I Can't Finish The Wheel of Time

Thom Merrilin slaps a drunk Elayne in the wheel of time to "knock some sense into her" or some such nonsense. 

It's been a few months since I put the book down on that note. And it's not the first time I've read the series to that point, hoping to finish it.

I can't get passed that. It's not that the character took that action. We need to be able to write bad characters that do bad things.

It's that, I don't think the author, Robert Jordan, knows it was wrong...

It's played off in the story like she was utterly deserving  of it and as though Thom, who is kind of an anti-hero, was 100% right and justified in that action. 

I don't think anyone who understands what a grave line that is, would ever cross it for any reason.  It's not like a line that you cross in some circumstances, but not in others.  You are either okay with it, or your not. 

Robert Jordan appears, based on the way this was written, to be okay with it. 

And based on that alone, I can't finish the series. Which sucks because Robert Jordan IS an incredible writer. The series is one of the best I've read. He's a hell of a lot better than Sanderson, though I respect Sanderson more as a person. 

The books take their time introducing you to the characters and making you care about them. I've read many series where the writer introduces you to dozens of characters in the first chapter or two. The wheel of time takes you into a relationship between just two characters and holds that for a long time. Letting you breath and relax and just enjoy getting to know them. 

While the world is big and complex, that complexity is hidden for much of the series, and only unraveled a little at a time. Sanderson for example, unleashes a textbook of knowledge on the mechanics of  allomancy in Mistborn in just the first few chapters. You really have to want to read Sandersons' book to get passed that and start enjoying the story. It does get better but it's a hard start. Contrast that with Robert Jordan. I don't think we even know what exactly it was Moraine was doing to fend off Trollocs when we first meet her, until near the end of the book and even then it's just hinted at. There is so much mystery about what's possible and what drives this world.

The series is GOOD, from a technical perspective. At least in the first few books. I've heard that it stretches a bit later in the series. 

I need a better series. If anyone can recommend one, let me know. Preferably not written in first person. Those tend to have a lot of internal dialog and not enough relationship building. Preferably one that takes its time with characters and takes its time with "plot" and "mechanics". And I while I don't' like to be force fed the rulebooks of magic in a fantasy series, I do like magic that has rules. I want the author to know them, that's their job, but I don't necessarily need them to tell me everything about them. If the author knows the rules and limitations and holds to them, the book will be better for it, whether I know the exact nature of the rules or not.