http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2013/01/08/how-a-fantasy-ends Comments On: How a Fantasy Ends by Paul Constant en-us Copyright 2013 The Stranger. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, The Stranger readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact The Stranger. webmaster@thestranger.com (The Stranger Webmaster) Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:01 -0700 Mon, 20 May 2013 06:30:00 -0700 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Posted by evilvolus]]> Wed, 09 Jan 2013 08:51:15 -0800 The Stranger dare I express an opinion on your Holy Scripture that differs from your own! The temerity! I'll stay out of any future discussions of the series for fear of offending your delicate sensibilities, evilvolus, but read that comment again and you might note that I wasn't mocking you or any other fan of the series, nor insulting anyone's intelligence.

If it makes you feel any better, my own favorite fantasy author was directly insulted a couple times in this thread, but because I'm an adult, and not overly sensitive or entirely solipsistic, I didn't get into a huff about it and insult the commenter in turn. I know when to bail out of a discussion with a zealot, and that time is already past. Continue your jihad against someone else.
Posted by Knat]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 23:03:44 -0800 The Stranger Posted by evilvolus]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 22:12:50 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Knat]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 19:41:47 -0800 The Stranger
sanderson made it not just readable but amazing again
Posted by DeaconBlues]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 17:11:03 -0800 The Stranger Posted by evilvolus]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 14:04:05 -0800 The Stranger then it was clear to me - a teenager - that he was dragging out the story, and I was disgusted by such cynical manipulation of the readers. The villain who stole the horn and the search for him seemed very much an allegory for the author and the readers, respectively, with the readers being mocked at every opportunity for our attempts at pursuing a story.
Posted by Knat]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 12:23:27 -0800 The Stranger
I definitely think Brandon Sanderson came around at the right time; he's a definite plus to that series.
Posted by Karla Canadian]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 10:38:11 -0800 The Stranger
In Jordan's defense, no one has tried a story of this in-story scale before. Not Tolkien, not Herbert. My Biblical comparison was apt. It's like we're reading the Bible as a work of fiction, from the point where Jesus goes off to the East, learn kung fu, come back to Israel, become the Messiah, and then go through all of the Tribulation and Book of Revalation in his lifetime, for how much crap has gone on already. But now add in that we get full on sub-plots and fully fleshed out five act stories of about 600-800 pages each for EACH disciple.

You're not just reading a 14 volume story of about 800-1000 pages each in Wheel of Time. You're basically reading a full-on series of book trilogies for each of about 7-9 characters. That's why so many people get so invested in this, and the pace sometimes feels glacial. It's when you hit those unifying moments, where the myriad threads come together, the payoffs are unlike any in any other series or single books I've ever read.
Posted by Joe Szilagyi]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 10:36:37 -0800 The Stranger
And don't exaggerate--it's been one week LESS than 23 years ;)
Posted by evilvolus]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 10:24:28 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Arsenic7]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 10:14:03 -0800 The Stranger
No offense to anyone who's a fan, but I thought the fact that Robert Jordan died before finishing the series was hilarious - he strung the series out for such a ridiculously long time (seriously, the first book came out 23 years ago) that his death seemed like a punishment from the literary gods for dicking around and not getting anywhere, even though he had plenty of time.
Posted by redemma]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 10:08:54 -0800 The Stranger
Mistborn is great! Different feel than most fantasy, but one of my favorite trilogies ever. Stormlight is good, but it takes FOREVER to get really interesting.
Posted by rummy42]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 10:01:55 -0800 The Stranger
#18 well said. Some writers add so many threads to the tapestry that there is no way they can finish the project.

Please enjoy book number 150999 or what ever. I'm sure the magic sword slays the evil Lesbo-Black-Trans-Queen and the Wheelbarrow of power works yet again or what ever something like that.
Posted by Sargon Bighorn]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 09:57:20 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Karla Canadian]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 09:53:44 -0800 The Stranger
I've heard that The Way of Kings (first in the Stormlight Archive) is even better than Mistborn, but I'm not willing to touch it with a 10-foot pole. It's got "won't be done for 30 years" written ALL over it.
Posted by evilvolus]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 09:49:52 -0800 The Stranger
There was no way Jordan was ever going to wrap things up in a satisfying way. Probably a blessing for the story that he died. Apparently Sanderson didn't have to prove that he knew how it was supposed to end from the beginning, so he could start to end it rather than just dick around and play for time.
Posted by dirge]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 09:40:50 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Joe Szilagyi]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 09:35:34 -0800 The Stranger Posted by evilvolus]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 09:33:24 -0800 The Stranger
How will it end? I don't know! I never read much sci-fi or fantasy. I know it involves "time" and "elves" and "wormholes" and "boobs." But it's fundamentally a mystery to me. Someone tell me what happens in the end, please; I'm going to go watch football and drink a nice pint of beer.
Posted by r.chops]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 09:29:31 -0800 The Stranger Posted by evilvolus]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 09:21:29 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Joe Szilagyi]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 09:16:55 -0800 The Stranger Posted by evilvolus]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 09:15:11 -0800 The Stranger
The strange thing for me is that I've been playing a WoT computer game (wotmud.org) for 10 years, and so I've been familiar with the world on a regular basis, but not through the books.
Posted by sikandro]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 08:59:16 -0800 The Stranger Posted by Volo]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 08:57:28 -0800 The Stranger