Hunting for a Good Read? Pun Intended...

I literally just finished book two in The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan (mentioned in a previous blog) and I want to share my thoughts on it.  The book is called The Great Hunt and picks up where book one left off, so no interruption in the storyline and trying to figure out what happened in between- always a positive.  I think I read this book in half the time that I read the first one, which I contribute not to a lesser page count, but to a familiarity with the characters and intense desire to know what was going to happen to them.  There have been a few late night reading sessions where I struggled with knowledge that my body needed sleep to function, and to read I had to function; therefore, I needed to put down my Kindle (named Buffy the Bookholder) and sleep in order to read.  Any die-hard reader will understand the struggle, I'm sure :)
I digress...

The book itself was wonderfully written and everything I expected from the plotline, and more.  Jordan gave plenty of "screentime" to each character, and on the whole, I didn't feel confused by where the book ended and what each character was up to.  I don't want to get too specific, just in case you are planning on reading the book. I am not about reviews that spoil the book for a potential reader!  One thing I do want to talk about regarding the book (or more accurately, rant about) are the reviews about the book.  As one reviewer aptly pointed out, the reviews seem to go one of two ways: extreme epic fantasy fan who sees no flaws in the book, or someone who continually harps on the fact that every epic fantasy writer after Tolkien is just imitating his works to a much lesser degree and contain no originality whatsoever.  May I just say, at this point in the history of humankind and storytelling, there is so little room for true originality that pretty much anything written will remind you of something else or favor another work to some degree.  In fact, there are certain skeletal-type plotlines that almost any book is going to follow, depending on genre.  I think it may be impossible to have your work avoid one of those plotlines in some form or fashion.  I don't understand why people feel the need to completely bash someone else's creative work? It takes a great deal of courage to put your writing out in the world to be judged, and that alone deserves our respect.