I have never read Jordan and, after all this discussion, I am not tempted to. But if this list is going to discuss other writers, let me recommend Guy Gavriel Kay. Although he has written other books, his blockbusters are Sailing to Sarantium, Lord of Emperors (a 2 volume alternate history of Byzantium), Tigana (an alternate history taking place in "Italy"), The Lions of Al-Rassan (and alternate history taking place in "Iberia"), and A Song for Arbonne (an alternate history taking place in "France"). The stories all take place on an alternate earth and the geography is slightly twisted, but the places are recognizable. Wonderful fantasy. On Thu, 23 Jan 2003, Andrew Lias wrote: > >>Note to self: Stay away from the Wheel of Time....... > > > >I started at the very beginning, when the first book came out. If I had > >known how long it would go, or how complex it would get, I never would have > >started it. > > > >Until about Book Six I would have told you to go read it, but now, I'm not > >so sure. > > That's my situation, as well. I like the story, and I honestly do think > that Jordan is a talented and creative writer, but he's simply too verbose > for his own good. The prologues, alone, are typically a few hundred pages > long, and it's come to the point where it seems like only one or two plot > points are actually advanced in any given book... and there has been at > least one book where I've felt like nothing at all was accomplished. > > By now, I've invested so much into reading them that I feel compelled to see > it through to the end (please, oh please, let it end!), but I've been > telling my friends that they should wait until the series is done before > they start, presuming that they want to start. > > _________________________________________________________________ > The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE* > http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail >