@xyzzy sorry it took me so long to get back to you on this one. Yes, the worldbuilding is fantastic in WOT, and the first 4 books or so are a a high-fantasygasm. And that's why it hurts so much that the next 5-6 books after that become progressively more and more of a tedious slog to get...
@Xyzzy Imagine an entire series of fantasy novels like that, where minute details were poured over for pages in describing food, clothing, and other trivia instead of advancing plot or describing action...
... and then realize that's basically Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan.