Rating: Summary: Not the best, not the worst.... Review: This book has only been out since last tuesday but yet there are already 49 reviews by customers. I must say when I finished this book I was dissappointed. One review that I read said it all "Half of a book". That is exactly what it was. The book set up a whole lot things. However many of things that it set up I was for sure would resolved in this book. I throughly enjoyed the first seven books. The 8th book did not satisfy me while ending of the ninth book was in my opinion one of the best endings so far and it easily made up for the rest of the book. After rereading the 8th once the 9th came out I did however change my opinion of it. The next book could absolutely be one of the best books by Jordan if he chooses to resolve some plots and cut out so many of the details. Perhaps his publishers are pressuring him to keep writing more and more and that's why it's taking so long. I love long series, however I do not love long waiting periods. If I already had the next book to read then this book would have been just fine however since we most likely have 2 yrs to wait for the next one.....Maybe more because Robert Jordan is supposedly going to rewrite "A New Srping" and publish it next year. I wish he would instead just finish the 11th book. This book definately left me wanting more(but that's becasue there was little resolution). It did leave us with a lot of speculating and wondering what's going to happen next. Or maybe just maybe this is only the first half of the 10th book and because it was so large they had to put it in two separate volumes like they are doing with first book now. Yeah right I wish...................
Rating: Summary: And I thought the last one was bad! Review: At the ripe ol' age of 27 it now feels like I have always been waiting for the next Jordan novel my whole life. I loved them up to six and was disappointed by 9, but hell... at least it had an ending. This book really just goes nowhere. He could of at least had someone fight a big battle with the Seanchan. Maybe one fight with the one power, I would have settled for him discribing a murder happenning instead of 'oh by the way someone got their head ripped off last night'. cliffhangers are for sequels, not 12 book series that are 600+ pages each. A hundred pages of action at the end or even the middle is something we deserve for forking out about 200 dollars or so each by now (and now i've had to buy some in paperback because of wear). I don't want to wait for and buy the next but I'm sure I will and that shames me. I'm weak, don't be, pass on this one and the rest.
Rating: Summary: Sad End to a Promising Series Review: I think everyone has already pointed out the main weakness of the book. It's long, rambling (par for the course) and nothing happens. I wanted to enjoy the book, but I consider the Wheel of Time to be a sad example of what happens when an author creates a detailed world and characters with no organization. Robert Jordan has repeatedly said in interviews that he didn't plan too far ahead while writing each book, and after book six, the result of that tactic are obvious. A story can be sold on the strength of the plot or the strength of the characterization. The plot in this book (and you could argue the larger plot as well), is a complete failure. Mainly because rather than simplifying the multitude of minor plot threads that now plague the series, this book does nothing to advance any of them while introducing a few more. The result is that the main plot goes nowhere, characters are roughly in the same place thinking the same things that they have been for the last two books and formulaic and childish plot devices are used in a blatant attempt to make the reader excited (reading the last page did nothing to stir my imagination; if anything, what happens at the end is yet another thing that happens to the main heroines ad nauseum). Basically, the plot pacing as well as overall development in this book [lacks]. As for the characters, to be blatantly honest, you'll find more intelligence, personality and character development in the cast of Harry Potter (which manages to be entertaining and a good, clean read; virtues that have escaped the Wheel of Time as a series for quite a few books now). Even more, you'll find that you like Harry and his friends, and have a good grasp of their personalities after a few lines of dialogue. Mr. Jordan could learn a thing or two from Mrs. Rowling in that respect. In addition, to be forewarned is to be forearmed; the cast of Wheel of Time are not deep thinkers, brilliant personalities or even entertaining. There are no intelligent and sympathetic female protagonists among the main cast (which I count as Elayne, Nynaeve and Egwene, since these have regularly had their own sections in most of the series). There aren't any ladies on the level of Jessica Atreides or Darwi Odrade (Frank Herbert), Catelyn Stark (George R. R. Martin), Morgan le Fay or Guinever (Ursula K. LeGuin). Neither are the male protagonists on the same level as Paul Atreides, Ned Stark or Jaime Lannister. To put it bluntly, each character in Wheel of Time is a collection of stock responses and canned reactions. I suppose the reason characters don't seem intelligent or don't seem to develop further is because despite the hundreds of pages Jordan has wasted away in book ten, very little time has passed in Randland between Winter's Heart and Crossroads, and the period of about a week or two passes in Crossroads of Twilight. Nevertheless, we want to see characters grow and change. To put it simply, they don't seem to learn moral or intellectual lessons. They get stronger and more powerful in every book, but they all seem to operate on the same intellectual level as they did at the close of book iv. Robert Jordan tends to move his characters around by plot devices, rather than giving the character enough legitimate personality that the reader can accept that the character's actions are believable and natural. I am as entertained by the Aes Sedai as anyone, but honestly, despite their ten years and more of training, I can't help but think they are very stupid. Even worse are the little 'social messages' Jordan seems to preach in the series; such as all the women feeling a need to belong to strict and unhappy social circles where each person's worth is judged to the last virtue, vice and history. No offense, Mr. Jordan, but the picture we get of the Tower is not of disciplined women working together for a common goal but a bunch of old maids who squabble more than they meet agreements. I sincerely hope Mr. Jordan starts killing off the characters who detract from the main story, and making use of a good editor to make the book an easy read. The series is already dead; why not get rid of the characters.
Rating: Summary: Mat is back! At least on the cover... Review: For all those Jordan fans out there... after 9 books we are kind of stuck. Come hell or high water most of us are going to see this series out. If you were looking for another action book where a lot gets done as far as story progression think again. Nothing happened in this book! For all of those fans who have been waiting for Mat to finally reappear in the series, Jordan has left us wanting more. I really liked the parts with Mat and I find Tuon to be a really neat character. Mat is an engaging character who needs to have an equally interesting counterpoint. He is certainly growing as a character. But that was less that a fifth of the entire book. I suggest that you wait for the book to come out in paperback. Read the parts with Perrin- who will shock you in this one, and Mat carefully. Skip the part with Elayne entirely - [...] that was boring, and skim the Egwene parts. Overall it wasn't bad... it really picks up at the end, but halfway through I didn't want to keep going.
Rating: Summary: Ach, it's good, but... Review: I really didn't wait two years to for this...did I? It's good, but, when you really step back and look at it from the perspective of those books that came before, it's nothing but a recap of the state of events at the end of "Winters Heart." 700 pages of bumbling around, bumping into each other, the Weave, and, going nowhere (in the Warp and the Woof). It's more like a 700 page Bookmark, a placeholder between "Winters Heart," and, Volume 11 (whatever it may be called). There are no spellbinding battles, no great discovery in the use of the "Power," Mat and Tuon still haven't connected, Egwene is still camped outside Tar Valon (with a little twist at the end of the Chapter), and, Rand is holed up in a room in a small city, marking time, just like the book (with a little twist concerning the "Daughter of the Nine Moons" at the end). And, the Rebel Aes Sedai still haven't realized that they have a devastating weapon available in the "Travelling Gates," that cannot only get them into the Tower, but, decimate any opposition...with a terrible slaughter. Interesting, but, unfilling, as a course in my regular diet of Robert Jordan magic. Well, guess I'll just have to read the other Nine Volumes again, to fill the empty years ahead, until the next Chapter in the Saga appears magically...several months of postponements beyond the published release date. Hate that, ya know? Gordon
Rating: Summary: Not again, the pain oh the pain Review: RJ started out with a very good story. I agree with what has been said so far. Lets end this before I die. I purchased book 9 on tape so I could listen while driving. It put me to sleep. I hope he knows how to finish a story. I think I'll get the next one from a used book yard sale.
Rating: Summary: Wait for the paperback, if you must read it at all. Review: I have to agree with most of the other reviews. I have been a big WoT fan, but this book is very close to killing it for me. The only reason I will read the rest of the series is to finish the story. This book is easily the worst in the series. The story is excessively plodding, it spends massive amounts of page space describing useless details with exacting precision. I found Jordan's style cloying at best in this book, by the end of it, if I saw one more description of how someone looked at someone else, I was ready to throw the book. Most of the contents of the book are political intrigue would be hard to keep straight with expensive project management software. You could distil the book into 3 chapters of genuinely useful and readable story. It is really frustrating to wait 2 years to get a book that virtually nothing important happens in. I believe Jordan is going to lose a large piece of his fan base because of this book, maybe rightly so. I think his publishers and editor should be ashamed that this book made it to print in its current form. Please do yourself a favor, skim it in the bookstore, read the more important parts and put it back on the shelf and in 2 more years, read the reviews, and see if book number 11 is worth reading.
Rating: Summary: Outsmart the GREEDY BAS_ _ _ _ Review: It's plain and simple. Jordan is just too lazy to take the time to write a good ending to the series. He's also a huge sell-out and a GREEDY B (I mean, come on, who else charges for a prologue?). We are, however, somewhat attached to his characters. Easy solution: Borrow the book from you public library. You get to read the story; he doesn't get any money. So what if you have to wait a week or two for your library to get a copy. It's not like you haven't waited years for the series to do something . At one point, Jordan was thought of as Tolken's equal. Let's see how well his money consoles him when he realizes he gave up a place in Literary history for a few bucks that he'll waste before he comes back trying to sell us some more trash.
Rating: Summary: 600+ Pages of No Closure and Unanswered Questions Review: Well Robert Jordan has managed to resurrect the writing style evidenced in the first 6 books of the series which was sorely lacking in books 7-9. However, in nearly 700 pages, virtually no questions from the previous book were answered. In addition, very little action occurred: Elayne still does not have the throne, Mat is not married, Egwene was not taken/unified the White Tower, Perrin still has not rescued Faile and Rand does not seem to be one step closer to the final battle. Robert Jordan... if you or your publisher read these reviews, I think many of your fans, like myself who are teetering on the edge of never buying another one of your books out of sheer frustration and disappointment, deserves a public explanation. I'd like to know what you have up your sleeve for the series and when we can expect it to end. I'd like to draw your attention to the multitude of authors that have completed series in four books and less. Many others have set the bar yet you seem to fall short at over 6,000 pages published with no end in sight. Will we be left waiting another three years for you to bring this series to a close? If so, I don't have the patience for it. Even if you are an avid reader of the series, I think you should wait for the paperback and seriously give consideration to abandoning the series.
Rating: Summary: Look forward to the unedited version... Review: Robert Jordan started the Wheel of Time like he was Tolkien, or at least Terry Brooks. Accolades arrived, followed shortly by an epic editorial lapse (even by epic fantasy standards). With this book, the last, and the one before that, he's aspiring to become the Henry Darger who lucked into a publishing contract. Mr. Jordan's continually peculiar fixations and minor perversions do, however, give me hope that someday the uncensored (and unedited, naturally) "writer's cut" will emerge.
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