Wheel of Time

I have just finished reading (listening to) the twelfth book in the Wheel of Time series. There is still one more to go before I catch up, and then one more that is supposed to come out last year. This is a really long series. It is actually my second attempt at getting through it.

I tried reading it several years ago, right around when Knife of Dreams came out I think, but definitely before Robert Jordan died. I flew through the first several and really enjoyed them. I made it to book 8, Path of Daggers, before I stopped. Things really slowed down with that one, and from what I heard the next few were really slow. Knife of Dreams was supposed to be better, but that would be three really long books to slog through.

Then Robert Jordan died. I gave up completely for several years. I came back to them in 2009 after Brandon Sandersons first book came out and I heard about the idea of listening to them via Audible. I was doing a lot of commuting for work at the time. 45-60min in the car each way twice a day. I couldn’t listen to the radio that much and I was burning through podcasts faster than I could find new ones to listen too.

So I once again plowed through the books. I listened through at least book 9 before I quit my job. So, at least 10 days of solid book if you added it up over the course of a year. Since then, I’ve listened to three. Books 10 and 11 were about 60hrs and took me until July. Gathering Storm has only taken me a month, as I’ve taken to listening to it before bed.

It is amazing how things really turned around with the last book and a half. Nothing happened for like three books, but the end of Knife of Dreams and then Gathering Storm really started to wrap up some plot lines. Things actually happened.

The series as a whole has been great. There is so much there in this world. Listening to the books, rather than reading them, has given me an appreciation for the level of detail. Normally when I read, I skip over lots of stuff. Listening, you don’t have that option.

I’m eager to listen to the last one and then will eagerly anticipate the release of the final book, along with everyone else.