Rating: 
Summary: Adventure to the max!
Review: This book is the fourth book of The Wheel of Time series and it's a great book!In the books before this one Rand, Perrin, and Mat live in Two Rivers along with Egwene and Nynaeve. When an Aes Sedai comes, Moiraine and her Warder Lan, their lives change. Rand is the Dragon Reborn also known as Lewis Therrin. He denies it, doesn't want to accept that he is the Dragon Reborn who must someday fight the Dark One. He travels to the Aiel Wasteland fulfills the sayings ... fate has decided that he is the Dragon Reborn and even as Rand tries to run from it he just ends up proving he is the Dragon Reborn. He is now in the Aiel Wasteland and awaits for the leaders to proclaim him the Dragon Reborn. They will follow him because the proficies say that he will unite the clans and lead them but also one of the sayings is that he will destroy them. Some of the Aiel are uncertain what to think about that and others decide to go against him. What to do? Who to trust or turn to? Rand doesn't know anymore ... there isn't anyone he can trust ... maybe Ewgene but ever since she became Aes Sedai she acts just like one and that is just what he's trying to get away from. The Aes Sedai who try to keep him on a leash. Perrin goes back to Two Rivers, hearing that White Cloaks have been poking around. He finds things uneasy and full of tension. He has to put aside his jealousy ... what he finds is Lord Luc who seems to have an interest in his companion and friend (more than friend) Faile. He also finds White Cloaks who have overstepped their authority. They have taken Two Rivers people prisoners and they are guarded. Perrin takes the risks involved and decided to rescue them. Faile supports his idea and even though she is suppose to stay out of harms way she goes where he goes, watching his back. After the prisoners are rescued Perrin says it's time to hunt Trollocs. But more is in store for him than he would have believed and it's something he wouldn't ever want to happen, maybe Trollocs are smarter than he has thought ... the price is too high to pay ... And he soon finds that out ... Meanwhile the Tower is splitting. It's been rumored that there are Aes Sedai who serve the Dark One. The Ajah (Aes Sedai) are categoried in colors, the colors mean different things (like Brown Ajah seeks knowledge and Gray Ajah seek harmony and peace, and so on.). Well it's been rumored there are Black Ajah in the Tower who serve the Dark One and all Aes Sedai swear that that is not true. But unfortunately it is ... they act like any other Aes Sedai and wear are Ajah, wearing a color (not black) so they fit in perfectly. So who is it that is splitting the Tower? The enemy is from the inside and there isn't any knowledge as to who it is ... until it's too late. The Black Ajah have started to play their hand in the game ... Do they have a winning hand and if they do what will that bring? Basically about bad vs. good it is filled with adventure and mystery, fear and danger, a little romance mixed in it, triumph and happiness all make a great story and this has it all!
Rating: 
Summary: The Quality Rising
Review: A somewhat slower beginning makes way for the best book of the Wheel Of Time yet. While they do linger a fraction in Tear, the story picks up pace once the group of main characters breaks up into smaller portions. Rand's section is particularly potent with a fabulous insight into Aiel society; most notable is the strength of the plot devices and handling used during the Rhuidean segment. Perrin's inclusion also adds great strength, however, the revelations about the fate of his family perhaps should have affected him more deeply than is evident. The final story arc in the novel is also involving, yet is easily the weakest of the 3 - the ending seems largely full of ease and convenience. The greatest improvements, however, are the adversaries. In contrast to previous novels, they're more 3 dimensional than ever before, without simple black or white agendas. There are fewer easy answers, with the conclusion resulting in an inspiring climax.
Rating:
Summary: Impossible to put down
Review: Alright, I am 14 years old, and a girl mind you, and I've fallen in love with these books from the very first page of the very first book, and when I am not reading these books I am often thinking about them, they are impossible to put down once started, and it's often hard because they are so long. I started these books when I was 13, I learned about them from one of my older brother's friends who had been adicted to them for a while. I just finished this book, and I've been trying to get my mom to take me to the library ever since. But one tip, if you read this book make sure you put it down once in a while, a whole summer can be spent just reading trust me, I know.
Rating:
Summary: Grab it!
Review: After reading the prior books I was literally diving for this one. I was so into the series that I didn't even notice that I was getting to the end of the end of this novel. I was so shocked I had to read it again to be sure. Definitely worth reading and reading again, and again, and again...you get the point :)
Rating:
Summary: epic
Review: I read this book twice a couple years ago. I loved it; it's my second-favorite of the series (after Lord of Chaos). This is a VITAL book in the series, it answers many questions about Rand's background and the Forsaken. In fact, for the first time in this series, a book manages to tie up more loose ends than it leaves! There are a couple parallel threads in this novel (Rand/the Aiel, Nynaeve/Egwene, and Perrin/Faile). All threads are independently resolved nicely at the end with no major cliffhangers, although the protagonists remain in different parts of the world throughout the book and at the end. The Rand/Asmodean and Nynaeve/Moghedien conflicts in particular were very well written, with outstanding portrayal of these characters' distinct personalities coming alive in their struggles. The Two Rivers part with Perrin/Faile vs. the Whitecloaks was in my opinion weak compared to the adventures elsewhere. However, this narrative takes up so much of the book that it's impossible to ignore, and interesting questions are brought up (i.e. Who is Slayer? What is the significance of the Manetheren heritage in the Emond's Fielders?).
Rating:
Summary: Top of the series!
Review: This book is definetely one of the better books in the series. The introduction of Aiel society and customs in Shadow adds to the richness of the story. The three seperate plots are each different and interesting, although the girls' continuing hunt for the Black Ajah does get tiring after a while. Perrin's trek homeward is an excellent subplot, and affects the rest of the series' storyline for the better. Rand's journey into the Waste and Rhuidean lead to a very... interesting plot twist, and Mat gets his trademark hat. All in all, this is one of the best stories in the series, and combined with the following book "The Fires of Heaven," make a superb story.
Rating: 
Summary: Two Rivers alone
Review: Perrin Aybara and Faile Bashere are simply the best couple in fantasy literature I've ever encountered. Simultaneously sweet and frustrating, these two are a constant joy to read about. "Shadow Rising" is also a classic coming of age story, with Perrin's tragic return to the Two Rivers, the maddening hometown hero worship, and his growth into a reluctant, but strong, general in a desperate war against the Trollocs and Whitecloaks. Throw in people who have a natural mystery about them (Tam the original heron-marked swordsman and Verin the brilliant, but noncommittal Aes Sedai) and the people Perrin once grew up with (the proud "parents" and the naive Companions) and we've got ourselves a truly enriching story. So why then am I only giving this book 2 stars? Because The Two Rivers story has been reduced to a simple side story in Jordan's world. It may also have been an unfortunate consequence of "The Dragon Reborn," but I skipped almost every chapter that focused on Rand. And as I trudged through SR, I began skimming through chapters that were about Nynaeve and Egwene and Elayne and Mat and eventually skipped entire passages just to get back to Perrin (and to a lesser degree, the side story about Min and the Amyrlin Seat). I'm still recommending this book. The parts in the Two Rivers alone make it worth the read. I wish I could say it's a standalone, but there are too many details spread out in the first three books that you won't appreciate all the intricacies in SR. I can say that skipping uninteresting parts of this book probably won't hurt because the next book in the series supposedly shifts focus away from Perrin and returns to more important storylines.
Rating:
Summary: The last of the great ones
Review: I have read the first 4 volumes of the Wheel of Time at least 3 times each. The "Rhuidean" parts of this volume are SO amazing in EVERY respect that I have re-read them more than any other part or whole novel of the never-ending series. The great thing about this series is that everyone has a favorite character (or two) and everyone has a favorite book, though they be independent of each other. To me, this is the last of the great books from Jordan... and though the rest of them disappoint, after 4 great ones, I am so hooked as to buy evey new one upon first printing... in other words, to this point he wrote 4 great novels in the series, then 4 unsatisfying ones... and yet I cannot help but buy #9 hot-off-the-presses.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the first two
Review: This book on its own is a good book, but looses out in comparison to the first two books. The tension and the pace of the first two books is lost, and the author takes this book through its plots and subplots in a more leisurely fasion. Tension is built up more for the next book in the series with a lot of unanswered questions as to what will happen. On the whole a definite buy for the fans of Wheel of time series, but I can see warning signs as that the standard may come down. The very fact of having 6 main charecters and numerous charecter who are important mean that the entire book jumps from one area to another loosing continuity. But the entire story is still good enough for me to buy the next book inthis series
Rating: 
Summary: A too-long series improves as it goes on...
Review: After reading 4 books of a series that currently stands at 8 (with at least 2 more on the way), comprising more than 3000 pages thus far, it is perhaps time to take a step back and try and determine just what it is that Jordan is doing. This is no generational saga--the same basic set of characters is maintained throughout "The Wheel of Time," give or take the odd disappearance or even death (though, it should be noted, thus far no one of any importance, save a few of the bad guys, has bought it for good)--and there are no breaks in the flow of events to give the reader a chance to catch his/her breath (unless, of course, he/she simply becomes tired of it all and stops altogether). This is purely genre fiction, which is to say that it will appeal only to those who go for the sort of high/epic fantasy largely invented by Tolkien and practiced by countless more or less derivative, and more or less rewarding, writers in the decades since the appearance of "The Lord of the Rings." Unlike other such genre writers (Stephen R. Donaldson, for example) Jordan has nothing particularly new to bring to the high fantasy concept, so for fantasy aficionados "The Wheel of Time" provides at best another imaginary land to explore, another set of fictional "cultures" to experience, another reworking of commonly used myths and legends (the Arthurian legends in particular) to re-familiarize oneself with. In short, this is nothing groundbreaking, nothing to mistake for literature, and nothing that will be read decades from now, when future writers are busily rehashing Jordan's rehashes and are the more popular for it--assuming, of course, that high fantasy is a commercially viable enterprise then. As I say this, I must admit that "The Shadow Rising" marks a turning point for this series, and one for the better. There are moments--most notably in the chapter entitled "The Dedicated"--when Jordan ceases being derivative long enough to be what seems to me genuinely inventive. While his central characters are spun to the four corners of his imaginary land in a manner similar to "The Dragon Reborn" or "The Great Hunt," for once Jordan is under no compunction to hastily arrange for their simultaneous meeting in one particular locale at the end. And it is no small thing that for once I was wrong in a prediction; Jordan's first in-depth exploration of the Aiel society surprised me, if only because I was very much expecting a simple copy of the Fremen from Frank Herbert's "Dune." Beyond such high points, most of the action amounts to the sort of wish-fulfillment that characterizes most of the genre; in other words, whether you imagine yourself in the place of Rand, of Perrin, of Elayne or anyone else, Jordan will make you feel good about what you...er, the characters...have accomplished. Jordan is not the finest writer you will ever read, but he puts together a competent enough narrative. If you enjoyed the first three books in this series, you'll love this one; if you didn't enjoy them, you probably didn't make it this far, and you're not reading this review. Enjoy your new doorstop.
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