> No. I don't think it makes him a great writer at all. Initially, he was going to write a trilogy. Then he was going to stretch it out a little longer. Then longer. Then he was going to make it ten. Now he says he couldn't possibly finish it in less than twelve. To me, not having even read the books, this is an indication of a major fault as a writer. He is apparently not capable of keeping the beast he started under control. Regardless of whether or not his books are good, this in itself is bad.

Hmm, an interesting POV. Certainly you could look at his proliferation of novels in that manner, but as I can only go on what I've experienced so far, if - as a writer - you encounter/create a world and a set of characters and a culture that works so well that it does - almost literally - take on a life of its own, that would seem to be a very special thing. A good story ought to have a life of its own, and should not be a regimented thing that must star here and end there.

Someone told me once (and they may have been quoting someone else) that a story ends when it ends, and not before. But as I've still got a way to go with this series, perhaps there is a chance I'll find his work becoming tired and overlong ... We shall see : )

> Second point. I am told by others (correct me if I'm wrong) that starting around book four, give or take, he has become incapable of saying "she took a bath" but rather must expound on the temperature of the water, the particular scent and composition of the soap, the length of time the bath took, and so on. If this is in fact the case, this is also a major fault, and this attention to detail should not be mistaken for a responsibly thorough job of world- and atmosphere-building. One of the most important lessons a writer may learn is what to leave *out*.

Agreed - it is important for a writer to know 'what to leave out'. But this sounds more like a fault in his editors - if it should be proven so - than in the writer himself. Most writers have a strong sense of ego and ownership of their characters and the worlds they make, and thus tend to be exactlingly precise or overly wordy in how they describe things ... hence, God gave us editors : )

> I can't imagine *any* story that can't be told in less than twelve 1000-page books.

I cannot imagine the possibility that there isn't a story that can't be told in such a manner .... how long is the Bible, for example? How many books are encompassed in it? ; - )

Now maybe if you read around the details like bath water temperatures, the Wheel of Time is the most riveting, engrossing tale ever, and I can't dispute that until when and if I've read them. But that's a different argument than whether or not Jordan is a "great" writer and whether or not Wheel of Time is a "great" series of books. However, riveting they may be, I fail to see how either can be "great."

Hmm, well I'm not sure I meant he was a great writer as in the classical sense of the word; perhaps I ought to have been more careful with the word I used; talented and clever, certainly. Will this series of books hold up to the passage of time? I've no idea - it is possible; it includes thematic archetypes that have the potential to translate over many generations, borrowing from myth, legend and ancient religious beliefs ... So IMHO the series is clever, and a great series (so far) ... purely a personal reaction.

> > would love to see these books turned into film - on the one hand; it probably wouldn't be practical, and a part of me is afraid these marvelous stories would suffer in the transition from page/imagination to cgi/celluloid ...
>
> Unless you're willing to have 90% of the story cut out, you'll never get a movie version that resembles the series without it being a mini-series the size of "War and Remembrance." Of course, if they cut out the bath water details, maybe they'd be able to do it after all. :-)

LOL You are quite right! I agree completely - better to have the film in one's mind, than to sacrifice it so that ads. for Coke can be slotted in during prime time viewing periods ...

Sam, I would be interested to hear what you think of the books if/when you have the opportunity of reading them. I admit that these novels have been my first outting into fantasy that has been agreeable - have tried other novels (can't recall the titles now) that were dull, lacking characters and seemed liked wordy nintendo games ... The only other novel I've enjoyed in a similar vein was The Mists of Avalon ... read it?