the time he spent as a street urchin.

So the book was good except for the part that drastically shapes the character both mentally and physically; The part that puts major drive behind the protagonist, gives him many of the skills that he employs throughout both the first and second book, finds stories that fuel his burning question about the Amyr, and basically the part of the book that in some shape form or fashion effects the entire rest of the story......

Yes. The part where he spends a very long time as a street urchin is boring as heck. The only really interesting parts of the whole thing were the part with Skarpi and Lanre and the story about Tehlu. The rest of it, while important character development, got dragged out wayyyyy too long and could have had the same effect on the story in a more condensed form. Even then, the part about Tehlu was more interesting than completely necessary.

The later parts of the book, where he ends up at the University, is a heck of a lot more interesting. Even the earlier parts, where he is still part of the Ruh or wandering in the forest, are more interesting. They just spent a little too long in Tarbean (I think that was it) covering a little too much in a little too much depth that the whole thing dragged out instead of flowing naturally.

I can't go into much more detail because spoilers, but only a few parts of it are even referenced later.

This was not much of a problem the first time I read the book, because it was new and I didn't know what was going to happen. But on later rereadings........ that part really really drags on compared to the rest of the book.

Three years of the character's life was spent in Tarbean. I entered the University at 15.. so essentially 1/5 of the characters total life was spent in that ciy and considering how old he was at the start of the book and that only a year at the University composed the entire rest of the book.... No, there wasn't an excruciating amount of time spent in Tarbean as far as the writing goes.

That aside, since the entire book is the character telling the story of his life, its only fitting that he spent quite a bit of time on events that drastically shaped it. The parts about Tarbean arent wasted in talking about every little detail, quite the opposite, it focuses on several quite important (to the character) points of the three years: Losing the lute, making an enemy in the city, finding safe haven with Skarpi, being unable to help someone he wanted to because it would give away his safe spot, they story of the Amyr that refueled his journey, and how he came about the money to do so.

Sure his use of sympathy and learning things at the university are more "fun" things to read about to some. But to cast aside a major part of the characters background in his own version of the events of his life would be to completely lobotomize a part of the character. Kote spent so long talking about Tarbean because it's important to Kote... he doesnt give a damn if it's important to Chronicler ... and especially to Mjack.

When you gloss over the gritty details that drive character creation you end up with stuff like Star Wars Episode 3 where Anakin goes from being a whiny teenage to suddenly falling to the dark side in a matter of a few scenes and then is suddenly evil. The story should have played way more into the inner conflict of the character and the choices that drove him to the darkside... instead he comes off looking like a puppet that had no choice simply for the advancement of the story.

Three years of the character's life, to include major character defining moments, was condensed to 1444 pages out of a book with more than 12,000. Tarbean made up more of the characters life than any other place in the book and was at a very pivotal point I n the plot.

If you have no interest in the stuff that makes a character who they are I suggest a medium other than written fantasy novels. As much as you go on raving about Song of Fire and Ice...that series has entire books that slog by slower than the measy dozen chapters of Tarbean.

Twelve chapters out of ninety-two to cover three years of the five covered by the book. (There are interludes of course but still.)