Rating: 
Summary: Shadow Rising, Interest Falling
Review: ...and what about that Shadow, anyway? ...Jordan decides to open this 1000-page monstrosity with 200 pages of the most boring, useless [material] I've ever encountered in a fantasy series. Things pick up after this, and, in fact, the final 300 pages of this book are pretty decent. But it's the ... first 200 pages, and the intermittently-interesting middle 500 pages that are the problem here, because Jordan's books need exciting, well-drawn plots to succeed. I mean, you're not reading Jordan for emotional release or vibrant characters. This is the first novel in the series that, in my opinion, does not succeed. Where to start with all of the problems... well I guess one good place is the awkward, space wasting technique of Jordan trying to fill the reader in on everything that has gone before, and creating artificial scenes between old and new characters that make this possible. It makes for a stilted, pointless read for anybody who *has* read the earlier books, and I would suspect that this is the majority, now that we're on book four. ... Another complaint is that even after this brutal initial 200 pages, the pacing of the book has slowed considerably. Now, I recall praising Dragon Reborn for its attention to detail and side-plots and ability to withstand Jordan's slowing of the pacing. Well, that falls apart here. Shadow Rising has few of the positives of Dragon Reborn, and instead could best be characterized as a sloppily-written, poorly-conceived example of what happens when a writer realizes that he has tried to do too much, but is powerless to stop himself. There are four main splits in the action after the characters finally leave Tear: Perrin and Faile in the Two Rivers; Rand, Egwene, Mat and Moiraine in the Aiel Waste; Nynaeve and Elayne in Tanchico, and Min at Tar Valon. This time around, Jordan does not have the magic that keeps the reader interested in all four plots at once, and the book is so gargantuan that unless you are a person who has nothing else to do for two or three days except read this book, details become fuzzy by the time you return to one of the plots after being away for awhile. Of the plots themselves, none is as interesting as any in books 2 or 3, although it's nice to see some more of Rand, albeit in another fish-out-of-water scenario (the Aiel). And Rand has changed so much (though they've only been out of the Two Rivers for about 14-18 months) that it's clear that Jordan has completely lost control of how to portray him. Of Rand in the Aiel Waste, could Jordan be any more transparent that he's read Frank Herbert's Dune series? I noted in my review of Book II that the Aes Sedai bear a very close resemblance to the Bene Gesserit, and now I see that the Aiel are ridiculously similar to the Fremen. I mean, all the way down to the ambiguously Middle-Eastern-derived names, he copies this stuff. Ah, whatever. Jordan never was very original, was he? Anyway, Rand's exploits in the Waste go a long way toward explaining a number of things started in earlier books, but it's not until near the end of the book that the action here really picks up (although the part where Rand is in Rhuidean *is* well done, ...). The best plot other than this is probably Nynaeve and Elayne in Tanchico, but that is unfortunately ruined by the presence of those two characters, especially Nynaeve. What a [poorly] drawn character Nynaeve is! She was always annoying, but by this volume, Jordan has reduced her to the sum of her cliches. So all you have is this whining, braid-tugging, order-giving, impatient, man-hating, insult-muttering horror of a woman. At least she's not involved actively with Lan (which I assume is soon to come), because as far as adding romantic elements to the plot, Jordan is completely out of his league. Because if you can imagine the cheesiest moments in ... romance novel history you'll have only an inkling of the pain of reading anything that has to do with Perrin and Faile -- which is also too bad, because I was kind of psyched to revisit the Two Rivers. In fact, Jordan's "battle of the sexes" theme dominates much of this novel, and he's SO bad at developing it that it really ruins a lot of what's going on. Well, time to finish this up before I choke. The last 300 pages pack in plot and action worthy of book II or III, but by then a lot is ruined. Will I keep reading? Sure, the books are free for me. But I'm very disappointed with book 4 and hope that this is not a trend that continues. And lastly, what's with the title? The other titles in this series were fairly accurate indicators of what was happening within the pages, but here it's a bit of a teaser. There certainly is nothing more regarding the Shadow going on here as in the other books, and very little of the Shadow is even mentioned until the final couple of hundred pages of the book. So, if you are a new reader, don't get your hopes up that Jordan finally introduces us to some aspect of the Shadow that he hasn't previously, or lets it concern more of the storyline. He doesn't.
Rating: 
Summary: The Best Jordan
Review: This book is as good a fantasy novel that you will ever find. Bar none, and I do include the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. While they may be better singlar achievements (ok, much better), The Shadow Rising is, so far, the best book that Robert Jordan has written. That makes it the best book in a series filled with good books. While it is true that the series drags a bit later on, this book represents everything that is great about these books; with its best qualities (characters, action, humor, love, etc...) being shown in ever chapter. Ok, Tolkien may (rightly) have carved himself the number one position in the epic fantasy genre forever, but at this point in the WoT Jordan was giving him a run for his money. Try the book, but first read the first three books of the series.
Rating:
Summary: Yes, I Now View the Map with Open Hostility
Review: You thought that the map, so frequent a fixture at the beginning of a fantasy novel or series, was just an orientation...didn't you? Thought that there were some places this series surely wouldn't go to--Tolkien never actually went to Rhun, after all--he only referenced it briefly as "where the stars are strange." The Wheel of Time wouldn't spin me all over that bloody map, city by city, territory by territory, right? Think again, baby. Mr. Jordan is taking us to every single location on that map of his. As I got past page 400 of the Shadow Rising, I began to view the map with hostility. By the end of this book, I hated the map. How many thousands of pages have I already read, I griped to myself, only to find myself visiting half the cities on the map? So, what...5000 pages to go? A city per book? But my greatest fear is that he is going to introduce another world beyond the map sometime in Book 11, forcing me to tour 10 more cities in 10,000 other pages. I feel like I'm on tour with the Rolling Stones....I'm "past my prime but rolling from Baltimore to Boston, sugar...next stop, Baton Rouge..." Well, I can't get no satisfaction. But I tried, and I tried, and I tried, and in Book Four, I tried. Mr. Jordan, please--no more Visits to Places on the Map Because They Are There. I feel like I am reading Fodor or Frommer, not fantasy. Jordan has created an intriguing physical use of Power, strong female roles, and truly evil creatures that actually practice what Tolkien only hinted at. Donaldson is the only other fantasy author I remember that really nailed home how evil the bad guys can be. These are strengths of the work to this point. The work is in the process, however, of becoming ludicrously long. And that's really a shame.
Rating:
Summary: Just another satisfied reader
Review: I have read many fantasy books in the past, but none of them were as good as the wheel of time series. As the previous review mentioned, he does go into labourous detail, but i do appreciate it, because i read similar books by Terry Goodkind(The Sword Of Truth), and Raymond Fiest(The Rift/Serpant war sagas), and i can understand the need for detail because of people who get book 2, before book 1. I cant wait until he releases a new book, i especially love the careful plotting he seems to spring at the oddest times. I would definitely call any of the series i mentioned, including Robert Jordan's "wheel of time" a definite good investment
Rating:
Summary: Jordan Seems To Have Peaked Too Soon
Review: I Promise: I'm going to be spoiler free. This is the fourth book in the Wheel of Time (WOT) series and the second best in my opinion (#3 "The Dragon Reborn" is the best in my humble). All of the tenants of excellent fantasy are there. Jordan is a great writer who builds an incredible world with a compelling history. In this book, Jordan gets the balance of history, character, exposition and action right. Shadow Rising is a treasure, but be warned: as of this writing Jordan hasn't finished WOT. By the end of this book, the series is MOVING and you are riding through at a great clip. You cannot WAIT to find out what happens next, so you HAVE to continue. Unfortunately, Jordan doesn't pick up the pace and from here on things start to slow down. My guess is the end of this series isn't going to happen until 2006 (I believe there are going to be 12 books, but I don't think there's an official word). Is it going to be worth it? I don't think so. WOT has gotten very complicated and is becoming turgid. Sometime around Book 6, the action began to crawl. Book 8 (the last one I read) was almost 700 pages and took place over three days! BUT there are those who say there's light at the end of the tunnel. Book 9 is supposed to be head and shoulders above Book 8. Is Robert Jordan the Van Halen of fantasy writers, starting off with a bang then fading off into mediocrity? Or is he the Rush of fantasy writers, high highs and low lows but not giving up and always working on making it better? I've read the first five books twice now beacuse it is too difficult to wait a year between reading books. (And he's coming out with them once every three years at this point!!). My advice is to wait until Jordan's finished them all. The books are complex enought that you are much better off reading them one right after another. Especially since there are books where one or more of the main characters don't even appear! By the time he finishes, we'll know if it was worth the wait. You've been warned! My grade for the series:
1. Wheel of Time: A-
2. Great Hunt: A
3. Dragon Reborn: A+
4. Shadow Rising: A+
5. Fires of Heaven: A
6. Lord of Chaos: B
7. Crown of Swords: C+
8. Path of Daggars: C
9. Winter's Heart (haven't read, waiting for Jordon to finish)
Rating: 
Summary: The Shadow Rising
Review: The Shadow Rising is a great boook. It keeps you guessing and entertained. Like all the books in the series there are some things you can do without. One that really bugs me is how muuch Jordan describes the characters. It's good to know about the characters, but you don't have to know every little thing they are wearing. You just want to get on with the book.
Another thing that is good but bugs me is how he acts like you haven't read any of the books. He thinks it so much that he describes the same things over and over again. It gets old really fast.
Over all the book is real good and you don't hate it when it starts talking about the other characters and their plots because none of them are boring. I would recommend this book to everyone (after they read the first ones).
Rating:
Summary: Review on The Wheel of Time: The Shadow Rising
Review: Robert Jordan's "The Wheel of Time: The Shadow Rising" is definitely one of my favorite books in one of my favorite series. Jordan creates a world That dominates that of which Tolkien began. This book is full of mystery, action, romance, and good against evil. It is full of magic and creatures that only Jordan can create.
"The Shadow Rising" takes off from where "The Dragon Reborn" left off. Rand al'Thor has just proclaimed himself the Dragon Reborn. Now he needs to live up to the prophecies. Slowly, though, the evil taint of saidin is growing stonger inside him.
Rand goes to the Aiel Waste for he is Ca'caran, or He Who Comes With The Dawn. It is believed that the Aiel are the people of the Dragon.
This book is definitely a good read. I insist, though, to start with book one, "The Eye of the World". The Wheel of Time is definitely a good series rich with magic and adventure. The world of The Wheel of Time will come alive.
Rating:
Summary: Review on The Shadow Rising
Review: The Shadow Rising of The Wheel of Time series is a really good book. The series itself is good. Each book describes the characters and what is happening with them. It explains their personal feelings and emotions. In his books you get into each individual character. In the Shadow Rising, it always has wanting to know what will happen next. It keeps you guessing, but not too much though. This is defenitely a good book to read. I suggest that if you were to read the series, to start at the beginning with The Eye of the World.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding entry in this series
Review: The Wheel of Time is probably the best-known and most widely read fantasy series other than The Lord of the Rings. When The Eye of The World was published in 1988 or 1989, it created a sensation -- a tremendous first volume that had the usual good-evil battle and tons of action but also was filled with magic, history, politics, sociology, cultural background and realistic characters. When I re-read the first five books, I was amazed at the details of history and politics that Jordan provided in his world. Jordan also has numerous protagonists, not just one or two primary ones like many other fantasy writers. The Shadow Rising continues to feature strong men and, through their magical abilities and powerful personalities, stronger women characters that are a constant feature of the first three books. Jordan has been rightly lauded for the prominent and powerful roles he created for the female characters. The Shadow Rising's overall excellence is part of the reason the first five books in this series became the dominant entry in the fantasy genre by the mid-1990s -- so much so that The New York Times noted that Jordan had come to dominate the genre that Tolkien made famous. In The Shadow Rising, the writing is still smooth, the various characters and their motivations work well, and there's action aplenty. Jordan also produces some outstanding imagery and action and history in the middle portions of the book (concerning the history of the Aiel) that provide tremendous background to the series as a whole. Unfortunately, starting with Lord of Chaos (book 6), Jordan's creation became unwieldy. Instead of concentrating on following the themes and story-threads of books 1-5 (which combined are more than 3500 pages, hardcover), he created new storylines, bogged down the narrative and halted the pace of the epic. Book 8 in particular is an unmitigated disaster -- 650 pages (hardcover) of wheel-spinning (pardon the pun) with almost no progress to the story. Book 9 seemed to have jump-started the narrative once again but reviewers have generally panned book 10; there are likely at least 3 more volumes forthcoming and the series will not be completed until at least 2007. The Shadow Rising is great, as were the previous three and The Fires of Heaven (book five). But narrative stalling and the increasing time intervals between the publication dates of each volume have made the series more frustration than fun.
Rating:
Summary: Great, if not drawn out...
Review: Robert Jordan did it again, another book that kept me looking forward to what was going to happen next.. If your considering buying Shadow Rising then you most likely have read the first three.. The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is because at the end, it gets REALLY easy to loose who's who with all the new people running around with Rand al'Thor.. And alot more story setup for what I'm assuming is going to go down in the next book.. (I'm starting to see a trend of alot of build up with one book and then action in the next, this one was much more the first rather than the latter) How ever, it was worth every minute I spent with it.
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