Reading Eye of the World after watching Wheel Of Time Season 1

What was it like to watch the show after reading the first book 25 years ago? And what was it like to read the book after watching the show?
Goodreads: / neville-ridley-smith
Shout out to some of my favourite booktubers:
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‪@libraryofaviking‬
‪@FunFantasyBooks‬
‪@the_fools_tale‬

[@Deadralord777]

I read the books (I’m only up to book 4 now) after the first season of the TV show and while I was reading the first book I just realised how bad the first season of the show was. At first I thought the TV series was a 6/10 and after reading The Eye of the World it was got bumped down to a 3/10. Everything made more sense and the characters, being aged down explain a lot more about their actions and motivations in the show that to me seemed juvenile and stupid. I know shooting at the start of Covid was hard but it doesn’t excuse the absolute disregard and disrespect for the source material

[@NevsBookChannel]

Yeah, they made some very odd decisions. Thanks for the comment!

[@garolstipock]

Amen to that! I said much the same on a wotshow subreddit and was summarily banned… I have to imagine there is some deliberate purposeful agenda for the abandonment of the original material and restructuring into some other thing. Feels like its done to deliberately ostracize those that knew and held the original material dear, and to recreate something heavily laden with current 'progressive' and 'inclusive' themes of today. They have unfortunately imbibed it with current socio-political American baggage when this is an already detailed, well described, and formed world that is weighted with its own heavy socio-political intrigues. This won't age well. Honestly, I'm kind of waiting to see an Aes Sedai with a septum ring and yoga pants. Or a warder with booty shorts and painted nails.

[@Dewydidit]

They certainly omitted and condensed a lot trying to cram 1200 pages into 8 episodes. I think casting, directing and wardrobe all did excellent work, but the writers faced an impossible task trying to decide what to cut and what to keep.

[@danielmennel4565]

They may have aged the main characters up for the show, but they make them act more juvenile. It as if they only wanted them to be technically older so they could shoehorn in sex scenes without getting push back.

[@rockhopper01]

@@Dewydiditexcellent casting?!? The main characters come from a tiny, isolated village, but the show shoehorns a wide array of diverse races in it. Talk about forced! And why are all the women absolutely uniformly unattractive?

[@Stillbourne42]

How did it feel to watch the Wheel of Time TV series? Do you know the feeling when you kneel before a toilet when you are nauseous and about to throw up but you get dizzy and you face-plant into the water??? Yeah, it felt like that.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Lol

[@StewNWT]

oh shut UUUUUUUP. The show is great. I've only gotten into the books because of the series. You just sound like a giant tool with this comment

[@bennymartinez5532]

😂😂😂😂

[@mrbamfo5000]

I've read the series twice. It's my favorite book series. I was excited when they said they were making the show. But I was soooo disappointed with it when it finally came out. It's almost unrecognizable compared to the books.

[@NevsBookChannel]

You’re not alone in that thought

[@stevenredpath9332]

There was a big warning with the number of episodes for the first season. I would argue the tv series kept closer to its source material than the Foundation tv series but that’s a low bar.

[@JJ-nu8qi]

​@@stevenredpath9332The foundation isn't really character driven though so you knew it was going to be way different. At least it does look cheap.

[@stevenredpath9332]

@@JJ-nu8qi I rather that they have not tied the series to the books. Better if they had said that they were inspired by the stories but were creating their own story. The whole point of the books is that the majority of the characters are secondary to the events going on behind them. The mule was the first character that had impact on actual events. And he was, eventually, nullified by others.

[@JJ-nu8qi]

@@stevenredpath9332 I agree it would have been better that way.

[@belaswhicker2033]

I read the series after I watched S1. I knew it’d be a long time before S2 came out, so I decided to read the books in the meantime. Absolutely fell in love with the books. I’m on my first reread. I’ve never been into the fantasy genre before, but WoT is exceptional. I can’t get enough of the world Robert Jordan created.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Even though a lot of people hate the show, one absolute benefit is that it’s gotten more people to read the books! What do you think of the show now that you’ve read the books?

[@belaswhicker2033]

@@NevsBookChannel When I watched the first season of WoT, I had no prior familiarity with the book series at all. I was hooked from the first scene of the first episode. The books and the show enhance each other for me. If I had to choose between the books and the show, I’d definitely choose the books! But I love the show too.

[@NevsBookChannel]

@@belaswhicker2033 That seems to be common. Thanks for the comments!

[@Maxavian]

@@belaswhicker2033 I really wish I could have had that experience. Hold onto it, because it won't last long. The farther you get in the books the more you'll realize how much the showrunners hate them. I've seen plenty of bad adaptations, but this is the first one where I've seen them legit destroy source characters and make them the exact opposite. Really wish I could have watched the show first. I wouldn't have known any better! I think for me it's the fact the show makes no sense at all and even goes so far as to contradict their own "rules" and how things work. Nobody I know that watches the show can even explain to me the rules of magic, the Aes Sedai oaths, the Ways, and numerous other things. I ask and they just go "umm...I dunno".

[@heidi6281]

I had the same exact experience as you. If you want more great fantasy like WOT, read the First Law Series by Joe Abercrombie, The Bloodsworn books by John Gywnne, Memory, Sorrow & Thorn by Tad Williams & finally The Warlord Chronicles by Bernard Cornwall. Of course The Song of Ice & Fire/ Games of Thrones by George RR Martin.. if not read already.😀

[@christianefiorito3204]

I did not watch the second season after reading the book. I am at book 9. and I love it

[@procerator]

season 2 is better then s1

[@Ellis_Hugh]

That's awesome, and as it should be. Seriously, comparing the books to the show is like comparing what a 5* meal is like going in to what it's like coming out

[@akosicvy]

i've picked up the books a few years back and stopped just after they start on their adventure. i guess my mind just wasn't prepared for some high fantasy adventure at the time. now though, i just finished the show and after seeing the first few minutes of booktubers' reviews, i already know that they've changed a lot in the story. am now very much determined to read through all the books! good luck to us new readers haha!

[@NevsBookChannel]

Let the journey begin!

[@Warutteri]

Just a little tip, Audible has some absolutely stellar audiobooks by Audio Renaissance (read by Kate Reading & Michael Kramer) that I've been listening to while doing chores around the house, walking the dog, working around the summer cabin, etc which has made for months of enjoyment 😉 (Also made the few less eventful books in the series a bit more enjoyable and easier to get through, which can be a real stumbling block for newcomers to the series)

[@Alustar22]

This book series has been a huge part of my life since I was liek 13 yrs old. The first two episodes were enough to confirm to me that Amazon was more worried about securing their own established fantasy IP for the purpose of mimicing the success of GoT. They cut more of the established content in favor of shoe horning their own stories that have little to no effect on the overall story of the originial source material.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Yeah, though season 2 seems to be trying to hew closer to the books

[@scaps2200]

Isn't it called an adaptation not an exact copy of a very long book.

[@Alustar22]

@@scaps2200 wrong at every level. First it's not "A very long book." The Wheel of Time is a very long series of very long books, second it's not an adaptation, it's a story that is loosely based on events and inspired by WoT. The show and books share similarities only in names of locations and characters. Every aspect of this series has been altered or cut out to make room for "content" that never existed in the original material.

[@scaps2200]

@@Alustar22 814 pages isn't long?

[@Alustar22]

@@scaps2200 read my above comment and actually understand the words I said. Then maybe after you show some reading comprehension we can discuss this further. I don't debate the iliterate.

[@mongreldesigns]

I just finished reading the books, and I'd say it's more than worth the investment. The depth of the world is unlike anything I've ever experienced.

[@NevsBookChannel]

I’m looking forward to all it has to offer

[@SlimThrull]

@@NevsBookChannel I would recommend the first three and the last three. Get the cliffs notes versions of the others. From book four on, the entirety of the plot gets heavily weighed down with political intrigue that isn't all that intriguing. But, to each their own.

[@CrackedCandy]

​@@SlimThrullIs there seriously a cliffs notes version? What's it called?

[@theabhorrentchef7226]

Lol skipping the middle books is insane and possibly even asinine. There’s no reason to do so and you’ll miss out on tons. But maybe… Skim through egwene chapters, skim through most salidar chapters, skim sea folk chapters. I read them fully the first time through even when my wife would push me to skim lol. Egwene isn’t quite as unlikeable in the books but it’s damn close I’m not a skimmer of books but on reads 2,3,4 I knew where I could skim some stuff

[@SlimThrull]

@@CrackedCandy Many people have summarized the books by chapter. There are a number of websites out there that do this. KZbin won't let me link them directly, but they are easy to find on google.

[@skitzy47]

I started with the TV show and now am listening to the audible by Rosamund pike, loving it.. it hasn't made me hate the show but I wish they didn't cut so many awesome parts and characters

[@OtherTheDave]

Yep. They’re cutting a bunch of the good stuff so that it’ll fit into the number of episodes and seasons that they want, then adding other stuff to try to make what’s left still make sense. Oh well, at least it’s still entertaining on its own.

[@Maxavian]

@@OtherTheDave But they aren't cutting the good stuff to fit a season though. That's the excuse they like to use. They are cutting it and filling it in with original stuff that is much worse. Rand, Mat, Thom travelling to Tar Valon. Learning to do Gleemen stuff, the even at Whitebridge all could have been done instead of dedicating an entire episode to a throw-away Aes Sedai and her Warder who goes all emo, then showing weird rituals that aren't a thing and Lan pounding his chest. That's replacing, not removing for sake of time. They do that a lot. Changing Mat into a depressed thief with abusive druggie parents defeats the whole purpose of seeing his mental deterioration into "grumpy Mat" due to the dagger. They just change things because they think they are a better writer than Jordan lol.

[@rodneytrotter3725]

@@MaxavianRafe said he’s a huge feminist and he wrote the show to reflect his Feminazi mentality and he was pushing an agenda

[@DocLowe]

His writing style is extremely descriptive, but around book 8 you’ll be skimming through the third description of someone’s coat lol. The series overall is amazing. The infamous Slog can be hard to get through, but once you get through it, it really is a wonderful experience.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Yeah I like the description of places and movement. Clothing is a bit lost on me tho

[@kellygoodine4405]

I second that. I dropped off at Book 7 or 8 10 years ago or so. I just felt I was re reading the same thing over and over again.. and if I lost my place, I couldn't tell where I had stopped... So I didn't get back to the series until years later. It definitely gets better, and I think I enjoyed it more after Brandon Peterson took over ( a bit more comedic take on one particular character which I liked)... the last book was fast paced throughout, and I had a hard time putting it down to sleep.... so good.. and I even appreciate it more after Brandon Peterson revealing what happened to one character at the 10th anniversary of finishing the series.

[@NevsBookChannel]

@@kellygoodine4405 nice. BTW is Brandon Peterson like a a cross between Robert Jordan and Jordan Peterson? 😂 12 rules for aes sedai?

[@kellygoodine4405]

@@NevsBookChannel I hope not! :) Although a lot of interesting stuff in the books about the rules of the Aes Sedai!

[@denismccrohan7607]

@@kellygoodine4405 Brandon Sanderson

[@NickEnlowe]

The second book is quite a different flavor from the first. It shakes off most of its Lord of the Rings influence and is allowed to become its own thing. If the first book is mostly about the heroes being chased and hunted, the second is more about the heroes doing the chasing and tracking themselves, a nice change of pace that allows for a lot more protagging. The third book is one of my favorite fantasy novels of all-time, so I hope you get there. In fact, book 3 (The Dragon Reborn), book 11 (Knife of Dreams), and the final two books are all extremely enjoyable reads, and that's not to mention book 6. which, while a slog at times, provides one of the best endings I've ever read (not to sell short the ending of the entire series, which was also excellent and well worth reaching). The prequel, New Spring is a light read, worth a look if you finish the series and crave more. I can tell you that several of the scenes and concepts in the TV show were made up wholecloth, so some of those TV show scenes won't be appearing in any books in the series at all. I wonder how they ever planned to make it work without changing the magic system, the meaning of the story, and even the ending...

[@NevsBookChannel]

Thanks for your comments. I’m definitely in it for the long haul to the end. Currently in book 2 towards the end where they’ve just arrived at Stedding Tsofu. Enjoying it thoroughly. Looking forward to book 3!

[@cmike123]

I keep getting mad every time they say the Dragon could be reborn as a woman. It makes me sound sexist as hell, but there wouldnt be a damn story if the Dragon was a woman lol.

[@RICHIEV333]

I couldn't watch the show, I watched an episode and a half. It's probably a good show if you haven't read the books, but early on I realized the show's writers did not understand the characters. My favorite character in the entire series is Egwene. Her characteristics are, she leaps before she looks, and she is strong-willed... (Err, bossy and annoying at the beginning of the series, but her character gets so much better) Nyneve on the other hand is protective of Egwene, perhaps to the point of being overprotective. She is constantly trying to reign in Egwenes penchant for jumping into danger. So at the beginning of the series, the writers set up a perfect metaphor. For Egwene to become a woman and be part of the woman's circle she must jump into a river... So Egwene doesn't even wait to see what is down there, she just jumps regardless of the danger while Nyneve desperately tries to catch Egwene before she falls into danger... It perfectly sets up how Egwene leaps before she looks and how Nyneve is overprotective of Egwene... Except that is not what happened. Nyneve pushes Egwene into the river. The writers create this perfect metaphor and then botch the job. Egwene would never have to be pushed into the river, and Nyneve would never push Egwene, she would be trying to hold her back. Why create a scene that is not part of the book series, then have the characters act the opposite of their characteristics? Because you don't understand the characters.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Interesting perspective. Thanks for the comment

[@scaps2200]

Because it is an adaptation that is using the parts that the creators wanted. For example, the Westworld TV series is nothing like Creighton's book. It adapts the book how tge creators see fit

[@donaldvermillion1253]

So I reread each book when the next was released. I was SOOOO excited about them making it into a tv show. I couldnt make it past the third episode. They ruined the story. All the changes they have made make no sense in the grand scope of the story. whats Perrins motivation for going back home later in the series if he has killed his NEW wife before even leaving home? The Dragon can be anyone...um what? the power was a duality a balance between male and female energy with The Dragon being the embodiment of the male half. This series was what ruined it all for me. Ill never trust hollyweird to transcribe a novel into a script ever again.

[@mahram]

Oh boy the raging debates that we had on old WoT forums about the possibility of a female dragon! I myself think that Aran’gar’s rebirth proves that there can’t be a female dragon since the Dragon is LTT’s spirit reborn.

[@donaldvermillion1253]

@@mahram actually it was stated pretty plainly that the dragon is always the same person, spun out when the weave needs him.

[@mrbamfo5000]

Hollywood does pretty good, but occasionally they suck.

[@jmhaces]

The show is so unfaithful to the source material that Egwene and Nynaeve hardly ever tug their braids or smooth their skirts.

[@NevsBookChannel]

🤣

[@JamesLorimor]

Nynaeve didn't tug her braid, but that Trolloc yanked her off the screen by her braid, so that's a plus.....LOL

[@robertterry3036]

The TV show doesn’t do the book justice

[@Network-23]

All-time favorite book series for me. Have reread whole series a few different times, & it has never gotten old for me. I couldn't even finish the 1st episode, of the show. Quite let down, & saddened by what they decided to do to this amazing story & world...🤷‍♀️

[@NevsBookChannel]

Seems like a pretty common opinion amongst those who’ve read the series multiple times

[@thatcher174]

I loved that you've picked out the real world references, there is a lot of of clever things hidden in it. Jordan is the king of details, especially visual descriptions of places and outfits, I love it.

[@NevsBookChannel]

I love that kind of world building where the author just casually hints at a much larger world

[@eunomiac]

​@@NevsBookChannel I've heard it said again and again, and I completely agree, that Jordan's uniquely singular skill as an author --- better than literally anyone else --- is how cleverly and effectively he foreshadows future events, hiding clues in the text. There are some mind-blowing revelations that don't happen until Books 11+ that are foreshadowed --- even quite obviously, at least in hindsight --- in Book 1. Make sure you pay close attention to Aes Sedai dialogue, and remember, Aes Sedai can never tell a lie ...

[@thatcher174]

@@eunomiac truly a master at telling you things without telling them too you if that makes sense, rereading the books is a profound experience, seeing it all laid out before you

[@kylefrandsen2665]

I'm currently on book 13 of 14 of a complete series re-read (Towers of Midnight since I read Robert Jordan's prequel before starting Brandon Sanderson's). Most book fans will agree that the books can be hit or miss - especially around books 7-10. This is often called "The Slog". I personally enjoy just living in the world even if it's not action packed, so I don't have as much of an issue as some with The Slog. The world is complex and vivid, so it's often hard to keep track of the ~3,000 named characters and locations. Plus some characters have aliases. With that many names, a lot of them look/sound similar, but if you look in the glossary or online, you may see spoilers, so you may want to create your own list and dump it in a spreadsheet so you can sort it. I haven't done it, but I know I miss a lot since I'm horrible at remembering names. I know this sounds like homework and a lot of effort to put into a series, but if you're going to read the whole series, it's already a lot of time dedicated. I read them as they came out with years in between, so I would have to re-read from the beginning every time to remind myself.

[@NevsBookChannel]

I’m curious about how this compares to Game of Thrones. I recall reading the second book of that series and found it a bit tedious at times with all the names of minor characters

[@kylefrandsen2665]

@@NevsBookChannel Sorry. Never read the GoT series.

[@gokbay3057]

@@NevsBookChannel Well, WoT is longer. So more characters. A difference between WoT and GoT (well ASoIaF to be accurate) when it comes to minor characters is that the latter repeats names and the former does not (this makes GoT more realistic in this regard as people share names all the times IRL). Whether this makes WoT or GoT more confusing is debatable imo. On the one hand no one in WoT has the same name as another character unlike GoT. On the other hand a bunch of minor characters whose names differ by like one syllable, which can be more confusing compared to people who happen to share the same first name but pretty distinct otherwise.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Ever read The Silmarillion?

[@gokbay3057]

@@NevsBookChannel Yes, thought it has been a while since I have done so.

[@icarusCFO]

As a fan of the books who has read this series 3 times now. I appreciated your perspective on both the show and the novel, I look forward to hearing more!

[@NevsBookChannel]

Thanks! I’m about a week away from starting book 2!

[@grootbaas9104]

I've read book 1 honestly more dissappointed now with Amazon series since reading book 1, diverting from the book is good when it's more riveting more drama more excitement. More looking forward to reading the books now than the tv series.

[@NevsBookChannel]

One major positive of the show is how its lead people to read the books. Let me know what you think of the second one.

[@joshuabrown4652]

Books are absolutely amazing. Never did I think it'd become my favorite story probably ever. Book 11 now and things are heating up. Perynn and Matt are the best characters.

[@ghostofmarcusg]

Matt is the best!

[@SuperSalts]

If you love info dumps you're going to love the series. I usually tell people that it's the best fantasy series of all time, but I also don't recommend reading it to everyone because... it's got plenty of issues. The world Robert Jordan builds is incredibly detailed and well thought out, and after reading the entire thing you can go back to re-read and realize just how much of it he had completely planned out from the start (some things you hear in book 1 are completely tangential but make a ton of sense when you get past book 5 for example). Personally I recommend the audio-books, as Michael Kramer and Kate Reading do an exceptional job and really help keep you engaged through the slower points of the story (which some of the mid-books are almost ENTIRELY slower points).

[@NevsBookChannel]

Heh, I just got some info dumps in book 2 as they go south from fal dara. Love it

[@Kassadinftw]

Totally agree on the audio books, when I was struggling in Book 3 I hit up the audio and it helped alot and was very good. I was surprised at all the extra work to make the characters sound different when they speak.

[@praetorxyn]

I read Wheel of Time three times before the show came out, and the show butchered the source material, right down to character assassinating Mat's parents in the first episode. I'm currently doing my fourth read, but first audio read, and I'm not crazy about Kramer and Reading as narrators based on the other audio books I've done, but they're not bad, just not great. Wheel of Time is my favorite series. It's not "the best" series I've ever read - that would probably be Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings - but it's the most fun. The series has its flaws, and a lot of readers don't care about a lot of plotlines etc., but it has some of the highest highs I've ever seen. There are so many favorite passages I can basically quote from memory, it's so good.

[@NevsBookChannel]

I’m looking forward to everything it has to offer, the highs and the lows

[@magicfoxsocks]

I had so recently finished reading the books when the series came out that I had issues with everything. I was even noticing that the material of the roofs in the Two Rivers was wrong.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Now that’s some level of detail!

[@Nyet-Zdyes]

@@NevsBookChannel At the beginning of the books, the houses in the Two Rivers are supposed to be roofed with thatch... which changes to something else, due to events that take place. It's about as noticeable as going from dirt roads to asphalt or concrete.

[@NevsBookChannel]

@@Nyet-Zdyes ah, thatch roof cottages!!!

[@Nyet-Zdyes]

@@NevsBookChannel Do you remember a certain annoying man, of the Two Rivers (Emonds Field) from the first book? Cenn Buie... the village thatcher. IIRC, he was also one of the Village Council... and not well liked by the likes of Master and Mistress Luhhan, Tam al'Thor, Mayor Bran al'Vere, etc. Anyway, and avoiding any real spoilers... It's one of the "ultra-realistic" things in the books... how times change... and it will be a bit of a plot point later on. The Emonds Field (village) that you saw in season 1 episode 1&2 is more like what it should be much later in the books (around book 5 or 6, IIRC)... which utterly destroys the changes... and most definitely NOT just the thatched roofs.

[@NevsBookChannel]

@@Nyet-Zdyes interesting, I’ll keep an eye out for it. Thanks for your comments!

[@arcane_ironic]

Currently on book 7 now. I had to take a break for schoolwork but I’m excited to jump back into the series. I love how descriptive Jordan is. I feel truly a part of the world when reading WOT. Happy reading!

[@NevsBookChannel]

Yep, I love his descriptions!

[@garolstipock]

Ahh… You are about to embark on some of the books that world-builds to nowhere and are a bit of filler… but worth reading.. He had a few of those in the middle..

[@haplozetetic9519]

While the books can be enjoyed taken at face value, there are so many questions raised, hints dropped (some of them misleading, others not), characters, locations, problems, and other elements introduced that it becomes obvious why the series is so long. Whatever reader thinks might happen next or what the result might be of a particular turn of events, will almost always turn out to be wrong in some unexpected way. I've read the books and listened to the audio books 16 or more times, spent many, *many* hours over the last 30 or so years in forums and such and I still find little things I had previously missed or misunderstood. It's almost inconceivable how much happens in this story by the end. Some things are irritating at times, and it is really long, but it is more than worth the effort. The last book pays off in a *really* big way. An important thing to keep in mind is that the story is told from points of view of the characters in the story, and each has their own biases and misconceptions through which they see the world. If someone draws a conclusion about something, they may or may not be right.

[@NevsBookChannel]

16 times? That’s incredible! It’s nice to have something that you love so much. You’ve made a lot of interesting points for me to keep in mind. Thanks Haplo!

[@haplozetetic9519]

​@@NevsBookChannel One of the most appealing things about the WoT was the *huge* amount of discussion there was while the books were being released. These days, any WoT related searches can result in major spoilers, so I would recommend against that, unless you don't mind spoilers. Alternatively, there are some book reviews here on KZbin that cover each book after they were read for the first time, without spoilers for later books. Two of the best in my opinion are Mike's Book Reviews and Merphy Napier. Their playlists for them are at kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGKlXqKuabeIeKc, and kzbin.info/www/bejne/qobEaGCqlsuXpaM. I recommend watching something like these after each book.

[@questionsroxelane3643]

As a hardcore fan (lost track of the exact amount of reread a few years back after I hit the 20 milestone), I totally agree with that, and that unreliable narrator point of view is precisely what makes me laugh at those saying the show doesn't respect the lore... They actually respect it so well that they DO include those biases in their storytelling as well!!! Don't believe everything they say, even Aes Sedai, because on top of being champion as stating their truth in sometimes pretty creative ways, it is still only their beliefs, not necessarily THE truth (if it even exists... 😂)

[@anolisa1939]

(Spoilers Ahead!!!) I found it all incredibly frustrating. I really only liked Mat’s character (which meant 97% of the books held little interest for me, Elaine🤢), and was excited for the grand reveal of his famous general/gambler character. But no, nothing. We never learn his name. (Asmodean knew, & I suspect Verin mentioned it once, “2nd greatest general ***** “ I’ve since forgotten because it was irrelevant at the time), no explanation of his “lucky” power, no interesting dark power gained from the dagger ordeal, save for the ability to survive it. (A dark friend redemption arc would have been splendid.) It seems everyone with the one power can live for hundreds of years, which makes many of the relationships rather tragic, and I found the ending of the series abhorrent. Though, my disappointment with the book’s shallow relationships/interactions (IMO) taught me that I’m definitely a character reader, so that’s a plus.

[@haplozetetic9519]

@@anolisa1939 I'm not sure I have much of a response for you, except that my experience of the things you mentioned was very different.

[@Ellis_Hugh]

Amazon's Wheel of Time 'adaptation' deliberately guts the lore, demeans the characters and undermines every foundational aspect of Robert Jordan's work. It still makes me want to vomit to see what was done to that amazing series and I wish nothing but continued failure for Amazon studios as a whole. Seriously, comparing the books to the show is like comparing what a 5* meal is like going in to what it's like coming out.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Harsh opinion! But your entitled to it

[@liamhemmings9039]

I've read WoT in full about 4 x. The TV show is artistic vandalism.

[@jeffnoel1342]

I happy to hear you enjoyed it. I read it four times myself. Once every decade. The reason this can become 13-14 books is because the characters grow the world grows they become leaders of nations and armies. Political intrigue arrives. It’s massive.

[@NevsBookChannel]

I'm here for it!

[@christinunya72]

I am on the 4th book, The Shadow Rising, right now. I am just like you I read a few of the books years ago, not quite 25, but close to it. I watched the series recently and decided to get into the books again. I didn't remember much about them from years ago. The books are vastly different from the show, but I can appreciate them both for what they are. I understand why they changed a lot of things for the show. Sometimes events in books don't translate well to the screen. I can understand why devoted fans of the books hate the series though too. I'm very happy that I decided to watch the series and get back into the books. I've been a big reader for much of my life but have fell off from reading in the past few years and it feels great to get back into it again and I have the tv series to thank for that. Since this video was made nearly a year ago, I guess you should be done with the series now??? I will go check for more videos about it!

[@NevsBookChannel]

Welcome back to reading! No, I’m a pretty slow reader and I’ve got heaps of other books on my TBR so it’s going to take me a few years to finish the series! Thanks for checking out my videos

[@scoutofthe107th]

I read wheel of Time after watching both seasons and for me it's pretty simple. They feel like different stories

[@englishvoodoo676]

Prefix - I am not right wing, center like most, I don't care what a role is, as long as that is how it was intended. I saw 20 minutes but a gay Moraine/Am Seat (pillow friends in the tower is not a hint for gay) + a White Cloak sporting sisters rings on his belt (right, like he would not disappear & end up in a tower cell) + weird mix of casting for parts well described in the books & total short cutting of the journey from Two Rivers, put me right off, so I just turned off. I consider the TV show to be a total POS :)

[@NevsBookChannel]

Yeah, catering (kowtowing) to what they think modern audiences want. Not a fan of that

[@sdarms111doug9]

I'm with you right now... on the second book again... read them all starting back in the 90s...

[@adamcarlson6638]

Who Rand is mentioned when Tam has his fever on the way back to Edmonds Field. on rereads you notice. Jordon does a lot of fore shadowing.

[@chrispalmer3330]

I love that top shelf over your right shoulder. Feist and Gemmell, Hobb, got the same books on my self.

[@NevsBookChannel]

All the good ones! What else have you got?

[@chrispalmer3330]

Wow that would take some time. I have over 1400 novels on many book shelves. I have been collecting since I was a teenager. With just a glance I can see Terry Brooks, Terry Goodkind, Brent Weeks, John Marco, David Farland, Tracy Hickman & Margaret Weis, John Gwynne, Jame Islington, Joe Abercrombie, Mathew Stover, Michael Sullivan, Anthony Ryan, and many more.@@NevsBookChannel

[@bohtell5047]

I’ve read and listened to the series many, many times. Think on this while reading. The boys abilities are closely tied to the Norse gods Loki, Thor and Odin. Rand: Loki, Perrin: Thor and Mat: Odin.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Ooh interesting

[@brocklewis7624]

Never picked up the series when I was a kid, but when I learned how negative the response to the show was, I figured picking up the books as audiobooks (fuck yeah Libby) would be a better use of my time than watching a lackluster show on it. I am halfway through Sanderson’s first entry in the series and am so glad I stuck with it. But man am I glad I did the audiobooks and did not have to read thousands of pages of descriptions.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Definitely one of the good outcomes of the show is people finally reading the books!

[@JoelAdamson]

Rand and Egwene aren't just together, they're destroying the kitchen with Egwene's parents upstairs.

[@NevsBookChannel]

You’re totally right. The producers trying to go the Game of Thrones sexy route. It was so bizarre

[@theblkrabbit3473]

“Like, oh! Spoilerrrrrrr” 😅 it’s like hearing someone speak my thoughts!

[@NevsBookChannel]

Snap!

[@jonahdav9589]

Books are amazing. Sadly the tv series is written by people who hate the books. Rafe hates Rand the most out of the characters. The tv show is The Last Jedi type of adaptation with open hatred of the OG characters.

[@roldanrobles8563]

I read the first 5-6 books around 1996. At the time I thought that in the future a very good CGI team could make these books into a great movie/series. I watched about 1hr of the TV series and lets just say I was discusted to say the least. I still believe a CGI version would be far greater.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Interesting idea

[@ianmccartney1974]

Read the whole series several times and after watching the tv series I’m now on book 2 , going to read them all again . The books are sooo much better

[@NevsBookChannel]

I’ll be starting book 3 soon!

[@SpencerRussellSmithAuthor]

Personally, the Wheel of Time is my favorite series. I've read a lot of amazing fantasy this year especially, but the worldbuilding, and especially the character work in the Wheel of Time is unparalleled in my opinion. I feel it's definitely worth the read, and don't really feel the "slog" a lot of people talk about. With the TV show, I enjoyed most of it. I wish they'd done the music a bit differently and that they'd been given the 10 episodes and 2-hour pilot the showrunners initially wanted so that we could have more time with the Emonds Field group. I think that the changes they made with going into more of the False Dragon and the Aes Sedai politics was a good choice. While I very heavily disagreed with some choices they made, most of them were in episodes 7 and 8, where they got completely shafted by Covid/Barney leaving and I imagine had to very hastily rewrite a lot, and also had their budget completely eaten away, as well as their ability to work with the locations and stunt actors they wanted for the final battle. Knowing that, I really hope they "redeem" themselves going forward. My biggest gripe was honestly Min's casting. She's my favorite character and she just didn't seem like Min to me, and seemed a bit too old as well.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Thanks for your comments. It was interesting that I think @PetrikLeo recently read one of the slog books and appeared to enjoy it

[@mrbamfo5000]

@NevsBookChannel I've heard over the years that people complain that a couple of the books are hard to get through. I think they may just not have been interested in those particular character's story archs. I loved all the books. Both times I read the series, I went straight from one book to the next, with no time breaks, so it was just one long story. It takes me about 3 months to get through the whole thing.

[@kmoustakas]

I've started reading the books around the 2000s and then hungrily awaited for the next one. I don't remember the books very well but the majority of the characters except Rand and Moraine don't look anything like what I expected them to look (or the book covers suggest or wheel of time encyclopedia back then portrayed them as). First season of the TV was really really weak in my oppinion but I'm very glad the second season picked up, big time.

[@dudethedude1220]

I once made a comment comparing the WoT show to “something you’d expect from a rushed indie studio trying to keep their rights but not a show from the biggest company in the world with Brandon Sanderson as an advisor” Someone pointed out to me that there was literally an adaptation that was exactly like that (Winter’s Dragon, which is based off the Eye of the World prologue) I wonder how many WoT adaptations have happened before that not a lot of people talk about? I finished the entire series and I love it. It would be great if there was an actual full adaptation of the books and not something as loose as the WoT show, which should have been based off Lewis Therin’s story if they want their own GoT

[@NevsBookChannel]

Huh, I’ve never heard of that adaptation!

[@nightmarishcompositions4536]

Love the David Gemmell and Michael Moorcock books on your shelf (:

[@NevsBookChannel]

There’s more hidden behind!

[@miguelon2595]

Did you get to see the animated back stories in the TV show (you gotta go to an episode and press the z ray thing)

[@NevsBookChannel]

Yeah, a few of them, although after watching a little bit, I thought hmmm, I’d rather find out this back story stuff in the books

[@hellglaser3450]

I have never read the books, have 1-3 on my shelf, however over the last 5 years i have listened to the complete series on audiobook 3 and a half times and am considering starting again. Best fantasy series by a mile.

[@samsmom1491]

I have all the books, but am finding that I enjoy them more on audio so I can paint while listening.

[@jan2bratt]

I too have only read the first two books, have 3 more on my shelf (mine are also double shelved!). Only watched the first two episodes, keep meaning to get back to it. Maybe next winter.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Initially I was thinking I'd just read one or two a year but now I'm keen to step up my pace.

[@bigfoottamer]

Going from the show to the book is like going from Mcdonalds to a 5 star restaurant.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Lol

[@theashrook6129]

I’ve read the series once, finished two weeks before the season 1 premiere. It took none years to finish the series because I read another series along side it. So I read EoTW and the. Another book then read TGH and read the second book of the other series. Eye of the world is still a favorite of mine. Like you I am a slow reader. The most pages I read in a book before WoT is 600, before that was maybe 300..? Since reading the series, I’ve probably listened to the audiobooks all the way through… 8 times? I listen to a lot of other stuff too but I’m still not tired of this series.

[@NevsBookChannel]

8 times? Wow! I can’t think of the biggest book I’ve ever read. Would be interesting to figure it out.

[@gansomb]

read it all a few years ago, I watched 1,5 episodes and I couldn't continue. Usually I don't get upset with bad adaptations but this one was almost a crime... And after I read all of the books again 😁

[@NevsBookChannel]

Good result then! 😀

[@daveselby5013]

I've been an avid SciFi/Fantasy reader for 50 years. This is the best book series when it comes to "Humble boy grows into powerful being" which so many series do. If you really want to read the whole book series, you don't start at book 1. These pubs come before it... The Shaping of a World The Strike at Shayol Ghul New Spring Ravens

[@NevsBookChannel]

I’ll get to those. I kind of prefer publication order for most things

[@sofielundsskolan]

@@NevsBookChannel hi, I figured I'd just chime as someone who has completed multiple re-reads of the series, and and echo that publication order is probably the most narrative whiplash-free way of reading it :) Also, Ravens is included as a second prologue kinda in most newer version of the the first book so not sure what that's about

[@Lord_Nordan]

I'm someone who watched the tv show before reading the books. A lot of people seem to be highly critical of the show saying that the show is mediocre and does not do the books justice. Now that I have read the first two, I must say that the books are pretty mediocre as well. I like them, but they aren't amazing by any stretch. Robert Jordan has a mediocre writing style. I like how descriptive he is in terms of the magic system and fighting sequences, but I find that while reading I am often wondering just exactly where the characters are and what their surroundings look like. Sometimes it feels as if the characters have teleported from one location to the next without adequate description of how they got there. I really dislike how superficial some of the characters feel in terms of their relationships with the forces of good. For example, I really did not mind the party's initial response and wariness for Moraine, but after she saves their lives multiple times and tells them that she will essentially do anything to protect them, their wariness begins to feel forced. Especially after all the event of the first two books, and now reading into the third and they STILL dislike and distrust Moiriane is VERY annoying and feels completely unrealistic. But yeah, the show is decent, as decent as the books and as decent as the books deserve. I like them, but they're certainly not amazing. I still have many more books to read though so they could be amazing still. lol

[@NevsBookChannel]

Good point about the wariness thing - so true!

[@ImInTheWind]

I started reading the book series 3 years ago after my uncle recommended the series. I listened to the audio books as I'm young and have far too much to do and rarely can put aside time to just sit down and read. I started my junior year of high school and just finished it about a month or so ago. It was a wonderful experience and I sometimes feel a bit sad that It's over. It has definitely had a large impact on my life and I am so glad I started reading it when I did. I actually quoted the book series for my senior quote in my year book. It is wonderful to hear your take on this as I will admit, I am hesitant to watch the series now that I've read the series completely. It is definitely a daunting task and it took me around 2 years to start the series after my uncle first recommended it to me. I am now on a new series and it helps pass the time while I'm at work, on long road trips, my daily commutes, etc. But as things stand now, I don't think anything can compare to the connection I have with this book series. I really do hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I'm excited to move on with different series and different worlds, but I will always look back at The Wheel of Time with fondness, and I definitely think I will be reading the series over again multiple times throughout my life. I think with each read I will gain more insight and a different perspective as I age and come into myself.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Thanks for sharing. Books can have a powerful effect on us, especially the ones you read when you’re young.

[@questionsroxelane3643]

I can definitely relate, though... I started reading them in 2000! But I was a young adult, and they definitely accompanied me all those years! I read them over 20 times by now, and I'm on the 3rd "family reread" with my teenage daughter! I also watched the show over 5 times, and love it as much, though in a different way. I know they changed events, but as Rafe said from the start, his task was to keep the spine and heart, and I think they did a wonderful job of it. They included so many details that will come in useful later on, it shows that they know what is coming! So it is not a telling of the events of the books, it is the telling of the journey all those characters are undertaking through those events. As many in the fandom say, it is simply another turning of the Wheel! 😉

[@NevsBookChannel]

@@questionsroxelane3643 20 times? Wow, that’s incredible!

[@azurepulse1870]

Also, the overabundance of detail and the long passages about travelling are all heavily inspired by the lord of the rings, which also reads the same way, and the initial structure and plot matches it as well, it's in books 2 and 3 where the series really starts to come into its own away from the initial, intentional framework. I hated reading lord of the rings, but WoT is easily in my top 5 book series. I especially love how well defined the magic system is, especially when compared to the super vague, mysterious magic of lord of the rings and harry potter, for example.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Definitely looking forward to seeing it come into its own

[@mrbamfo5000]

Yeah, I think WOT is a far better book series than Lord of the Rings.

[@betobot2]

How can there be another 14 books? I forget in which book it occurs.. but there's a scene where Rand is walking across a plaza that must have taken 40 pages for RJ to describe. I think the Prologue for Knife of Dreams (quite a ways down the list) is probably as long as any Narnia book... or quite close, anyways.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Hahaha 40 pages to walk across a plaza! I’ll remember you when I get to that part

[@jsbrads1]

Lots of people find themselves a little broken after finishing the series. My desire to read decrease dramatically for six months, many people have voiced similar. Maybe a year later I did a reread… by now I don’t know how many times I have reread the series.

[@NevsBookChannel]

When I was younger I used to get depressed after finishing a long series. I wonder if that will happen with this one…

[@Uhlbelk]

To understand and appreciate books, I think it helps to understand the author and why they wrote them. The LOTR books are kinda bad if viewed through the lens of a fantasy story. There was all this mention of history that the reader knew nothing about, while at the same time not actually explaining that history to the reader. There was characters like Gandalf that didn't really do anything while they have the knowledge and power to do the most. But, when you look at LOTR not as a fantasy novel, but as Tolkein trying to invent a whole new mythology, and you compare LOTR with stuff like the Odyssey and Iliad. Those choices make sense, because those stories are written for people where that information is available to them as part of their culture and history, so it needs no explanation. Likewise with Jordan. Jordan wanted an epic fantasy like Tolkiens but written as if it was real history. Much like the 13th warrior was writing Beowulf as if it were written as history. Jordan was striving for realism, how would someone from a small town really behave, how would anyone behave when confronted by fairy tales being real, how would cultures with this type of government behave, etc. And Jordan had a perfect personal life history to be exposed to this, through his education, through his service in the military and traveling the world to fight in Vietnam. If you understand this, you understand that the WoT is not just a fantasy story like most, nor is it a invention of a new mythology like Tolkien. Its more like a world war 2 documentary reimagined in a fantasy world. How do you write about a global conflict? You have to pick the most important threads at the end, and follow them back to relevant events like following a river back up from the ocean to the source. There is always going to be too much to include, so it is up to the documentary author/director to try and pick and chose the most important things and give the relevant surrounding context to those events. That context is important, because if you look at history from just one persons journey, it appears like a series of fated events that just happened to work out perfectly for the person.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Well said

[@bettysteve322716]

the casting was awsum, l love Lan's "icy blue stare".

[@oluade626]

I'm on book 13 having read all prior books plus the prequel all since the show ended! Hadn't heard of it beforehand, in love with the series! Dreading the ending. I'm a slow reader too so i have done audible. No way I could have done it from regular reading. I struggle with visualisation too! so having watched it and faces to these characters really helped

[@NevsBookChannel]

Thanks for the comment and I like your username. 😀

[@mkyasha]

The faces are mostly wrong though lol.

[@willbarnstead3194]

This is my favourite book series and highly recommend it. That being said, there are some slower books in the middle so be prepared. Once you finish the series, go back and start again. He’s foreshadowing stuff in book 1 that happens in books all the way through. There are so many details available that you will miss on the first read but get on the 2nd or 3rd. The characters are amazing. I enjoyed 2nd time through better than the 1st. I’m one of those loyal fans of the books who can’t stand the fundamental changes of the show. There are things in the show that are completely opposite to the world Robert Jordan built and are frustrating, and I can’t see why they were necessary. However I do like the things the show brought us that were offscreen for the books, like what happens in town the 1st night. The acting was tremendous. The warden bond is portrayed excellently. In my opinion the first book is simple enough that it really didn’t need much changing for an 8 episode show, although 12 episodes would have done it justice I think.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Thanks for your comments Will. I’ve got so many books to read I’m not sure I’d be able to justify a re-read of such a long series. But I’m sure I’ll be tempted!

[@aldan7812]

Ah yes, Nev I personally am at Towers of Midnight on another re-read still trying to wash the tv nonsense from my mind. Mate you have to continue this series, it is literally the greatest story ever told.

[@NevsBookChannel]

I’m in it for the long haul this time

[@christophere.herbert418]

@@NevsBookChannel Please pick up the New Spring prequel which describes Lan and Moraine getting together. I've read the series at least 5 times and really looked forward to a tv - movie series after seeing Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies, hoping for something like that for the WOT. My most enjoyable characters are Matt and Tuon which you'll catch their relationship, later in the books. I like Matt and his father better in the books with being a true horse trader dealing with Matt's knowledge about horses and gambling, rather than having his father being a prick as in the tv series. It took me over a year each time reading the prequel and 14 book series each time in catching all the detail Robert Jordan puts into each character and story lines. Hope you enjoy each book. Sometimes it takes two to four pages of reading just getting Egwene to wake up, get dressed in her tent, eat, going through her thoughts and finally get going for the day. You might want to keep some timeline notes as each group of characters separate into their own story lines and don't see each other for a book or two, just to help you remember what is happening as you get into the middle of the series and towards the ending of the last three books.

[@NevsBookChannel]

@@christophere.herbert418 thanks for the tips. I have New Spring on my bookshelf and plan to read it in publication order. Reading the series 5 times is impressive

[@wylliamireland2093]

Blood and ashes, light burn me, the show was written by dark friends and produced by the forsaken and paid for by sightblinder!!!!!!

[@NevsBookChannel]

Love it!

[@jstall55]

Lol I got to book 6 I started them again to..great video

[@NevsBookChannel]

Thanks!

[@andrewheffelbower9807]

Personally the TV show should be purged from memory, and after years of waiting for a WoT tv show, it was a disappointment of epic proportions

[@NevsBookChannel]

Thanks for the comment!

[@JRCSalter]

Yeah, there really isn't enough story for 14 books. books 8, 9, 10, and 11 could probably be a single book, and book 10 can probably be skipped entirely. BUT, it is definitely worth the slog. There is far more story to come, and it is honestly one of the best stories ever created, and I am, quite frankly, baffled why the showrunners decided to junk all that and make up their own story.

[@NevsBookChannel]

I wonder if anyone has ever done that, ie skip book 10 entirely and continue on reading

[@thickweb]

Great video - looking forward to more from you!

[@NevsBookChannel]

Thanks!

[@jefferickson5833]

I absolutely loved the books. I personally thought the TV show was the worst adaptation I have ever seen, and that is saying a lot.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Ever seen Eragon?

[@jefferickson5833]

@@NevsBookChannel Yeah, it was bad. I guess because I loved the WOT books so much I hated how badly they butchered the story. I have no faith that season 2 will be any better.

[@thomasgrnlund1363]

Books are excellent! First one is basically just an appetizer. TV show feels like they never read the books and just the cliff notes and decided to tell their own story and keep the names and creatures. I won’t watch any more even if they make another season. Very disappointing

[@noneofyourbusiness3288]

I really should start reading WoT, but I am currently battling Malazan and adding another huge series to the mix sounds kind of terrifying. ^^

[@NevsBookChannel]

Yeah, I’m not sure I’d mix those two…

[@rulekop]

Congrats on finishing the first book, I'm so envious of you, I really liked being immersed in this series!

[@NevsBookChannel]

I’m loving it!

[@zaxbunny3081]

Good to hear your thoughts. Like some of the other commenters, I often used to re-read the books when the next one came out, so I've read the earlier books many many times. And I decided to audiobook the whole series in preparation for watching the TV series. Took me a year and five months! I've now watched the first TV series and have made a start on the second but I sort of gave up because the many changes were a bit heartbreaking. There's a small number of changes which I'm either neutral or happy with but there are just too many changes that make the story worse, many of which seem to have been made for no good reason. Maybe I'll give it another go when my disappointment has settled a bit and try to see it as its own 'thing'.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Seems like your experience is pretty common. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[@andrews6013]

Im on book five of an audio book listen for a second time through. Unfortunately it takes 4 books to get really, really good. The show on the otherhand seemed to done screw it up.

[@NevsBookChannel]

I’m really looking forward to book 3 and 4. As you say, most people say it hits its stride around then

[@NastySasquatch]

When reading the first books remember. The first book was a series of shorts. And it was intended to end at book 3

[@garyodom474]

To try to enjoy the show I had to make myself pretend that I had never read the series. It made it slightly better, but....

[@NevsBookChannel]

😂 I like your attitude

[@heniv181]

Please forgett almost everything about Amazons horrible depiction of WoT, they gor most of it wrong. The world, the people, the motivations. Some of them are so bad that they activly clash with what the characters will do and what till happen later in the series. It seems the writers of the TV show did not even read the source material but read it on a Wiki. There is a bit of a padding in the books that is strictly not vital to the series but just glimpses into the world, that is the only critisim I can say about the books.

[@eunomiac]

Song of Ice and Fire next to Twilight on the bookshelf behind you: I could not look away. I have _so many_ questions.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Heh - I've been waiting for someone to comment on that....

[@hammerhiem75]

Forget that, the Man has Caverns of Black ice! Sword of Shadows is J V Jones's masterpiece. Raif Severence is possibly the best written character in all of fantasy.

[@NevsBookChannel]

@@hammerhiem75 ha, now I feel like an imposter. I haven’t read that yet!

[@jaysnow701]

I read it a lot like playing an RPG. Rand chose his gold buttoned red coat with the gold threaded lace to contrast Egwene's black laced dress that reached just to the start of her cleavage and stopped just short of her ankles. Rand elected to wear his green... SKIP Nynaeve was weari... SKIP

[@NevsBookChannel]

That’s hilarious!

[@blueperry5409]

I can accept the differences between books and tv by thinking of it as two different 3rd ages. The books are one cycle and the show another. Thus, the differences make sense while the main plot stays the same. Also I have been reading and rereading since around 1991 and I only recently realized that book 1 is just a retelling of lotr. Lastly, the book series is so long because when the books started selling so well, the publisher asked him to extend it out. It should have been around 6 books.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Yep, I agree re the cycle. It’s funny, when I read it, it didn’t remind of LOTR either. If you try, you can pick parallels but I think it’s different enough

[@blueperry5409]

@NevsBookChannel let's see, 4 youths from a tobacco growing region are taken by an ageless wizard and their warrior friend. They barely escape after crossing a ferry. They end up in a dark city where the inhabitants brought a great evil upon themselves that lingers still... the fades and trollocs are nazghul and orcs. Green man is an ent, the ogier are just furry elves, singing, living in magic forests (tolkein elves were taller than men). Rand getting a special sword from the man who adopted him... many other examples, but not a bad thing. He retells a good story in a new way, so it feels both familiar and new, making it a little easier to dive into such a large work, and after 1st book the story truly becomes its own.

[@NevsBookChannel]

@@blueperry5409 and I guess Moria gets represented twice with the trip through the ways. Ever read Sword of Shannara?

[@havtor007]

But that is not how the ages work in the wheel of time. The show and amazon prime has lost me as a paid subscriber because of the differences completly destroying the rules of the world even the rules established in the show is broken. Maybe if i had not any clue about the world it would be fine but knowing the books it is massive issues.

[@Warutteri]

I've been recently revisiting the Wheel of Time books after reading most of them (all of them weren't out yet at the time) in my early teens after a 20 year gap, decided to watch the Amazon series with a friend who hasn't read the books and I couldn't get through even the first episode... I was just absolutely disgusted how they had mangled so much of the lore, which is quite a feat considering I got maybe halfway through the first episode 😅 My friend was laughing so hard he was crying at my anguished yells and comments on the stupid changes they had made 😂

[@NevsBookChannel]

That’s hilarious 😂

[@Warutteri]

@@NevsBookChannel The series was a childhood favourite of mine, the first proper fantasy series I read after the Hobbit, LoTR and Silmarillion and as such will always have a special place in my heart, seeing it butchered like that was genuinely painful to see, kinda brought John Carter of Mars flashbacks for me as those books too were childhood favourites of mine (actually the books that first got me into reading as my grandfather gave me his own copies of the Barsoom series, I spent couple wonderful summer weeks just inhaling one book a day and it ignited a lifelong love affair with books and stories in general, even got me writing some of my own... Seeing that movie was kind of painful, the visuals were great but the movie was otherwise really disappointing)

[@NevsBookChannel]

@@Warutteri thank goodness the LOTR movies were so good

[@Warutteri]

@@NevsBookChannel Yep, those movies are probably the best book adaptations ever done 🤔

[@questionsroxelane3643]

If you didn't even finish the 1st episode, I would be very curious to know what lore you think they have butchered, since as quite a hard core fan (I read the entire series over 20 times by now), the only thing that I could concede as "contradictory", is their use of matches since those will actually be created in the 5th book... You might have missed the fact that in the entire series, we have unreliable narrators, and they have precisely gone that way with the show. Thus, you cannot take at face value what any character say, it actually only conveys their own beliefs...

[@kristijensen7457]

You read it AFTER? You’re a madman!

[@NevsBookChannel]

Saving the best till last!

[@brettpetty7840]

I believe the ending of the first book is purposely confusing because rand had no idea what was happening

[@NevsBookChannel]

Ah interesting! That’s the first time I’ve heard that explanation. Makes a lot of sense. Thanks for commenting!

[@brettpetty7840]

@NevsBookChannel Thanks for the video, I love hearing about people reading through the books the first time. I enjoyed going back and re reading the ending to Eye of the World after finishing the series, its definitely more understandable

[@NevsBookChannel]

@@brettpetty7840 you’re full of good ideas! I’ll have to remember to do this when I finish the series

[@jabur81]

I read the series for the first time in 2021, finishing up maybe halfway through the show’s first season. I liked the books, not my favorites though, but I didn’t like the show very much at all. Maybe they can do better with season 2, but I’m not going to get my hopes up

[@NevsBookChannel]

I think I would have had a harsher view of the show if I had read it more recently like you

[@perrinayebarra]

The show is an insult to an amazing series of books.

[@rkbkirin5975]

One of the *most* basic requirements for any movie or series casting actors and actresses who at least SLIGHTLY resemble the characters they are supposed to portray. If you've read the books, you should remember that Moiraine was a -small- woman, she was Cairhien who are a short people and Moiraine was small even among them. Jordan says this repeatedly throughout every book with Moiraine in it. Rosamund Pike may be a good actress but she is **5'9"** Hollywood is full of actresses and if the producers had put any effort into it they certainly could have found one just as good who had the physical stature that Jordan describes for Moiraine. All of the cast are just as bad as far as matching their descriptions in the books. Compare this to the casting for say Lord of the Rings, where every role is filled by actor and actresses who actually look like the characters. This same lack of care and attention to detail is painfully apparent in the script-writing of the Amazon Wheel of Time series. There are needless deviations from the original story that do nothing but detract from it and it is entirely lacking any of the charm of Jordan's writings. The Amazon WoT is another example of producers thinking they can 'improve' on a best-selling work and destroying it in the process.

[@NevsBookChannel]

I'd kind of forgotten about the height thing, even though it was staring me in the face on the cover!

[@dporhownik]

I am fed up with critics and experts. I have never read any of the books and thoroughly enjoyed everything I have seen so far. I don't think these shows are aimed at the hard core fan who probably would not ever be happy anyway. I work on the premise that even bad scifi and fantasy is better than no scifi and fantasy. You would sooner have endless crime shows.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Well said

[@georgevelis4651]

read the books after seeing some videos by Daniel Greene about them. I enjoyed the show but it was definitely a disappointment as an adaptation. Season 2 was better and more in the spirit of the books but at the same time the story was almost completely made up and very different from book 2 which was a shame because its a 10/10 book.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Agree!

[@NevTheDeranged]

Hey, a fellow Nev. Good to meet you. I also started the series over after 25 years because I wanted to get the taste of the show out of my mouth. I just finished EotW and am about to start TGH. I also felt like the casting in the show was pretty decent, and it was nice to have a visual reference point for the characters, even if some of them are slightly different than the textual descriptions, I don't feel like anyone was so far off that it messed with my imaginary landscape, so to speak. Mat's whole arc in the books (I got up to Winter's Heart in my first run, so I had much clearer memories of things going in than you seem to have) is way more interesting than in the show- they really dropped the ball on him, I felt. I realize there were some issues with them swapping the actor out between seasons, but that's hardly an excuse. Honestly, nobody is as cool or interesting in the show as they are in the books, for my money. They definitely "consolidated" a bunch of cities in the show- we don't get Baerlon or Whitebridge at all, I don't think? Or if we do they are portrayed as much ruder villages than they should be. They seem to have ditched Rand and Mat's travels with (and post) Thom almost entirely, which was disappointing. I don't want to say anything against the actor playing Loial, I think he's doing a fine job, but yeah, he is way less impressive than he should be, like most things. I tell you what though, I had forgotten that our POV sticks with Rand until around 200 pages in. That was a surprise to me. After finishing EotW, I can really see why this series was so huge, Jordan's writing style is both compelling and intimate. After the first time I finished what there was of the series, I was pretty sure I could never get through the whole thing again- it's a LOT. We'll see if I stick with it this time or not- I seem to remember really starting to be tired of the characters being crappy toward each other somewhere in the middle of the series, so we'll see if I bounce off it again this time. Thanks for your insights! I'm amused at your double-shelving, I also used to do that, until I moved and handbuilt custom floor to ceiling shelving units for my apartment, now everything is right where I can see it ;)

[@NevsBookChannel]

Yo Nev! Nice to meet another Nev and thanks for the extensive comments. Yeah, re the villages, it seems to be a common thing in TV shows to just ignore any sort of sense of where things are happening in terms of a world map. I'm generally not a DNF person, so I'll definitely be pushing through to the end. Hopefully you can join me in the whole journey. Nice you've got the shelving! My wife limits mine ;) So with 2000 books, double shelving is necessary!

[@farharbor3178]

I started reading the series around when book ten was released (twilight). I then reread the whole series each time a new book dropped (to refresh myself on the 9 million characters and plot threads), but haven't read them in years. I loved the world, the characters and most of the story (nothing against Sanderson, but I really didn't care for the end... not his fault ... I just always felt that there was too much narrative real estate to wind in properly). In the current climate when the show was announced, I knew it would more than likely be butchered. I saw some of the early images.... and honestly it never even crossed my mind to watch it. It is cool that people are being lead to read the books though.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Yeah, that’s definitely the best thing to come out of the series

[@azurepulse1870]

Honestly, my advice to you is to read the books AFTER the whole Amazon Wheel of Time show has ended. The main reason being that you can watch and enjoy the show for what it is with brand new, fresh eyes. There are a lot of changes that have really divided the book fanbase but seem to be working out alright for those new to the story. Most of the book readers are kinda angry about the show, to be honest, so I think you should finish enjoying the show first and then dive into the books to see how different they really end up being. Yeah, the show really cuts down on Mat and Rand's traveling time, as well as a few other things that make the pacing of the show better, while adding in new stuff that definitely weren't in the books, changing the order of some things... and just kind of... making a mess of things. But yeah, Rosamund Pike is definitely cast perfectly in the show.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Yeah, good advice but I think that horse has bolted for me. I’m not gonna stop now!

[@azurepulse1870]

@@NevsBookChannel haha, Yeah, I realized that when I stopped to look at the other vids you made. Oh well. Enjoy the books!

[@NevsBookChannel]

@@azurepulse1870 Thanks! And thanks for subscribing!

[@questionsroxelane3643]

I would just say that the "most fans didn't like the show" is pretty farfetched, since there are over 90M books sold worldwide. It's only that most fans who did dislike it were very vocal about it! Another point I noticed about it is that most of those vocal haters have read the series under 5 times, and, understandably for such a huge story with so many characters, didn't remember a lot of the details that were actually included in the show, especially foreshadowing future books. While on the other hand, most of us who have read them more than that, were actually impressed by how the heart and spine was respected, as Rafe wanted.

[@NevsBookChannel]

@@questionsroxelane3643 you’re right about that! 99% of people don’t comment at all on the internet, so it’s always wise to take the commenters with a large dose of salt no matter which way they lean

[@jakobstisen6366]

I will be here to see that you have to say about the rest of the books if you have or are making a video in the future.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Thanks! That’s definitely my plan, to continue to the end

[@PedroIgori]

I'm a big fan of the books and finished reading them a few years back but this adaptation is just atrocious, changed the setting, characters relationships, worldbuilding and plot for the sake of creating a fanfiction with "modern values" wish we could get back to the days of adapations with any fidelity to the source material

[@stephenhernandez2587]

I’m in the same boat* where I watched the first season and decided to read the books after. I was fairly optimistic about the series despite its pacing, which felt like they never really had enough time to develop the characters. Now having read the novels, I’m going to watch the season again and see how it compares in light of the books. I had the same notion after reading Eye of the World that it didn’t seem like there needed to be so many books, but Jordan adds a lot of perspectives and it slows down dramatically. It was very well done, though; highly recommend!

[@NevsBookChannel]

You made quick work reading the whole series already! Will take me a bit longer

[@stephenhernandez2587]

@@NevsBookChannel I typically do not read that fast at all, but I tend to forget things very quickly and with a series this long I wanted to make sure it was very clear still by the end, so I refused to read anything else and read much more than I normally would have! I think getting a kindle for Christmas was a major boon for me because although I much prefer having a hard copy, it does make reading much more convenient, especially while traveling. I’m excited to see your thoughts; I just finished A Memory of Light yesterday and I’m still marinating on the whole thing.

[@NevsBookChannel]

@@stephenhernandez2587 wow, so freshly finished. I can’t imagine what that will be like

[@HalJalikakik]

I’m in a similar situation although I finished the series (minus Sanderson’s ending) and started when the books were released. I enjoyed the Amazon series except for one small issue with the idea any of the women were potential Dragon Reborns. The book demanded a male as the One Power is distinctly tainted on the male side. I’m not hugely hung up on the point… just got an eye roll out of me. I plan to start reading them again and maybe will relent and read Sanderson’s 0:02 final book.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Nice. Yeah, an eye roll is an excellent way of putting it.

[@babietee86]

I discovered the WoT through the TV series and I'm now enjoying the audiobook read by rosamund pike. She's an excellent narrator.

[@NevsBookChannel]

That’s a great result!

[@scottareevesrecords]

One of my favorite references to our world in the first book is Mosk and Merc warring with spears of flame, or something like that.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Ooh nice one. I can't recall if I picked up that reference when I read it. (I just googled it now.)

[@antinn7448]

positives of tv version, the visuals. Negative that really bothered me. When Moraine enters 2-rivers she states to the 4 "one if YOU could be the dragon reborn" said like " one of YOU could be the winner of the publisher's clearing house" as if it is a prize. Totally destroyed a major theme & arc of the books which is Rand fear of & struggling w/the taint of saidin, which as a theme is the human universal struggle with the darkness inside each one of us.

[@NevsBookChannel]

You get a dragon reborn! And you get a dragon reborn!

[@Arezoo298195]

It’s a pity to see so many people in your comments just saying the show is horrible. I may not agree with every choice they made but knowing that they are trying to put 14 books into 8 tv seasons makes some of their choices more understandable. Also the last two episodes were almost destroyed by Covid and having to rewrite because they lost a main cast member. I’m glad the show has brought you back to the books. It’s an amazing journey with many ups and downs. Good luck with it.

[@NevsBookChannel]

Yeah, tv is a different medium, so there will always be changes. I wouldn’t go so far as to say the show is horrible. Compared to some other book to tv shows, I think they did pretty well. It’s exceedingly rare when book readers will say a show was better than the book!

[@JohnDoe-xf9ly]

The show was a disgusting woke leftist feminist garbage. They took the books pissed on them and then served it to you and you like a braindead co sumer just acepts it. Grow a pair and actuale say the truth. Hollywood is garbage. Atleast we have the books and can see how the writter actuale wanted to twll the story. Wheel of time like any other book to tv is the authors world and story and not the hollywood writters story. Respect to the creator

[@ianmatlock1]

I agree the TV show had some good elements and some poor decisions.

[@thatcher174]

@@NevsBookChannel I was overall pretty happy with the show and most of the things that I dislike, I know that the creators didn't want to do, mostly the last two episodes. My other problems are mostly small and don't matter so much in the scale of a story like that, so I let it slide. many changes make sense.

[@NevsBookChannel]

@@thatcher174 yeah, it’s too easy to be a critic

[@thomashobbes8786]

“How can there be another 13 books?” HAH! Get ready for plot crawl! Seriously, though, it’s still a banger. Do enjoy!

[@NevsBookChannel]

I’m here for it!

[@thomashobbes8786]

I remember thinking, “Awesome! Now I’m gonna learn about X!” Reads book. “Dang. Maybe next book…”. 🙃 It is a series I want to re-read though. Can’t say that for many.

[@NevsBookChannel]

@@thomashobbes8786 have you watched my list of unanswered questions in the next video?

[@thomashobbes8786]

@@NevsBookChannel just discovered your channel. Explore time, activate!

[@NevsBookChannel]

@@thomashobbes8786 hope you like it!