They are officially making a Sword of Truth television series — yes, bloggers, I am late with this news, so sue me — and I am surprised. Not shocked (I mean, it was bound to happen; the books are bestsellers) but surprised. “Legend of the Seeker.” Not so bad, looks like. Also, I mean, the first two (or three) books were genuinely exciting and fun, and the fourth through sixth were… slow… and sloggy… then after that I felt like I would die inside to continue reading it. It got so boring. I’m a stickler for subplots being tight and well-dealt-with. I like consistent narration, or narration from distinct voices in situations that I care about. (See Sherwood Smith’s Inda books if you want to see the perfect example of that to which I am referring.) I don’t like it when the main plot of a hero story gets drowned by the subplots simply to perpetuate the series. Yes, Richard has to Save the World but come on, all the perspective switches make me nauseous. Really. I don’t need to care about 18 different narrators.
And then there were the blatant Wheel of Time take-offs. Sisters of the Light, Aes Sedai… oy. I used to really whine about that, and I still am annoyed. I wouldn’t have been so annoyed if it’d been done more uniquely and if it’d been plain old written better. Jim Butcher’s Codex Alera‘s books have trite moments, images, and devices, but he uses them in his own unique and wonderful way. (And come on, who doesn’t like the familiarity of the old tropes? I certainly love them and use them!) Tavi is, initially, a lot — a lot — like Garion in The Belgariad, but he’s so unusually himself. His story is so great. The perspective shifts and subplots are all tightly controlled, unique, and well-written. It’s part of the genre of heroic epic fantasy, but it’s not anything that’s come before it.
(I wonder if I love the Codex Alera books so particularly much because I figured Tavi’s big thing out by about what, chapter 3? Compared to my other epic fantasy series, when the secret came out past the middle in Wizard’s First Rule and at the frickin’ end of The Eye of the World. Like, just around the time Rand figures it out himself. Oy, still annoyed about that. But I was what, 15…? I was naive yet.)
ANYWAY. I will watch it. Because Wizard’s First Rule is a book I would recommend to anyone who likes epic fantasy — legitimately, the series really does jive with some people. Some people keep reading to be completionist, some think it’s brilliant. I think it had the potential to be one of the best had it been condensed and written better. (Robert Jordan has Terry Goodkind’s ass spanked in the raw writing talent department, just so you all know where I stand on the RJ/WoT vs. TG/SoT question.)
Hm. On that note, any browsers of this post have any new epic fantasy series recommendations? Having read the books posted on my Books page, I’m looking for a new epic series. I probably always am looking for a new series. Because there’s still so much out there…
