Poll Amazon Prime Fantasy Series: Lord of the Rings or The Wheel of Time

[The Nth Doctor]

How is The Fall of Gondolin? I know that it's more in line with Beren and Luthien than Children of Hurin, but it's my favorite of the Great Tales.

I haven't read Beren and Luthien or Children of Hurin yet (although I have a copy of the latter floating around somewhere), so I can't comment on any similarities in presentation and style. The original tale is only about 75 pages, followed by various other versions. I'm still on the original, which I'm enjoying, but it's very thick with Tolkien prose so sometimes it's easy to get lost in the descriptions. I don't recall ever reading an earlier version of the tale but it's been many years since I've read The Silmarillion.

One of the biggest highlights is new artwork from Alan Lee: 8 gorgeous color plates disbursed throughout the book and 15 chapter-header sketches. There's also an extensive appendix, a few family trees (I believe Christopher noted in the preface that one of them is slightly modified from one that appears in Beren and Luthien), and a map. I don't know how newly detailed the map is since I haven't looked at any First Age maps in ages, but it is lovely.

 

[The Lensman]

I haven't read Beren and Luthien or Children of Hurin yet (although I have a copy of the latter floating around somewhere), so I can't comment on any similarities in presentation and style.

Children of Hurin was presented as a novel length story, where Beren and Luthien was a more scholarly work, collecting all the different versions of the story so one could see the evolution of the tale. I believe it was done this way because there just wasn't a version complete enough to present as a single story. The Fall Of Gondolin is presented in the manner of the latter, collecting the various versions of the tale.

I don't recall ever reading an earlier version of the tale but it's been many years since I've read The Silmarillion.

The Lost Tales Vol. 2 contains an earlier and much more detailed version of the story, IIRC. I bought the book for that reason alone. There are some differences in names and other details, but overall the same story.

 

[Zod]

I haven't read the wheel of time but adore Tolkien. I have been watching the Men of the West channel on youtube and its getting me back into the lore in a big way. I've read the trilogy, hobbit and silmirilion. I see Tolkien's son is still putting out stuff! I have to start reading the other stuff.

 

[Greg Cox]

Never read Wheel Of Time because I don't have that much time to invest in a series that seems mediocre. But then I don't read much new fantasy and would rather they adapt the Champion Eternal books, the Amber series or Fafhrd and The Gray Mouser stories instead.

You beat me to the punch. I was just going to post about Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser.

As for CONAN, nobody should ever judge the character on the basis of that wretched live-action show back in the nineties. That's like judging STAR TREK on the basis of "Spock's Brain" or STAR WARS on the basis of the Holiday Special.

 

[The Lensman]

You beat me to the punch. I was just going to post about Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser.

Although when it comes to Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, I prefer the earlier stories before the duo ended up on that remote island and got married. The stories around that time are just not as fun or engaging, and Leiber seemed more interested in trying his hand at soft core porn as some of the stuff in those stories just seemed weirdly out of place.

Have you ever read the Chaykin / Mignola mini-series from the early 90's? That was my introduction to the duo, and before the third issue was out, I'd obtained all the books. That series is pretty much how I see their world in my head when I'm reading the books. While I was already a fan of Mignola, it was this series and his adaptation of the first Corum series that made me a big fan. I wish he'd drawn the second two books in the Corum series as I would've loved to see him draw the Champion Eternal team up that happens in the third book.

I've read the trilogy, hobbit and silmirilion.

Last year I set out to read all of the Middle Earth stuff in "in universe" order even though I know it's really not meant to be read that way. So I compiled a list that would tell me what book or story in another book to read in which order. I was doing great until I hit the Hobbit and everything went off the rails. That book is just too different from what comes before and after, for me to really enjoy it. I pretty much just like the callbacks to the First Age. Just picked up a sweet set of Lord Of The Rings illustrated by Alan Lee, so I really want to finish the whole thing with that set. At this point I'm trying to decide if I want to start over or not. I do love the Silmarillion and the First Age most, but it's been decades since I've actually read LotR.

 

[Desert Kris]

Last year I set out to read all of the Middle Earth stuff in "in universe" order even though I know it's really not meant to be read that way. So I compiled a list that would tell me what book or story in another book to read in which order. I was doing great until I hit the Hobbit and everything went off the rails. That book is just too different from what comes before and after, for me to really enjoy it. I pretty much just like the callbacks to the First Age. Just picked up a sweet set of Lord Of The Rings illustrated by Alan Lee, so I really want to finish the whole thing with that set. At this point I'm trying to decide if I want to start over or not. I do love the Silmarillion and the First Age most, but it's been decades since I've actually read LotR.

I did something similar, a year or so before the Peter Jackson movies started coming out. I had already read TLotR, and did a mangled attempt to read The Hobbit. The second time around it worked well. Struggled my way through The Silmarillion and eventually was enjoying it once it hit it's stride. There were a few hiccups with The Children of Hurin section (I didn't like elements of other Rapunzil and similar types of stories getting mixed into the larger narrative). After The Silmarillion, The Hobbit was such an easy breezy read! I was grateful for the shift to lighter reading. It was nice to shift gears that way, and the "easter eggs" that were scattered from the Silmarillion into The Hobbit made it very worthwhile. The disadvantage with The Hobbit is one or two sequences that are deliberately repetitive; I'm thinking of the sequence where Gandalf introduces the dwarves one at a time to the were-bear man so he isn't overwhelmed and annoyed.

 

[JD]

Don't. It's seriously derivative, repetitive, and duller than dishwater, taking most of 4 books as lengthy as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to actually get anywhere.

And I'm with Fireproof on this one in terms of not being interested in either show. Middle-earth will forever be associated with Peter Jackson and Co. for me and I have no interest in seeing anybody else try to match their representation of it, and, as I noted, the WoT novels are crap.

Instead of adapting shit and rehashing something that has already been done well, Hollywood producers should instead option something new, such as Brandon Sanderson's original works (either his Cosmere [Mistborn, Wax and Wayne, The Stormlight Archive, Elantris, Warbreaker, and White Sand], his Infinity Blade tie-ins, his Legion series, or his YA stuff like The Rithmatist and Steelheart), anything written by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman (either solo, together, or with other partners), or any of R.A. Salvatore's original series or his "Forgotten Realms tie-ins.

I'm three books into the Wheel of Time myself, and, yeah, I don't recommend it. It's not bad by any means, but unless you've exhausted the entire fantasy genre there's definitely something better that you could be reading instead. But with that said I am very interested in a TV adaptation. The framework of the story is solid and with a few tweaks to the pacing and characters we could end up with a pretty damn good series. The writers just have to be willing to make some big changes and upset the purists.

This is the first I've come across people not liking The Wheel of Time, pretty much all of the other times I've seen it discussed people were calling it one of the best fantasy series ever.
I actually haven't read it yet, but I do have the e-book version of the first book. The only reason I'm more interested in it than the LOTR series is because it's something new, and when it comes TV and movies I'm always more interested in something we haven't gotten before than something we have.
Although to be honest, of all of the fantasy series I know of, I'd probably go for an adaptation of Throne of Glass, The Stormlight Archive, or the Farseer books before I'd go for TWoT.

 

[Kelthaz]

The Stormlight Archive, Mistborn, and Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings books are definitely at the top of my list for what I want to see adapted. I also have a perverse desire to see someone actually attempt to adapt the Malazan books for TV.

 

[DigificWriter]

@JD: It's my opinion that most of the people who claim that The Wheel of Time is "one of the best Fantasy series ever" don't know what they're talking about, but we do live in a world where people are always finding enjoyment in things that aren't actually very good, so it doesn't really surprise me.

 

[JD]

I have to admit the main reason I got the first book was because of it's reputation more than the descriptions and stuff really making me want to read it. Luckily I only paid a buck or two for it, so if I don't like it, it's not like I wasted a ton of money on it.
Now, Stormlight Archive, Throne of Glass, and Farseer did actually catch my interest based on what I'd heard about the stories.

 

[Skywalker]

In terms of scope and worldbuilding, The Wheel of Time absolutely is one of the greatest fantasy sagas of all time. The problem was, the same story could have been told in half as many books.

 

[DigificWriter]

In terms of scope and worldbuilding, The Wheel of Time absolutely is one of the greatest fantasy sagas of all time.

I disagree. Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere books (especially The Stormlight Archive) are just as grand in scope as anything in The Wheel of Time, and also far more interesting in terms of their worldbuilding and the way they interconnect.

 

[Skywalker]

I disagree. Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere books (especially The Stormlight Archive) are just as grand in scope as anything in The Wheel of Time, and also far more interesting in terms of their worldbuilding and the way they interconnect.

It's okay to like them both. I certainly do.

 

[Kerock]

I thought WoT was a great series...but as it progressed it got way too complicated, so may characters and back stories...with books coming out 2 years apart it was hard to remember all the characters. Brandon Sanderson did a great job of pulling it all back together simplifying it and finishing it off. He spoke at FanX comic con and said all the characters in the last WoT books were Robert Jorden's except one he threw in as pure Brandon Sanderson...he didn't say which one though.

Super excited for both shows....hope they learn from Shannara. Sharnnara had so much potential and some great actors and effects - but came across as kind of low budget. Still I never turn my nose up from a good Fantasy show from classic Fantasy Books...there are so few of them.

 

[Set Harth]

The Fall Of Gondolin is presented in the manner of the latter, collecting the various versions of the tale.

I had no idea this thing was even being released!

I bought the book for that reason alone.

Me too!