Rating: 
Summary: very irritating. worse than the previous three.
Review: the shadow rising is quite annoying to say the least. it is worse than the first 3 books. worse by far. the only reason i even bothered to read this book, after reading the third, is the customer reviews, which were mostly very positive. i'll try to explain some of the reasons why this series (and specificlly this book) fails to make a good impression on me as worthwhile fantasy.
as you might have guessed, i'm not a great fan of the first three books either. but they made up for weak vision (of the author, i mean) with the extremely engaging and suspenseful storyline and explosive endings. but this book, being several hundred pages longer than the others (mostly insignificantly obvious details) while having a weaker and more confused plot coupled with a lighter ending fails on both accounts.
however, that isn't the main reason why i dislike this series. the chief weakness of this series (and weakness is the correct word) is the author itself. i don't know whether Jordan himself is low on intelligence or that he simply thinks all his readers are. how can i support the "good guys" in this "good versus evil" battle when they themselves are so short sighted and foolishly self-centered so as to cause greater enemity among themselves than against the Dark Lord. Nynaeve (the most irritating of all the characters; all the females are quite horrible, but she truly tops them in raising your blood pressure, out of irritation ofcourse) is constantly arguing with, or unsatisfied at, every sensible suggestion made by anyone who is unlucky enough to be with her in that chapter. she has an unfounded and totally ridiculous hatred for Moraine though Moraine hasn't tried to harm Nynaeve in any way, and infact helped Nynaeve in accepting herself as an Aes Sedai. similarly, most of the remaining characters are very arrogant and willfull, senselessly so. i would not like to go into excess details myself explaining how, so i just ask the reader to trust me on this. the male characters are a lot better, but only comparatively. Rand al Thor, for instance, was, for most of the first two books, blindly trying to ignore that he was the Dragon Reborn. When he does accept himself to be so in The Dragon Reborn (wow, what a title huh?!?!) he is trying his best to hide his actions and intentions from Moraine and his friends from Emond's Field. how that could possibly prove helpful i haven't a clue, but it seems that Rand believes most of his friends have a sudden compulsion to try and "control him" and he struggles demonically to prevent this. i just keep thinking, "what the heck does he want anyway??? to be 'controlled' by the Dark Lord or the Forsaken instead???" because first off, he is definitely not being "controlled" or "manipulated" in the least. not by the Aes Sedai from Tar Valon atleast who, it seems, every sane (or insane, like Nyneave) person hates and fears. and to think that the entire purpose of these Aes Sedai is to prevent the bad guys (Baalzammon and Co.) from taking over the world. i wonder why they all don't commit suicide, forced to labor in such a thankless job. these Aes Sedai are more divided among themselves than a thousand piece jigsaw (that is another really irritating factlet, considering that they epitomize the struggle against evil). secondly, Rand, being an ordinary village shephard, doesn't know much about life in cities. so taking advice and assistance from those obviously against Baalzammon would be a good idea once in a while on his journies. he admits his lack of knowledge but pays more heed to the words of the Dark Lord than his friends (especially Moraine. just kill yourself Moraine; there's no hope left for you. you're stuck with him.) Rand's actions and fears are worse than senseless for that reason (so am i not supposed to think while reading, or does Mr. Jordan not think while writing?) ok this is getting a bit too long so i'll try and end it.
Rand al Thor is the hero of this series simply because he has no choice. the Dark lord and his companions are trying to kill him so why not try and fight back. i could not find any reason to hope for Rand's victory or salvation (from the madness which prophecy claims will overtake him; though how much madder can he possibly get would be interesting to find out) since all his efforts are concerned with keeping himself alive and sane. a very selfish aim for the savior of the world i think. personally, i think that a good guy is he who chooses to be so, not him who in trying to save his own life saves those of others too.
so summarizing, this series is basically a soap opera in words, the only differences are the exotic settings and a bit more of action (it nevertheless entertains occasionally and has some good moments like the history of the Aiel, the song which the tinkers seek and the battle at Emond's Field to name a few. thus the 2 stars instead of just one.)
however, since not all are going to agree with my opinions, i'd like to end with a list of those who would and wouldn't like this series (and specifically this book).
this book is for:
fantasy fans who like the feel of stories more than their substance. or like the settings and events more than the sense behind them. basically, if you're a soap opera fan, or like Stephen King books, or like the stories of most recent RPGs, or like romance novels (lotta love stories mixed around in this volume).
you will not like this book if:
you are a sci-fi junkie (technical sci-fi i mean), where the concept is concrete and anything that defies reason is simply part of a dream. or if you understand that being good lies in the intention and not the action. or if you like to feel smarter after reading and not dumber. or if you like Isaac Asimov books. or if you see more to life than staying alive.
Rating: 
Summary: Best Fantasy Collection Ever Written
Review: I have been reading the Wheel of Time series since the first book came out and this is my favorite series ever. However, it's not for everyone. Jordan is probably the most descriptive writer I have ever read and he will describe everything he possibly can in one situation in order to set the mood properly. This makes his books, and the chapters, very long. Some people don't like long and descriptive, elaborate writing like this, I do, and I believe that Robert Jordan is the best author I have ever read. Read the series in order, starting from the first book, and it will make a lot more sense and be much more enjoyable reading. I've gone back and read all of them over again at least twice.
Rating: 
Summary: Where I Stopped Reading
Review: In all my years of reading, never have I come across a book so terrible that I had to put it down. Always, there was some redeeming quality to it; some last lingering urge to finish it and see it through. I am not one to give up easily. I give all things a chance no matter how bad they seem.That is why I read "The Great Hunt" when I absolutely loathed "The Eye of the World". And found myself thoroughly surprised at how much better TGH was. When I read "The Dragon Reborn" I thought, 'If Jordan could focus more on his well-developed, interesting male characters and less on his females, he's got a fan!' Sadly, that is not the case with "The Shadow Rising". The book starts off with the same style of TGH and TDB (books #2-3). For about 2 chapters, I was quite pleased that I was holding book #4 in my hands after a week of no Jordan. However that quickly changed due to one thing: Jordan cannot write women. Why does Jordan feel that in order to create strong female characters, they must all be beautiful, haughty, challenging, petty and immature? How many times can one woman cross her arms under her breasts and glare at another? Whether it's Nynaeve snapping at Moiraine, Elayne snapping at Nynaeve, Egwene glaring at Nynaeve...They are all incredibly annoying. As if that is not enough, these under-developed female characters are each linked to at least one male character; I happen to like all the male characters. Nynaeve, for example, is romantically linked to Lan, the Warder. Why? Where on earth did this romance come from? Are we supposed to gasp with delight when Lan storms into a room and sweeps Nynaeve off her feet for a kiss? She is petty, short-tempered and mean, and carries a grudge against Moiraine that has no founding. He is barely conceivable as a person. As a friend put it, the old "Petulant Ice Queen somehow wooing the attentions of the strong, noble king" is one of the weakest, not to mention most clichéd, foundations for a romance ever laid. Jordan either knows very little about women or else knows very little about writing them. It is more than possible to create a strong female who is not young and pretty as Elayne, Egwene, Nynaeve, Min and Faile are. It is possible to show that they are strong without having them be defiant or quarrelsome. It is possible to show their passion for their ideals without having them "bristle with anger" anytime someone disagrees with them. I found myself continuously wondering if Jordan thinks all men perceive women this way; or just him. I think it is wonderful that Jordan has found a way to have equal male and female roles. I, however, would take the few strong and truly admirable heroines that Tolkien created (Galadriel, Eowyn, Melian) than these dozens of under-developed, catty women. I stopped reading this series, as well, because of the excess in descriptive words. Jordan needs to realize that over-doing it with the descriptions does not equal a richly portrayed world. Quality, man, not quantity. There are only so many descriptions of inns and common rooms, fireplaces and swords, arrows nocked and people sighing, a person can take. Two pages devoted to describing the shores of Tear don't make me any more excited about reading the book. I have seen ships before. Next time, perhaps he should concentrate on describing scenic beauty. That requires actual writing talent. Readers who think Jordan exceeds Tolkien are thoroughly misguided and I pity them. I am quite glad the professor is not alive to see his work being compared to that of an amateur, self-indulgent man such as Jordan who thinks his pseudo Olde Englishe, his over-the-top descriptions, his unnecessarily lengthy glossaries and his painfully under-developed female characters place him in the leagues of the fantasy greats. Jordan will never have the skill of prose that Tolkien had, nor will his series ever touch readers the way "The Lord of the Rings" did. However, if he cultivates his writing abilities and exchanges the excess description for better characterization, his series might earn some of the longevity reserved for the real great works of fantasy literature.
Rating:
Summary: Jordan on his fourth and going strong.
Review: Jordan in this book focuses on more on the Dark One. His plan to take over the planet. Rand is found out to the the Dragon Reborn but is that enough to stop the Dark One from winning? Good Book.
Rating: 
Summary: A little anticlimactic, BUT....
Review: This does tie up a lot of loose plot ends, but, like all good novels in a series, creates more loose ends...teh only problem it does so in an anti-climactical fashion. This is one of the few WoT books so far that you're not in a big rush to get to the ending...the most significant elements occur in the middle of the book (Rand's association with the Aiel, Nynaeve, Elayne, and Egwene in Tanchico, the stilling of Siuan Sanche). I think this is best read with Book 5 as an accompaniment, but if you MUST read it alone, do. It's still a fairly good book. Good characterization, good plot, good continuation of the series. The reason it got only 4 stars is because all of the climactic points were in the middle and not towards the end.
Rating:
Summary: Things just started
Review: As you all already know, this is the fourth book in The Weel of Time series. Some say it is the best, some even say it is the best literature ever (which is totaly ridicouluos, but nevermind). I read first three books, and this one indeed seemes the best one. Rand is in Aiel waste, facing stubborn clan-chiefs together with Moiraine and Wise ones, trying to fulfill his destiny as He who Comes With The Dawn, Perrin is defending Two-rivers, at three fronts - Whitecloaks, Shadowspawn, and misterious Slayer, Nynaeve and Elayne hunts black Ajah in Tanchico, Mat regained his memories, and everything just started to boil. This book is a good fantasy, a kind of book that will keep you wake during the nights, turning pages and reading. Only thing that is very poor done is composition of the book (not only this one, but all three of them). In every book, protagonist find cuendillar, and in every book there is one major battle in the end. One can't shake the feeling that this whole WoT series could be much shorter, becouse Jordan has this habit of finishing book in last twenty pages, quickening his pace at maximum, so you start to wander couldn't those 980 pages be used to something more than endless slow pa ceted blabber. Kinda getting on nerves sometimes. Forsaken (chosen) are rummaging the world more freely now, and for the first time in series three Forsaken finds themselves in the web of the RJ story. This book is just the thing to set your mind to wonder on a grassy plain in these summer thay, but beware, this book isn't nothing more.
Rating:
Summary: Satisfying and complex!!!
Review: For many people, The Shadow Rising is the book that hooked them on the series. Rising above the more formulaic aspects of the previous 3 books, TSR introduced a narrative complexity and a palpable sense of history that captured the imagination and humbled the gentle reader. This is where the meat of the series truly begins, where we really are in the thick of it. We've got Rand and the Aiel in Rhuidean, Perrin in the Two Rivers, and Elayne and Nynaeve in Tanchico. We've got secrets and deceptions, action and suspense, surprises and revelations. We've got the history of the Aiel and the making of history in the White Tower. TSR gives RJ a chance to stretch his abilities, and he makes the most of it.
We start out where everybody is still catching their collective breaths from the climax of book 3, but the plot soon splinters into 3 distinct parts. Rand attempts to fulfill his Aiel destiny, while Perrin sets off the rescue the Two Rivers. Finally, Elayne and Nynaeve continue to hunt the Black Ajah. Along the way, much effort is spent developing characters, giving protagonists like Elayne and Mat some needed time. As well RJ gives us a glimpse into the Aiel's past, a two-chapter section that I would stand up next to the highlights of any great literary giant with pride. Every thime I read those chapters, I get a marvelous chill down my spine, as if I'm reading the histories of my own people.
I still have some nagging questions that threaten to break my mind in two (What was preventing Asmodean from walking into Rhuidean before the ending?)but without question, TSR is the book that vaults RJ into Tolkien's league.
PLOTTING: Remarkably, RJ gives all 3 main plot threads about the same amount of attention. He may have been tempted to skimp a bit on the Tanchico thread (when you think about it, not a lot really happened there, at least when compared to the other 2 threads), and he wrapped up the Two Rivers thread a little too quickly, but the narrative was always clear and engaging.
CHARACTERIZATION: TSR spends a lot of time building up Elayne and Nynaeve's characters, and of course Perrin gets a third of the book all to himself. I liked Elayne's drinking episode, and Perrin's eventual reaction to the tragic news of his family, but the character that really surprised me and grew a third dimension was Min. Here's a girl who wanted very badly to head down to Tear and find the guy she desperately loved, and when the chaos started in Tar Valon, she had her chance to flee. Instead she stuck around, and help bust Siuan and Leane out of there.
PACING:With 3 plot threads, Jordan had the freedom to switch back and forth to keep events from happening too soon, and the narrative moved along so well that he could throw a subplot or two in the mix without missing a beat.
BEST SCENE: It has to be the 2-chapter section detailing the history of the Aiel.(I know that's a long scene.)
MOST POV: Perrin, Elayne, Nynaeve, Thom, Moiraine, Mat, Rand, Min, Egwene, Egeanin, and even Jaichim Carridin all had thier POVs represented, but this was Perrin's book more than anyone. What's odd is that RJ never used anyone else's POV in the Two Rivers. I guess he wanted to keep Faile and Verin mysterious for the time being.
OVERALL: TSR is satisfying, complex, and character-driven. TSR has plenty of scenes that tug at the memory years later, and RJ still trying to match the quality of this effort. P.S. Sorry for my rambling on, and making the review so long. Hope this helps!
Rating:
Summary: Will Jiang(12)
Review: This is one of the best in the history of human literacure. Jordan had outdoned himself again in this book, as he did in all of the last three and the six or seven to come.
As an answer to all of those who complained out there that the book is too long and ask when Jordan will stop writing, look at the back cover. It says clearly that he will only stop in his grave, so ya all have an answer.
This book is certainly my best so far after finishing the fire of heaven. With its twisting story lines, real character developement, and good action, not mentioning great discription, make the reader feel right in the book. As many fan do, it almost feal like living in the book once you open it. Well, it earned me a few scowls from my mom who hates me reading more than 5 hours a day.
Now, if you need some other series to compare the wheel of time to, Dune by Frank Herbert is pretty good. Rand is so much like Paul and Ase Sedai as Bene Gesserit it's not even funny. What does this suggest, copying? Mmmmm......
Any way, another thing I find intersting about the Wheel Of Time is that the world and its magic can be explained by Physics if you really think about it. The one power appears to be a better gravitational controll, and so on.
Another interesting fact, every one seems to like Perrin. Flip through a couple of reviews is enough to prove it. Personally, I wouldn't disagree. Rand is almost mad and Mat always off chasing girls not mentioning inapropriate comment and no brain. Perrin apears to be the only one in the book who is good, and think. He is kind of nicer than others too.
Yah, hope ya like it.
Rating:
Summary: Robert Jordan tops Tolkien
Review: The wheel of time series is a majestically complex and exciting story. The fourth book -the shadow rising- is my favorite. What I love the most about these books besides the intriging plots and great writing, is the closeness that you get with the characters. I've gotten to the point where i can almost predict a characters reaction, though the plot remains unpredictable. Each character has a different peraonality and the books are not only full of action, which is great in itself, but also full of every-day problems the characters face.
Jordan can write!!
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: I love these books...that is all that is needed to be said.
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