I can see how and why hardcore fans might be feeling shafted. I felt the same way with The Rings of Power. That being said, I do plan on checking out the books when I am done with Gotrek and Felix series, so I guess that's still a good thing, right?
I'll probably end up watching the new season at some point, just to see if they did anything redeeming, but I still feel incredibly let down by the first one. It's more "we used the same proper...
I'll probably end up watching the new season at some point, just to see if they did anything redeeming, but I still feel incredibly let down by the first one. It's more "we used the same proper nouns so our own story can ride on the coattails of a beloved series" than even a poor adaptation or something loosely inspired.
The books are one of my all time favorite fantasy series, and given that it has a massive page count, it's not exactly like I've read through it many times and can nitpick over little details. The problems are more with the broad strokes...in that they're more like scribbling outside the lines of a coloring book. I went into the first series with an incredibly generous mindset, and ended up finding little resemblance to the story, world and characters I liked.
I just finished another run through the series with AMOL about a week ago. They're trying to do some things in the show that are transparently "political" like changing Moiraine's story to use...
I just finished another run through the series with AMOL about a week ago. They're trying to do some things in the show that are transparently "political" like changing Moiraine's story to use Rosamund Pike more since she's such a big name actress and her character kinda fucks off for a while in book 2. However, they're also doing some good changes like giving us some telegraphed external reasons for certain characters to have book traits that they do, like Perrin's distrust of wolfiness and Mat's attitude towards Aes Sedai. I have to say new Mat is pretty charming and is giving pretty good book Mat vibes, and Elayne is absolutely spot on so far. We just binged the first three episodes, and while I had plenty of issues with season 1 I'm cautiously optimistic and enjoying what I've seen so far.
With a usernameike yours, I feel like we both have a very similar taste in fiction novels. Redwall was my jam growing up! Anyways, I will definitely try and check out the first book at a minimum....
With a usernameike yours, I feel like we both have a very similar taste in fiction novels. Redwall was my jam growing up!
Anyways, I will definitely try and check out the first book at a minimum. If so many people say it's good, has to be, right? I feel you on being let down. I was just excited for more LoTR and then TRoP was basically dull, inspired and cheap looking. I really didn't have any crazy expectations.
Heads up on the books. I think the first book isn't the best in the series and for me some of the middling books were a bit of a slogh to get through (YMMV). The fact that it consist of 14 massive...
Heads up on the books. I think the first book isn't the best in the series and for me some of the middling books were a bit of a slogh to get through (YMMV). The fact that it consist of 14 massive volumes makes it really hard to recommend to other than hard core fantasy readers in my opinion. Epic story, deep world building, interesting magic system, nice characters, but LOOONG.
Brandon Sanderson says he is viewing the show as a different turn of the wheel then books. I have not read the books but am a fan of Brandon Sanderson.
Brandon Sanderson says he is viewing the show as a different turn of the wheel then books.
I have not read the books but am a fan of Brandon Sanderson.
If you're into it, the audiobook versions (all 14) are fantastic. They are all narrated by Michael Kramer and Kate Redding (who are married) IRL, so you can listen to them try to tackle RJ's...
If you're into it, the audiobook versions (all 14) are fantastic. They are all narrated by Michael Kramer and Kate Redding (who are married) IRL, so you can listen to them try to tackle RJ's whacky name spelling. I get chills thinking about the reading of "It was not the beginning because there are neither beginnings nor endings to the wheel of time. But it was a beginning."
Oh man, that's a good one. They're a married couple yet they pronounce names differently for multiple books and then switch pronunciations several books into the series. RJ's names make me think...
They are all narrated by Michael Kramer and Kate Redding (who are married) IRL, so you can listen to them try to tackle RJ's whacky name spelling.
Oh man, that's a good one. They're a married couple yet they pronounce names differently for multiple books and then switch pronunciations several books into the series. RJ's names make me think he could read and write English but didn't know how to translate those strange symbols into sounds.
Also, Elayne suddenly gets an accent in the eighth book. Where did that come from??
Around book 7 and 8, the releases went from yearly to closer to two years between books, so maybe they started to lose track over the longer time? I have seen interviews with them, and they both...
Around book 7 and 8, the releases went from yearly to closer to two years between books, so maybe they started to lose track over the longer time?
I have seen interviews with them, and they both seem strong willed, so I can see them simply not being able agree on a pronunciation and deciding to live with the difference.
There's also so many characters in WoT, sometimes even in similar roles, with very similar names. Makes it hard to grok at points who's who in the ~100 character cast! If anyone does decide to try...
RJ's names make me think he could read and write English but didn't know how to translate those strange symbols into sounds.
There's also so many characters in WoT, sometimes even in similar roles, with very similar names. Makes it hard to grok at points who's who in the ~100 character cast!
If anyone does decide to try the books, there is an app you can get that has short character summaries by book so you can get a quick refresher if needed.
That's one of the reasons I dropped out at book 6ish. So many names, one person briefly mentioned in book 1 or 2 is suddenly important, and their name is close enough to confuse with 3 other...
That's one of the reasons I dropped out at book 6ish. So many names, one person briefly mentioned in book 1 or 2 is suddenly important, and their name is close enough to confuse with 3 other people and I have no idea who anyone is! Tugs braids
I liked the first book, they did a great job narrating it. But it was so damn long. Over 30 hours for one book. I was sick of it by the end and glad to be done, despite enjoying the reading and...
I liked the first book, they did a great job narrating it. But it was so damn long. Over 30 hours for one book. I was sick of it by the end and glad to be done, despite enjoying the reading and story. Seeing how the other books were even longer, I just swore off Wheel of Time in audiobook format. They really should try to create an abridged version.
It was just too long an experience. I usually go between different authors and narrators after each book so I get a break. By the time I was finished listening to The Eye of the World, I was tired...
It was just too long an experience. I usually go between different authors and narrators after each book so I get a break. By the time I was finished listening to The Eye of the World, I was tired of the writing and the voices. Yes I could have switching in something else in-between but I prefer to listen to one book at a time. So there's no particular complaint I have about the performance, I just think it's too long.
I read the books multiple times growing up. The show is good enough, at least no worse than the Hobbit/Lord of the Rings movies. Robert Jordan is basically the reason George RR Martin caught so...
I read the books multiple times growing up. The show is good enough, at least no worse than the Hobbit/Lord of the Rings movies.
Robert Jordan is basically the reason George RR Martin caught so much flack for writing so slow. Fans who had experienced reading a series for a decade, (selfishly) didn't want to go through the same thing again with ASOIAF.
In the books there are so many small details that never get resolved anyway, so missing stuff out from the TV series isn't too terrible imo.
Robert Jordan was releasing books every 2-3 years while GRRM took 6 years between book 4 and book 5, and now 12 years since book 5 with still no release date for book 6 in sight.
Robert Jordan was releasing books every 2-3 years while GRRM took 6 years between book 4 and book 5, and now 12 years since book 5 with still no release date for book 6 in sight.
Don't worry, it will be finished by the end of the year, guaranteed! Just like how in 2015 he promised he would finish in early 2016. And he missed several other deadlines in the intervening seven...
Don't worry, it will be finished by the end of the year, guaranteed! Just like how in 2015 he promised he would finish in early 2016.
And he missed several other deadlines in the intervening seven years, including claiming that New Zealand authorities could arrest him if he didn't finish Winds by the World Science Fiction Convention, which was conveniently cancelled due to a little pandemic you may have heard of, giving evidence that GRRM did COVID.
Yes, but fans were impatient, and it seemed like the series would never end. I am not one one of those fans, I just stopped caring and came back to it years later after he had finished ~2 books,...
Yes, but fans were impatient, and it seemed like the series would never end. I am not one one of those fans, I just stopped caring and came back to it years later after he had finished ~2 books, and then the new author released the last one.
This is a spoiler review of the first three episodes of Wheel of Time, season 2. I still have mixed feelings about the adaption straying so far from the books, but I’m cautiously optimistic about...
This is a spoiler review of the first three episodes of Wheel of Time, season 2.
The first three episodes of The Wheel of Time season two have dropped today, and all in all, they are glorious. A few missteps hamper the opening of the show, but there is also a lot to be excited about. I can’t wait to dive in with you!
This is a spoiler review for “A Taste of Solitude,” “Strangers and Friends,” and “What Might Be.” It may also contain some references to Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time novels—I will do my best not to talk about important plot or character points from the books that will result in spoilers for the future of the show, but as opinions on what constitutes a spoiler may vary from person to person, consider this a general warning.
I still have mixed feelings about the adaption straying so far from the books, but I’m cautiously optimistic about the rest of season 2. So far, I’ve enjoyed it more than season 1 and largely agree with Sylas’s takeaways.
I did not read your review because I still need to watch S2, but as a fan of the books, I thought the departures in S1 made sense as a way of adapting a very rich text into a much shorter format....
I did not read your review because I still need to watch S2, but as a fan of the books, I thought the departures in S1 made sense as a way of adapting a very rich text into a much shorter format.
For example...
spoilers for the books and S1 of the show
... having Perrin kill Lyla with the axe establishes his complicated relationship with the axe much earlier and more simply without a lot of back and forth with the Children of the Light.
I think you’ll find you enjoy this season then. I felt like the departures they made in season two so far were not just necessary but actually interesting and enhanced the experience.
I think you’ll find you enjoy this season then. I felt like the departures they made in season two so far were not just necessary but actually interesting and enhanced the experience.
I just want to take issue with the articles title (please label this as noise or joke). It's been a while but from what I can recall I did not like any character in that show. They all seemed...
I just want to take issue with the articles title (please label this as noise or joke). It's been a while but from what I can recall I did not like any character in that show. They all seemed uniquely insufferable, incompetent and with few redeeming qualities. I would not call them friends.
I've never read the books and they were not on my radar before the show. I liked S1 decent enough and so far S2 is pretty good. Through the grapevine I have heard that it is not very faithful to the books, but I find the premise interesting and the show more or less well done. Since I don't know how accurate (or not) it is to the source material, my take is from the approach of "generic fantasy" TV. So take my opinion with a grain of salt. Lastly, I also agree with the authors sentiments and takeaways.
I can see how and why hardcore fans might be feeling shafted. I felt the same way with The Rings of Power. That being said, I do plan on checking out the books when I am done with Gotrek and Felix series, so I guess that's still a good thing, right?
I'll probably end up watching the new season at some point, just to see if they did anything redeeming, but I still feel incredibly let down by the first one. It's more "we used the same proper nouns so our own story can ride on the coattails of a beloved series" than even a poor adaptation or something loosely inspired.
The books are one of my all time favorite fantasy series, and given that it has a massive page count, it's not exactly like I've read through it many times and can nitpick over little details. The problems are more with the broad strokes...in that they're more like scribbling outside the lines of a coloring book. I went into the first series with an incredibly generous mindset, and ended up finding little resemblance to the story, world and characters I liked.
I just finished another run through the series with AMOL about a week ago. They're trying to do some things in the show that are transparently "political" like changing Moiraine's story to use Rosamund Pike more since she's such a big name actress and her character kinda fucks off for a while in book 2. However, they're also doing some good changes like giving us some telegraphed external reasons for certain characters to have book traits that they do, like Perrin's distrust of wolfiness and Mat's attitude towards Aes Sedai. I have to say new Mat is pretty charming and is giving pretty good book Mat vibes, and Elayne is absolutely spot on so far. We just binged the first three episodes, and while I had plenty of issues with season 1 I'm cautiously optimistic and enjoying what I've seen so far.
With a usernameike yours, I feel like we both have a very similar taste in fiction novels. Redwall was my jam growing up!
Anyways, I will definitely try and check out the first book at a minimum. If so many people say it's good, has to be, right? I feel you on being let down. I was just excited for more LoTR and then TRoP was basically dull, inspired and cheap looking. I really didn't have any crazy expectations.
Heads up on the books. I think the first book isn't the best in the series and for me some of the middling books were a bit of a slogh to get through (YMMV). The fact that it consist of 14 massive volumes makes it really hard to recommend to other than hard core fantasy readers in my opinion. Epic story, deep world building, interesting magic system, nice characters, but LOOONG.
Brandon Sanderson says he is viewing the show as a different turn of the wheel then books.
I have not read the books but am a fan of Brandon Sanderson.
If you're into it, the audiobook versions (all 14) are fantastic. They are all narrated by Michael Kramer and Kate Redding (who are married) IRL, so you can listen to them try to tackle RJ's whacky name spelling. I get chills thinking about the reading of "It was not the beginning because there are neither beginnings nor endings to the wheel of time. But it was a beginning."
Oh man, that's a good one. They're a married couple yet they pronounce names differently for multiple books and then switch pronunciations several books into the series. RJ's names make me think he could read and write English but didn't know how to translate those strange symbols into sounds.
Also, Elayne suddenly gets an accent in the eighth book. Where did that come from??
Around book 7 and 8, the releases went from yearly to closer to two years between books, so maybe they started to lose track over the longer time?
I have seen interviews with them, and they both seem strong willed, so I can see them simply not being able agree on a pronunciation and deciding to live with the difference.
There's also so many characters in WoT, sometimes even in similar roles, with very similar names. Makes it hard to grok at points who's who in the ~100 character cast!
If anyone does decide to try the books, there is an app you can get that has short character summaries by book so you can get a quick refresher if needed.
That app is the Wheel of Time Compendium, by the way.
That's one of the reasons I dropped out at book 6ish. So many names, one person briefly mentioned in book 1 or 2 is suddenly important, and their name is close enough to confuse with 3 other people and I have no idea who anyone is! Tugs braids
I liked the first book, they did a great job narrating it. But it was so damn long. Over 30 hours for one book. I was sick of it by the end and glad to be done, despite enjoying the reading and story. Seeing how the other books were even longer, I just swore off Wheel of Time in audiobook format. They really should try to create an abridged version.
Thats a bit confusing.. I also enjoyed reading it and the story and was left wanting more. Can you elaborate more about why you were sick of it?
It was just too long an experience. I usually go between different authors and narrators after each book so I get a break. By the time I was finished listening to The Eye of the World, I was tired of the writing and the voices. Yes I could have switching in something else in-between but I prefer to listen to one book at a time. So there's no particular complaint I have about the performance, I just think it's too long.
The books are so amazing, you should definitely give them a try if you are a fantasy fan
I read the books multiple times growing up. The show is good enough, at least no worse than the Hobbit/Lord of the Rings movies.
Robert Jordan is basically the reason George RR Martin caught so much flack for writing so slow. Fans who had experienced reading a series for a decade, (selfishly) didn't want to go through the same thing again with ASOIAF.
In the books there are so many small details that never get resolved anyway, so missing stuff out from the TV series isn't too terrible imo.
Robert Jordan was releasing books every 2-3 years while GRRM took 6 years between book 4 and book 5, and now 12 years since book 5 with still no release date for book 6 in sight.
Don't worry, it will be finished by the end of the year, guaranteed! Just like how in 2015 he promised he would finish in early 2016.
And he missed several other deadlines in the intervening seven years, including claiming that New Zealand authorities could arrest him if he didn't finish Winds by the World Science Fiction Convention, which was conveniently cancelled due to a little pandemic you may have heard of, giving evidence that GRRM did COVID.
Yes, but fans were impatient, and it seemed like the series would never end. I am not one one of those fans, I just stopped caring and came back to it years later after he had finished ~2 books, and then the new author released the last one.
This is a spoiler review of the first three episodes of Wheel of Time, season 2.
I still have mixed feelings about the adaption straying so far from the books, but I’m cautiously optimistic about the rest of season 2. So far, I’ve enjoyed it more than season 1 and largely agree with Sylas’s takeaways.
I did not read your review because I still need to watch S2, but as a fan of the books, I thought the departures in S1 made sense as a way of adapting a very rich text into a much shorter format.
For example...
spoilers for the books and S1 of the show
... having Perrin kill Lyla with the axe establishes his complicated relationship with the axe much earlier and more simply without a lot of back and forth with the Children of the Light.I think you’ll find you enjoy this season then. I felt like the departures they made in season two so far were not just necessary but actually interesting and enhanced the experience.
I just want to take issue with the articles title (please label this as noise or joke). It's been a while but from what I can recall I did not like any character in that show. They all seemed uniquely insufferable, incompetent and with few redeeming qualities. I would not call them friends.