Rating: 
Summary: Love and hate....
Review: Glancing thru a few of the readers' review seems to affirm the mixed feeling I have for the 8th book in the series. I really wanted to like it, having waited so long for it. However, having slogged thru half of it, I found myself struggling not to snap it shut and throw it away. The disparate storylines have become monotonous, tedious and rambling with no seeming direction. Only the appearance of Min towards the end did anything for me as I like her refreshing viewpoint of a story that was bleak to begin with but rapidly sliding into.... well, couldn't think a suitable word. I also think the book seems quite short, considering the amount of time we had to wait for it. And the ending, with Faile and co. being captured and all, I hope it is really a significant and necessary development in the plot, no just so Mr Jordan can shove another 300-400 pages of 'rescue mission' at us. I used to reread all the previous books whenever a new one in the series came out but now I just can't be bothered. One of the readers said that in book 8, we finally know what happened to Lanfear. It took me some time to remember who she was and I have to admit totally miss any reference to her in POD... and the thought of reading it again to find out struck me as worse than the prospect of going thru my textbooks. So, that sort of summed up my feeling for the latest addition to the series. Started out with superb story and unforgetable characters but getting nowhere at the moment...
Rating: 
Summary: Pass the Dollars
Review: This book is obviously an deadline pleaser for Mr. Jordans publishers. This is the most boring book that I have ever read. What happenned to the action. This great series has turned into a ridiculous soap opera with too many minor characters that are useless, Jordan probably has to refer to a list to remember them. The series should have ended 2 books ago. If you must read this please get it from the Library or wait until it is on the clearance rack. You have been warned.
Rating:
Summary: Come on - lets get going, too much detail about nothing
Review: I was hoping the series would progress a little more than it did. I would like to read a story, not read hundreds of pages of babble. [disappointed to say the least]Would feel better if the next book was due out next month.
Rating:
Summary: PoD reveals the true Dark Lord of Fantasy
Review: I mean this next statement with as much kindness as is possible: Robert Jordan is the true Dark Lord of Fantasy. His series is so popular each sequel is automatically propelled to the top of the bestseller lists, regardless of the literary merit of each volume. Thus the publisher, TOR, has little incentive to trim each bloated volume of fat and filler, and get the man a decent editor who is not afraid to tell Mr.Jordan, "This is not publishable as is." Path of Daggers is a shining example of everything you should not do in a popular fantasy sequel. Forgetable scenes with once-strong characters that have degenerated to cardboard stereotypes. Meticulous, painful detail of things even a beginning writer would know is not needed. And the cardinal sin of writing a book that simply cannot stand by itself as a piece of literature, but must use the series as a whole as a crutch to hold it up.Fitting, seeing as how Jordan used Tolkien's work as a crutch for his first 3 volumes. There is no such thing as a setup book, folks. A volume in a running series must stand by itself as a work, and it is all too clear very few of the WoT books are able to do this. I look down the road fifteen years to the fantasy genre and see a horde of Robert Jordan wanna-bes, glutting the market with drivel like this. It's bloated, ugly writing that spits all of the wonder and magic out of what fantasy should be. In that sense, RJ has done a remarkable job of casting his dark shadow over the land. All hail the Dark Lord.
Rating: 
Summary: A good book and, as noted, necessary
Review: While this isn't the best in the series, as others have noted it is necessary to keep the timeline moving and the complex storylines tied together. I also recommend some other books-- a series that is developing to be something very interesting is Robert Doherty's Area 51 books. The next one is due out soon and I'm looking forward to it. Also Stegier's Alien Rapture is good.
Rating: 
Summary: The worst book yet. Did the publisher stop him in mid-book?
Review: This book was chaotic and disjointed. Why were the Egwene and Elayne storylines so abruptly ended? No Matt at all and the forsaken glimpses seemed to be added as an afterthought. I'm convinced RJ was writing an 900 page book and the publisher said after 500pg "That's it! We don't care if it's done, you have 2 weeks and it's final"
Rating:
Summary: Slower and Slower
Review: 12 days of events. 600 pages. Can it be slower? The book no longer has any evolving story line or complex development. All what's holding it together and make (+/-) interesting is background in previous volumes. Book is divided on different parts - each part like a flashlight snapshot of some group - Elayne and The Kin, Eugwene & Aes Sedai, Rend and Asha'man, Perrin and his army. Each group doesn't interact with others and make *very few* important actions. Jordan moves focus from one group to another, describing in his famous colorful language everything around, to the detail of all leaves on the tree, then switch to the next group. Each part describes what happens in few days with that group. When he 'snapshot' last group - this is the end of the book. Great. So after 2 years of waiting we know not only Seanchan seize Ebou Dar, but also what happened in two weeks after that. Probably after next 2 years here we will know what happens in next WoT week. I think, as WoT author, Jordan "crashed" like Win95 with complex program. He can't continue, but he can't exit either. :) He create so complex system, so many characters, so many plots - no human being can hold all that in mind and calculate what happens next! Each character action has too many influences, background from past, and consequences in future. Jordan has to recheck everything in previous volumes before deciding that Eladia can sneeze, and not ruin the whole story by overlooking something very simple at ...well, Toman Head for example, because of that sneeze. The resulting approach what began to appear at Lord of Chaos has fully blossomed in PoD. "If we can't decide what they will do, and how they should interact with each other - let's concentrate in details of every passing second instead". As result Jordan start to put his style (very good and unique, no doubt about that) as replacement of story line. You will get ANY and ALL possible description of everything what are in any scene in the book. Hat's, dresses, winds, random thoughts etc. First pages are very hard to read, because when characters spoke, they do it by saying 1-2 short phrases per page - all the rest is descriptions, details etc. There is NO events, NO development most of the book - just details, details and details again. I love Jordan in old volumes for his mesmerizing style, but hey - don't substitute style for contents! No style can make book about nothing good and interesting. Anyway, looks like we at the same point as we are 2 years ago - book is ok (nothing more), not completely bad as sequel, everyone hold his breath for long awaited "what's will happen next ?!" volume. Looks like we are in for next 2-year wait, and very probably will get another "Wheel of Time Weekly" report instead of sequel. P.S. Of course, if you don't read it yet, you certainly have to buy it right now. No doubt about that ever.
Rating:
Summary: The book everyone has been waiting for!!!
Review: I have waited for this book ever since I finished the last one 18 months ago, and of all the books I have read meanwhile the only author to even coming close to Jordan's skill is Terry Goodkind. The book is absolutely keeping up with the others, and I can hardly wait fo number 9.
Rating:
Summary: Watch them bicker and squabble
Review: Grossly inferior to the other books in the series. Since little or nothing happens, the book could easily be skipped. The characters used to be interesting and well rounded. Now they're very bland and unpleasant. If you like watching shallow, two dimensional female characters bicker and squabble, then this book's for you. Even Rand has become such ill-tempered lout that it's getting hard to believe that any of his women could tolerate him. The only interesting and likable characters left are with Mat and are not seen.
Rating:
Summary: Watch a soap opera instead, MORE action
Review: Jordan fired his editor then published his draft outline. He forgot to add a point to the book, and laughed all the way to the bank. Thank goodness I could exchange the book for some of David Gemmell's new work, which by the way was fairly good adventure. Not high reading by any stretch,but ENTERTAINING. (Oh I read a book, cover to cover, generally in a single night.) So if it is trash I'll return it. Ive only returned 4 books out of roughly 500 in the last 7 years sooooooo I can tell you WAIT till you can get it for free. At that price its worth every cent.
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