Book Bingo 2022 - February Update
In February I read three more Wheel of Time novels by Robert Jordan. I am completely immersed in this sprawling fantasy universe.
Book Four, The Shadow Rising, was a truly impressive read, both in length at over 900 pages and in the complexity of plot and ideas presented. So much happened in this book, plenty of action and so many new characters, different cultures to learn. The history of the world is unfolding, like how the Collapse and the War of the Shadow came to be, followed by the Breaking of the World, and why certain societies developed the way they did. The seals holding the Dark One in his prison are being destroyed and the Forsaken (evil minions) are popping up all over. Our heroes are scattering across the world on their individual journeys and character arcs. The traditional citadels of power and stability are failing, torn by internal politics and civil war. Evil is spreading across the lands. The Last Battle between good and evil is coming (although it'll take another 10 books to get there, I'm sure.) I am so hooked. The series is a complex and long read, but hey, I'm retired and have time. Despite the story lagging in a few spots, still highly recommended for fantasy lovers.
Book Five, The Fires of Heaven, is another long one at 800 pages. This book, was not quite as satisfying as the previous book, was even plodding and repetitive in parts. It wasn’t boring, not with a massive battle and some dramatic turns for major characters (Moiraine!!!), and I did come to appreciate the Mat character a whole lot more but there was a lot of very tedious exposition and pointless activity for some characters. I did miss Perrin and Loial (OK, Loial is my favorite character) here but I could deal with that since they were a big focus of Book 4. But, blood and ashes, I detested Nynaeve in this book and that really bothered me. I want to like her, she is strong and feisty and independent - but my goodness, she was completely annoying, prideful and wrong-headed throughout the entire book. Even Siuan came off badly in many ways. What was the author trying to do here? A lot happens here that cannot be skipped, but there is also some stuff that can be skimmed. Despite the criticism, an essential part of the series.
Then I skipped back and read the prologue novel I’d ignored earlier, New Spring. It was a delightful, easy read, giving us a lot of backstory on the Aes Sedai organization, the general status of the world 20 years ago and the genesis of the search for the Dragon Reborn. And we meet Moiraine and Lan’s younger selves, before they become legends. I really enjoyed this book.
January books/word counts
The Eye of the World - 305,902
The Great Hunt - 267,078
The Dragon Reborn - 251,392
February books/word counts
The Shadow Rising - 393,823
The Fires of Heaven - 354,109
New Spring - 126,477
Cumulative word count - 1,698,781
Book Four, The Shadow Rising, was a truly impressive read, both in length at over 900 pages and in the complexity of plot and ideas presented. So much happened in this book, plenty of action and so many new characters, different cultures to learn. The history of the world is unfolding, like how the Collapse and the War of the Shadow came to be, followed by the Breaking of the World, and why certain societies developed the way they did. The seals holding the Dark One in his prison are being destroyed and the Forsaken (evil minions) are popping up all over. Our heroes are scattering across the world on their individual journeys and character arcs. The traditional citadels of power and stability are failing, torn by internal politics and civil war. Evil is spreading across the lands. The Last Battle between good and evil is coming (although it'll take another 10 books to get there, I'm sure.) I am so hooked. The series is a complex and long read, but hey, I'm retired and have time. Despite the story lagging in a few spots, still highly recommended for fantasy lovers.
Book Five, The Fires of Heaven, is another long one at 800 pages. This book, was not quite as satisfying as the previous book, was even plodding and repetitive in parts. It wasn’t boring, not with a massive battle and some dramatic turns for major characters (Moiraine!!!), and I did come to appreciate the Mat character a whole lot more but there was a lot of very tedious exposition and pointless activity for some characters. I did miss Perrin and Loial (OK, Loial is my favorite character) here but I could deal with that since they were a big focus of Book 4. But, blood and ashes, I detested Nynaeve in this book and that really bothered me. I want to like her, she is strong and feisty and independent - but my goodness, she was completely annoying, prideful and wrong-headed throughout the entire book. Even Siuan came off badly in many ways. What was the author trying to do here? A lot happens here that cannot be skipped, but there is also some stuff that can be skimmed. Despite the criticism, an essential part of the series.
Then I skipped back and read the prologue novel I’d ignored earlier, New Spring. It was a delightful, easy read, giving us a lot of backstory on the Aes Sedai organization, the general status of the world 20 years ago and the genesis of the search for the Dragon Reborn. And we meet Moiraine and Lan’s younger selves, before they become legends. I really enjoyed this book.
January books/word counts
The Eye of the World - 305,902
The Great Hunt - 267,078
The Dragon Reborn - 251,392
February books/word counts
The Shadow Rising - 393,823
The Fires of Heaven - 354,109
New Spring - 126,477
Cumulative word count - 1,698,781