Project WOT#1
The journey so far
A couple of weeks into the project, I have made a bit of progress. In fact, I am in a position to start drawing parallels between the first season of The Wheel of Time show and The Eye of the World.
Bookish thoughts
I have confirmed my 5* rating on this book. There is something uncanny about the world building in this series; it is complex and has multiple layers. There is so much information to digest, from the political and religious system (if it can even be called that), to the magic system, to the overall sense and feeling of the world.
In particular, I enjoyed the circularity elements of the story, and the resurrection associated with it. Somehow this part of the story truly speaks to me and the application of the idea through the story.
World building
I have been enjoying the idea of the Aes Sedai and the One Power being broken between the power accessible to women and the power accessible to men; the first being honed and used to help and develop the world (but also for purposes other than for the good of mankind). The second is the power with the potential to destroy the world (but also to save it).
Aes Sedai are women who can challenge the One Power and are trained in the White Tower of Tar Valon. There are also Ajahs, groups within the Aes Sedai and every Accepted needs to choose one. There are seven today and they do not always get along.
Men who can touch the One Power are considered a menace for the world and so they are gentiled, if they are the false dragon. And this process is as awful as the word is soft, with the additional caveat that there might be superficial investigation instead of the in-depth analysis that is expected in these situations, with the gentiling at hand.
So Rand’s ability to touch the One Power makes him a danger for himself and others. But it has also the potential to save the world, if he actually is the dragon reborn.
Characters
I mostly like the characters in this story; in fact, I truly like Moiraine and Lan, mysterious and stoic. They know what they are doing, they know what they want and they are working really hard to make that happen. I also like their relationship and how it is portrayed. I love that we have a fantasy story that can identify a male-female partnership and that it can work really well, despite the gender difference. And they know how to work with each other; this is the essential part of the story for me.
I enjoy the story for Egwene and Nynaeve. They are interesting characters together and independently. I think their portrayal in the live action has something left to be desired and I have no idea what is causing it; is it the writing or the portrayal? I don’t know what it is but I hope that they will improve over time. Nynaeve in particular has been a favorite of mine for a long time: young, strong, independent, capable and prone to anger. What is there not to love? Yet, in the show, maybe because there wasn’t enough time to show these aspects of Nynaeve are not coming across the right way; it feels that she is angry for no reason, and her competence is not coming across the same way that it should.
Mat is a character that in the books is not great; essentially he is flawed, without any reasons for it and without any redeeming factors. It’s just that he might be the dragon reborn.
In fairness, even Rand feels a pretty bland as a character. He has a lot of strength in his character but he really does not seem to have a lot of depth.
The best of the trio is, by far, Perrin and this is because he gets to experience a story that makes him responsible for his own destiny and pays attention to what happens to the people around him when he makes those decisions. I like also the magic system he is associated with.
Last but not least, honorable mention to Loial, the ogier who can provide his people with the right amount of knowledge, tranquility and strength.
Story told in different media
Now, the adaptation - and I have not gotten that far into it, in fairness - is interesting for a number of reasons.
The positive
First and foremost, it corrects the Mat problem: the story clarifies why he is so messed up and why he has redeeming qualities (his love for his little sisters). He is a character I can understand, I can understand his decisions and I can understand his decisions. He is flawed and he is flawed for horrible reasons and, sometimes, he tries to do his best with the limited resources he has and makes bad decisions for good reasons.
Moiraine and Lan are great characters also in this version of the story. They have gravitas, they command the screen when they are on. Not only they know their stuff but they are also incredibly great individually and together. It also shows how men and women not only can work together but they can also be close friends. I love everything about this portrayal. And yes, part of it comes from the original story, but the reality is that the adaptation has improved this relation!
The show has amazing visuals. From the great shots of the world to the action shots. While the special effects are still not there, I find that the visuals are incredibly appealing to me, probably make for half of the appeal of the tv show!
The improvement
On the less appealing part of the adaptation, I find myself annoyed at a few things. First and foremost, I find that the tv show diminished the women’s circle and the value of the braid. Maybe there was not enough time to digest the content in this format but it still bothered me because this impacted the way that I perceived Nynaeve. She is a strong, independent woman who gets angry for a reason. The show, instead, makes her an angry person. She is not an angry person, that is not the trait that defines her. It’s the trait she shows, sometimes, when she cares about people. So I find myself disappointed in the way I do not love her in the show. And the same shadow extends to Egwene. I never really cared too much for her, but I like her abilities and her powers. Yet, she is significantly more interesting in the book than I have seen so far in the show. Let’s see if this bias will change over time.
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Have you read the series and/or watched the show? What are the things that you liked and did not like about the show? Or about the book? What are the aspects of the show that improved the bookish series in your opinion? Comment down below with a ring emoji!
