The Dragon Reborn Part One
So I'm about half way through The Dragon Reborn and I thought that I'd share my musings on the book thus far. Now, I'm posting all of this without blacking out spoilers and putting disclaimer here because I'm going to assume that since the book was released the year I graduated high school (1991), there aren't many spoilers left. And listen, I know I'm late coming to the party on a lot of these things, so anyone out there who is a hardcore fan, enjoy the simplicity of a noob like myself.
I need to preface this by saying that it's probably been literarly about 10 years between reading The Great Hunt and The Dragon Reborn, so some of my memory of stuff that happened in the first two books is fuzzy at best. (I did a quick wiki check of the first two books just to sort of "reset myself.") So, here are my comments:
-Nyneave al'Meara is either the single most brilliant character ever written or the single worst character ever written. The intense dislike I have for her affects my mood for the day. Seriously. I cannot stand her. And perhaps that is the reaction that Jordan wanted us to have.
-The Aes Sedai. Like the Bene Gesseret before them, they are a group in desperate need of a good PR company. Seriously. No one seems to trust these people, even the citizens of their city seem to be completely uninterested in any involvement with them. Plus, they seem incapable of making a rational decision. Three "Accepted" become the "Scooby Gang" of the Tower? Seems like the least wisest decision they could make all things considered, no matter how strong they are at Channelling.
-Robert Jordan seems to struggle a bit in writing female characters. If they aren't complete shrews, they are doe eyed sweethearts or chesty harlots. I find all his female characters kind of grating. The only one mildly interesting is the Hunter who follows Perrin. She intrigues me.
-Perrin Aybara is my favorite character. I have a natural pull towards "big guys" and I think that's why he appeals to me. And he's got a little bit of wolf in him. That's bad ass.
I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would. Is it perfect? No. Again, I've heard some of the gripes people have had concerning the series, but they have not come to life to me at this point in the series. There are some things that Jordan does that completely annoys me, but I'm going to keep on keeping on.
I need to preface this by saying that it's probably been literarly about 10 years between reading The Great Hunt and The Dragon Reborn, so some of my memory of stuff that happened in the first two books is fuzzy at best. (I did a quick wiki check of the first two books just to sort of "reset myself.") So, here are my comments:
-Nyneave al'Meara is either the single most brilliant character ever written or the single worst character ever written. The intense dislike I have for her affects my mood for the day. Seriously. I cannot stand her. And perhaps that is the reaction that Jordan wanted us to have.
-The Aes Sedai. Like the Bene Gesseret before them, they are a group in desperate need of a good PR company. Seriously. No one seems to trust these people, even the citizens of their city seem to be completely uninterested in any involvement with them. Plus, they seem incapable of making a rational decision. Three "Accepted" become the "Scooby Gang" of the Tower? Seems like the least wisest decision they could make all things considered, no matter how strong they are at Channelling.
-Robert Jordan seems to struggle a bit in writing female characters. If they aren't complete shrews, they are doe eyed sweethearts or chesty harlots. I find all his female characters kind of grating. The only one mildly interesting is the Hunter who follows Perrin. She intrigues me.
-Perrin Aybara is my favorite character. I have a natural pull towards "big guys" and I think that's why he appeals to me. And he's got a little bit of wolf in him. That's bad ass.
I'm enjoying it more than I thought I would. Is it perfect? No. Again, I've heard some of the gripes people have had concerning the series, but they have not come to life to me at this point in the series. There are some things that Jordan does that completely annoys me, but I'm going to keep on keeping on.