Rating: Summary: what a waste of time! Review: By looking at the other reviews I can tell that I am not alone when I say this book was a huge disappointment. I have been a fan of the series since the first book came out and would be the first to recommend it to a friend. But it has become clear with the last few books that Jordan is trying to drag this out as long as possible, regardless of what it does to the story or how his fans feel. I forgave the plodding story in the last book because he ended it on such a powerfull and pivital note, one that I assumed he would pick up in Crossroads. Instead we get 500 pages of useless backstory before we even reach the point where the last book ended! We dont even see Rand untill page 540 and they just gloss over his clensing of the one source. Even the interesting parts got lost in the endless drivel. It seems to me he just took material that was cut from his last book and made this on out of it. How else can you explane a book in the Wheel of Time series that has NO ACTION, I dont think anyone even draws a sword! It was 680 pages of trivial conversations. To any fans of the series I would say skip this on , you could go from book 9 to book 11 and not miss a thing.
Rating: Summary: Crossroads in the title says it all really. Review: By now I'm sure you've read enough reviews saying nothing happens in this book and to be honest there are no big events like in most of the earlier books, but hey so what. I like to think that Jordan decided now was a good time to bring us up to date with a few of the many hundreds of subplots hes weaved over the previous nine books in an attempt to set us for things to come. After finishing this book i get the feeling we are on the verge of some monumental events in the next book. EVERY major character is involved in some sort of standoff. I have to say i didn't feel this way the minute i had put down the book, after waiting for so long my expectation was built up to quite a level, but I'm more than willing to stick by the series to see what happens next and to be fair thats what Jordan always did best leaving you wanting more. If hes reading the same reviews I am hes sitting at home saying "Conclusions???? When did i ever write those before anyway? You'll get the biggest conclusion of all when I'm good and ready and not a minute before, now where did i leave that new subplot?" In conclusion, if you like the WOT series don't despair, buy the book you know you want to really
Rating: Summary: Where did the story go? Review: Two years of expectant waiting and Robert Jordan produces something less than mundane! This book must be the worst so far. I miss the plot intrigues, crisp narrative and action of the earlier books in the series where we flitted from character to character, each time being left on a cliff edge. The entire contents of this book could have been confined to two chapters. There has been virtually no plot advancement; Mat is STILL in Ebou Dar with Tuon, Perrin is STILL hunting Faile, Elayne is STILL trying to win the Lion Throne, the battle for Tar Valon has STILL to take place. Robert Jordan should re-read the first few books of the series to see why they were so popular. My one time delight with the Wheel of Time is quickly fading to disinterest.
Rating: Summary: Too little - Too late Review: Don't get me wrong... I love this series, and will have every book on pre-order when available, but this book was definately unimpressive, and completely forgettable. When you have 8 or 9 major characters/storylines running at the same time, it is hard to progress all the characters... So what you have here is many short stories where next to nothing happens for the entire book. This is NOT what I would have expected after waiting 2 years after book 9. There is SOME plot progression, but not much While not a complete waste of time, it is the next best thing to it. I can't wait for book 11... maybe in 2 or 3 years. I hope he finished this series before he dies of old age. 10 books in 15 years, each one later than the last.
Rating: Summary: wait for paperback! Review: While I can't claim that this volume had much less plot advancement than the last one (Winter's Heart), it had very little to speak of indeed. One wonders if Jordan, at the current rate of plodding will live to see the final volume published. Mat/Tuon and Perrin/Faile make up a great deal of the tale, but in the latter case I almost wish they hadn't. So little advancement happens in the Faile "rescue" that I almost kicked the book out of an open window in a Perrinesque blood rage. Mat and Tuon hardly do any better in the circus, but at least they can (occasionally) talk to each other - Perrin is largely limited to talking to himself. Egwene's portion is no better: same-old Hall politics and minor (A'Rangar) subterfuges do not an engaging read make. Even her final cliffhanger is both predictable and exasperating. Certainly, one of the aspects that originally made the series endearing (the male-female interactions) has rapidly become tiresome. It is one thing for a character to muse at length about the incorrigibility of fe/males when they are inexperienced, but it seems downright inappropriate after they've led armies and slaughtered thousands, personally. Don't get me wrong, these aspects do not need to be removed - they simply need to take up proportionally less SPACE so that the plot can be advanced. On the face of it, significant events will occur and the plot will be advanced greatly, come the next volume. Of course, this is what was said last time. After 4000+ pages, the pace of the story is decelerating. Not a good sign. Jordan does not want to give up the universe he has created, and in so doing is slowly cheapening it.
Rating: Summary: Character development Review: I prefer to have the characters developed. So often The author is so anxious to finish a series that it loses its flavor. Once the tale with these characters is Pau there is little chance of the author going back and fleshing the series, and characters out. I hope the author will stay the course and do what he said he was going to do at the very first. Make a lengthy well thought out series.
Rating: Summary: Richly detailed, but slow-advancing plotlines Review: I was almost driven crazy waiting for this book to come out. I feel the book is as richly detailed as previous books and the author has seemed to pick up the pace a bit (he has done that for book 9 & 10). Although I was as disappointed as the others that the story did not advance as far as I hoped, I do think the author seems to be slowly bringing in his multiple subplots and building up his momentum. In my estimation, I think the author should be able to bring everything to the conclusion within 2 or 3 more books, i.e. if he does hurry up a bit. If he gets sidetracked again, all bets are off. I have great hope for the 11th book. By the way, I was not as fed up in my waiting as the others possibly because I started this serie when he has written 7 books already. To me, it's only been a long 5 years.
Rating: Summary: Angry and Disappointed Review: I waited patiently for this book to come out thinking that a great story takes time to develop and progress. I was discusted to find that all my hope and patience was rewarded with a book that says nothing, goes nowhere, and leaves me hanging. I'm not really interested in reading the next book. I wish I could return it but it was a gift from someone who knows of my love of the story. I'll keep my copy only as a reminder that someone cares enough about me to buy it. Other wise it would be back on the shelf. I warn others to wait for it in paperback if you just have to read it.
Rating: Summary: Well, once again nothing happens in the neighborhood Review: I've read some of the other reviews, and they are all correct. Yes, nothing happened. Yes, he once again takes two years to write a book where nothing of interest happens. Oh wait, we get to read two pages about the Rebel Aes Sedai holding a meeting of the hall, and who exactly sits next to who, why that is surprising, and of course what each of them is wearing. Oh wait, we get to read 4 pages of Matt walking through Luca's camp, and describe who all he sees. Wait, we also get to read about more Aes Sedai smoothing skirts, and what kind of embroidery is on their dresses. You get the picture. Critics all had the belief at the end of Winter's Heart that Jordan finally had set things up in order to have a tenth book full of rock'em sock'em action. Nope. Nothing happens. I did make an interesting observation. I was on a flight, and was going to finish Crossroads on it, and wanted to read an earlier book in case I finished, so I brought The Shadow Rising. I was SHOCKED at how different the type set was between books. Much less words per page in Crossroads, maybe 3 times less. Beyond that, look at what happens in the earlier books. In The Shadow Rising, Rand leaves Tear and meets the Aiel and fights Asmodean while the girls go to Tanchico and beat up Moghedien. Look at any of the books, and see how much each story progresses the epic. then look at Path of Daggers, or Crossroads. Nothing happens, except Egwene has an achey head, and Elayne takes a hot bath. I don't want the story to end. I love the story, and it's a great world Jordan has invented. However, the pace is glacial. He's not developing character here as so many have said. He's developed diarreah of the mouth. We don't need 10 pages of someone ruminating on who sat where in a meeting, or 10 pages of Perrin riding through a forest on horseback thinking of Faile. We need some motion in the story. And this book sorely did not deliver. So sad...I rapidly grow tired of this series.
Rating: Summary: What?! I rushed through WoT for this?! Review: I began reading the WoT series in June of 2002, and already I've finished reading CoT. I love the series, don't get me wrong, but number ten was VERY disappointing. It's great that an author would want to describe more of the world his books are written in, as well as current events within the series...but...where's the action? Where's the edge-of-your-seat feeling I got from reading 1-7 and 9 (sorry...ten seems to follow the monotony of eight). I'm waiting anxiously for number eleven, I just hope it's very soon and MUCH longer. Eh...this gives me some time to go back and review stuff in case I forgot, maybe even begin Terry G.'s Sword of Truth series. C'mon, Mr. Jordan, we want more!!
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