The Wheel of Time - A Spoiler Free Introduction

[@kaykayy13]

I've been watching all your videos! I love your positivity and how you stress reading is for enjoyment. Sometimes it can feel like a race or competition when you see everyone online reading so many things. It's important to remember reading is for ourselves!

[@cronkthebookguy]

Thank you! You're so right about reading. The FOMO is real! :D Sometimes I feel guilt about the books I haven't read, when I should feel excitement. A good attitude about reading takes practice.

[@maybelore]

what do you mean you're not very entertaining? the most entertaining thing in the world is watching someone talk about something their passionate about.

[@Paulovlyra]

Perfect

[@krissaunders6418]

For the people looking to get into the Wheel of Time, there are 2 recommended reading orders: 1) books 1-5, The prequel, books 6-14. This order is recommended for plot reasons. I recommend this order because it makes the beginning of book 6 all the better. It is great without this reading order but with it, it becomes the icing on the cake. Book 6 is considered the best in the series though my favorite is book 12. 2) books 1-10, prequel, then books 11-14. This is the release order. Many recommend it just so you get to experience the series the way readers originally got to. But reading A New Spring (the prequel) after book 10 can be daunting and kinda ruins a twist but I've already said too much. Most don't recommend prequel, books 1-14 on your first read. It would give you a false promise of certain POVs prevalence in the series. You will want to reread the series. Most consider the first read great but the second to be even better because the amount of foreshadowing that will go over your head in the first read through is astounding. Interesting note: Books 12-14 were originally written as 1 book and Brandon wrote it thick as RJ requested but it was too thick to make a profit off of so it was rewritten as 3 books. The same thing happened with book 9 and was broken into book 9 and 10. It is why book 10 is the worst in the series.

[@manuam98]

I'm reading it in release order, currently reading Knife of Dreams after reading the prequel. I've just recently read the twist I think you are referring to, and I don't agree that it's been ruined in any way by reading the prequel just before. It's something I had been wanting to happen for a lot of books, but had given up on thinking it would. And now that it's confirmed, my mind is blown!!! (People who don't know what we're talking about might be very confused but I hope people who have read the series know what's being talked about lol).

[@krissaunders6418]

@@manuam98 Fair point. I just like the extra bitter sweetness for the beginning of book 6 more. I think you did a good job obfuscating what we are talking about without hindering those in the know. Did you know the climax of book 9 is told that it could happen in book 1? You have to dig for all the info but it is all there.

[@manuam98]

@@krissaunders6418 Doesn't surprise me the thing you are saying about book 9. I always thought the people who reread the series are crazy, but by this point I think I might someday, with all of the foreshadowing, and all the secondary characters which would be way easier to follow with a wiki, without fearing spoilers.

[@timburbagereads]

I love the music for your intro is like an 80s soap. I imagine each scene in your intro is a different character who lives in the town of Cronk

[@cronkthebookguy]

Omg that's an amazing idea! Town of Cronk. Makes me think of Lazy Town. Maybe I should add Muppets next? :D

[@timburbagereads]

@@cronkthebookguy Everything is made better with Muppets

[@datfly3034]

I agree. I was thinking of an 80s kids science show that you’d watch after school.

[@inkylynx2777]

I started reading WoT at the beginning of the year by listening to its audiobooks at my work! I've found I read books better if I listen to them than if I physically read them, and I'll actually hack away at their Everestine heights. So far it's doing well since I finished 8/15 books! So for those of you who don't have the mental fortitude to physically read WoT, perhaps give the audiobooks a go! Michael Kramer and Kate Reading (lol) have wonderful voices for all the characters, and it might be easier for some of you to absorb the ambience of location and clothing descriptions and the big words if you hear them instead of see them. My one downside I will admit is that it may be hard to remember where places are. I didn't look at a map until I finished the first few books and even now I have a poor sense of where anyone is in the world in relation to one another. Don't be like me. Pull up a map of the Westlands and reference it often whenever you're listening.

[@brettpetty7840]

I wasn't much of a reader before wheel of time. Like you were talking about in the intro, I didn't have good reading habits lol. I stumbled upon a clip from some college humor game show and one of the people called WOT "nerd homework" and for some reason that stuck with me, I wanted to see if I could nerd out on something so huge. So I listened to eye of the world, got on KZbin to see what people had to say about it and I found the most wonderful community of book fans! Fast forward a year and a half later and I had finished the last book. I would give anything to read WOT for the first time again, I think about it almost every day. It's what gave me confidence to dive into other big fantasy like stormlight. Long story short if anyone is reading this comment without having read WOT I recommend it with my whole heart. The main characters arc is the best of all time! Love your channel buddy just stumbled upon it today, good luck!

[@manuam98]

I feel like once you read Wheel of Time you are prepared to read anything, like any other book series feels so small in comparison 😂

[@AshleyRebecca]

I love how you make reading approachable! You also do great with synopsis that don’t spoil anything. I appreciate the perspective!

[@birdmaster091]

I'm on book 4 right now and I'm loving it!!!!!! I love your explinations and positive energy with your videos too 😎👍

[@turtleanton6539]

Indeed😊

[@HeavyTopspin]

What really makes WoT stand out is that there are certain set pieces that you'll want to go back and read again and again. I've read every book in the series at least twice (EoTW 8 times, LOL, starting with book 6 I reread the series from the beginning with each new book's release), but occasionally I'll just pull out certain books just to read a specific extended scene.

[@sw3dge]

I'm actually reading book 3 now and am loving it. Great job breaking everything down so comprehensively without spoilers. Also it is unbelievably bold of you to name a cat Nynaeve.

[@Ulmo90]

Awesome pitch for WoT, have read the series twice and I really enjoy it

[@kimberlymerriam]

Stumbled across your channel today by watching your overview of the Throne Of Glass series. Great stuff! I haven't seen anyone else in the "BookTube" space do videos like you do. I appreciate that your approach is to introduce your audience to new books, as opposed to simply giving us your opinion. Loving the movie and M*A*S*H references, too! Looking forward to what you put out next! Happy reading. 📚

[@ninalvdok2520]

Your enthusiasm inspired me to reread the series, just started book one again! I love that I stumbled upon your channel, looking forward to your next video😊

[@issymartin6197]

Hi! New to your channel and seriously have so much respect for your approach to book videos, you seem really happy and kind - SO refreshing!!!!

[@LordB298]

Absolutely love this! Currently on Book 8, and it has started to slow down. However, I’m reading the Throne of Glass series when I need a break from WoT and it’s working out better for me that way. For anyone who needs help the Wheel of Time Companion app is a great spoiler free reference!

[@yelena86]

Wow Thanks for the tip, didn’t know about the companion app. Cheers 👍🙏

[@rachels8377]

You are quickly becoming my favorite booktuber on KZbin!! I love your positive attitude and sense of humor, plus you always deliver very balanced, well-researched, and fair takes. Excited to subscribe and looking forward to more content! 🎉

[@safinan8008]

Hi 👋 I’m fan of the wheel of time series too, I’ve only read first 6 books… happy reading I’m from uk 🇬🇧

[@TheOkayestBookReviewer]

I've had the first 3 books on my shelf for years. You made a very convincing case, and I'm moving book one to my more immediate TBR : )

[@turtleanton6539]

Yes😊

[@ViperRT99]

Just happened by this channel. I'll Keep an eye out on it. The one thing I couldn't get over was "slump". It's the "slog". 😀 I personally feel that Crossroads is the only real slog. Anyway. I like the content so far.

[@cronkthebookguy]

Thanks! Yeah I've had a few people very 'passionately' insist it's slog. I've been chastised a few times now by close friends. But I've heard other both ways. :)

[@thesuperheroguy1]

I came across your channel recently, and I love it! You are rapidly becoming one of my favorite Booktubers along with Mike from Mike's Book Reviews, Moid from Media Death Cult, and Jonathan from Words in Time. I'm currently reading The Wheel of Time. I'm on Book 2 "The Great Hunt", and I'm a few chapters from the end. Your intro to the series makes me want to keep going--which I will. But I'm taking a brief break to read "The Color of Magic" before diving into Book 3 of The Wheel of Time. Your video on Discworld is also amazing, and that's why I'm slipping in a Discworld book in between The Wheel of Time because I so want to dive into Discworld. All your other videos I've seen are top notch. Thanks for doing Sci Fi September. To be honest, I'd love to see you do more Sci Fi content along with the Fantasy as I'm currently making my way through a list of the 300 best Sci Fi novels. Keep up the great work! I only disagree with you on one thing--you're very entertaining.

[@stevee.oneder891]

Moid is awesome lol

[@datfly3034]

I haven’t read these books. However, all the reviews I’ve seen talk about how they’re a legendary series, and then proceed to list the many flaws and problems. It makes me reluctant to invest any time in reading them.

[@johnbd9765]

If you like the Anne McCaffrey Dragonflight books or the Stormlight archive, this is very much in the same vein. It has its quirks that will put off a small minority of readers and the first book is super tropey, but it has some of the best characters and world progression in fantasy.

[@Elendilka]

Thank you for this video! This series is now a lot less intimidating to me, after your introduction. :)

[@ilsevanlegos7529]

Very good video. I've started collecting all the books in this series although I've only read books 1 and 2 so far.... but will definitely continue.

[@AlexPhaedrus]

Great video! Your enthusiasm and excitement are palpable, and I love the light-hearted tone and humour. If I didn't already love this series I think you would have definitely sold me. I'm currently making my second attempt to read through this series (I didn't even make it all the way to the slump/slog last time); I'm currently reading Fires of Heaven. I have to say that the TV show was pretty disappointing to me, so I'm on that side of the fan divide. Again, totally enjoyed this video, I hope you make a bunch more. I saw that you have the Dresden Files books behind you. I have tried the first book and found it kind of OK, but have not really kept reading (also watched the TV adaptation, but whatever). I would love to hear what you enjoyed about that series.

[@cronkthebookguy]

Mate, this comment was super wholesome! Thanks heaps! Good luck on your 2nd read through attempt. Fires of Heaven is a kickass book with a 'third act' that is just off the chain. I totally agree about the TV show, to be honest. I wanted to be harsher in my comments but was trying to keep the vibes positive! :D I'm working on a Discworld video right now, but Dresden Files is scheduled next.

[@krissaunders6418]

Hope your second attempt goes well. Enjoy. The show makes the characters pop of the page superficially but when you go deeper they are caricatures. Then you get the plot changes and it puts the story in a strange place. If they had stayed closer to the books or gone farther away from them the story would have been better. Then there are the mistakes... Best said that I did not like the show but I like that both the fans and antifans of the show can encourage people to read the books. Book 2 of Dresden Files is a refinement of the formula and shows how Butcher can handle multiple factions interacting to tell a story. Book 3 is different factions start getting fleshed out and is the starting point for the underling plot for the rest of the series. Book 4 goes deeper into a couple factions and starts showing what the Dresden Files really is; an Epic fantasy wearing a urban fantasy trench coat. If you give the series another try go till Dead Beat. It is my favorite in the series and if you don't love the series by then you won't warm on it after that.

[@grandadmiralmanatee]

A fellow Ibanez fan! What a beauty and nice playing

[@cronkthebookguy]

Nice account name! 👌

[@MrSuperluigi101]

As it so happened , I discovered the wheel of time in December 2023 . I ordered the first 3 books . Life stuff happened and I’m finally about to begin reading it tonight . Based on your enthusiasm and energy , I am very excited to delve into the immersive and deeply woven world of the Wheel of Time . I will try to make it through the slog you mentioned so I can get to the glorious ending .

[@cronkthebookguy]

That's awesome! I'm a little jealous of you, starting your journey for the first time. Hope you enjoy!!

[@samsampier7147]

Love your channel. I started reading Wheel of Time in middle school. I stopped at Book 9. I recently started reading book 1 via audiobook. Great performance despite the Maid and Butler dialogue. 24:06 adorable cat, I feel like I was just called a woolhead.

[@bronwynecg]

Ahhhhh I **love** the Wheel of Time books (the Sanderson ones lead me into reading his stuff). I haven’t read WoT in years though (still a bit scarred from all the braid tugging 😂😂 IYKYK)

[@albertolopez7073]

Thank you so much for this! you've made me soooo excited to read this series 😁

[@Akuma60]

I want to defend book 10. I really do. However at the end of 9 was expecting IT TO GO DOWN. Was living in China when it came out. Searched the whole country for it. Went to Japan, Korea. Finally found a copy in Thailand. And it was book 10.😅

[@intogrey2038]

Finish book 2 of Game of thrones and I enjoyed The wheel of time show.So this is a great break for another style book so picked up the boxset today.

[@kbg12ila]

My only hesitance is that the last books are written by Sanderson. I've read a bit of Eye of the World and the prose is so beautiful and engaging and the way Jordan wrote the atmosphere was a big selling point for me... However with Sanderson. Although I enjoy his imaginative worlds and magic systems, I'm not a fan of his writing style...

[@jennbeammakes]

I started the first one and life got too chaotic to keep it all bubbling. Now doing the audiobooks that followed the tv series and loving the saga

[@Joenah5]

Not sure if you've read it but my favorite book of all time is Worm by Wildbow

[@yk2k_illustrations]

Plan on getting into the wheel of time once I’m done with stormlight archive 😭🙌

[@cronkthebookguy]

Good luck! If you enjoy Stormlight, you'll love Wheel of Time. Very similar style books.

[@xintrosi6829]

I disagree about Emond's field's race thing. I don't care what race they are but they should be 1. Relatively homogenous (isolated-ish for thousand years likely to be quite intermingled) and 2. Different from Rand because he's supposed to stick out. If the village looks like a melting pot the implicit world-building is lost. Them all looking the same would be amazing because it would look *wrong*. A definite indication it's not like out modern lives. But I can see why it wasn't a practical restriction to follow and I have lots of other bigger issues with the show so I won't die on this hill! Loved the books, loving this channel! You've read many of my favorites.

[@MrT115]

Great video. I agree that it's not matriarchal but there is a subtle female privilege in the world. Almost all world leaders are female except if it's a militarized society. I think it works to its advantage. The way the world views male channelers is useful for the conflict it creates for Rand.

[@SuperSaiyanScandinavian]

seeing as you said people should tackle other books or series first before The Wheel of Time, if they don't already have a good reading habit, what books would you recommend? I am planning to try reading LOTR again. although I never finished it when I was younger, I also think I was reading it at too young of an age, and was reading it because I loved the movies, so I was comparing them too much. Aside from LOTR tho, I'd love some recommendations, as The Wheel of Time sounds very interesting and so many booktubers absolutely love the series even with its cons that i've also heard about.

[@cronkthebookguy]

It depends on what you're into. But generally speaking, start with middle-grade books or YA. Don't worry that it's intended for younger readers. If you're out of practice, start with something easy. If you're a bit further along, try reading adult books that are 300-400 pages. Something small and manageable. Then once you've got some consistency and momentum behind you, tackle something big and chunky like WoT. LOTR is an amazing series, though it is a little long and very dense. Still, give it a try!

[@danielliu22]

I'm not gonna lie, I don't get it. I've read the entire series, and for me, it was worth reading--once. I sincerely wish I could enjoy this series as much as so many other people seem to, but for me, it barely came out on the side of justifying the time it took to read. I felt that the characters became repetitive and boring (not to mention some of whom were, in my opinion, insufferable,) slow, painful narrative that felt like a protracted, written narrative of Breath of Fire II and a magic system that was slowly degraded from something wonderful, powerful and mysterious into a system that was way to OP but accessible by too many characters. Having said that, there are spaces in the books that are definitely imaginative and impressive. Just not my cup of tea.

[@yelena86]

Can you please review Bryce Courtenay especially The Potato Factory or any of his books if you’ve read them. I really enjoyed his books a few years back and I’d love to know your thoughts on them. Also can i please recommend a video series where you thought the book was overhyped, you didn’t actually didn’t like it or even hated it? Thank you so much 👍✌️🙏✨❤

[@Tharia1981]

Perin was the one with the animals, right? I liked him. He reminded me of Fitz with his wolf. I loved that wolf. I only read 2 books in WOT and I have too many other books to read, so I don't think I will ever read more WOT books, only if no more books are published. Hahaha, yeah right. Also Robin Hobb: I read 2 series with Fitz, not the last 3 books, because I started to hate them. The idea was great, the magic was great, BUT: just like in Harry Potter, Fitz never learns to actually use the mind magic, whatever it is called, you know what I'm talking about. Also, I hate it when the main character is treated that badly. Fitz is the son of a king, a bastard, yes, but still the son of a king. And he just gets used, by everyone. He is practically a slave. He is not allowed to have even an opinion, he just has to obey. Let's not even talk about his "friend" stealing his girlfriend/lover. I hate miscommunication in romance novels and these books are full of miscommunication. Like I said, also, Fitz gets used by everyone and treated very badly. 2 of my friends loved these books and finished them, one did tell me what happens at the end, but just no thanks. That story it just horrible, heartbreaking and I don't need that.

[@Utu5477]

Could you review the "Red Queen" Series by Victoria Aveyard and "The inheritance games" Series by Jennifer Lynne Barnes?

[@margarethaines9310]

Noticing your shirt ~ congratulations!? Be sure to let us all know if you publish your own writing 🙂

[@MrT115]

My fav books are book 4 and 11.

[@drew1156]

Have you ever read any of the books by David Eddings?

[@Eluthane]

My husband is on his first read through and he actuly likes book 10

[@Paulovlyra]

Thank you for this channel

[@yelena86]

I think you’re very kind fair and entertaining 👍🙏

[@reischappetta487]

Totally thought it was a hemsworth, what a shame well I’m here might as well watch the video.

[@istvangyorki6314]

Man, I like these videos a lot. I just found your channel and watched some of them, great job. I wish you could change one thing though: that silly piano music when you show a black background with the description of the next chapter in the video (eg 'plotlines'), that music is terrible :D totally ruins the otherwise great flow of your story :) in my opinion at least.

[@DrakeEastwood]

Here's my overview: read the first 3 books, then read the synopsis for books 4-11, then read the last 3 books. you're welcome.

[@antonissamp6654]

You are welcome for what? For attempting to ruin the WoT reading experience for every reader of your comment Be shameful more so..

[@DrakeEastwood]

@@antonissamp6654 I wish I read this comment a few years back.

[@istvangyorki6314]

This is terrible advice. Books 4-6 are fantastic. Book 11 is quite slow, but the rest inbetween is also good and adds flavor. I guess this series may not be for you, but thats a you thing, not a problem with the books.

[@antonissamp6654]

@istvangyorki6314 Book 11 (Knife of Dreams) is slow??!! It is the start of the Endgame and an absolute rollercoster Maybe you thinking of book 10 (Crossroads of Twilight?!, that is indeed hard to defend)

[@DrakeEastwood]

@@istvangyorki6314 the series wasn't for Robert Jordan either as he bit off more than he could chew.

[@tyrusdutton]

Your should check out some Robert E. Howard the story are over a hundred years old so understand that they might not be your taste

[@Duncdunc2377]

That’s really weird that you say the first book is one of the strongest. I really enjoyed it but I thought the ending was rushed

[@naomimoon7082]

Can this series be read in any order?

[@cronkthebookguy]

Hi No, sorry. You should definitely read Wheel of Time in order, books 1 - 14. The only except is the prequel novel, New Spring, which can be read anywhere after book 1. Happy reading!

[@q-urtm1497]

Hey if you ever can please remake this video with your better audio quality that you have now

[@cronkthebookguy]

Yeah, I legitimately plan to do that one day. Wheel of Time is one of my favourite series. It deserves a top quality video.

[@radomu1]

Yeah, Crossroads of Twilight, book 10, is horrendous.

[@turtleanton6539]

😊

[@yelena86]

👍✌️🙏✨

[@AmandaInEly]

But you are a Hemsworth really though.

[@benjaminfranklin954]

Bro looks like drachenlord