Rating: Summary: Great start to a Great series Review: The Eye of the World is one of the best books I have read in awhile. The only problem is that people keep trying unsuccessfully to compare this series with Tolkien. Give it a break they are completely different, any similarities are pure happenstance. I have read this series and Tolkien, and frankly they are both great series, these are the 2 top series I have ever read.
Rating: Summary: Still give it 5 stars Review: There were a lot of things that annoyed me about this book. But in the end, I still had to give it a nod and a full five star rating. Bottom line is, its a good story, captivating, made me want to read the next in the series. I gave Jordan five stars because he creates characters that you wonder about, are curiously interesting. Will Rand and Egwene ever get it on? Or will it be Perrin and Egwene? Rand and Moiraine possibly? Who is Tam, really, and what were the circumstances of Rand's birth? Will Egwene and Nynaeve become wisdoms? Will Perrin run off into the woods with his Wolfbrothers? Will Lan reclaim his kingly title? I'd like Rand to get back to Caemalyn, find Morgase's daughter and hang out in her garden. But I'd like to say to all the people out there who don't see the similarities between LoTR and the Eye of the World, "What are you talking about?!?" Here we go: Rand=Frodo. Both are tormented. Both bear a terrible burden. Both wield great power... Mat=Samwise. The constant companion, the best friend, the sidekick. Although Mat [ticked me off] through most of the book with his immaturity and moronic behaviour. If I were Rand, I'd tear that little dagger out of his hands and kick him out of the party. but I guess Moiraine object because he's part of the "pattern". Thom=Gandalf. They're the old dudes with the white wispy beards and deep knowledge of the world. Lan=Aragorn. Both disguise themselves of their true kingly nature, have had their ancestors lose their empires, and take on other, more humble roles. Protectors... They go on a journey. The get chased by scary guys in black robes with unseen faces and black horses (Darkriders or Fades, take your pick). They stay at inns where people look at them suspiciously. They get attacked and get split up. They go on separate journeys for a while, gaining different experiences, but then get reunited. They go on a journey through a dark, dangerous, subterranean, haunted place as a shortcut. They are hunted by big, hairy, subhuman savage-types (someone tell me the difference between a trolloc and an orc.) They meet a mythical moving, talking piece of vegetation (The Green Man=Treebeard). In fact, Loial reminds me an awful lot of Treebeard too. There are just too many similarities between Jordan and Tolkein characterwise, plotwise, etc that to say the Jordan is original is ridiculous. Despite Loial's face splitting into a grin (repeatedly) or Mat's ferocious rictus (theres a word that one doesnt easily forget) and Nynaeve's constant bickering, I still managed to like the Eye of the World. So yeah, pull out your wallet and order it online today!
Rating: Summary: Captivating? Enthralling? Enveloping? All these, and more... Review: I recently read EoTW on a recommendation from a friend. I don't think I've ever been as captivated by a book before. Jordan's writing style is so intimately detailed that if you have any glimmer of an imagination whatsoever, the book plays out in movie-quality in your head. If you are a fan of the fantasy genre, then pick up EoTW and begin your journey through the Wheel of Time saga.
Rating: Summary: Wonderful start to the series.....BUT Review: there are 10 books...many more to come probably, and the whole thing goes downhill from this book. The next one's pretty good, the third all right, it's completely dead from there. A whole 300 plus page book goes nowhere. If you haven't started the wheel of time...DON'T.Yes this book was great! But there's tons of loose ends that haven't been tied up after 8 more books...depressing and a waste of time.
Rating: Summary: Anyone Read Lord of the Rings? Review: The number of parallels you can make between this book and the Lord of the Rings is astounding to the point of just barely being acceptable as original literature. It seems like every third character has the personality or role of someone from the Lord of the Rings. Despite this the book is fun to read and has some originality of its own. I hear the saga as a whole is really good, but if you have to choose between this one and Lord of the Rings, start with Lord of the Rings.
Rating: Summary: The Greatest thing since sliced bread, er, i mean Tolkien! Review: Just over two weeks ago, in the hope of finding something that grabbed my attention in the same way the world of tolkien did, i found 'The Wheel of Time.' Not an underdeveloped, unconvincing 'wannabe' but a fascinating attempt to create a lush and beautiful world on par with Tolkien's 'middle-earth!' The book centralises around Rand al'Thor, his fellow Emond's Fielders, Mat, Egwene and Perrin, Nynaeve the wisdom, Thom the gleeman, Moiraine the Aes Sedai and Lan the warder....the fellowship if you will. Escaping the clutches of the dark one and his evil minions the party flee Emonds Field and begin the epic that is the 'Wheel of Time.' Rand must dicsover his destiny as 'The Dragon Reborn' and learn who and who not to trust along the way. Throughout the journey we witness a compelling plot coupled by Jordan's unique writing ability. The world literally comes alive thanks to Jordan's eye for detail. Characters are carefully and precisely developed as are the various parts of Jordan's world. You cant help feeling, yes you know the characters like you do your own friends, or perhaps even think you too are walking the road to Caemlyn. Yes, some may consider the book too detailed and a little tedious, understandable considering the book is over 700 pages long, but when considered against the truly captivating plot (think roller coaster!), it goes unnoticed. One word could not describe 'The Eye of the World' but think 'Lord of the Rings' and you'll soon be there. Yes, yes it's similar to Tolkien. Jordan has his 'fellowhip' traversing the aptly named 'Mountains of Mist' eventually into the 'Blight' (Mordor?) but this can only be a good thing! What better a bench mark to set yourself against than the greatest fantasy series ever written. And to be fair to Jordan he apparently moves away from this in the later novels....still keeping the series strong! Overall i believe 'The Eye of the World' to be a fantastic novel, captivating throughout...my two weeks reading proving this!!! Dont be put off by length, as Jordan pulls out a master piece, worthy of it's place amoung the greats! 4/5 (nothing is perfect!)
Rating: Summary: good book with a skewed view of feminism Review: I think this book is pretty darn good. It's not quite on par with the works of masterpiece fantasy writers such as Orson Scott Card and Frank Herbert, but Jordan is an entertaining writer and this first book really draws you in. That said, I must complain about the way women are portrayed in this book. Almost every chapter gives examples of women who dominate their immature and stupid male counterparts. The interactions between the men and women are so skewed that it is hard to picture them having meaningful relationships. It seems that all women are forced into psuedo-feminist stereo-types dipicting them as either shrews or know-it-alls, only Jordan paints this as an acceptable attitude. For example, young and beautiful Naenyeve goes around bludgeoning any male that disagrees with her leadership as wisdom and healer of the village, and this is just the beginning. I don't know what the point of these portrayals are, IMO both men and women should be offended by this. Anyway, it is testimony to the quality of the overarching storyline that I am even still reading this book, which is why I gave it four stars instead of 1 or 2.
Rating: Summary: Good Story Review: I admit when I first read this book, It took sometime to get into it I keep reading first couple pages off and on but all ways stoped. Just couldn't get into it, finally was bord and started reading it again and found it to be a very excellant book. Robert Jorden's The Eye Of The World was to me well done and written, His World building skills were well done and thought out with interesting characters, True it starts off slow but soon picks up and hooks you. I found myself up late reading this book and once started had hard time putting it down. I enjoy reading very much and this book entertained me. Found myself wanting to read the rest of the series. I had hear some thought his first 4 books were good but then went down hill, and I tend to agree with some of them.but the rest of the series was not bad at all thou could have been better. So I recomened this book to any one.
Rating: Summary: I Tried, I Tired, and I Tried Again... Review: I have tried 3 times to get into this book. I REALLY wanted to be as taken by it as most others seem to be. But I just could not get into it. I love starting a series that I can get into, which first happened to me with the Sword of Truth Series by Terry Goodkind, so I really wanted it to work. On my third try, I got more than half way through the book when one night I sighed to my husband that I was going to go read. He questioned me, he knows how much I just loooooove to read, and was surprised that I was treating it like a chore. I told him that I was having a hard time reading this book. He laughed, and told me to throw it away, he said for someone like me to think of reading as a chore because of a certain book, should not be reading that book! He was right! I am back to my usual reading pace and loving every minute of it - not even once have I wondered what came of Rand and his friends! So, thanks, but I am passing on the Wheel of Time Series!
Rating: Summary: A chunk of a really big story. Review: It would be impossible to give you much of an outline of this book. The thing is too big. I can, however, say a few things. Firstly, I enjoyed it and read it quickly. Jordan's style is driven and flows well, allowing for comfort in the reading. Secondly, this is book one of what is currently ten books in an unfinished, continuing epic. All the books are gigantic. In this book, a boy named Rand Al'Thor and his friends begin a saga involving a Tolkienesque dark lord, magical women and men who are doomed if magical. One of the best things about this series is the world-building feat. Another is the interesting relationships between men and women. As the series progresses, a plethora of legendary characters come into play, and there is much of interest to say of the political intrigue.
|