Rating: 
Summary: Where's Padan Fain when you need him?
Review: Each book in WoT is progessing toward unfathomable chaos. What started as a straightforward excercise in character and high fantasy has spiralled into a literary version of Rand's madness. All form and no content. And what's up with that prologue? Those who rate PoD "5 stars" are practicing conscious dellusion. A refusal to recognize that Jordan cannot even master the beast he has created. The only way of paring this "plot" down is to kill-off the characters, which, thankfully, PoD begins to do. Time to resurrect Moraine, remove approx. 95% of all characters, and let the core cast--Rand, Mat, Perrin, Moraine, Lan, Nynaeve, Egwene, Min, Aviendha, and Elayne (any more...?)--determine the fate of this age. I'd recommend Padan Fain for mass-assassination duty. And throw Bela into the fire for good measure. And all those epithets ad nauseum.
Rating: 
Summary: If you only want action... go watch Armageddon
Review: On the other hand, if you are interested in the characters and the evolution of one of the most involved worlds ever put on paper then devour this book. Yes, the book is slower than the last couple but is essential. Remember the majority of characters in WoT are kids on the verge of adulthood. RJ is maturing them, just as he is the world around them. What we are reading is perhaps one of the most 'realistic' fantasy tales ever written, where characters along with their fears, hopes and guilt are addressed instead of put in the too hard basket and hidden in cataclysmical action.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful detail, as always, but seems to be stuck in limbo.
Review: As always, Jordan has captivated me with his marvelous attention to detail. His descriptions vividly illustrate the characters and bring the action to life. However, with Path of Daggers Jordan seems to have put the entire story on hold. I turned each page excitedly, waiting for some type of resolution to the various subplots already started in Crown of Swords, only to be sorely disappointed at the anticlimactical ending. As a Wheel of Time fan, I am hooked, so I will most definitely buy the next book when it is released; in fact, Path of Daggers requires that I buy the next book to satisfy my urge for resolution. But I would like to see more action in the next book, and hopefully it will begin to move more quickly towards the ultimate goal, the battle at Tarmon Gai'don. The series is beginning to seem like a soap opera, always leaving a hook to make one stay tuned, but never ending. Though I would hate to see the end of this wonderful series, I also think it is about time for closure. Thus, I recommend it as a bridge between Crown of Swords and book nine, but don't expect anything exciting within its pages, and prepare to be frustrated. I just hope it is not years until the next book is published.
Rating:
Summary: Good enough to keep hooked!
Review: It was rather disappointing to have no mention of Mat and his apparent first meeting with his bride-to-be, but the storyline was, once again, classic Jordan at it's best. The low points were the lack of information on the Atha'an Miere, not enough of Perrin and his attempts at establishing a true form of government over the Prophet's peoples (hinted at actually happening in the next book), and the rather vague attacks on Rand by the Asha'man that were supposed to be protecting him. On the good side, this does appear to be a prologue for an incredible ninth book (as long as Mat does get to meet his bride!), especially with a reunification (???) of the White Tower in the making, a consolidation of Rand's eastern border, and the potential of other skirmishes with the Seanchan (once again, it may be Mat leading the army?!?!). As my summary puts it, it is truly a series that will keep me hooked, but hopefully it won't take another two years to get the next fix!
Rating:
Summary: R.J.(Fantasy)=M.J.(Basketball)
Review: R.J. is the best. My only problem is waiting patiently for his next book. I finished "A Path Of Daggers" too soon.
Rating:
Summary: About what I expected
Review: The only reason I give PoD three stars is because I'm compareing it to other Jordan books (namely the first three in the WoT) and not every other book I've ever read. If PoD was left to stand on its own then it would definatlly warrent five stars. It just seems that Jordan keeps adding more characters and solves less plot points. PoD had only two major actions during the whole book and neither were finished completely. Now, I understand that this will add a certain suspense to the novels and provide us with forwards so that we'll keep buying the books, but it has got to end somewhere. Furthermore, I was a bit disappointed that one of the most compelling characters in the series, Mat, was completely left out of the book and other seemingly minor characters, such as Sevanna, has an entire chapter from her point of view. It's kind of like how FoH was with Perrin, and I believe that it was in FoH that the whole series began to slow down. However, I still have faith and hope that the end of PoD is a good indication as to how book 9 will progress.
Rating:
Summary: It resolves nothing and stinks, but I enjoyed it anyway
Review: I don't know how many more of these books I can stand. I would not have bought the book if I had known nothing would be resolved. I feel like we are now in a huge costly soap opera. I love the way it is written but nothing is giving me any confidence that the books will EVER end! At least the first 4 or 5 books ended well. This one TOTALLY leaves you hanging without accomplishing anything but a change of weather! Robert, If you read this, keep the style and quality of the writing, but stop listening to whoever is telling to write like a soap opera! Some one has helped convince you that you can live the rest of your life writing these books or you would be going somewhere with the story (ie. like you did in the first 5 books). PLEASE DON'T EVER WRITE ANOTHER BOOK LIKE THIS! GET SOMETHING DONE! YOU COULD HAVE ADDED A COUPLE HUNDRED MORE PAGES AND FINISHED EVERYTHING YOU LEFT UNDONE IN THIS ONE AND STILL HAD PLENTY (MORE THAN PLENTY) OF STORY LEFT! GET WITH IT MAN!
Rating: 
Summary: I'll admit it is slow, but still very good
Review: Everyone here agrees that Jordan is an amazing writer, it just seems that people aren't remembering that after reading this one. I'm sure he had a reason for writing this book the way he did, so just have faith in him and his vision.
Rating:
Summary: It all started out so good...
Review: You know, this series started out so well...too bad nothing substantial has occured in the last two books. The character development has become obscure and predictable. Maybe if something readable occured the books would regain some of their color and substance. The first six books of this series were colorful and fun to read. However, with the emergence of Jordan as one of the more popular fantasy authors in the past few years we, the readers, have given Jordan and his publishser a justifiable reason to lower the quality and substance of the books. I'm sure that the popularity of this series has also justified the belated release of these last two books. If Jordan and the publisher are less interested in the content and more interested in the financial windfall this series can and will produce(which is probable!) Maybe they should consider releasing this book as a serial. That should complete the dilution and perversion of this once grand series. Maybe in a couple of years The Wheel of Time will become the next Xanth...a once stimulating, fun series that has now become a joke!
Rating:
Summary: Middle of the marathon
Review: I am in the middle of the argument about POD, just as POD is in the middle of the WOT marathon. If you are a runner then this is past the halfway point of the race. You have exhausted the adrenalin rush from those early miles and the concentration and pain of the wall is upon you. So too is this book as vital to the sequence as that segment is to the race. It does not have the thrill and ecstacy that the start and finish do. So POD has it's place. Enjoy the book for what it is, a painful but rewarding thing. But by my rating you understand I too think it is a bitter sweet read.
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