Rating: Summary: NO PLOT ADVANCEMENT Review: This book goes nowhere! Non of the loose-ends from book nine were tied in this book. In fact, you could skip it entirely and not miss anything. The book had no conclusion what-so-ever and feels like the first half of a much longer edition. I hope Jordan has already written the second half and will be releasing it soon!
Rating: Summary: A BIG disappointment Review: My Husband turned me on to the "Wheel of Time" series about a year and a half ago. Being an avid reader, I devoured the first books within a couple of weeks, and like everyone else, I drooled over each new installment. The 9th book was very good and more than encouraging. Something major finally was accomplished, and it appeared that the final books in the series would be even better.How wrong that idea was. A prior commentary used the phrase "lack of movement." Constipation would be a better word, I think. There is absolutely NO purpose to this book. NOT A THING happens of any value to the story until the second to the last page. Most of the book is set in the SAME WEEK, just in different points of view. It's nothing but a long winded narrative of how each of the main characters (and ALL of the rest of them for that matter) couldn't get anything done. And, as if we didn't already have 10 or so different storylines to follow, and problems to solve, now he's adding MORE! Just as it seems something interesting is about to happen, he drops that line of thought and moves on to the next pointless babble. Just as it started to look as if it might be moving to some sort of climax. He ends it. I have NEVER been so irritated when reading a book. I just about threw the stupid thing across the room in frustration after finishing it. My advice; wait to buy this at a used book store. It's only value, in my opinion, is a collector's value.
Rating: Summary: A sad and tragic waste ;-) Review: If you're reading this I'll assume you've kept up with the other books in the series thus far. If not, for your own good DO NOT start from here. To be brutally honest if I had started the series with this book I would not have considered going all the way to the library to pick up another from this series, let alone purchasing them (as I have every book so far). In my opinion, Jordan can be faulted for some stagnant plot thus far in this series, but with a series this complicated and entertaining, you're willing to plod (perhaps skim) through a certain amount of truly boring development to see just where it is that Jordan is leading you to. And until this book, I've been truly impressed. Here's where I officially became disillusioned with this series however. I read through..what? 6..8..maybe 10 hours..was that all it was? and finished the book realizing that a 30 page summary would have entirely encompassed everything that was worthwhile reading in my mind, not to mention saving 2 years of wait for this book. So little happened! Other reviewers have mentioned it as a lead into the next book...of course it was to an extent, but if you completely skipped this book, would you even wonder what you had missed when you got to the next book? I dont think I'd even realize I had missed an entire (and LONG) book in between! How is this possible? Other than maybe 15 pages of strong (and I admit, enjoyable) development between Mat and Tuon, and maybe 12 pages of further development of Egwene (not enjoyable by any means)and her relations as Amyrlin <sp?> - other than that I felt that NOTHING happened.. (yes I know it was more like 100-150 pages of Egwene, not 12, but I think I'm probably being optimistic in saying that there was 12 pages of NECESSARY, useful or even entertaining development. Oh yes, I almost forgot ;-) Perrin chases down Faile for..100? pages or so, never actually sees her, but he does buy some grain that has weevils (parasites) in it from some hick town...which leads me to believe that perhaps the weevils are now going to become the main focal point of the next book, since there was more content on them and how to remove them from grain than there was on Rand throughout the entirety of the novel. It seemed as if one of two things happened in this novel: 1- Jordan wanted to show that he could still get millions or readers to buy and read one of his novels due copletely to his past writings, and in no part actually due to THIS novel being worth reading or.. 2-Jordan wanted to test the waters to see if he could actually make this THE neverending story, by never resolving any of the 1000's of pages of foreshadowing and plotlines that have led us this far.. Is this what we have to look forward to 2 years more waiting with the possiblity of another book like this one at the end of it? If so, I hope Mr. Jordan is in miraculous health and outlives every one of his current readers so as to have some small chance of actually finishing this series. I for one am beginning to wonder if I will ever reach the end of it, which would be fine in my books as long as it kept me entertained in between, but if not..then the series just went from something I enjoy thoroughly to something I find myself dreading..(as I did every time I picked up this novel to try to reach the end) ;-) yes- a little melodramatic certainly but I DID mention I was disillusioned...
Rating: Summary: Jordan.. why hath thou forsaken us? Review: I couldn't believe it. Jordan's other 9 books of this series were slow at times. There were sections of a few hundred pages where almost nothing happens, and it was frustrating. But, the true Wheel of Time fan knew that Jordan had enough excitement in other parts to more than compensate. If you are a fan of the series... you may not want to subject yourself to this book. You are probably used to catching onto events because you can't remember what was going on with the 30 or so subplots, so skipping this whole book won't hurt you because NOTHING HAPPENS. That's right... this is entire book where NOTHING HAPPENS. Rand isnt even in the first 550 pages! None of the major issues are resolved! There is no fighting. No battles with the Forsaken. No battles between the 100 opposing armed forces in this entire ... series. I love the Wheel of Time series... and I will read the next book. If it's like this book, I'm giving up on Robert Jordan and the series that I have recommended countless times.
Rating: Summary: What A Pity! Review: This series started out with such promise! Each of the first three books matched all four of the last books combined for content. The story was quick and constantly moving; the characters fresh interesting. Then Robert Jordan started to infuse the story with far too boring detail, and far too many trivial and useless characters that detract from the big story he wants to tell. Too many enemies (way too many enemies); too many strong characters stewing but never doing. Too many Aes Sedai; too many Aes Sedai with similar names. In general just too much! Elayne wants her mother's throne. Her mother who we are supposed to believe was a stern and well-respected ruler is hardly more than a cowering girl. Tar Valon is split. Once formidable Aes Sedai are weak and useless bickering children. Is Elayne the strongest? Nynaeve? Egwene? But of course don't let the men think...We've all learned throughout the 10 books we've read that men can't be allowed to think! They are just not capable of intellegence. Lets face it, Rand is supposed to be the hero that conquers all that is evil. Not one character in the whole 10 stinking books gives him any respect, or acknowledges his power other than the Forsaken and long, long ago, Moiraine. I say for any character that thinks Rand is wool-brained to get off the fence and fight the last battle without him. Wait, that wouldn't leave anybody. Robert Jordan can keep writing until they nail his coffin shut; Robert Jordan seems to have nailed the Wheel of Time shut in a coffin already. At least for me. What a pity. See you in Westeros. (Please don't make the same mistakes George R. R. Martin!)
Rating: Summary: Nothing happens... I mean NOTHING... Review: 665 pages of not a ...thing. The first couple hundred pages are nothing but where the others were when Rand finished up in Winters Heart and it goes downhill from there... I won't say that I won't finish the story as it comes out (I've got too much invested already), but I will not be having a copy of the next one held and I'll only buy it after thoroughly overlooking the reviews... IN ALL SERIOUSNESS: YOU CAN SKIP THIS BOOK ENTIRELY and start on the next one when it comes and have only missed the geographic location of the key characters. ...
Rating: Summary: Come On Already! Review: I feel like I can't stop buying these clunkers, because if I do the story will get going again and I will miss it . Well lets hope the next installment does ANYTHING to advance the plot. The liner notes begin with a N.Y.Times quote " Jordan has come to dominate the world Tolkien began to reveal ".I think not friends. J.R.R. wrapped his masterpeice up in three volumes.I can see no end in sight to this overblown fantasy/romance .ACHHH. Save your money you wont miss a thing.
Rating: Summary: Stout wool, fine silk, and dressmaking...again. Review: If you hate action and want to learn more about the cut of a dress, then this book is for you. After struggling with action, fighting, and a plot at the first of this series RJ has finely come into his own with even more detailed detail. I can now spot good stout wool from across the room.
Rating: Summary: Filler, Filler and More Filler! Review: I used to be a rabid RJ fan ... read all the books many times over, made notes, cross checked clues, participated in e-mail discussion groups, etc, etc. Like everyone else, I have been increasingly disappointed with the last few books, but I have to say that this book was shockingly bad ... the book concludes about a quarter-inch farther than where the last book left off. We are subjected to rehearing every characters foibles as if we had not read the previous books (at book 10 I don't think the author should assume that the reader has not read the previous books). More importantly, I get increasingly frustrated that the "good guys/gals" cannot seem to add 2+2 and come up with 4... I know they can't be perfect (or we would have no story), but do they always have to be so clueless? As many others have observed, George R.R. Martin's "song of fire and ice" series is much better at keeping the pace going and keeping the characters interesting.
Rating: Summary: Waste of time!! Review: It's hard to imagine someone could write so many words and say virtually nothing. I really don't understand why Jordan even bothered with writing this one. Everything pertinent that happens in this book could have been compressed into a few chapters. Several books in the series have been slow, but this one is beyond comprehension. Save your money! and a few trees!
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