The series was off to such a great start.  Then, a bunch of things happened.  The time between books got longer and longer.  The amount of story that happened in each book got less and less.  The amount of meaningless content in each book went up.

I agree that he's lost control of his story.  Either he thinks anything he writes can get longer and longer, and that it's excused by that Tolkien quote he uses ("The tale grew in the telling"), or that he can excuse it by saying the book is too long for physical binding.  Both should tell him something.

I would like to see his story lines become tighter, with fewer meandering reminiscences and back-references, and for him to shrink the time between books.

JK Rowling had some of the same problems, with the books having more and more fluff.  In her books 4 and 5, it was possible to see whole pages that contributed nothing to the story, where in books 1 through 3, it was possible to miss something if one was inattentive for just a sentence.  However, she was able to get her series back on track, and wrap it up with a great #6 and #7.

I see a disturbing similarity between his series and the "Wheel of Time" series.  With Robert Jordan, I was at first realllllly worried that he was taking too long, and I was hoping that he would pull things together.  After Book 9, I didn't give a damn any more, as I waited for the price of the used hardcover to drop to a buck before I bought one.

I'm half-expecting that this series will end the same, with me not giving a damn.  I really do hope he can resurrect the series and get it back on track, but I'm not holding my breath.  I've canceled my pre-order.
The series was off to such a great start. Then, a bunch of things happened. The time between books got longer and longer. The amount of story that happened in each book got less and less. The amount of meaningless content in each book went up. I agree that he's lost control of his story. Either he thinks anything he writes can get longer and longer, and that it's excused by that Tolkien quote he uses ("The tale grew in the telling"), or that he can excuse it by saying the book is too long for physical binding. Both should tell him something. I would like to see his story lines become tighter, with fewer meandering reminiscences and back-references, and for him to shrink the time between books. JK Rowling had some of the same problems, with the books having more and more fluff. In her books 4 and 5, it was possible to see whole pages that contributed nothing to the story, where in books 1 through 3, it was possible to miss something if one was inattentive for just a sentence. However, she was able to get her series back on track, and wrap it up with a great #6 and #7. I see a disturbing similarity between his series and the "Wheel of Time" series. With Robert Jordan, I was at first realllllly worried that he was taking too long, and I was hoping that he would pull things together. After Book 9, I didn't give a damn any more, as I waited for the price of the used hardcover to drop to a buck before I bought one. I'm half-expecting that this series will end the same, with me not giving a damn. I really do hope he can resurrect the series and get it back on track, but I'm not holding my breath. I've canceled my pre-order.