Rating: 
Summary: best book I have ever read
Review: Jordan really makes me feel like I am right beside Rand al' Thor. 3000 years after the Dragon, Lews Therin Telamon or Lews Therin Kinslayer, died on the slopes of Dragonmount, the Dragon is Reborn. Rand al' Thor is the Dragon Reborn and in Robert Jordan's fourth book, the Shadow Rising, he will face hardships like none other.This story weaves peoples lives in a magnificent tapestry. The story shifts back and fourth between a number of people as they share the same problems and the problems of their friends. Rand al' Thor, Matrim Cathon, and Perrin Aybara are taveren, people that bend the pattern of an age around them. Rand is fighting against the Power and Mat is trying to help him while Perrin is trying to free their homeland from Children of the Light and Shadowspawn. Overall this books weaves the pattern of these three lives into a tapestry. They all face troubles that none but themselves can face. This book and series are among the best I've ever read.
Rating: 
Summary: The Pace Picks Up in Book Four
Review: After slowing noticably in "The Dragon Reborn", Robert Jordan regains the pace, and my interest in the series, in "The Shadow Rising". After struggling through "Dragon", I found "Shadow" to be much more enjoyable to read. There are many subplots going on at the same time in this book. Rand, having declared himself the Dragon Reborn by removing Callandor from Tear, is trying to decide on what his next move will be. Ultimately, he decides that there should be a conference of all the Aiel clan chiefs, so he proceeds to the city of Rhuidean, where he learns about the Aiel customs and practices, albeit in a rather strange manner. Dain Bornhald, captain of the Children of the Light (Whitecloaks), is determined to avenge the death of his father, Geofram. Dain believes that Perrin is responsible for the death of his father, so he leads his Children to the Two Rivers, home of Perrin, Mat, and Rand, where he is determined to face off against Perrin. Elayne and Nynaeve are still pursuing the elusive Black Ajah, led by Black Aes Sedai Liandrin. Their journey, where they discover the strange "Sea Folk", takes them to the town of Tanchico, where their search continues. They are determined to find the Black Ajah before the Black Ajah can spring their trap they have prepared for Rand. At the White Tower, rebel Aes Sedai, lead by Eladia, have overthrown Amyrlin Seat Siuan Sanche and stilled her. Forced to flee the White Tower, Siuan, Min, and Leane set out into the wilderness. How long will Siuan live? Most Aes Sedai who are stilled don't live very long, but Siuan is determined to gain revenge on Eladia and her allies. The only complaint I have about this book, and the reason for four stars, is the number of new characters that Jordan introduces. There are so many now that I've found it hard to remember who everyone is, except for the characters that have appeared in all of the books so far. However, I did think this book got the ball rolling again after book three's let down. Let the Wheel of Time continue to turn.
Rating:
Summary: Worthy of Praise
Review: I must say that I find the lack of REALL praise for this book rather upsetting. Robert Jordan is an excellent writer in nearly every aspect, and from a writers point of view (meaning me), I envy Jordan's creativity and foresight. In Shadow Rising some may complain it moves too slow, that he focuses to much on the thoughts and small actions of each character. My friends, it is called Character Development. While some may believe the characters should have been developed and made by the first book, it is far from the reality of actualy and SMART writting. Rand and his companions are changing drasticaly, especial Rand himself, and Jordan did an excellent job of helping us follow these changes. As for confusing plot lines..... if you can't handle it, don't read it. I found the plot (s), entiricate and fasinating, some of the most "boring" parts of Jordan's writing usualy come back with a twist at another point, he's shown this time and again, and I've learned to pay close attention. The writing is colorful and demands concentration, its a book that while it has lots of action, displays other part of the characters lives and personalitys, which in my oppinon, makes it more realistice and belivable. I believe The Shadow Rising is just as well written and worth reading as the three novel's before it, and I recomend it to anyone who loves a good and thriving fantasy novel. And if you have to spend a little extra time reading the slower parts, Jordan always rewards you in the end.
Rating:
Summary: Less Rand please
Review: Still a great series so far but I am much less interested in Rand than any other charectors in the book. Jordan goes on and on and on and on and on about Rand. I was about to give up on the series until I got past the first half of this book. The first half was soooooooooooooooooo slow. Gave 4 stars because its still better than most out.
Rating: 
Summary: I quit
Review: The story is entertaining and most the characters (all male) are realistic and enjoyable but the women are just too annoying. I've never read a book with so many occurences of people glaring at one another. Robert Jordan needs to cut most of the bickering between characters and move this story along. The reviews for these books only go downhill from here so I'm doing what Matt should have done; left the women behind. Shame on Jordan's editor too. It's their job to cut out the crap and this book is gold buried in a huge pile of crap.
Rating: 
Summary: STOP NOW!
Review: The usual cast of interesting characters and a (relatively) fast moving plot generate enough action to maintain the reader's interest. The tale of the seige of Two Rivers with the intertwined love story of Perrin and Faile is very well done. There is even progress in some of the other threads in this bloated epic. Unfortunately, this is the last book in the series worth the time or money. Someone desperately needs to remind Mr. Jordan that he's not getting paid by the word. Of course, if he is it would explain a lot about the agonizingly slow and plodding nature of the rest of the series.
Rating:
Summary: Really Good!
Review: I don't know what some of the other reviewers are talking about. I thought it was just as good as all the ones before it - namely - VERY VERY VERY GOOD. there are a lot of plots going on at once but i think that makes it even more interesting. nynaeve can be grumpy but i dont think she's annoying.
I do agree tho with the person who said that it is like the Dune series by Frank Herbert. I noticed the Aiel/fremen, bene gesserit/aes sedai parallels as well.
Rating: 
Summary: The Boredom Rising
Review: The Shadow does not rise. Within ten books there has never been a rise in the Shadow. For the whole series, Rand has the advantage over the Shadow. But he is an idiot surrounded by even more idiots. He's too stupid to know how to finish it and the Shadow is too stupid to kill him. The Wheel of Time series is exactly the kind that taints the fantasy genre. It is perhaps the most overrated work in the history of literature. You all know how badly this series has been bashed. And all I can say is that its all very true. Those who still love it are a minority for a reason. Robert Jordan can be even more perverted than most authors who allegedly describe sexual activity. While Goddkind's scenes are excessive, people like George R.R. Martin restrict it to a paragraph. Jordan writes about men who pursue women they think they love but throughout this series I have never seen a shred or act of true love. EVERYONE in his books is either handsome or beautiful (he emphasizes things like clothing, and treats people like scenery). He TRIES to make us feel happy or sorry when characters fall in or out of love, but no one really cares. He's trying to use ideas out of sitcoms like "Friends" or soap operas. Of course its a very bad attempt. Now, each book is an episode of the most boring series ever. All of Jordan's characters are the same piece of trash, recycled for each book. I don't care if he has a wonderful skill with words. Anyone could do that. A real storyteller would have a better understanding of human nature. A real writer could at least be more original. Jordan is failure. Nothing happens in the beginning. Or in the middle. Rand's story only gets exciting at the end. Forget Elayne's and Nynaeve's chapters. Take my advice: skip pages when you feel the even slightest desire to do so. Heck, skip whole chapters! I'll admit, the first 3 might be worth your time. But each book is 600-900 pages and for so much writing, there is not enough. And book 4 is when it crashes. I'm tired of the stereotypes. Literature has endured all these "heroic epics." Everything is so predictable. They say Wheel of Time is "one of the best works of fantasy." Just go ahead and read all those other contemporary novels like "Sword of Truth" or "Sword of Shannara." Pathetic. All I can say is that this entire genre is going downhill, and without its classics, its just wasted paper. I hope all you Jordanites actually find something worth reading. So you can see how bad Robert Jordan really is. I never personally attached myself to this series and I am glad I didn't. Sometimes, stories of heroism are garbage. The most beautiful stories tell us our saddest and most realistic thoughts. I say get A Game of Thrones. Maybe George R.R. Martin can save the genre.
Rating:
Summary: Reading this series is a frustrating experience
Review: There are great novels, there are good novels and there are bad novels. What is frustrating thing about the "Wheel of Time" series is that there is so much that is exceptional within them, so much potential for greatness, that you feel cheated as they fall short. When these books are good, they are very good; but there is so much tripe between the exceptional parts that it is difficult to keep one's interest up. One major problem with these books is that Jordan has created caricatures, not characters, and their character traits are used simply for flavor. As an example, take Nynaeve - she's bossy, stubborn, opiniated, doesn't take advice, and bashes the male characters constantly for little more than "being male". Yet these traits never push the story forward. Jordan uses them to describe her, to guide her dialogue, but she never pays for these obviously negative traits, never fails because of them, never learns from them. She could be an intensely interesting character, chronicling the growth of a woman who thinks she knows it all into a powerful Aes Sedai who is truly wise, yet as written she is simply annoying (and it's just as annoying that she's getting away with it). I suppose she will become the latter by the end of the series, but I fear it will be unsatisfying. Of the main characters, only Perrin has been allowed to grow, progress and become interesting; all the others (especially the women) are trapped within their cliches, never becoming more than a few emotions and habits. Another major problem is the that "good" side is simply too powerful. There is no situation they get into that they are unable to handle in an immediate fashion. While some plots will take the entire series to resolve, the "tense" situations (which provide an immediate connection to the story) are resolved far too quickly and with too few consequences. Whenever a main character is in a "bind" you can be sure they'll be back in control of the situation by the end of the chapter. The only real "power" of the bad guys is their omnipresence...they can appear anywhere at any time, beyond all logic and reason. The last major problem I'll mention is that for all the enormous power the main characters possess, there are no consequences for using that power (other than the bad guys trying to get you). You'd think that the ability to "channel" a huge amount of energy would come at great cost, or have some potential for backlash that could work against an untrained wielder. This is not the case, and as such channeling becomes like simplistic "Harry Potter" magic. I enjoy the Potter books as much as anyone, but that simplicity seems out of place in this more mature work. I realize I've been very negative here. To be honest there is much to appreciate in these books. The writing is very good, the descriptions are beyond complete, the scenes effective and the world he's created is compelling. If only Jordan had the ability of a George R.R. Martin concerning character development and plot twists, these would be classics.
Rating:
Summary: Losing Interest
Review: I finished "Eye of the World" in a few weeks, but it's been months since I started this book, and I'm only about halfway through. I don't think I'm going to finish it. The title of this book had me intrigued, but it's very misleading. So far, there's very little of the Shadow in it, and almost no forward movement of the overall plot-arch. The series seems to be meandering and getting bogged down in too many subplots and new characters...and if reviews of future books are anything to judge by, I can expect it to get worse in later books (not that I plan to read that far). A large part of what makes it so hard to get into is that I don't give a flying flip about the characters. They seem to spend all their time whining, arguing, and being angry at each other. They rarely laugh together, they never comfort each other, and they seem incapable of carrying on a civil conversation 80% of the time. It was less bothersome in the first three books because I was still interested in the direction the series was going, but now that the plot is losing focus, there's not a lot to keep reading for. Now Rand is traveling through the desert with the Aiel. Why? Where are they going? What's their goal? I'm not even sure anymore. The reason is lost somewhere in the dense forest of the plot. I've lost all interest in Rand. I have no idea what's supposed to make him so special--he just seems like an ordinary guy (and not a very interesting one, at that) who just happens to be really powerful. You'd expect the Dragon Reborn to be unusually courageous or intelligent, or *something.* I thought that maybe he'd develop into someone interesting as time went on, but his motives and personality are just growing murkier. This could be blamed on his growing madness, I suppose, but somehow, Jordan manages to make even incipient madness dull and tiresome. It's too bad. This series started out with some promise, but I just don't care anymore. The only time I could recommend it is if you need something to read on a long plane-flight; it passes the time, but that's about it.
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