It's a whole team whose members take turns to point the gun to his head and force him to watch every. Single. TV. Show. He. Hates. It's an exhausting job!
Episode 3. Just watched it, Alexandre Willlaume was perfect casting. I wouldn't want it to be a thankless task, so, thanks. Damn! I was laughing so hard I was sure you did it on purpose!
Yes, we know. Now you're just being boring. So, tell me something interesting. Did you read all 14 books? If so, why? I mean, if they were that bad, why read?. If not, how can you say how good or bad the series was?
My recollection is that I made it farther into the series than it turns out that I actually had (I thought I had forced myself to keep reading up through Book 4, but it turns out that I actually only made it up through Book 2). With regards to the quality of the novels,, the reason I dislike the novels I did read is that they are glacially paced and overstuffed with useless and tedious exposition and over-description of stuff that doesn't actually matter. I have this same problem with the LotR novels, BTW, but I actually made it further into WoT than I ever managed with LotR, where I couldn't even get through The Fellowship of the Ring.
Never read the novels, largely because I was hardcore invested in the GoT TV series and wanted to experience the story visually, and given how that decision ended up blowing up in my face, I have even less desire to delve into that world in book form.
GoT didn't go downhill until they ran out of book material. But the books do have hundreds of pages of descriptions of locations and settings. The only real slog for me though was in Storm of Swords where the prose goes on for pages describing the banners of all the different houses while an army is amassing.
I suppose that's fair enough. I am the opposite. As a child I was reading 19th century novels and disappeared into their worlds and the lives of the characters. For me, LotR was detailed enough that I could see the world without needing to watch it on film (I admit I could never make it through The Silmarillian). WoT was that, as well as an equal delve into the characters' hearts, minds, and motives, as well as the cultures, politics, and even economics. For me it ended too soon. I've watched very few movies that held a candle to novels I'd already read. When I've enjoyed a film first, I immediately get the book and enjoy it more. I read Sword of Shannara in '77 when it came out. I found it simplistic, boring, and derivative, and never touched the rest of the series. I'm not saying that to be argumentative, just to point out we are far too different to share tastes.
FWIW, I personally struggle with overly-descriptive prose, due to having a weak mind's eye. I don't have aphantasia - I can visualize things in my head - but they're just split second flashes typically. When I read I mostly just hear a voice narrating the story in my head, and when too much time is spent on descriptions I try to visualize it sometimes but there's just too much detail for me to picture and I get horribly confused.
Saying that the problems with the GoT series are the result of the showrunners going beyond the books lets them (the showrunners) off the hook and ignores the actual reasons that people were angry about the show's ending. Fair enough. With regards to Shannara, Sword really is the only novel in that series that is like LotR, and the series overall actually has more in common with post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction and Urban Fantasy than it does with High Fantasy like LotR.
Gonna OP back in here for a minute. The world of the show takes place in a society on the cusp of an industrial revolution, with magic added to the mix. I loved the first 3 eps, sure there are issues that could be fixed, perhaps a directors cut could smooth it out a bit. I've been excited for this show ever since it was announced; and I just really enjoy it. The most amazing part of episode 3 (minor spoiler) is the introduction of Thom Merrilin as played by Alexandre Willaume. I literally cannot describe him. He ranges from a self-absorbed entertainer/celebrity, to a soft-spoken humanitarian to kindly uncle-figure with a deadly throw, all in the span of a single episode. At the end, you don't know if he's a good guy or a bad guy, just that you're glad he decided to be on your side; for now. Willaume is a musician in real life, although I don't know if he had a hand in composing Thom's song. He is Thom, it's just a great performance. Honestly I'd rather they axed the Perrin and Egwene scenes in favor of more Thom.
I have to admit, I have kind of mixed feelings on the book right now. I'm over 200 pages into it, 27% according to the app, and it feels like I haven't really gotten to the meat of the story yet. I like it, it's well written, and the characters and world are good, I just wish it would get to the point a little faster. This makes me a little nervous about the later books in the series, because I've heard that they are even slower than this.
Assuming you're reading the first book; it was originally written as a standalone with the potential for more books if it sold well. If you think this book is slow, imagine reading The Fellowship for the first time So yes, the first part is a little bit of a drag. It really picks up when the leave the village, and then it goes into overdrive after the first town. The first six books are all fairly well written, with more-or-less self contained stories that play a role in the larger series. From books 6-10 the story starts to drag out, with new characters, new POV's and new subplots that do play a larger role but could have been edited better. By the end of Book 10, Crossroads of Twilight things really start to turn around and make the final push towards the end. Books 12-14 were written by Brandon Sanderson after the death of Robert Jordan, and used his notes to complete the story. It's a lot, so all I can recommend is be patient, do one book at a time, and don't hesitate to skim or even skip chapters that bore you I've read the whole series multiple times
I've read the entire series almost twice through and watched all three episodes twice now and I must say I am pleased so far. I really don't mind any of the changes and I'm really looking forward to seeing how they continue to adapt the story. I'm also happy to see how well it's doing. It's the top episode premiere on Amazon this year and in the top five of all time. Hopefully this means they'll be able to finish it.
Episode 4: Nynaeve al'Meara. Hell yeah. You forgot to mention Jordan's wife, Harriet McDougal, an experienced editor who worked with Jordan throughout, and picked Sanderson to finish the series. I've always felt the series' end was in good hands. Otherwise, great post.
Episode 4 was pretty great. I'll spoiler it since it just came out Spoiler I'm still not completely onboard with how the One Power is being depicted in effects. Especially the opening with Logain's powers although the manifestation of madness shadows was actually kinda cool, but the shielding effects used did look really good later on. The casting of Thom was great, love the actor and how he's playing him. Nynaeve's power burst ending was fantastic. Shame that Karene was killed so soon. BTW. Slight book spoiler for Nynaeve's power level Spoiler Moiraine is one of strongest Aes Sedai. Karene was one of only two Aes Sedai stronger than Moraine... but Nynaeve is leagues above Moraine in raw strength. so to seen it manifest this way and show just how much raw strength she has in this healing explosion (which also fits her character) was awesome
Re: Nynaeve, yeah totally fits, not just her power level but that she exhibits it without a lick of Aes Sedai training. Episode 3 I saw hints of... Spoiler Lanaeve but this episode made it a thing in just the right way. (Can't remember quite how the books handled it. I think I still have Eye of the World on my shelves, I need to read it again.) Lan was awesome in this episode. Looking back, he was such an icon in the books but I never quite imagined what he would be like to just hang out with. He was relaxed, self-assured, and just effin' cool. Yeah, I'd follow this guy to the ends of whatever Earth we were on. The other Warders were likewise just perfect. You could feel the relationship between them and their Aes Sedai without having to be told about it. Nice.