The Wheel Of Time - 5 Ways To Differentiate From Game Of Thrones

The Wheel of Time is very, very ‘termy’. Every book in the series contains a thirty to fifty page appendix that profiles characters and locations and explains the lore and terminology that populate the text.

This quickly becomes a heavily thumbed section of the book for new readers, as they constantly have to check the differences between things like a’dam, sul’dam and damane, what the hell tel’aran’rhiod is every time it is brought up or who the Seanchan, Aiel and Atha’an Miere are whenever their cultures are explored.

Overcomplication can be hugely off-putting to casual readers and viewers. The likes of Game of Thrones and Peter Jackson’s Lord of The Rings succeeded where many fantasy adaptations failed by keeping things easy to follow. The former may have removed or massively simplified things like Azor Ahai and Valonqar, but other terms and concepts such Valar Morghulis, Dracarys and the White Walkers were quickly etched into viewers imaginations by their introduction in memorable scenes.

The Wheel of Time will have to attract viewers who aren’t hardcore fans of the books in order to succeed, particularly given its airing on a non-Netflix streaming platform where it could get lost amongst hundreds of other properties rather than a mainstream television network.

Toning down the complexity whilst not dumbing down a hugely immersive world will therefore be paramount.