The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go....

So I'm currently suffering my first case of blog-neglect guilt. I've only been keeping this thing for a month and half or so, and I've already taken my first lengthy, unanticipated hiatus. The last couple weeks have been pretty hectic, and I've had a couple things in particular that have kept me from writing anything. The first was a data analysis project I foisted on myself a couple weeks ago that took a lot longer than I thought it would. Luckily that's mostly done so I can catch my breath and start prepping the talk I have to give at a conference in a couple weeks. The other reason for the delay between posts was a (possibly unwise) decision I made at the beginning of last week.

I've been a fan of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series since the books started coming out about 15 years ago. Unfortunately, and as anyone who's been trying to keep up with them since is well aware, the books hit a big lull a couple years ago. The first 5 or 6 were great: really engrossing plot, interesting world, epic battle between Good and Evil -- all of the hallmarks of a good fantasy series. Then, around about book six, I think Robert Jordan (no relation; it's not even his real name) and/or his publisher started to realize what a cash cow these books were becoming, and so a series that initially aspired to be a trilogy has stretched to a projected 12 books. And in order to do that stretching, he's introduced all sorts of minor characters and subplots that make each book both 1) difficult to follow and 2) easily forgettable in the two years between installments.

Last week, I was mulling over starting the 11th book, which my mom gave me for Christmas. Because, in spite of all of these annoyances, I'm far too stubborn to quit now (although I wish I could say it was something other than stubbornness that's kept me going). I figured I'd look up some chapter summaries on the internet, (these books seem to have attracted a rabid online following) to jog my memory of what happened in the past couple books. Then I got the wool-headed idea to just start over and read the entire series from the beginning. I figured I'd finish about in time for the publication of the 12th (and ostensibly final) book. So I tottered out to the bookshelf and grabbed the first one and started reading it one night last week. Although I doubt I'll be getting to the book my mom got me anytime soon, I've been enjoying re-reading the first one, and I'm remembering why I got hooked in the first place. Unfortunately, the book has had a crack-like hold on me, and almost all of my non-football-watching free time over the past week has been spent reading it (or now blogging about it). That said, it's rekindled my interest in the series, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest (or at least the next few). Well, I should get back to reading....