Wheel of Time
This was something I wrote a while back. Entered it in a contest about favorite books in a local newspaper. Sadly, it didn't win. Read it, maybe you have better taste than the judges.
There have been times I’ve asked myself what my favorite book was. Was it the book I enjoyed the most? The book which has made the greatest impact on my life? The book I used as a pillow whenever I wanted to take a nap? These questions consumed me. It led to many sleepless nights (especially when I couldn’t find a good book for a pillow). Then it occurred to me one afternoon while I was arguing with my wife about Rand, Nynaeve, Elayne and Mat. My wife was bugging me to tell her what’s going to happen to Rand and Elayne. “Magkakatuluyan ba sila?” she asked. I tried changing the topic but she persisted until I gave in, by making up a wild story that included a ménage a trois (that’s a story I’m afraid I can’t tell you). “This is the book I’m going to write about!” I thought. I would write about these characters from the Wheel of Time series (not the threesome of course) who have crept into the very fabric of our lives. This might not seem be the best gauge to decide a favorite book, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. And it’s a whole lot better than deciding your favorite book based on how comfortable it is to use as a pillow though I’ve slept on The Dragon Reborn once or twice (it’s not what you think, pervert!).
You’re probably wondering what it is about the Wheel of Time that would have this effect on me and my wife. Either that or you’re wondering what’s wrong with me. Well, whatever. Most of you have probably heard of an old trilogy called The Lord of the Rings (somebody told me that it was quite popular in the sixties). Robert Jordan, the Wheel of Time’s author, like most other fantasy writers, definitely read it. “Aaah… a book about elves and dwarves” you’re probably saying. Well not exactly and, YES, I like to use the word ‘probably’ a lot. But I digress. The Wheel of Time is a fantasy in the sense that it takes place in another world and there is some sort of magic involved. But that’s just the setting. The real beauty of the books in the series is in the convoluted storyline and the painstaking attention to characterization and cultural details. It’s the little details that lure you into Robert Jordan’s vibrant world and make you want to stay there.
Let’s start with the characters. Most of the books I’ve read had me empathizing with one or two characters, but that’s it. Rarely have I read a book wherein I empathize with so many characters, but in the Wheel of Time I do. I cry with the characters and I die with them. Yes, there is death. And in Robert Jordan’s world, it’s permanent. No rising from the grave here (uhrmm… Gandalf). Excuse me, I had this thing stuck in my throat. I think it was a hobbit. As I was saying, before I was so rudely infringing on copyrights, you really care about the characters in the Wheel of Time. As you travel with them on their journey, it’s like seeing your pamangkins grow up before your eyes. You experience them getting more mature and see the consequences of the decisions they make as their priorities change. The characterization is complex, but not too complex to be inaccessible. What I’m trying to get at is that Robert Jordan has breathed life into each character in the series. The characters are as real as they get.
Take Rand for instance, he started out as a shy, quiet, country boy. But by the middle of the series he has become a cold, calculating man with a giant chip on his shoulder. And the transition, while not that unusual, is not forced. I’ve seen what he went through and though I may not like with what he has become, I understand the reasons for being the way he is. It may sound corny, but I actually felt his pain every time a girl died because of who he was and what he is.
The women of the Wheel of Time are another matter. While not exactly a feminist, Robert Jordan certainly took gender sensitivity classes. I had to check whether the author really was a man midway through the first book. The women in the series are strong, and not merely the lawn ornaments they usually are in fantasy novels. Yet they still manage to be feminine enough for me to actually have a crush on one of them (Liandrin, but don’t tell my wife). Where can you find a woman stab a trolloc (a half-animal, half-human beast) and think about whether she looks good in a particular dress on the same page? And where else can a woman with the title Daughter of the Nine Moons be a little brat? In Middle-Earth? I think not.
Then there is the matter of cultural detail. You could drown in the richness of detail in Robert Jordan’s world. Each region, each race, has its own peculiar customs and traditions. Take the Domani women for instance who use their womanliness (no, it’s not a woman who makes linis) to get what they want. The sea-folk bare their breasts when they reach the open sea (just think about it, no tan lines!) And the Aiel, the stone-faced, stone-hearted Aiel. They’ve been away from the other races for so long they might as well be from another planet. They’ve even forgotten about their past by choice. And the way they take a bath gives new meaning to the term hothouse. The tinkers are what I like to think of as pacifist gypsies. They follow the Way of the Leaf which if everybody adopted would surely bring about the much answered (in beauty pageants) but never attained “world peace” (I kid you not!).
Let’s get to the meaty part, the story. The plot is not exactly original. I mean how original can you get without going back in time and stealing Tolkien’s manuscript? But Robert Jordan does serve up an appetizing dish. In case you’re wondering about the adjectives (meaty, appetizing, dish) it’s past 8 PM and I’m getting hungry. But I digress again. Robert Jordan manages to hold the attention of the reader through ten books as of writing. The pace is as far from Ludlum as it gets but the meandering subplots make for a more satisfying read. You get caught up in the stories revolving around the characters like drunken moths to a flame. But that doesn’t mean that the main plot is given less attention. I could still recall the rising excitement that I felt as prophecies about the Dragon Reborn were fulfilled in an excruciatingly slow progression.
The driving plotline behind the books is the series of events that lead up to the Last Battle, or Tarman Gaidon. Things get more complicated along the way as sub-plots intertwine in ways that made me wish I’ve paid more attention to the knot tying lessons I slept through during my boyscout days (“this can’t be of any use to me when I grow up”, if only I’d known!). Speaking of knots, let me explain the ‘magic’ in the Wheel of Time. The basis of all the ‘magic’ in Robert Jordan’s world is Saidin and Saidar which might be likened to Yin and Yang, the male and female sources of energy (you might be asking what knots have to do with magic, believe me that was not a lame excuse for a segue). The manner of wielding these forces, channeling, are as different as men are from women. Certain characters, Aes Sedai, can weave (weave = knots, see? I wasn’t kidding) these forces to create a fireball, or maybe lightning bolts, even gateways (and this was not in Cubao). Most of the people who channel are women (probably because they attended Home Economics classes). Men who can channel are doomed to go mad (probably because of the taunting from people, “oh look, that man can weave such a delicate pattern”). You’re probably thinking how come I’m making fun of the book. Or maybe you’re counting the number of times I’ve used ‘probably’. First, I’m not making fun of the book. I love the series and can’t wait for book eleven which I’m told is about to be released. This is just the way I usually write, and think. Second, I’ve used the word ‘probably’ nine times. Ok, ok, enough with the lame jokes already. It’s time to get serious. The Wheel of Time is a great series no matter what I write about it. If you’re a fan of fantasy and have lots of time for reading, I recommend getting a copy of the first book, if it doesn’t get you hooked, don’t blame me. To each his own I always say. Reading the series has made me a much better person than I was before. I learned not to say “Blood and bloody ashes” every time I got singed by balefire, I finally learned how to pronounce Nynaeve’s name (that’s what the glossary is for, apparently) and I also have a flatter stomach now (wait, that’s from going to the gym). You’ll have to excuse me. I’ve been waiting for book eleven so long I’m going nuts. In ending I would like to use the words of another favorite writer of mine, Manix Abrera, to describe the Wheel of Time “ASTEEEG!”.
You’re probably wondering what it is about the Wheel of Time that would have this effect on me and my wife. Either that or you’re wondering what’s wrong with me. Well, whatever. Most of you have probably heard of an old trilogy called The Lord of the Rings (somebody told me that it was quite popular in the sixties). Robert Jordan, the Wheel of Time’s author, like most other fantasy writers, definitely read it. “Aaah… a book about elves and dwarves” you’re probably saying. Well not exactly and, YES, I like to use the word ‘probably’ a lot. But I digress. The Wheel of Time is a fantasy in the sense that it takes place in another world and there is some sort of magic involved. But that’s just the setting. The real beauty of the books in the series is in the convoluted storyline and the painstaking attention to characterization and cultural details. It’s the little details that lure you into Robert Jordan’s vibrant world and make you want to stay there.
Let’s start with the characters. Most of the books I’ve read had me empathizing with one or two characters, but that’s it. Rarely have I read a book wherein I empathize with so many characters, but in the Wheel of Time I do. I cry with the characters and I die with them. Yes, there is death. And in Robert Jordan’s world, it’s permanent. No rising from the grave here (uhrmm… Gandalf). Excuse me, I had this thing stuck in my throat. I think it was a hobbit. As I was saying, before I was so rudely infringing on copyrights, you really care about the characters in the Wheel of Time. As you travel with them on their journey, it’s like seeing your pamangkins grow up before your eyes. You experience them getting more mature and see the consequences of the decisions they make as their priorities change. The characterization is complex, but not too complex to be inaccessible. What I’m trying to get at is that Robert Jordan has breathed life into each character in the series. The characters are as real as they get.
Take Rand for instance, he started out as a shy, quiet, country boy. But by the middle of the series he has become a cold, calculating man with a giant chip on his shoulder. And the transition, while not that unusual, is not forced. I’ve seen what he went through and though I may not like with what he has become, I understand the reasons for being the way he is. It may sound corny, but I actually felt his pain every time a girl died because of who he was and what he is.
The women of the Wheel of Time are another matter. While not exactly a feminist, Robert Jordan certainly took gender sensitivity classes. I had to check whether the author really was a man midway through the first book. The women in the series are strong, and not merely the lawn ornaments they usually are in fantasy novels. Yet they still manage to be feminine enough for me to actually have a crush on one of them (Liandrin, but don’t tell my wife). Where can you find a woman stab a trolloc (a half-animal, half-human beast) and think about whether she looks good in a particular dress on the same page? And where else can a woman with the title Daughter of the Nine Moons be a little brat? In Middle-Earth? I think not.
Then there is the matter of cultural detail. You could drown in the richness of detail in Robert Jordan’s world. Each region, each race, has its own peculiar customs and traditions. Take the Domani women for instance who use their womanliness (no, it’s not a woman who makes linis) to get what they want. The sea-folk bare their breasts when they reach the open sea (just think about it, no tan lines!) And the Aiel, the stone-faced, stone-hearted Aiel. They’ve been away from the other races for so long they might as well be from another planet. They’ve even forgotten about their past by choice. And the way they take a bath gives new meaning to the term hothouse. The tinkers are what I like to think of as pacifist gypsies. They follow the Way of the Leaf which if everybody adopted would surely bring about the much answered (in beauty pageants) but never attained “world peace” (I kid you not!).
Let’s get to the meaty part, the story. The plot is not exactly original. I mean how original can you get without going back in time and stealing Tolkien’s manuscript? But Robert Jordan does serve up an appetizing dish. In case you’re wondering about the adjectives (meaty, appetizing, dish) it’s past 8 PM and I’m getting hungry. But I digress again. Robert Jordan manages to hold the attention of the reader through ten books as of writing. The pace is as far from Ludlum as it gets but the meandering subplots make for a more satisfying read. You get caught up in the stories revolving around the characters like drunken moths to a flame. But that doesn’t mean that the main plot is given less attention. I could still recall the rising excitement that I felt as prophecies about the Dragon Reborn were fulfilled in an excruciatingly slow progression.
The driving plotline behind the books is the series of events that lead up to the Last Battle, or Tarman Gaidon. Things get more complicated along the way as sub-plots intertwine in ways that made me wish I’ve paid more attention to the knot tying lessons I slept through during my boyscout days (“this can’t be of any use to me when I grow up”, if only I’d known!). Speaking of knots, let me explain the ‘magic’ in the Wheel of Time. The basis of all the ‘magic’ in Robert Jordan’s world is Saidin and Saidar which might be likened to Yin and Yang, the male and female sources of energy (you might be asking what knots have to do with magic, believe me that was not a lame excuse for a segue). The manner of wielding these forces, channeling, are as different as men are from women. Certain characters, Aes Sedai, can weave (weave = knots, see? I wasn’t kidding) these forces to create a fireball, or maybe lightning bolts, even gateways (and this was not in Cubao). Most of the people who channel are women (probably because they attended Home Economics classes). Men who can channel are doomed to go mad (probably because of the taunting from people, “oh look, that man can weave such a delicate pattern”). You’re probably thinking how come I’m making fun of the book. Or maybe you’re counting the number of times I’ve used ‘probably’. First, I’m not making fun of the book. I love the series and can’t wait for book eleven which I’m told is about to be released. This is just the way I usually write, and think. Second, I’ve used the word ‘probably’ nine times. Ok, ok, enough with the lame jokes already. It’s time to get serious. The Wheel of Time is a great series no matter what I write about it. If you’re a fan of fantasy and have lots of time for reading, I recommend getting a copy of the first book, if it doesn’t get you hooked, don’t blame me. To each his own I always say. Reading the series has made me a much better person than I was before. I learned not to say “Blood and bloody ashes” every time I got singed by balefire, I finally learned how to pronounce Nynaeve’s name (that’s what the glossary is for, apparently) and I also have a flatter stomach now (wait, that’s from going to the gym). You’ll have to excuse me. I’ve been waiting for book eleven so long I’m going nuts. In ending I would like to use the words of another favorite writer of mine, Manix Abrera, to describe the Wheel of Time “ASTEEEG!”.
posted by myklvncnt @ 3:26 PM
1 Comments:
Just another wheel of time fan. =)
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