Riddle Maker

As a fan of the books I think the show is as good as could be reasonably expected given the sheer size of the book series, and my mother - who has never read the books - also loves it. I honestly do not know why book purists are so upset, because Cuendillar-level purity was never going to happen given the sheer length of the books. What is important is that they capture the spirit of the books and essence of the characters in what amounts to a new turning of the Wheel of Time, and they succeeded. Brandon Sanderson, who posthumously completed the series after Robert Jordan died and has been closely tied to the production of this TV show, has said repeatedly that this is the next turning of the Wheel of Time; that it is the same core events that we read in the books, but seven Ages later. Same story, but different variations. A fact we should neither be surprised at nor upset about seeing as it would be quite, quite impossible both logically and financially to turn a 14 volume series into a fast-paced TV show while treating each page like a piece of script; particularly since the books themselves are not always fast-paced. "Ages repeat, like the spokes coming around again. Each time an Age repeats it is the same in great things, but different in smaller ones, as two huge tapestries, when seen from a distance, appear identical, but when seen close up show differences of detail." - Robert Jordan