Awesome review. It’s hard to find WoT content doing deep analysis without spoiling future books.
@olena17582 жыл бұрын
Just finished the video, you are so smart and cool x) really liked your predictions (not confirming or denying any by saying this) and it is fascinating how you remember so many small details and characters and predictions etc and are able to connect them with the plot. I flewwww through the series and didn't even remember some of the smaller characters and had to think for a few moments to know who I'm even reading about rn 😅 so wow, really impressive!! And it's so funny how you so genuinely say something egregiously mean about Egwene/Elaine and then chuckle yourself x)
@Smycoo2 жыл бұрын
Thanks so much! 😆 haha I guess I chuckle after that stuff because I just heard how wild what I said was and laugh at myself 😂
@TheAlmightyOAF2 жыл бұрын
Great review as per, thought we might not get a rant in bc of egwene’s small part but glad you shifted it to Elayne 🤣
@Smycoo2 жыл бұрын
Couldn’t not have a rant, wouldn’t be a smyco review without one 😂 Elayne came in clutch with the annoyance
@cwbuxton2 жыл бұрын
Awesome review! To me books 8, 9, and 10 seem like one big book. They just kind of all blurr together for me. It's quite slow going but some of my favourite moments in the series happen in them. The series picks up again in book 11 and is an absolute epic ride all the way to the end.
@Smycoo2 жыл бұрын
Thanks! Really looking forward to coming out of the slog. Heard great things for 11-14. Kinda sad that so many of Jordan's final entries are the slog though. I did enjoy book 8 a lot though despite how slow it felt.
@muncus95992 жыл бұрын
Haven't read this one yet, I'm half way through the Lord of chaos but I'm tickled that you are still making these I thought you were done. Thank! Can wait to watch this in a couple weeks. Your book reviews are the best.
@Smycoo2 жыл бұрын
You’re too kind! 😁 Have fun with 6 and 7. They’re great reads!
@stophinder81412 жыл бұрын
Lots of things to say,. First off, good review and as you said the slog is mainly famous because of the wait between books and the slow development of main plots during those books...Now being able to binge it, it feels actually ok because there is a lot of character development and some very good scenes as well. The rest comes later in the finale when Sanderson picked up the serie. Few things to add but I will try to keep it short: - Perrin, Faile and Berelain... good luck is all i will say :) - Padan Fain is indeed bad ass in this book. Remember he also controlled Machin Shin in the Great Hunt when they tried to use the Ways... - Good point on Rand trying to build up his own self esteem while suffering what we can call PTSD from that terrible time in the box. RJ description of this surely comes from his tours in Vietnam and even if it's not his own reflection, probably from friends of his suffering from it. It just keeps on giving emotion wise. - Being conflicted on Cadsuane... Yeah i think that's probably the consensus for every reader ever :) - Rand getting up after being healed. I'm fairly sure it's Flynn who healed him and he uses the "new method" using all five weaves (same as Nynaeve discovered) and this doesn't make you as powerless as the "usual" method using only 3 weaves. - Good catch on the Ghostbuster crossing the stream of Balefire relevance. RAFO but it is indeed important. - You read correctly, Sammael is indeed killed by Machadar. - Ahhhh Egwene starts to be ok now :) She is my least char close to Nynaeve until that book, then becomes gradually one of my favorite char. Let's see if that happens to you as well :). Well, obviously i don't count Elayne who is still annoying as hell... - Yeah Lan's back :) - Mat is a gem... yes :) - You're right about the whole Tylin/Mat rape situation. It's one of the biggest flaw of the serie that i think everyone with a bit of sense acknowledges. It's usually explained by RJ being an old white dude writing in the 90's. Not a perfect serie obviously... About heroes of the legend reincarnation. Birgitte explicitly says that they are waiting in Tel’aran’rhiod until being reborn, so if you've seen them appearing from the horn of Valere, they are not reborn. May you find water and shade.
@Smycoo2 жыл бұрын
Thanks! I hadn’t even realised that method Nynaeve found bypasses that, must’ve forgotten that detail as soon as I read it haha. Thanks for reminding about everyone waiting in tel’aran’rhiod too that escaped my mind. I was just focusing on it because it reminded me of the Karaethon cycle. 😁
@stophinder81412 жыл бұрын
@@Smycoo No probs, Enjoy new readers perspective :) How do you feel knowing you' re not even half way through the serie?
@Smycoo2 жыл бұрын
@@stophinder8141 I’m realllly excited for things to come! I have most viewings, visions, foretelling etc. noted so there’s a bunch of stuff I’m waiting to see. Really looking forward to seeing how the emond’s fields boys’ arcs progress too. Knowing I’m 7 books in and only halfway actually feels great!
@stophinder81412 жыл бұрын
@@Smycoo Nice!. Aye on every reread i do, i always feel like a void when i finish the serie, and wish i could start fresh with my memory wiped out of it so i can experience it again for the first time. I don't know which other fantasy series you've read but i can tell you from experience that this serie is probably the best on finishing to the highest note ever. I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the journey even when the travelling slows down a bit and takes time to roam into side streets before crossing back to the main road.
@JamesEatonMedia2 жыл бұрын
I had a similar reaction to this one. Plenty of good content (character development) with a little less action. Still enjoying this series as well.
@anonymouslyopinionated6562 жыл бұрын
26:33 .. err.. you nailed it. what did you expect from her?
@olena17582 жыл бұрын
Yeah right?? I was reading and waiting for the slog and it never came, I was sooo invested through the whole thing x)
@Smycoo2 жыл бұрын
How did you feel about book 8? I finished yesterday and while it was slower, didn't think it was a slog either.
@olena17582 жыл бұрын
@@Smycoo I liked that one too. To be honest I got so obsessed that I just wouldn't stop until I finished the whole series, I would finish one book and immediately start the next one 😅 the only part I could see being sloggy is winter's heart. I personally still liked it, but it covers Perrin/Faile stuff and I could see why someone would find it not very interesting. They are quite annoying, but I think they are still made for each other and help each other grow and love each other so much etc, Faile just likes some extra drama and spice 😬 Someone commented somewhere that you could just skip winter's heart, but I strongly disagree, it still is very much crucial to the plot and there are many important discoveries and character defining moments. In conclusion you should probably prepare yourself for winter's heart because of some plot lines, but I think you definitely won't regret it 🙌
@alexmartini32832 жыл бұрын
im also so happy elayne and nynaeve made such a horrible deal with the seafolk. id like to think it might humble them a bit but i know thats a long shot
@Smycoo2 жыл бұрын
I don’t think those two are capable of such a development… 🤦🏽♂️
@muncus95992 жыл бұрын
I just finished this book. I was worried going into it but it was super solid! your takes on these books are great.
@Smycoo2 жыл бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it! I liked it a lot more than I expected too! 😁
@mcina0012 жыл бұрын
My theory for why Rand is SO hung up on not killing women: the more Lews Therin’s voice pervades his mind, the more guilt he carries about harm to women. After all, LTT killed his beloved Ilyena. I won’t reveal whether this is something that is fact or fiction; it is only a hypothesis I had when I first read through books 5-7 and Lews’ voice became a thing. As you mentioned, Rand killed a woman without remorse in book 3 (before the LTT voice was a thing). Also, I 100% agree with you that Rand has not been winning against Forsaken solo. Even against Asmodean it was pretty much a draw. Lanfear kinda saved him there. I concur with your views on the Mat/Tylin dynamic (could have been portrayed differently to make it less cringeworthy) and the Mat//Birgitte relationship (a beautiful thing).
@Smycoo2 жыл бұрын
Hm that's an interesting take. I never made the connection that he only started getting like that after LTT showed up. At the moment what I'm thinking is that there's 2 Rands like what I said in the review and then you have the situation like Mat where he has his past life memories and the two are kinda mixing together. It's definitely one of the many mysteries I'm looking forward to finally getting the answer to!
@mcina0012 жыл бұрын
@@Smycoo Excited for you to read and find out (RAFO)! I love your pontifications. Some are right, some are dead wrong, but all are enjoyable. I look forward to hearing you complain about all of the future Elayne and Egwene POV’s and shenanigans haha. What do you think of Faile? I’m glad you like Nynaeve at least. She’s a lot of people’s fav character (including mine).
@Smycoo2 жыл бұрын
@@mcina001 I still like her but she wouldn't be a favourite at the moment. I'm finished book 8 now and i can't really dislike her for how she acts with Perrin now that we knows it's pretty much the result of Saldaean culture 🤷♂
@VincentLarkin1Ай бұрын
Much better analysis than those other guys it is indeed tough to find good book reviews on the wheel of time…. What is that accent by the way?
@SmycooАй бұрын
I’m Irish but the amount of American tv I grew up watching influenced it so now I sound like this 😆
@nicholasbenjamin38262 жыл бұрын
The slog will depend on how plot driven you are. Jordan's got Perrin, Mat, Elayne, Rand, and Egwene already in separate parties. He's not done with the party splits. Four of these have major character moments timed to the same subplot, which means that you have a LOT of middle book stuff that these four have to get through before that other subplot advances enough that most of the four can do interesting things. Ergo if you just want to spend time with CharacterA the slog is great. If you want CharacterA to actually do something that resolves their subplot prior to book 11... On the plus side, Rand has cool shit to do. Everyone gets some cool moments. It's just the story structure for the books is all screwed up because Jordan screwed up the plotting.
@Smycoo2 жыл бұрын
Yea this is pretty much how I started looking at the slog. Normally I’m not that plot driven but Jordan has me heavily invested in seeing where this one goes so I’m still really enjoying things after finish book 8. And yeah the characters do have their moments throughout the books so I don’t ever get really that bored.
@philipgriessel53152 жыл бұрын
This review needed more Egwene slander...
@Smycoo2 жыл бұрын
I’m a fraud!! 😆 Hopefully she has more POVs in the future with more for me to complain about haha
@philipgriessel53152 жыл бұрын
@@Smycoo don't worry...
@TheRealMouseMan2 жыл бұрын
Would you suggest wheel of time for a newer fantasy reader? Also great video!
@Smycoo2 жыл бұрын
Thank you! I’m new to fantasy myself (this is like my 5ish series) so yeah I would highly recommend it! You just need to be prepared for 14 books and it’s paced like it too you don’t get too much in each book but the arcs contained within each entry are great imo. Also be prepared for certain characters to drive you crazy if you couldn’t gather that from my reaction to a couple of em 😂
@TheRealMouseMan2 жыл бұрын
@@Smycoo dont worry, so many books I’ve read had characters who drove me insane😂 i think i might be able to handle it…key word might😂
@spleeenb4uwere5512 жыл бұрын
Min isn’t just rands woman, she’s the good woman.
@anonymouslyopinionated6562 жыл бұрын
The harm her silliness and overestimation of her self causes Rand in KoD kind of negates the goodwill.
@thetheking2 жыл бұрын
wait im confused what's the real use of the oath rod ? and how does it effect ones age did i miss something or should i keep reading and it well be explained later. i'm currently on book 9.
@Smycoo2 жыл бұрын
The real use isn’t revealed in book 7 but basically when Sammael gave it to Sevanna, Sevanna noticed that he had a smirk on his face when saying “I guess you could call it an oath rod”. Then fast forward to when we find out the kin have far longer lifespans than Aes Sedai. The kin are channellers that left the white tower before they were raised to Aes Sedai. So the difference is the Kin haven’t used the Oath Rod. So I gathered from that that the Aes Sedai haven’t been using the Oath Rod properly and seen as Sammael said what he said it probably isn’t even being used for its actual purpose. Hence the shorter lifespans for Aes Sedai.
@Smycoo2 жыл бұрын
And to go on further. My guess as to why the Aes Sedai may have shorter lifespans than the Kin is because they swear on the Oath Rod not to lie but they still constantly try to tell half truths and wiggle around the oaths.
@thetheking2 жыл бұрын
@@Smycoo ahh that makes a lot of sense actually thanks for the reply :) great reviews by the way the best ive found for the wheel of time. i did have another thought i wanted to share, do you think Killing the dark one is even possible because it seems to me that the dark one is a part of the wheel just like everything else and wouldn't killing him also ruin the BALANCE of the pattern and pretty much end reality, its pretty obvious that balance is one of the main themes of the story so i also think that this question will be addressed most likely in the final 3 books. also what's up with the creator why did he create a world where humankind is forced into an endless fight against evil did he even create shai'tan or was the dark one a miscalculation , is is a test that we've failed over and over again but there is a solution that we haven't found yet or is he just trying to fuck with us and he is not all that benevolent ,but i don't think its that simple. just wanted to hear your thoughts about this, i don't know anyone that i can discuss wheel of time with and goddammit is this story worth talking about. so it would be interesting to hear a fellow first time readers thoughts about this you probably caught something that i missed.
@Smycoo2 жыл бұрын
@@thetheking I’d love to talk about this stuff with you more in depth. You should get discord if you don’t already have an account and join the server linked in the description. Would be easier to talk about it on there than the comments cos my thought on the Dark One are pretty messy…
@thetheking2 жыл бұрын
@@Smycoo ok that sounds good to me :)
@WheelUpTime2 жыл бұрын
Balefire doesnt leave a body, or anything. Its the one thing you cant come back from!
@Smycoo2 жыл бұрын
True but I thought instead of it being balefire that killed Sammael it was Mashadar in the past after balefire was used on the Mashadar mist around Liah.
@WheelUpTime2 жыл бұрын
@@Smycoo You may be correct, memories foggy (unintentional pun cant think of a better word). As far as we know (at this point at least) mashadar and balefire could be said to be equally impossible to come back from
@williamthomas57882 жыл бұрын
Tylin doesn't rape Mat. Mat could take a knife away from a Gholam. He could outfight Tylin if he really wanted to. She just comes on to Mat super-heavy. Mat thinks she's hot, and he's not opposed to having an affair with her. But her coming on to him and pressuring him makes Mat really uncomfortable.
@Smycoo2 жыл бұрын
I guess. He never gave consent though unless you count him not resisting as the same thing. If he did then I’ve forgotten when he did.
@anonymouslyopinionated6562 жыл бұрын
most woman-on-male rape follows this pattern... just because there is a degree of arousal doesn't mean it isn't rapey. it's not the most egregious case of rape, but it is.
@olena17582 жыл бұрын
Yeah, it made me really uncomfortable and I don't like how conflicted I feel about it 😬 I think anonymously opinionated characterized it the best - maybe it's not rape, but it's definitely rapy. I feel like he did enjoy it, did like the affair, but his ego was hurt and he was uncomfortable that it wasn't him doing the chasing but her. But he still liked her and found her hot and was even somehow honored to receive attentions from a queen. But he felt shy because it was so open and she was so face forward about it. On the other hand she had no way of knowing why he was resisting and still forced him to sleep with her, maybe he really didn't like her and was utterly uncomfortable and she just ignored it. It's a strange relationship that definitely doesn't start right and many boundaries are being crossed but sometimes it's still cute and fun and it ends on a nice note So yeah, conflicting 😬