As far as epic fantasy series are concerned, few are as broad, detailed, or as long as Robert Jordan’s 14-volume masterpiece, The Wheel of Time. The sheer size of this series, the number of characters, the dozens of unique points of view, and the multiple intertwining plot arcs can make reading this series an intimidating task.
Therein lies Jordan’s genius. His storytelling ability is beyond incredible. He merely mentions things in passing within the first 150 pages of the first book in the series, The Eye of the World, that become central plot points five books later.
The pace of the early books is fantastic. As readers become immersed in the world Jordan created and come to love many of the characters, the pages fly beneath one’s fingertips.
However, the pace slows down considerably during the middle books. There is even a name for this: the Slog. These books are shorter. Characters with significant story arcs are rotated, with usually one of them on pause in each of the books.
The books said to make up the slog are A Crown of Swords, The Path of Daggers, Winter’s Heart, and Crossroads of Twilight, books 7 through 10. Some even include the sixth volume, Lord of Chaos, in the Slog, but it’s incredible ending often earns it a pass.
Is The Wheel of Time Slog a real thing, or just some readers being too critical?
The Slog is mostly myth
In truth, the Slog is more myth than reality. Yes, the story does indeed slow down from the breakneck pace of the earlier entries in the season. This is because all five major characters — Rand, Perrin, Egwene, Mat, and Elyane — are involved in their own significant subplots. While there is some intermingling of these storylines, for the most part, they exist on their own and take quite a bit of time to tell.
All of those separate plots occur simultaneously. By spreading them out over four books, Jordan is able to give each plotline the attention it needs to be told fully.
One can make the case that Jordan spends too much time on each character’s inner reflections, as is argued by The Great Blight in this excellent article on the topic, or that he gets bogged down in detailed descriptions. These are fair criticisms. On the other hand, the obnoxious Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus-esque treatment of the characters that occasionally overwhelms some of the earlier books starts to subside in these middle installments before sliding away almost completely when in the final books in the series, which were written by Brandon Sanderson following Jordan's death.
There is so much character and story development in these books, and so many important events take place. Each of the main characters has at least one major event that is significant to the future of the story. For a story this detailed, it is important that these watershed moments are told correctly.
Readers also see each of the main characters, and many of the second and third-tier characters, mature and become more fleshed out than they were in the earlier installations. That is done with care and intention on Jordan’s part. Within the pages of these middle books, readers can connect even more closely with so many of these beloved characters.
According to The Great Blight site, the 14 Wheel of Time books include well over 11,000 pages, nearly 3,000 named characters, almost 150 unique points of view, and over 4.2 million words. That is a lot of storytelling. There will be lulls, peaks and valleys, and slower-paced action here and there.
One can be a little frustrated if Winter’s Heart ignores Egwene or if Jordan leaves too much time between updates to this storyline or that one. Everyone has their favorite plots and characters. I love Elayne, but too much time is spent on her attempt to claim the Lion Throne. It bugs me how spaced out Perrin’s plot is. Of course, I have read these books at least five times, so I know what is coming, and part of this is my anxiousness to get to some of those meaty parts of each plot arc.
Jordan isn’t a perfect writer; he is oftentimes too detailed with his descriptions and his characters sometimes act childish and immature. His portrayal of how the different genders relate to each other is archaic. But as a storyteller, the way he brings along his plots and develops his characters over time reveals his mastery of his craft.
The middle books serve a very important purpose in this series. They bridge the fast-paced brilliance of the first several books and the last several, but they also contain a multitude of important events and scenes. These books set up for the finale that is coming and the story would be incomplete without them.
Enjoy these middle books as you do the rest of the series. The Slog is a myth. Savor these books in spite of their occasional flaws. They are as important to the overall tale as any others; they are just presented in a slightly different manner.
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