Rating: 
Summary: Showed promise, but failed to deliver
Review: I read Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series before I discovered all the positive reviews about Mr. Jordan's Wheel of Time set and decided to give it a try. Actually, I didn't really have much of a problem with the characters; they're all pretty standard fantasy conventions. What I had a problem with is the way that the book just plods along. I got up to page 448 and finally gave up -- it just wasn't worth the effort to continue. And I certainly couldn't see myself suffering through another seven books of the same. This is not a new story -- Tolkien did it, as have Eddings and Goodkind, but The Eye of the World simply says and does too little within the 800+ pages the reader is asked to wade through.
Rating: 
Summary: a delectably well-written reworking of the great archetypes
Review: When considering the great imaginary lands which have emerged from our fabulous legacy of storytellers --- Bradley's Darkover, McCaffrey's Pern, Tolkien's Middle Earth, More's Utopia, Lewis' Narnia, and all the rest, Robert Jordan's World on the Wheel of Time must be there as well. This, the first book of this substantial series, introduces characters and concepts, which, while familiar in all the fun ways without be derivative or mundane, never fail to amuse, amaze, or even, affright. Working with the elements of the great hero story, Jordan tells of a grand journey with lots of adventure along the way, experienced by a set of characters to whom everyone can relate. Jordan is a born storyteller and handily develops memorable characters including the homebody Loial (an all-too-human nonhuman Ogier), who intellectual curiosity drives him to adventure. This is the story of magical science (or perhaps, scientific magic) gone disastrously wrong and the resulting implications for not only people, but environments as well. A long, leisurely, but compelling read.
Rating: 
Summary: Nothing new, only in new packaging.
Review: I have only recently started reading these novels, having avoided them for quite some time based on their commercial success. I have now read the first book, and am half way through the second. And honestly, I don't see what all the hype is about. They're slow, and, at times, jumbled together. No really new ideas are explored, only recycled cliches such as trollocs(orcs), myrrdraal(ringwraiths), and Aes Sedai(fancy name for wizards). The books are somewhat entertaining, but if one is looking for something fresh in fantasy, then I suggest reading works such as "The Death Gate Cycle" by Weis and Hickman, an epic with no lack of new ideas; "The Coldfire Trilogy" by C.S Friedman, which while having its flaws is nothing if not interesting; or the fairly recent work "The Jackal of Nar" by John Marco which I believe to be the best fantasy novel of '99. In fact, there is a wealth of interesting, and intriguing fantasy out there, one mustn't be forced to read the same old story told for the hundreth time.
Rating:
Summary: Marvelously crafted, beautifully written
Review: In the genre of Heroic/Epic/High fantasy, it is rare to find not only a complex system of "magic", background and characters but also good, solid writing. Mr. Jordan's familiarity with his world is equalled only by Tolkien, and on a lesser scale Donaldson. Some of the criticisms of his work are valid, however. His prose is sometimes windy, but when you take into consideration what that prose allows us to see -- a remarkably realistic and fully realized world -- the windiness can be forgiven. I have recently seen Goodkind and David Farland compared to Robert Jordan, and these comparisons are troublesome. In the case of Goodkind, his books are FAR too long, and could be written in 200 pages. Both Goodkind and Farland's prose is choppy, and the dialogue and reactions of the characters are unrealistic. Even if you enjoy the above mentioned authors, arguing those points would be difficult. Jordan's works are fertile and complex. What is most amazing to me is that this is perhaps the only series where "magic" (Aes Sedai, One Power, etc.) fertilizes the tapestry of the book throughout the entire series, and is still believable. There are no "wizards" with staffs that hurl fire or lightning, and the artifiacts that he does emply (ter' angreal, etc.) are unique and tangible. This is the only series I have encountered, with the singular exception of Tolkien, that was so tangible that it nearly reads like exciting and creative non-fiction.The only other authors that I consider worthy of mention in comparison with Jordan (in this genre) are Donaldson and Tad Williams. George R. R. Martin's first two books of his recent series, if he finishes as well as he has begun, could be added to that list as well.
Rating:
Summary: A good- but long winded- beginning
Review: Jordan starts his series with novel ideas and a large cast of interesting characters. The size of the book is a big minus, especially as the reader learns Jordan is expecting a 10-book series! The man needs an editor- or ten! At least it is a fast read....
Rating:
Summary: Response to the bad reviews
Review: You'll find most of the reviews on this page find The Wheel of Time an awesome beginning to a wonderful series of books. I totally agree with these reviews. I'm not much of a fantasy book reader, but being in the computer field forced me to work with those who are. I was talked into reading The Eye of the World and I was hooked. From reading the reviews of those who didn't enjoy the book, it seems most of them wanted a story that was laid out in a 'See Dick run' type format. Once you get a good grasp of how the world works in this series you'll be totally drawn in...
Rating:
Summary: Mr. Jordan, you need to learn how to tell a story...
Review: Regardless of what everyone else says, I didn't really like this book (or the series for that matter!) I find Mr. Jordan to be extremely long winded, and where Mr. Tolkien took 3 books (4 if you count the Hobbit) to recount an epic tale, Mr. Jordan is up to what, his 8th? And there is no sign of an end in sight either! And while some people say that the plot of the series is "intricate", I have to disagree: it's just a lot of plots bunched in together, that makes me wonder if the author actually has any idea where the story is headed (again, we come back to the fact that he is up to his 8th book and there's no sign of stopping!) If you want an epic tapestry of a story, try the Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay (some of the best fantasy ever written, period). At least he can tell an epic in 3 books.
Rating:
Summary: i loved these books!
Review: These books were awsome! I read the Tolkien books and loved them but The Eye of The World were even better to me. I suggest these books to anyone who enjoys good books.
Rating:
Summary: Original or not, still very good
Review: I haven't read Tolkien but I have read the other reviews stating that Jordan isn't original and that he copied Tolkien, etc, etc.... If you want something original (in my opinion, at least!) check out the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman. I love almost everything Pullman has ever written and HDM were the books that got me back into fantasy in the first place! As for Jordan, the first book was very entertaining and I liked the detail he has given, which make everything seem more realisic, except for when he is describing a city or other place and then it is a little too much! His characters are ok but they seem a little two dimensional to me. Maybe this will change later in the series! All in all, I will probably read WOT until the last book. By the way, HDM only has 3 books for all of the readers exhausted by all of the reading in WOT. Just don't go onto the websites for WOT and unwittingly read little pieces of the plot in later books like I did!
Rating:
Summary: The Eye Of The World-By Robert Jordan
Review: The Eye of the World is the beginning of a great series of books. It is set in a magical land. People and Aes Sadai (women who have magical abilities) fight the Dark One. The story starts with three boys, Rand, Perrin, and Mat. An Aes Sadai and a Warder (an Aes Sadai protector) also travel with Rand, Perrin, and Mat who attempt to reachTar Valon, but are continually chased by the armies of the Dark One. The adventure is suspenseful as the small party run into cursed cities, friends of the Dark One, and are separated. Later their goals change and time becomes much more important as they race the evil powers of the Dark One to the Eye of the World. The series continue with Rand, Perrin, and Mat as they travel in their fight against the dark one. I enjoyed this book because of Jordan's ability to put you right in the story. You feel as if you were standing nest to Rand or running away from the Dark One's armies. I would recommend the book to people over eleven or to people who loved Tolkien¡¯s books.
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