Rating: 
Summary: Fair suspense and excitement barely mask plodding narrative.
Review: Right away, let me tell you, I rate this a 6 out of 10. After giving each main character lovely detail and promises of further revelation in The Dragon Rebown, Jordan bogs down quite a bit. Egwene loves to learn. Naturally. This was hinted at. When she is called to learn about her dreams and how to control that world of her identity, is there any style or depth to it? How about a fascinating journey into learning and dreams? Nope, just a bunch of naked ladies running around in a deserted waste. When Mat hears he has a future which contradicts his raucous lifestyle, does he grow from it, does Jordan use it as a launching point of some great statement? Nope. Mat just becomes stubborn, futile and begins to become unlikable. When Perrin's strength is finally challenged by a female of far more strength inside, is the revelation heart wrenching and saddening? Nope. It feels like a bickering episode of the Beverly Hillbillies amidst WWII heroics. In the return to Emond'! s Field, a great reward is given to avid readers in old, charming characters being resurrected, but their lack of action makes them more like nicely painted chess pieces. What is, undeniably, the crux of the book, the holding off of the massive Trolloc army is written very well if you can stand Jordan's cynical points he feels he must make _for_ the reader. Nynaeve and Elayne start losing appeal (like Nynaeve was ever anything but a complete dominatrix who needs to have her braid chopped off in the first place) as the massive sex war starts in this book and serves to loosen the maturity of the series with what is ironically, subject for mature readers. And Rand. Good ol' Rand. When he experiences the only other link to the series' promising philosophy, the Wheel of Time, Jordan fails to deliver with a world with sounds all too much like technology. Even if this adds some much needed historical depth and fantastic detail to the series, it is not used well at all. Rand is al! ready a pain in the arse to read about because of his arrog! ance and biting cynicism, as well as Jordan's recycled duty metaphors and idiotly masculine behavior. Secrets. Keep them, because you're a man! Pat your chest and pound the Aiel spear! Surround in two billion plodding details and you have...dull, uninspired reading, with an ending that is hilarious because it is so pathetic. Jordan, right here, right now, let me assure you. You blew it.
Rating: 
Summary: The Best of the series so far...
Review: "The Shadow Rising" is my favorite book of the Wheel of Time series so far. It is a fast-paced page turner where each of our intrepid heroes and heroines are all involved in some important part of the plot. Unlike a couple of other books in this series that can read like travelogues, this one is brim full of action and revelation. A lot happens, the plot moves, questions are answered, (and even more are left unanswered), history of a people is discovered, destinies are revealed and a war is fought. A very satisfying read that will keep you sated until you get to the next book.
Rating:
Summary: War Comes to The Two Rivers
Review: I've lost count of the number of times I have read this series. I'm working my way back through it in anticipation of A Path of Daggers. I don't read each book anymore in all-night, can't-put-it-down seiges. Rather, they are like good wine - consume it slow and enjoy it. Shadow Rising is terrific. The story disperses the key players to different places to carry out important tasks. Perrin goes back to the Two Rivers which has come under attack by Darkfriends and White Cloaks. His tale is a central part of the book, and it's exciting and poignant. On other fronts, Rand is playing a high stakes game in the Aiel Waste, and he seems to be an able strategist. But, so many people want to harm him or to use him to get something special that he begins to withdraw into himself. Mat, travelling with Rand, continues to have the strangest things happen to him. We get to know more about Elayne, as she and Nynaeve pursue the Black Ajah to Tanchico. She becomes one of my favorites. If you haven't got into this series, give it a try. This is good stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Jordan Has A Wonderful Eye For History
Review: In this age of television attention spans, it is wonderful that a contemporary author can take the time to create his own history and develop believable characters that have substance. The Shadow rising is a book which does to the Wheel of Time Series what Empire Strikes Back did to Star Wars, it allows the enemy a chance to be developed into the true evil it should be, setting the stage for the final confrontation. A must read for Fantasy Fans as well as those of us out there who actually enjoy good writing and imagination.
Rating: 
Summary: Jordan is a solid 4 star story-teller.
Review: With "The Shadow Rising", Jordan proved he is a consistent story-teller. Unfortunately, his writing skills are a little weak. The most frustrating aspect of reading his work is that it simply becomes monotonous because he maintains such a plodding pace througout the book. I also found several sections annoying to read because of clumsy wording and structure. However, in contrast to the preceding three books, Jordan has a lot more to say in number four. As a result, he's forced to move faster and still keep it within 700 pages (sheesh!). The overall storyline is getting more interesting and the fight scenes are improving tremendously, but the characters still remain fairly flat and childish. I certainly wouldn't compare Jordan with Tolkien. The air of the story actually reminds me more of Roger Zelazny's "Amber" series, only with the plodding style of Jack Chalker.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book goes into detail about the Aiel (The coolest people in RandLand).Who could not love this book? That is all I have to say. It cant get any better. FOR GOODNESS SAKES, READ IT!
Rating:
Summary: The Best of the Series... Worth Re-reading
Review: I've now re-read the entire Wheel of Time(WoT) series several times. This book is, in my opinion, the best of the ones he has written so far(through Crown of Swords). Jordan, as always, does a fantastic job of building up to events, and making you suspect how they will turn out... and then coming up with something completely different. His descriptions are phenominal. There are several parts of the series that, quite litterally, bring me to tears, not only once, but every time I re-read it. This is the only series that gets the reader that involved. For those who have not re-read the series, it is _well_ worth it. There are so many clues and hints of what is to come that you never pick up on the first time through. Small details, nasty and intricate plot turns that get skipped on the first read. I've bought the entire series in hard-cover because my paperback editions were, quite litterally, falling appart. The first 25+ pages of The Shadow Rising are now somewhere unknown, as they have fallen out. While it was all but impossible to put these books down when I first read them, by now that compulsion is gone since, obviously, I know what is to happen. However, I find the books even more emotionally gripping as I read through them again and again. There are some parts that, after reading them, you need to take a long pause, and run through it again in your mind. A fabulous writer. An incredible series. If you have never liked Fantasy, this is the book to start with. If you already enjoy Fantasy, there is so much that is new an original that you will constantly be surprised. In a final note, if you like Jordan, try Terry Goodkind's the Sword of Truth series... It's not as good as Jordan, but closer than anything else I have read.
Rating:
Summary: Can an author of such quality become bored?
Review: Jordan uses description, settings, people, and philosophy with the skill of Faulkner, Twain, and Dickens. He even goes so far as to make the material enjoyable and brings a fantasy world to life. Unfortunately, all of his talent appears to dry up in the last 3 chapters. In these final 3 chapters, his descriptions are sketchy, the writing is jumbled, and he changes his descriptive style by forcing the cumulation of many unanswered questions and plots into a few pages. Changing writing styles so dramatically destroys the 628 pages he used to develop these questions and plots. The reader is either left wondering why Jordan didn't take the time to finish the book properly; or instead condense the whole book to 200 pages or less. Inspite of this small flaw I will continue to read his work and enjoy them.
Rating:
Summary: This Book is the best!
Review: I loved this book. I think the Wheel of Time series is great and I think this was the best so far. It has a lot more about the Aiel, and the rest of the world. There is a lot of detail but I think that just adds to the book. I can't wait until I read the next one. The only downside to the series is that it can't go on forever.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This series is excellent I can not wait for the next issue to come out. I read one of books in this series I can't wait to get to the end and then I get mad because the end of the story comes too quick.
|
