[lawrenceRaider]

Originally Posted by DaFace

I think it's a combination of things. First, the worldbuilding is unlike anything else I've ever read. There are something like 2500 named characters across all of the books across dozens of nations, so it really feels like a place that exists where the story takes place rather than a tunnel with a little fluff around it. The characters themselves are engaging and interesting (especially for a teenage boy, which I was when I started reading them). The magic system has some thought behind it and limitations on what you can do with it, yet they continue to explore it as the series goes on.

Now, that said, the books aren't perfect. RJ had some...odd...perceptions about women and their motivations, which come across as a bit trite after a while. The slog is a real thing, though if you are interested in political machinations, I don't think it's bad. I don't think he ever figured out how to end it, which is why it might have actually been good for the story for Brandon to have to end it.

Almost more than anything, though, was just that it stuck with me for years and years and years. It's kind of my version of Harry Potter I guess. And the ending was worth it. (For those who have started the series and not finished it, there's a chapter in the last book called "The Last Battle." It's like 250 pages, and it's everything it was led up to be.)

Anyway, it's a huge undertaking, and if you're not otherwise a pretty decent fan of the genre, I wouldn't attempt it. But if you can dedicate yourself to getting through it all, I think it's worth the journey.

I've been considering picking the audio books and listening to the series on my commute. I read the first 7 or so books a couple three times, and have listened to them in the past, just can't find where I put the MP3's on my stack of hard drives.