The Wheel of Time appendix i

Wheel of Time article — Originally featured in the Saga, Dec 2 3

It’s time for that discussion of imagination again, the Appendix i of our creativity, where Dane and Mike discuss what made them the creatives they are. This week we also add Cassi, who is a big part of the WoT fandom scene.

The Wheel of Time has long been a staple of our fantasy literary landscape. And now we have a TV show to go along with it! Let’s spin the wheel and see what threads we follow.

Mike:

I found the Wheel of Time in the mid ‘90s at the end of my high school career. I was pulled in by the cover, a great visual of the adventuring party leaving the small village. I enjoyed the story, and while I didn’t particularly connect with any of the characters, I loved the group dynamic. I loved the feel of an Aes Sedia and their Warden, which is a direct influence on the Archeon in SagaBorn. While I only made it through four of the fourteen books, I can say that those four books left a strong impression. How about the rest of you?

Dane:

I discovered it when I was in 8th grade in 1990. I had been reading fantasy novels for a few years and was in Waldenbooks looking for anything new or interesting. When I saw that cover, I grabbed it, and when I read it, it was like no fantasy book I’d read. I was intrigued particularly by the magic system and the idea of the wheel and its cycles or ages. I also didn’t connect with the main characters, but I was fascinated by Moiraine. She was complex, and I didn’t quite know what to make of her. I was into internal martial arts like Tai Chi and thought of chi as a sort of magical force that emerged when your mind was clear enough, so the biggest hook of that book was the practice of the flame and the void. I actually integrated that into my meditation practice, and it was useful.

It was around that time that my parents bought me a word processor, and I wrote five or six chapters of a novel that was directly inspired by the opening of The Eye of the World, with a kid being torn from his family to go on some high adventure. That story is long lost, and I had no idea where it was going, but it’s really what started my journey toward becoming a writer.

Cassi:

My longtime roommate, Jesse, has talked about Wheel of Time for years. I took a solo mental health vacation/cruise in 2014 and decided I needed a book series to escape to as well. Within a couple of months, I had devoured all of the books, and the next year, I attended my first JordanCon.

The Wheel of Time feels realistic to me in a way much fantasy does not, and that’s what drew me to it initially. The main characters, especially, could easily have been people I grew up with. Jordan really nailed the experience of having a friend group you’ve known forever. Everyone ends up in a place you’d never expect, grows in impressive ways, but still treats each other like they were kids. I love it.

Also, the WOMEN feel realistic. So many personalities, ambitions, complexities, and careers. While recent fantasy has been really upping the game in this department (hello, Locked Tomb series), regular human women were not featured in many fantasy books of the 20th century.

What kept me going in the first read was the deep immersion I had in the world. New characters, cultures, and plots continued to be introduced. It felt like experiencing a time period more than it felt like reading a story.

Mike:

I do think that is what has allowed the Wheel of Time to thrive for so long. It wasn’t just a boys club with the hot female elf who shows up for a bit. It is also so good at building an environment for these characters to grow.

Cassi:

What makes it stand out: Its immersive quality. After reading the books, I feel like I’ve BEEN to the countries it explores. I can remember what it felt like to be trapped at Dumai’s Wells and the chaos and horrors of the Last Battle.

What keeps it relevant: The books are complex, but the core story is not. The characters have to choose either the light or the dark over and over and over again. And they don’t always get it right every time. As a flawed human, I appreciate the struggle.

Mike:

So we once had a Wheel of Time Roleplaying game which was met with mixed reviews. I can not imagine trying to make a game based on a world that is so tied to an epic tale. I LOVE Tolkien, but I would never want to make an RPG set in Middle Earth, because everything will be second fiddle to the books.

But that doesn’t stop us from wanting to adventure in these lands. If you could make a game based in the Wheel of Time universe, what would it have to do to be compelling?

Dane:

I think it could be a fun RPG. It might make for a better RPG than it does fiction, especially if it’s set after the school for Asha’man (male Aes Sedai) is created (although it may struggle with some gender-related issues). I could imagine a very fun magic system. And, of course, you’d have playable Ogier, gleemen, warders (with their Aes Sedai bonds), and so on. There could be some interesting roleplay and gameplay dynamics.

Cassi:

I think you’d need to pick an aspect of the books to explore first before you’d be able to think about gameplay.

There are so many genres you could pull out of the story: political intrigue, exploring/escaping realistic dream worlds, guerrilla warfare, bubbles of evil attacking small villages. That last one would actually be a ton of fun to play and there are tons of great examples in the books. Reflections coming to life and attacking you, crystals rising from the ground and stabbing people, villagers turning on each other in murderous chaos every night but waking up alive in the morning.

Mike:

And now the most dangerous question, how do you feel about the TV show?

Cassi:

I love it! I generally have a positive view of adaptations, especially when there is a ton of source material. I want to experience the story anew, and I want to feel like I’m living in it. If I wanted to experience the books, I would read the books, you know?

I could easily point out things that annoyed me or that I interpreted differently, but overall it’s a blast to watch and have my friends who will NEVER read the books watch along with me.

Also, I dare any WOT fan to watch through season two and not absolutely bawl at the finale. Rafe has to mosaic a few things to make it all fit, but I think he deeply understands the heart of the story.

Dane:

I’ve enjoyed it more than the books. Besides the fact that it’s more fulfilling to see it unfold with talented actors (especially Rosamund Pike), the writers have given the characters more dimensions than they had in the books, where they all seemed to be defined by strange tics.

Mike:

Thanks for taking the time to talk you two! Any last thoughts?

Cassi:

Now I feel like I need another reread! Maybe after I wrap up the last few Discworld books…