Saturday, December 4, 2021

The Wheel of Time, a quick critique

For those of you not familiar, the One Power, the power that allows humans to do magic, is divided into two parts.  Saidin and saidar. Only women can use saidin and only men can use saidar.   Thousands of years ago the male side was tainted with evil and the men who used it went mad and destroyed the world.  The man who led that destruction has since been called The Dragon.  Prophesies say that The Dragon will be reborn and most believe that when he is, he will destroy the world again.

It's a good story and a good series of books.  Fourteen to be exact.  Eleven (I think) written by Robert Jordan before he died and the last three by Brandon Sanderson from Jordan's notes.   Of which he left many and detailed.

Amazon made a TV series.  Four episodes so far.  I have a few minor critiques of plot changes which don't necessarily make it worse, just different, and it has been enjoyable.  So far. They've changed a couple of the main characters in ways that make no sense to me and don't add to the story.  They've added details that don't make add anything to the story and could just as easily have been left out.

My main critique however would probably be that they seem bound and determined to finish the whole 14 volume cycle in two seasons or so, based on the pace that they have set.  I don't understand the rush.  If it is well done people will continue to watch.  Game of Thrones had eight seasons and having read both I think this is a better story.  

EXCEPT for the part where they completely changed the story and completely contradicted the whole premise.

Quote: The Dragon has been reborn but we don't know if as a boy or a girl.

Another quote, just in case you missed the first one: There have been many false dragons, women or men, who claimed the title.

Reborn as a girl and able to use the power that only men can use?

Women claiming to be able to use the power that only men can use?

I don't know what the driving force could possibly be but it has tainted every second that I watched, knowing that they completely missed or altered the premise of the series.  This also begs the question of how the story ends because

SPOILER ALERT

men and women have to work together at the end to destroy the ultimate evil that will break time if not stopped.   Together.  Each wielding the half of the power that only they can wield.

3 comments:

Brian said...

I think the shows pacing is for viewers who never read the books or even know what the books were about. Some characters have been diminished from the books and others elevated.

heresolong said...

Probably. But they are selling it to people who have read the books by calling it "The Wheel of Time". By default, a TV series based on the book series. If they are going to be honest they should call it "The Wheel of Time, loosely based on Robert Jordan's novels, in which we change everything that matters about the plot but keep the rough idea and the names of the characters".

John Wilder said...

Youch! I'll wait to see if it ends well before I start it.