Disliked Characters

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I had a hard time with the the first book. I simply didn’t like Rand very much. He was kind of stupid in a country bumpkin kind of way and totally subservient to the will of Moraine and Nynaeve. Nynaeve struck me as mostly unhappy and Moraine as arrogant. It made it hard for me to like any of them. Plus, wtf, Rand kills Balzamon in the first book and the second starts with him being alive again. Maybe I was spoiled by The Kingkiller Chronicles and Patrick Rothfuss excellent writing, but I don’t think I am going to finish this series.
 

Leala ni al'Dareis t'al'Caleum

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All I can say for your dislike of these characters is to keep reading. They all develop well past this. :) One of the things I love about WoT is there are scores and scores of characters who have a role to play, but we don't see a lot of them in the first book.

As for Ba'alzamon, Rand comes up against enemies that are stronger and smarter than he initially thinks. The villains are also developed throughout the series. I love the first book mostly for nostalgia's sake, but it's far from my favorite in the series. :look:
 
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Thank you for your response, Leala! Not to put too much pressure on you, but I am going to read the second book in the series based solely on what you wrote : )
 

Leala ni al'Dareis t'al'Caleum

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No problem. :)

:rofl No pressure, right? Seriously, I know the series isn't for everyone. ;) If you end up not liking it after the second book, then I'll understand. I kind of agree with your assessments of the characters in that book, too. :laugh: I think what really kept me wanting to read after the first book was Perrin. (Though, I read it for the first time 18 years ago, so...it's kinda foggy.) :p
 

Bruce al'Kay

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The characters grow and evolve for sure - and not only do they change, but you learn more about them. I think Nynaeve and Moiraine grow less than the others, but you learn more about them, their motivations, their strengths and weaknesses. Rand grows more than anyone else in the series, I think.

Also, things will become clearer as you read on.

The prose style is very different from someone like Rothfuss - who has his own strengths and weaknesses. :)
 

Ilverin Matriam

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Also have in mind the characters from Emonds Field know exactly this much of the world (as do the readers at first) - they know only Emond's field and how easy life is there, so they are very naive.
This is what I don't like in the beginning, but I know why it is written like this. We, the readers, need to get to know the WoT world along with the main characters. I take it that's why Moiraine sounds arrogant in the first book, she knows so much but says nothing to the characters, because like this, it will spoil it for the readers :P
 
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Kvothe, I have just finished Dragon Reborn (book 3) and I also didn't like Rand at first (I have this feeling towards most of the protagonists at first no matter what book I read), but it does get better. I think chacters evolve quite well in this series and you can see this progress. Also, when you put in perspective with Rand, he was just a boy from a small village who ended up being dragged from home by the Aes Sedai and her Warder while being chased by the Dark One. That's a lot to take in. But I'm with you on Perrin. He's been one of my favourites so far.
 

Leo Kian

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I had a friend who read the first book and didn't continue. I have been telling her to give it another go for years but alas she never has :( Let us know what you think Kvothe.
 

Jarl Lewin

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When I first picked up tWoT in 2000, I was immediately drawn in. There was a LotR feel to it, which I have since learned is something that some readers see as a ripoff, but Jordan said it was an intentional tribute, and I believe it. Sometime early in 2001 I mentioned it to a girl I went to high school with who worked at the local Walden Books and was recommending Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire to me, and she said something similar; she couldn't get past the prologue. I encouraged her to give it another go, but she moved on from the book shop--and strangely enough, we worked at the same place for a while a couple of years later. At any rate, I hope you will read The Great Hunt. That is where you see the world really developing. I get the "country bumpkin" feeling of our three favourite ta'veren, but there really is more to them than initially meets the eye. And when all is said and done, it is fiction and we can take it or leave it. If you find it engaging, well and good. If not, move on and leave it behind, just like any other work of fiction. Nevertheless, thank you for sharing your thoughts with us!
 
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I agree with Solider Lewin. The Great Hunt is truly where the it all blossoms into a truly unique, highly developed world. Plus, the most interesting, and - in my opinion - the best (ignore the naysayers and oath-breakers) appear in The Great Hunt.
 

Toral Delvar

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I liked the characters. Well, most. Some of the characters in later books I did find really annoying, but I never had a problem with Rand or Mat. Curiously, I didn't like the ones in Kingkiller Chronicles, though young Kvothe could be at least interesting at times. I don't think anyone likes Denna
 
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I had a hard time with the the first book. I simply didn’t like Rand very much. He was kind of stupid in a country bumpkin kind of way and totally subservient to the will of Moraine and Nynaeve. Nynaeve struck me as mostly unhappy and Moraine as arrogant. It made it hard for me to like any of them. Plus, wtf, Rand kills Balzamon in the first book and the second starts with him being alive again. Maybe I was spoiled by The Kingkiller Chronicles and Patrick Rothfuss excellent writing, but I don’t think I am going to finish this series.

Dude, you named yourself after Kvothe and you think THESE characters are annoying? ;)

For me there have always been some I really liked, some I didn't mind, and some who made me want to skip the chapter. All I can say is that for me, the world and the characters I felt connected to were enough to keep me moving even if sometimes I was frustrated. Give Rand a minute to geow, and if he's still not for you, well, you tried.
 
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Bracken, I understand your annoyance with Kvothe! I wish he were not so perfect, he needs a flaw or two. However, the writing and the story are superb. But I digress, this is a WoT forum. :) Update, I am on book 5 and the series has grown on me. Parts of it are excellent, most of it is at least good/really good,and a few parts of it are meh. Rand needed to be more developed as a character, I am still not rooting for him like I thought I would be even though I like him a bit more now that he has grown a pair. :clap Nynaeve needs to work on her people skills, still unlikeable. The development of Mat has been excellent as has the development of Perrin, love them both. Loial rocks. I can see Moraine and Lan.dying in an epic battle, hopefully Nynaeve goes with them. Ordeith is great, I can't wait to see the depths of his evil plotting. Thom Merillin is awesome, I predict he dies saving Elayne. Please don't ruin the plot for me else I will summon the One Power and smite your soul! :spider
 

Leala ni al'Dareis t'al'Caleum

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:giggle I'm glad you're still at it, Kvothe! :joy

I'll not comment on most of this, since I don't want to spoil anything for you, but about Rand...

I kind of hated him the first couple of times I read it, but this past re-read, I started looking at him a bit more objectively. He's still annoying sometimes (his list of dead women being one thing), but I came to realize that he was just really overwhelmed a lot of the time. I noticed that he had a lot of behaviors that I do, when dealing with anxiety. After realizing that and looking at him from that filter, I like him a lot better. :laugh:
 
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about Rand. He's still annoying sometimes (his list of dead women being one thing), but I came to realize that he was just really overwhelmed a lot of the time. I noticed that he had a lot of behaviors that I do, when dealing with anxiety. After realizing that and looking at him from that filter, I like him a lot better. :laugh:

Seriously ... he is such a ninny about this. Men's lives shouldn't matter less to you, ya twit!

But I do think it helps to remember he is a kid who is totally unequipped for what landed on his shoulders.
 

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Yeah, Rand is just doing the best he can. :pleased-1:
 
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