Frankly, I was not at all aware of Robert Jordan and his Wheel of Time series until I stumbled across this thread.
My daughter is 12 and is a voracious reader, especially of fantasy. She greatly enjoys when the books are written as a series (as many of that genre seem to be).
Given her tastes, it seems as if The Wheel of Time series might be perfect for my daughter. Before, I surprise her with Volume 1, though, I’d like to be a bit more confident that these books are appropriate for a kid of her age.
Any comments? Is the Wheel of Time series OK for a 12 year-old?
It’s been a long time since I read the first part of the series (I gave up around 6 or 7), but I don’t recall anything questionable. YMMV, of course. Like I said, it’s been awhile for me.
I will say, however, that the series starts off well, but Jordan’s plotline of a million minor characters bogs it down badly as the books drudge on. Oh, the pain!
I’d say most likely. There’s very little sexual content, if any. It’s actually quite a clean book in that regard, although the fact that such things happen isn’t ignored. The violence is about what you’d expect in a swords-and-sorcery series, but usually not overly detailed. It can get morbid at times; the prologue to Eye of the World, the first book, is somewhat gruesome. If she can handle that, though, she can handle anything the series throws at her.
IMO, Jordan’s writing is accessible (i.e., simplistic), although he tends to go on at length. It’s not high and cerebral like Tolkien’s work, certainly; the volume of text just makes it seem that way. It can possibly become confusing with the absolutely gigantic cast of characters Jordan introduces in the later books (Eye of the World focuses on the main band of characters, but the scope widens in the later books), but he provides plenty of exposition in each book…sometimes he’ll even provide exposition in the later half of a book concerning events in the first half. I will admit it can get a little tedious, but if she makes it through the first three books, she’ll learn which passages she can skim and which ones she should read in detail.
Most people will tell you the writing for Wheel of Time is hackish, and I more or less agree, but IMO a young fantasy lover should get more enjoyment than exasperation out of it, and I don’t recall anything that would be unsuitable for a 12 year old.
It shouldn’t be a problem. The violence isn’t all that bad and the sex in the first few books is nearly non-existent. He does start throwing a lot of lesbians into the mix later in the series but nothing graphic.
Be warned, if she likes it, she may be angry at you. It has already gotten far longer than its original planned length, and many readers have quit in disgust. Many others have stopped reading until there is an actual end. In light of Jordan’s health problems, it may be that it will never be brought to a conclusion.
Also, there are at least two rapes, a male concubinage, and references to sexual bondage and dominance games. Most of it takes place off stage, but it isn’t hidden. You know your daughter best; maybe you should read at least some of the fan sites for an overview and decide what you think.
Lesbians? There are vague implications made, but definately no chicks making out. Rand does get nekkid with a nekkid lady a couple books in though. Of course, by the time your 12 year old gets that far, they’ll be 25.
Most of the (albeit vague) sexual content doesn’t start until around book 5, and she’ll be 16 by the time she gets to it. Fair warning, though, the series is very long and still unfinished, so she may end up hating you for it.
The more adult themes in the later books are still almost nonexistent, and usually only allusions. If you let her watch prime-time tv, this won’t be anything surprising.
I would also recommend against it because of the series unfinished status. I gave up around book 8 because it seemed to be going nowhere. He’s been writing follow ups less frequently, and now he’s sick.
I liked the books, the first few at least, then the plot stagnated, but I soldiered on to see how it would turn out and the books stopped promising to deliver, so I bailed. Now it may never “turn out” at all.
Given what I know now, I would never have bothered with them in the first place.
Check out the latest book. Perhaps I shouldn’t have brought it up it’s just seemed so out of place to me considering the rest of the series. Nothing graphic though.
I started it when I was 11 or so, when only the first three books were out. I read an embarassing number of them (six? seven?) before I gave up. I got too old for them loooong before I gave up. But when I was 11, I loved them.
They are the boring, cat-loving sort of lesbians. I don’t remember much of what they did or said, but I’m sure it involved a lot of braid-tugging (not each other’s braids, mind you), long lectures and thought-monolouges, and some cutesy cultural traditions.
Heh. I’m currently reading them (against my better judgment), and I just got to the implied sex today. It took me until the middle of Book 5 to get to a sex scene, and then it was mainly just…implied.
I’m kind of disappointed that these books are entirely appropriate for a 12-year-old!
(And before you berate me for starting the series, I have my reasons! I’ve always been curious about them, I enjoy fantasy, and I have a very long commute that demands light, fluffy, time-filler reading. And I’ll stop when it starts to get painful, really, I will…)
