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The Path of Daggers (The Wheel of Time, Book 8)

The Path of Daggers (The Wheel of Time, Book 8)

List Price: $7.99
Your Price: $7.19
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Perfection takes time
Review: After the success of his previous 7 books, Jordan was facing a lot of pressure from his publisher to get an 8th book out, and get it out fast. This doesn't necessarily engender forced creativity (Jordan most likely had book 8 already worked out before he wrote it), but it does mean the writer doesn't get to "live" with his book as much as he'd like. This of course leads to some of the disappointments about "PoD": Numerous typos, awkwardly worded sentences, a lack of imagery, Mat's complete absence, Somara being reintroduced and killed inside of a few pages, a weak battle with the Seanchan being the "token" battle, etc. etc.

However, let me remind readers that the merit of Jordan's series has not lain in individual books but rather in the genius of the story itself. A story has strong points and weak points. Any tale ebbs and flows, and as books are discreet entities, it is entirely possible that certain books may happen to encapsulate extended lulls in the story. Thus, while boring short stories may be unforgivable, a somewhat unexciting installment in a series of 10-11 should almost be a matter of course.

"PoD" is essentially another "Shadow Rising" in that it sets the stage for future books, but is not especially exhilarating in and of itself. So take WoT8 for what it is: a breath in the series and a stage-setting installment on a brilliant (and *still* brilliant) science fiction/fantasy tale. After all, the book *was* rushed to press to please an eager public and I would hate to think that WoT fans are so fickle as to demand a book be published quickly and then berate the author for not putting more time into it.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Disapointed
Review: I became a Wheel of Time junkie years ago and have eagerly awaited each new volume. Unfortunately (since vol. 6) Robert Jordan has progressively lost the edge. I will most likely read his books until the finale, but I'll wait and get it from the library. I don't feel he is earning the money like he is capable of doing. I am disapointed in the quality of his work as of late...hopefully the trend will stop with this last episode.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: It was good... but it was a little slow.
Review: I think that the book was good, but it still leaves us with the question "What in the world happened to Mat?!" Jordan didn't even mention his name more than a couple times.

The book was still good though, and I liked the ending. It leaves you wanting to read about Rand and Elayne's coming reunion. I can't wait!!!!!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Jordan is remarkable in his ability to develope plot.
Review: Although Path of Daggers was only 600 pages(I was lookink forward to a 1000),I thought it was full of intrigue and humor. Jordon's wit cracks me up! He's giving us time to realize what forces need to come together and which ta'veren is going to lead them to Rand. The only real complaint I had against the book was: NOT MIN! I want AVIENDHA to have Rand's heart. Other than that one small important detail, I hope the author doesn't make us wait two years for the next book.And I ask again,"when is someone going to grab these books for a movie"?

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Teeth grindingly slow
Review: Time is compressing horribly in the most recent book. The incident with nynaeve and friends trying to escape from Ebou Dar was so detailed it made me want to scream in frustration. A great writer, but get on with it. Also the story is getting too complicated, unless all the books are reread it is impossible to keep up. Another side effect of this is that so many plots are running in parallel that many of them don't even get mentioned in a whole book. This means it could be up to 2 years before a plot resumes. Turgid and disappointing, time for Mr Jordan to relearn all he has forgotten about narrative pace. Still a fan but I'm getting shaky.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A disappointment, but I'm hooked so I'll read on.
Review: I admit to being totally hooked on this series, but after waiting two years for this book, was terribly disappointed. It just doesn't have the punch of the first books, as mentioned by my fellow reviewers. However, because I care about the characters, and hope Jordan will get back on track, I'll continue reading...at least one more book. It's like my addiction to Anne Rice, I continue reading long after the quality of the books plummets, simply hoping for the initial magic. A very sad commentary, indeed. PLEASE GET ON WITH IT, ONCE-GREAT WRITERS!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: How can a book this brilliant be so disappointing?
Review: Jordan is enequaled in the genre of fantasy. His Wheel of Time series is an epic umatched by anyone else. Yet, Path of Daggers left me feeling cheated by the long wait and frenzied anticipation. Yes, its beautifully written. Mat is absent, but Perrin was gone from one of the previous books, and it didn't suffer for it. A lot happens in Path of Daggers, yet... nothing happens. Rand's trek to battle the Seanchan just isn't that interesting. I enjoy Egwene's politics among the Aes Sedai... but very little happens with Nynaeve and Elayne after the bowl is used, except the murder (which was not followed-up. ) There are the usual brilliant, tense dramatic scenes (like the use of the oath rod to discover the black ajah in the white tower), but.... I can't help feeling that a writer as talented as Jordan could have done better. I love the slow pace of the series (I wish it would go to 20 volumes) because so much is revealed to the reader, but this book doesn't manage to be as consistently compelling as the previous ones. I've always defended Jordan.... but is it possible that he wrote a not-so-sublime book? No, I just need to read it again and let it all sink in, surely.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Forget the whole flaming series, use your imagination
Review: What Jordan wrote in 600+ pages, I can write in one page. For those who haven't read PoD, I have given exactly what happens in the next few lines--- ............................................................................................... ......................................................................................................... That's it, NOTHING! It is so irritating to find that you've waited 2yrs for a book and nothing happens. The book spans about 1.5 weeks (WoT measurement). I read the reviews saying it was pathetic, but nevertheless being a die hard RJ fan (not any more) I bought the book. The people who gave it 4 *'s or more say he's building character, actually they're losing it and becoming people with zero personalities. The main element of humor in the story - Matrim Cauthon - is forgotten This may be explained that he's on his way across the Aryth Ocean. I suggest you use your imagination to finish the book

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Can't wait for book #9!
Review: Suspense and ongoing intrigue create a must-read for book nine

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: slow but promising
Review: Although admittedly the path of daggers might not live up to the huge expectations, after reading the last few chapters I will definitely be back for more. What I want to know is this; what does the prologue have to do with the rest of the story? They are mentioned and then forgotten, no hint of what they were up to. Jordan has again left so many open threads to follow up on but this time he has taken too long to get there. He also rely's on us having almost photgraphic memories of the other books in the series; the glossary at the back was not nearly as detailed as it might have been. However, I read and enjoyed the book and will read the next ones so it mustn't be too bad!


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