Re-reading WoT!

SabreWolfy · Sep 15, 2012

Getting back into WoT?

I finished reading CoT several years ago -- shortly after it was released. I have KoD, and TGS and ToM on the shelf, waiting to be read. I've started KoD on a few occasions, and read a few chapters, but have not got further.

What's the best way to get "back in" to WoT now, after so many years? Reading book and/chapter summaries here? Re-reading all the books from EotW? Consulting character reference lists and character archives? There are so many characters to keep track of, and after time has passed it becomes very difficult to remember them all.

PS: I really like this character archive as it lists characters in chronological order:

http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~karlh/cgi-bin/wot.cgi

Oskana Tyra · Sep 15, 2012

Re: Getting back into WoT?

I guess it depends on your patience level. I would start from the beginning, but I do that with most series that I haven't touched in a long time. Of course with this series reading the summaries/character references might take just a long as starting from the beginning. If you want to go that route, I like Leigh Butler's on Tor.com.

SabreWolfy · Sep 15, 2012

Re: Getting back into WoT?

^ Good points

Thanks for the link.

Midian Venamar · Sep 15, 2012

Re: Getting back into WoT?

Yeah, I would agree with Oskana Sedai. If you have the time and patience to go through the entire series again, I would do that. Otherwise, Leigh's re-read on Tor will get you caught up to speed, although I would skip over her commentary on the chapters considering she does make references to things that happen later on in the series.

SabreWolfy · Sep 15, 2012

Re: Getting back into WoT?

^ Thanks for the reply. I read Leigh's introduction, where mention was made that the re-reads would contain spoilers. However, from your post, it seems that reading the summaries are find, just not the comments. That's good to know too, because I've only read up to CoT. Thanks

Midian Venamar · Sep 16, 2012

Re: Getting back into WoT?

Yeah, if you read the summaries alone you don't need to worry about spoilers. Glad to be of assistance

Axis m'Troutilas · Sep 16, 2012

Re: Getting back into WoT?

Really depends on your memory I guess, and how much of a catchup you need to enjoy things.

SabreWolfy · Sep 17, 2012

Re: Getting back into WoT?

^ It's been a few years since I read CoT, and I've only read through the series once

so I'm finding Leigh's chapter summaries very useful. I'm reading them from the start of EotW.

SabreWolfy · Sep 18, 2012

Re: Getting back into WoT?

Is Leigh Butler on these forums?

I want to read the chapter summaries, but not the spoiler commentary or the general comments on each of the pages for, at present, the first 10 books.

I wrote a script and some code to download all the pages of re-read summaries for all of the books, strip out everything except the actual "What Happened" text, combine all the pages for each book into one page per book, and then format the "Chapter" heading in a larger font. So now I have a nice, simple HTML webpage for each of the books, which contains only the chapter summaries. I sent a few to my Kindle, so I can read the summaries there.

I counted the total words (approximately) for Leigh's summaries and compared them to the total number of words for the books quoted on the Wheel of Time Wikipedia page. Leigh's summaries are about 20% of the length of the books, on average. So reading the summaries for the first 10 books is about the same as reading two books, more or less

Axis m'Troutilas · Sep 27, 2012

Re: Getting back into WoT?

Leigh is a bit "flashy" for my taste. Its all wooooah snap! oh no you didn't!

I can't put up with it, and Leigh's WOT knowledge is woefuly incomplete and inaccurate too for someone who is being posted on TORs website. Take any thing said in there with a BIG grain of salt.

SabreWolfy · Sep 27, 2012

Re: Getting back into WoT?

Axis m'Troutilas said:
Leigh is a bit "flashy" for my taste. Its all wooooah snap! oh no you didn't!

I can't put up with it, and Leigh's WOT knowledge is woefuly incomplete and inaccurate too for someone who is being posted on TORs website. Take any thing said in there with a BIG grain of salt.

Are you referring to the "Commentary" section specifically? What is your feeling on her chapter summaries themselves?

Midian Venamar · Sep 28, 2012

Re: Getting back into WoT?

Yeah, my guess is he's referring specifically to the commentary. I kinda like her sense of humor, or what he was referring to as "flashy." I do agree that Leigh's WoT knowledge is a bit incomplete and inaccurate, but at least she generally mentions that she's not sure about something and a commenter corrects her. I don't think it'd be too much work for her to do a quick bit of research on various topics. Then again, maybe she does it on purpose to get commenters a bit more in the mix, and feel like they have something to show off/ talk about.

By the way Sabre, that's a freaking awesome script.

Julina d'Elrohiri · Oct 22, 2012

I'm re-reading WoT in preparation for AMoL and I've decided to come out of my lurky obscurity to chat about it! Since the last time I read most of the books was either when I was 12 or when they first came out, I'm finding my reaction to them this time around is very different than when I first read them (I would like to claim more mature, but that might be going too far...). For instance, the first time I read the books I didn't think the female characters were whiny or stubborn at all (in fact, I was team Nynaeve) and I found the male characters really annoying. Also, I had a hate-on for Faile which I could not be talked down from. Now I feel almost the complete opposite! Its making for a fun read.

Any of you have this sort of experience?

Zatheus · Oct 24, 2012

I also am rereading the series, for the fourth time, currently on LoC. Since I came to this series around 2008 I personally view it mostly the same as I did the first time. If anything since I have read it a few times now it is easier to see connections to things to come. I never viewed the female or male characters as anything other than being relatable. If you read these books when you were younger and then came back to them I can see where you are coming from. I don't think I would not call it more mature but more experienced with people. Being 28 myself, and getting into this series when I was 24, I am still on the same level on how I view almost all things. Also when you work in customer service you see a whole lot of different people. I think I feel sad knowing some of the bad things that will happen to characters in the future when reading the first book. Rand and Perrin especially. When you read the first book and know what hardships they will go threw it kinda sucks. But sadly that is life and also why I love this book.

Midian Venamar · Oct 25, 2012

I'm with you on that Julina. I started reading the series when I was about 16, and I'm 26 now. I definitely look at the world differently, and in turn has me relating to the characters slightly differently. Instead of sharing in Rand's frustration with Egwene in book one, I feel almost like an older brother wanting to give him dating advice ... especially knowing how it all turns out. Nynaeve used to be a pain in the butt, whiny baby-sitter type. Now I see her (specifically in the later books) as a matured woman that has worked through her initial immaturity, and grown into a very full individual (and character for that matter).

Monari'Lyn Al'Eradore · Nov 19, 2012

Julina, Roomeyyyyy!

Well, I'm the old person--51, and I now think I don't know much at all about a whole lot of stuff--but, I can talk like maybe I do ;b

What I find is that I start with the big pic in a book or movie, miss a whole bunch of stuff that other people get, then as I watch, read, or listen to the thing again, I pick up more and more detail. For instance, I was just listening to something about Mat (a character I loathed in Book 1, started liking in White Tower in Book 3, and now adore) in Book 10/CoT that I had never heard before--it went in my ear, but I never heard it.

As for poor Faile, I liked her early on, hated her til she got captured, then liked her a lot after that (but that's when I couldn't stand Perrin anymore, but now I like him again after last book)

Axis m'Troutilas · Nov 19, 2012

I started reading WoT when I was 12 as well, and now being 30 I certainly look at a lot of the passages in a very different light, so I know what you mean.

Jell Gordan · Nov 26, 2012

I started reading WoT in 2007 and have been hooked ever since. Since January I have been re-reading in preparation of AMoL. I'm on PoD now and will likely finish it within two weeks.
I do find a change in how I percieve the books and characters. They are still well-written and have great psychological personalities, I find that I now notice the "bad" sides of them.
It's like I was in love the first time I read the books and looked past all the negative edges of the characters, and now with the re-read I notice everything. This isn't bad per se, it makes them more humane, more real to me.

Dart Marouvin · Dec 4, 2012

I've just started my aMoL reread (my second reread ever) and I've noticed so much more foreshadowing. Also, it just seems more sensible now I'm older. Some things I could swear weren't there before and since I'm reading the eBooks I secretly believe they've been edited since original publication. :look:

Megana Vallentin · Dec 5, 2012

When I first read the books (as they were coming out), I was totally oblivious to how much of the characters' perspectives we saw. Like I took everything Mat said at face value. :laugh:

It was only on my most recent re-read that I realized what a character sees as true might not necessarily be the truth.

I also find the interactions between the women and men in general much less aggravating. The first time I read the books I'd never even dated anyone, and now I'm married, so I guess I'm reading from a very different side of it now.

Re-reading WoT!

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SabreWolfy

Oskana Tyra

SabreWolfy

Midian Venamar

SabreWolfy

Midian Venamar

Axis m'Troutilas

SabreWolfy

SabreWolfy

Axis m'Troutilas

SabreWolfy

Midian Venamar

Julina d'Elrohiri

Zatheus

Midian Venamar

Monari'Lyn Al'Eradore

Axis m'Troutilas

Jell Gordan

Dart Marouvin

Megana Vallentin

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