Rating: 
Summary: Beware.
Review: Having read the entire series so far, as well as several others in the genre, I can safely say the first three or four books in the Wheel of Time series are some of the best fantasy literature I've ever read. However, and this is a very important however, the rest of the books aren't worth the interesting looking thing my dog hawked up this afternoon. The characters turn flat and one dimesional (but this is fantasy, not Dostoyevsky), and the plots (or lack thereof) are the same loop over and over. I shudder to think of how many people like myself have been hooked by these first few excellent works, only to be stuck reading mindless drivel for the rest of the series. In picking up this book, I urge you to be careful. If you want what amounts to one very very long study of immature and sterotypical characters, fork out the nine dollars per book right away. If you're looking for a deeper, more involved, and infinately better written fantasy epic, take a look at George R. R. Martin's series. It's dark, yes, but at least his female characters don't have permanent PMS.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring..... an 'epic'?
Review: Let me say this much for Mr. Jordan- he knows how to write BIG books. No matter that they contain little that is interesting; they are big, and as some readers have mentioned, 'monumental in scale'. Unfortunately, I do not agree with these readers when they say that 'this series must be considered one of the few great fantasy series, if nothing else because of their epic scale'. The books are large but nothing else, and it only goes downhill form the first book. If you want a tuly great series read Tolkiens Lord of the Rings (of course) and Pullman's His Dark Materials. THose books were and are imaginative and well-written; The Wheel of Time series is not.If Mr. Jordan thinks the way to get our attention is to give everybody and everything new and 'cool' names, and then build cardboad whining males and annpying females, then he was wrong... at least in my case. I wonder how Mr. Jordan ever got married, if his relationships were anything like the ones mentioned in this book. Not only are the Aes Sedai (hmm... Dune series?) always telling us how stupid and idiotic men are, the men in return can only whine and complain. The scnes in this book are actually quite vivd... if you thnk vivid means describing every nuance of a scene, down to the number of leaves on a tree and their exact colors. Rand and his bumbling friends flee from one area to another haphazardly with no connecting thread. Nothing happens in this book; the whole series so far (8 huge books) could have been written in two books. Each enormous book brings the series only an inch further towards the conclusion.Mr. Jordan certainly writes a lot, but its not because he has too much to say. In short, these books are not the Kings of Fantasy, nor anywhere close. Give me L'Engle, Pullman, LeGuin and Tolkien anyday; do yourself a favor and put Jordan on the back shelf.
Rating:
Summary: Godfather of Fantasy? Huh? Please...
Review: So many people have been saying Robert Jordan is the new King of Fantasy, Tolkien's successor, etc, that I feel compelled to respond. These people must mostly be in the same category that claim Clancy writes classics and Stephen King writes epics. Unfortunately, Jordan seems to have little original to fill the 800 (wow!) pgs or so that make up this book. Usual village-idiot turns world saviour story, with so many ripoffs from Tolkien its not even funny. Farm boy, about to celebrate, is whisked away by mysterious mage character to aid in the fight against the Dark One, theres a new one. By this time, I'm tired of that same old cliched fantasy story set in a Tolkiennish world. People who think Mr. Jordan is imaginative haven't read Philip Pullman or Madeline L'Engle. As for comparisons to Tolkien, no way. Tolkien writes, for his time, a completely original trilogy with many complex issues behind it, and an air of beautiful nostalgia. Here that plot is ripped off and commercialized, then Mr. Jordan fills in the rest with minutae like the exact color of the grass and the shade of the sun. Mr. Jordan also seems to have an obsession with women taking off their clothes. I don't care if they have to do it because thats the only way to save the world, or channel the One Power, or whatever. It just adds to the immaturity of the story and detracts from any real love that might build up. If you really can read 10 books with 800 pgs each filled with crud like this, then go ahead with the Wheel of Time series... otherwise stay away.
Rating:
Summary: Cliched
Review: Eye of the World is an ok start to a huge but rather uninspiring series (no i did not read past book 3). Robert Jordan, as others have mentioned, has a tendency to overwrite. As a result this book gets out of hand trying to describe its mediocre plot. By this time, I really am tired of swords-and-sorcery fantasy. It just doesn't requie that "suspension of disbelief" anymore that fantasy needs. Tolkien did it; that was original. Other authors, get over it- no more elves, sword wielding rogues, wizards, medieval European settings, etc, at least until the ideas aren't so overused. Jordan adds a few new twists; nothing grand. This opening book is tolerable. But I wouldn't advise anyone except the most rabid fans to slog throught the remainder of the series... a mind-numbing 9 books. Anyone who has the time to read that should be reading something else.
Rating:
Summary: Yeah, well... mediocre, merely
Review: Robert Jordan presents several interesting concepts in his book. Rand Al'Thor is a relatively well drawn character, but i had trouble relating to him and he other characters... they just weren't very involving. All in all, there are better fantasy series to be read.
Rating:
Summary: nothing special
Review: THE EYE OF THE WORLD is best described as a typical, cliche-ridden fantasy. The characters live in a candyland world, where no one (important) ever dies, nubile young heroes embark on a quest to save the world, and, in the end, good ultimately triumphs over evil (though Jordan is certainly taking a long time going about it -- there are currently 8 published books in the series, out of a foreseen 12 -- will this series never end?). From the very start, the book's basic plot seems identical to that of half the genre. The peasant hero boy sets out to defeat the forces of evil, accompanied by a small band of friends and advised by a wise mentor. Readers of fantasy will find the story's twists and turns, as well as a few of the puzzles/mysteries, ridiculously obvious. I don't know how many times I've seen this same basic story retold. All the fantasy cliches are present in abundance. This overused plot line is bad enough in itself, but Jordan's execution is nearly as bad. He is horrible at characterization; all his male characters are whiny, reluctant heroes. His female characters are downright annoying, not to mention unrealistic. Furthermore, Jordan's characters, other than the odd secondary characters, are pretty much all carbon copies of one another. It seems like RJ takes each character, gives him a new name and some background, adds a few quirks, and voila! He has a new character. And it's not as if his characters are even likable... after the first book, I didn't give a fig for anyone except Rand, and when I got further on in the series, I started having murderous thoughts about Nynaeve, Egwene, Elayne, and co. Jordan's equally inept at character relationships. The dialogue's cheesy and predictable. And don't even get me started on his male-female relationships. Ugh. The plot of EOTW is also horribly contrived. It seems forced in several places, and Jordan's explanations for certain events are awfully thin. Many of the happenings in the book are obvious plot devices rather than realistic occurences. I also find Jordan's prose vaguely irritating, thoughI suppose this is more of a personal quirk than anything objective. And Jordan has an annoying habit of using the same descriptive phrases over and over and over and over. This doesn't seem like it'd detract from the story very much, but believe me; after 8 of these books, the constant skirt-smoothing, braid-tugging, and arm-crossing makes want to scream. But enough with the criticism. THE EYE OF THE WORLD isn't without its qualities, either. Jordan does an incredible job of worldbuilding (the facts don't match up all the time, but otherwise he's created a very vivid, wondrous world), and his detailed descriptions are nice when not overdone. Some of RJ's ideas are innovative and interesting, too, and the book has its share of compelling scenes and stirring moments. It's too bad you have to drudge through all the braid-pulling, pointless description, and endless cliches to get to those few shining gems, so to speak. Anyhow, to sum it all up, THE EYE OF THE WORLD is pretty good for candyland fantasy. It's a romantic, happy story, with overall decent writing and some great scenes, which is what some readers like. Others prefer something fresh and innovative, or you might like realism and tight, sharp plotting in what you read. If that's the case, stay away from EOTW and try GRRM (the best living fantasy writer, IMO) instead. But if you like a happy story (and can tolerate the world's most aggravating female characters-- probably what I hate most about this series), THE EYE OF THE WORLD will do it for you. Also be forewarned: THE WHEEL OF TIME, at this point, includes 8 books, and it's still growing. Be prepared to drag yourself through the other ones if you do intend on reading this book-- and they get worse. Much, much worse. THE PATH OF DAGGERS, book #8, is gibberish. Even if you absolutly adore EOTW, you'll probably be disappointed with the series past book #5. It made me tear my hair out.
Rating: 
Summary: I'm a fan for life.
Review: I won't defend or attack this or any book in the Wheel of Time. I'm just here to say this to any new reader. Jordan writes with a flare that sweeps me away. He takes norse mythology, the legend of king arthur, christianity, along with various other lore and combines them into a story that seems to rise from memory instead of its printed pages. If you need anymore convincing; just read the reviews on amazon. The bad as well as the good. It shows how powerful this series is that it is able to spark so many different opinions from so many different people in different walks of life. And make them feel the overpowering urge to voice those opinions. ...
Rating:
Summary: Excellent writer, wonderful imagination
Review: The Eye Of The World is amazingly descriptive. I read the first chapter and could not put the book away. I tried to read one chapter every evening in order to stop myself from spending the entire day reading and neglecting my responsibilities : ) Robert Jordan is such a descriptive writer with great eye for detail that in the morning, I felt as though I had experienced the chapter myself, or at least seen it with my own eyes. My dreams every night were greatly influenced by the mood in the chapter I had read. The adventures continued in my mind. Jordan isn't much of a man for "hidden meanings" or references to other literature or history, but his characters are very believable (within their world at least), and the sights, colors and emotions his writing bring to the mind make up for this easily. Rand, the main character, a simple farmer's boy who is one of three boys taken from their town by an "Aes Sedai", is clearly put more in the spotlight from the beginning, indicating to us that he is of great importance for his world. He and his two male friends, and a girl he's in love with but will never be with because of his destiny travel through a century old country, getting a first taste of what awaits them in the future. The ultimate challenge however, is reserved for Rand. Robert Jordan creates a good portrayal of religion in his book with the Children of the Light, and puts religion in the more proper position of a dangerous belief that is harmful and that is often pressed on people, a belief that claims to want peace but stands for violence and intolerance. If you enjoy books that are creative, fantastic (in the original meaning of the word), descriptive and simply beautiful, I think you might enjoy this. Rand, Mat and Perrin are now alive in my mind as well as many others, and I will not rest until I've read the rest of the series (although I have been warned that the newer ones are not quite as good as the first) again... and again... and again...
Rating:
Summary: Too Little Plot
Review: First of all, let me say that Jordan writes, as a technical matter, very well. His prose is crisp and descriptive. My problem with this book, however, is not the prose, but the plot. Farmboy learns he has a mysterious past, as do his friends; they're taken under the wing of even more powerful and mysterious benefactors; they flee, pursued by evil; farmboy confronts evil and learns of his destiny. It's so cliched, I can barely stand it. The entire plot could've been covered in a book one-third this size. A friend described Jordan's books this way: it's like getting in a race car and revving the engine for half the day. It's kind of fun, but in the end, you go nowhere. That's how I felt upon finishing this book. On the plus side, Jordan's world is highly detailed (sometimes to the point of boredom, his characters somewhat interesting, and his writing good. He just needs a good editor to streamline the story and insist on a more substantive plot.
Rating:
Summary: FANTASTIC!
Review: This book is one of the best books to hit the fantasy shelves in years. I purchased this book prior to a six hour car trip I would be taking from New Hampshire to Canada. From the moment I opened the book, the author had my full attention. Unlike many fantasy novels, Jordan's never gives the reader the urge to put the book down. The world Jordan creates has every aspect needed to make a great fantasy novel. From lots of action, to a very intricate and exciting plot. Jordan also gives his characters unique qualities, which creates the pull of the reader's attention, even when switching from sub-plot to sub-plot. In this novel, three young men accompanied by a few fellow villagers and other exciting characters are forced to make a perilous journey due to a supreme evil force, which is searching for a legendary hero who has been reborn. This journey takes the three travelers and their companions across their realm, to face the evil that has begun to awaken. I think that everyone who enjoys fantasy should read this book!
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