I read this in the 1990s and remember being unhappy with its derivative nature, though I enjoyed some of it a lot, especially the world building.

I rarely reread books but I've decided to read Wheel of Time in its entirety. The first time I stopped in 2008 before Brandon Sanderson finished the series.

This time I found it far more inspiring. The characters that annoyed me the first time (especially Nynaeve) seemed fuller. I agree with some of the criticism, but every character develops over the series. Here they are more innocent and uncertain. The magic system and world building are excellent.

Anyway, I marked the book up two more stars to 4 and studied different parts of the story for the world-building aspects. Yes, it could be more artful, but it's still pretty good.