Rating: Summary: You'll love The Wheel of Time--if you can read quickly! Review: Robert Jordan sets up plot twists more cleverly than any other author I've ever read. Each climax he writes is incomparable! But his characters are initially unappealing, especially the "strong" women, who always value power above friendship. And yes, this book is FAR too slow! If you read slowly, or if you're an English major who's fussy about "good" writing, then don't bother. But if you're willing to read a mediocre thousand-page novel to get to the amazing hundred-page ending, then you'll love this series, as I do.You can probably decide whether you'll like the series after reading the first novel, but the best plot twists are yet to come, since _Eye of the World_ is just the first chapter of a very long story. The good bits are much better in the later books--and the long slow sections are even longer!
Rating: Summary: Good book, but very long Review: The is one of the best series of books I have ever read. It is a wonderful epic fantasy that you cannot put down. The only warning I have for anyone planning to buy this is that the series is very, very long. If you start to read it you will want to finish, but that takes a very long time
Rating: Summary: Story keeps moving Review: This is good story because it doesn't stop. There is always something new happening. It moves at a fast pace with plenty of action so you don't get bored.
Rating: Summary: absolutely excellent Review: one thing i've always had against fantasy stories, including this series is that they never seem to give the enemies more than a two dimensional characterization. this one attempts it rather well with the forsaken and some of the darkfriends, but trollocs are just fodder for rand's lightning strikes. but my own pet pieves aside, this story is rich and complex. this world that robert jordan has created is imaginative and innovative. it may seem like he is using some stereotypes from our own cultures throughout our world, but he's mixed it up well enough to be considered his own creation. the story will engross you, as it should and you will be caught up in the characters' drive for survival. enjoy it, and all nine books so far.
Rating: Summary: A new saga worthy of Star Wars' Fame Review: Robert Jordan shows us that true fantsy has not gone out of style. He has taken an 'old' genre and improved it, giving us the new saga of Rand Al'Thor and his aquantances. If you are new to this series, know that the first book is confusing yes, but after reading further into the series *the second book* the confusion lifts and you begin to know the characters. This series shows the mark of an excellent series; it leaves the reader begging for an even to occur, the reader knows the characters so well that they are as old friends. This is a wonderful series that only gets better with time, much like good wine. If you are doubtful as to whether or not you should buy this book, don't buy it. This series requires devotion, and if you aren't prepared to take time to bond with the series, the books will mean nothing.
Rating: Summary: Okay book Review: I thought this book was okay. I had read all of salvatores drizzt books and went to these i think that the salvatores and other forgottent realms are better and more of what I think fantasy has. It has some good points and some bad ones i suggest you read this book. And if you have the time read my favorite books the Drizzt books.
Rating: Summary: a surprise Review: When I first started reading the story line seemed a little slow and confusing, so I had to frequently refer to the glossary in the back. By the middle of the book however, I became hooked and pulled into the wonderful story of Rand and his friends.
Rating: Summary: Lots of Fantasy Standards Review: I first read this series a couple years ago when I was sick with monster flu. Which means that these are books you can read and enjoy while being relatively brain-dead. But I find on second reading that you can enjoy them while in your full capacities, too. I did not want to like these books. I am wary of any book whose jacket proclaims its author "the next Tolkein," and I LOATHE Daryl Sweet's badly-proportioned cover art. And there are a lot of things in this first book of the series that made me think, "_Fellowship of the Ring_ rip-off." Like, group of innocents from rural community must leave their happy home driven off by faceless, black-cloaked riders and bands of marauding orc-like beings. Like, mysterious magic-user who doesn't explain anything accompanied by weather-beaten man who is heir to a blighted kingdom. Like the Dark Lord in his distant mountain realm. Yadda yadda yadda. On the other hand, a number of things won me over by the end of the book. First of all, there are actually female characters and strong ones at that, still a rarity in fantasy, particularly epic fantasy written by a man. A couple people have mentioned that all the women were alike, or that they were all angry all the time. That didn't strike me so hard. In fact, I thought that Jordan did a pretty good job writing realistic women. Of the three young men, Rand and Mat were pretty standard for fantasy -- one the reluctant hero, the other his reckless and somewhat annoying sidekick. Mat's thing with the dagger was way too much like Pippin's with the Palantir, too, and lasted a whole lot longer. Perrin, however, I found particularly well-drawn and interesting. I liked the depiction of his efforts to be a gentle man, and his relationship with the wolves was unusual in a genre rife with talking magic animals. Also I did think Jordan gave a fairly accurate description of how high adventure is REALLY likely to affect the adolescent male. And I thought that the inner look at how young men view young women (and vice versa) was well-done and amusing. One of the things that most impressed me was Jordan's impeccable grammar. This may not matter to many people, but after reading _Eye of the World_ again I realised how exhausting it is to read the standard fantasy full of split infinitives, no subject/verb agreement, and dangling prepositional phrases. You will not find those here, and for me that was one of the things that made this book so easy to read. Although he does bring the story to something of a conclusion, this IS definitely the first book of a long, drawn-out series. So in the way of the first act of a play, much of _Eye of the World_ is only the set-up. For more character and plot development, for more details about the society, you just have to wait until other books. Oddly enough, this didn't bother me. I appreciate that Jordan was willing to take his time on the story (a willingness that has allowed his original five-book plan to spread to nine books with no end in sight). The first hundred pages, in fact, only introduces the characters and the bare bones of the background. It wasn't at all a chore to read; it went by remarkably quickly. Yet at the same time, it definitely gave you plenty to chew rather than serve up mere fluff all the way along. You will not like this book if you want everything all at once, and if you can't wait for things to unfold slowly and at a measured pace don't even bother. But if you like a complex story set in a remarkably complex and well-thought-out land, and if you're willing to disregard the fantasy cliche's for the moment, _Eye of the World_ is definitely worth reading.
Rating: Summary: Proto-pulp fantasy Review: Eye of the World and the Robert Jordan series is pulp fantasy in the same vein as David Eddings' Belgariad. The characters are interesting at first, but over the course of the series you get awfully sick of some of the repetitive dialogue and some of the annoying relationships. This is more like General Hospital than The Lord of the Rings...There are lots and lots of pages that could have been easily edited out of this series, but it seems like Jordan is getting paid by the word. As far as the story, it's standard fantasy schlock with a few twists (don't they all have a few twists?): 1) A select few people have the ability to "channel the One Power" (i.e., do magic). 2) The young people with the power whine a lot about "why me." 3) The personification of evil threatens to take over the world. 4) One young man in particular holds the key to defeating Mr. Evil. 5) Adventures ensue. Some of the twists include the fact that women are the true powers through the first books, because men have been forbidden from using magic because they "broke the world" (see the Belgariad)... This is definitely skippable, but if you want an escapist fantasy soap opera, this will do the trick. By the end, you will be wanting to use the One Power too.
Rating: Summary: It's alright , but i've read better... Review: First off let me begin by saying that i'm not a hardcore fantasy reader. I've only read the Lord of the Rings, the Ender series (although that's more sci-fi) and am following the Sword of Truth (up to book 6 now). So if ur looking for a review from one who's really into the fantasy genre, take what i say with a pinch of salt. What irks me about this book is the lack of character development. Of course, as the book progresses we get a better idea of what each character is like, but they stop growing after a point.The women are boringly strong, practically twins in the way they act and think,and the men almost cower when faced with a rebuke.The actions and reactions of the characters in situations are predictable. Moiraine and Lan and one-dimensional, always acting out the role of a guide and superior, and the 3 men don't really earn their respect. Lan irritatingly refers to them as 'sheepherders' throughout the book, although it may not have been intended as put down.The characters of Rand and Perrin are ok. At least they change and evolve with experiences and tribulations. Mat remains immature and reckless and it is hard to see how he could place himself and Rand in danger so often through his actions. It's difficult to enjoy a book when you get irritated by one of the main protagonists being foolish over and over again. Plot-wise, not exactly very original, with an unwilling, unsuspecting hero and a baddie who's a pseudo-satan. The so-called love affair with Egwene is ended before it has even begun, although the mutual respect leading to love between Nynaeve and Lan is an interesting twist. Not enough is given about the history of the world and the other peoples of the land i.e Aielmen and Ogiers and it was only when i read the glossary that i understood them better. That said, the author's descriptions and tone-setting efforts are vivid and largely successful.His painting of the blight and the green man's conclave are startlingly real. We did'nt get to see much of the towns though, because the characters were mostly on the run, and descriptions were limited to the character's initial impressions and not expanded upon. In any case they were not that much different from one another. I bought this book to tide me over whilst I wait for the next installation of the Sword of Truth. It managed to keep me occupied, but I would'nt say i'm hooked enough or that i enjoyed it enough to read the rest of the series.
|