You can spare everyone a long winded explanation on the differences between the two though. You could have posted this anywhere, and perhaps you did, but the fact that you revived it, suggests that you want to start an argument and nothing more. However, I'll indulge you because I like to debate.

Is Robert Jordan the best writer ever? No. Is the Wheel of Time the best piece of fiction ever written? No. However, it has to be judged by what it is, and not what it is not, and what it is is "escapism." When you look upon it as a piece of escapism fiction, then you'll be hard pressed to find a better series, or for that fact a better author. Sure you and everyone else can rattle off other authors, and other books but the numbers speak for themselves. Robert Jordan and the Wheel of Time are king.

Robert Jordan was able to tap into something that a lot of people crave. We live in a world where we're always at work, we're always on call, we're always connected in some way. We have our cellphones in our pockets, and those phones not only receive phone calls, but emails, text messages, and photos. We have the Internet, Twitter, and Facebook, so we can be knowledgeable about everything, and everyone at all times.

As a society we work long hours, and have only a small amount of time to play. I myself work between 60-65 hours a week, and it is common for me to have to deal with problems, not only on my days off, but when I'm on vacation too. All the new technology that comes out that's supposed to make our lives easier, in other ways complicates our lives too.

At the end of the day, people have to decide how to relax, some go to the bar, others watch TV, others movies, but some read books. The majority of the books that I read are Non-Fiction, and of the Fiction that I read a smaller percentage of that is Fantasy.

When I do decide to read a fantasy novel, I'm not looking for an authors view of plant rights, animal rights, gay rights, or human rights, nor do I want to think about terrorists, bombing, or government activities. I want to forget all about that.

Basically, if I read that some author is "using" fantasy to "explore" an issue, then I won't read it. You know why? Because at the heart of it, their just an author with an opinion. Not much different than myself, so if I want to read about global warming, and whether or not it exists, then I'd rather read it without the dragons and magic.

Growing up there was a product for women called Calgon, and their motto was, "Calgon take me away." That's what I'm looking for when I decide to read a fantasy novel. To escape, to get away from the world for a while. That is what the Wheel of Time is about. That is what Robert Jordan meant it to be. To look upon it as anything else, is not to understand what your reading. Surely, your smart enough to understand that.

Let me put it this way. Right now you're all, "Rah Rahing" Adam Roberts and how he reviewed the Wheel of Time. I'm assuming though, that if your work of fiction were reviewed, and judged as escapism, that it would easily fall short. Then of course, you'd probably be upset because we were not smart enough to realize that what you wrote wasn't meant to be escapism, but something different entirely.

In the end, no ones saying that Adam Roberts can't be critical of Jordan. Neither is anyone saying that you can't agree with him. Judging by the amount of comments in this thread, no ones even saying that you can't post it and talk about it. (OK, some people have said it, but the administrators aren't stopping you.) However, with all that being said, none of that makes you right...