Rating: 
Summary: good BUT SLOW
Review: come on seriously how many YEARS has it been since A crown of Swords came out? Sorry but something needs to be done, I am begining to wonder if I will be married and how many kids I will have by the time this is done. But a truely exelent series. Worth reading, even worth the waiting which is saying a lot for the books. It is like draging out watching a movie over 5 years.
Rating: 
Summary: The last Wheel of Time book I will read
Review: "A Path Of Daggers," the 8th volume in Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series, was for me the end to what had been a great reading experience. After the steadily slowing saga began to drag, drag, drag, I decided to bail on Jordan's bloated epic. Based on the reviews of volumes 9 and 10, I'm glad I did. After reading this installment, I'm surprised people have stuck on for two more. At one time I was enthralled with the story; now I could not care less about the tale's resolution.I won't be finishing this series, and I don't mind a bit. What was once an epic, well-plotted, well-paced story with interesting characters and an intriguing (if dense) plot became by this volume a plodding, directionless, dreary mess with little to grip the reader save increasingly bad and repetitive characterization and prose begins to grate. (The decline, for me, began in volume 6, but the story remained engaging enough to keep going. By Path of Daggers, that was no longer the case) The most blunt review one can give would look like this: This book is boring. Very little happens. The characters are either badly portrayed or are simply annoying. The writing is mediocre. The plot - well, there isn't a plot. Rather than tie up plot threads, Robert Jordan instead lets them dangle, barely even inching them forward. He abandons some subplots whole. While doing this, he throws even MORE plot threads out. The massive story that once moved with great agility despite its size now lumbers like a drunken beast. It's as if Jordan is trying to figure out where to go next. It seems Jordan is writing from the hip - and it doesn't work. If you've gotten through the volumes before this but are unsure if you want to go on, I can only urge that you DON'T. If you're a Jordan loyalist, read on, but others should be warned that from here on in, it's all downhill.
Rating: 
Summary: Relatively disappointing, but still better than most fantasy
Review: I read "Path of Daggers" this week and I was extremely disappointed. Two major characters were completely ignored, more new questions were raised than old ones answered. Plots were introduced and then left hanging. As far as serial writing goes, Mr. Jordan could learn from any soap opera on tv. Keeping the plot numbers (at any one time) low and resolving them faster would be great start, as well as speeding up the publishing pace (each book takes longer than the previous one to publish). After 5,000 pages, I am losing interest rather than gaining, or even maintaining the interest built up by the previous 7 volumes. I can say that after nearly 10 years and countless hours invested in this series, it is quite likely that I will grow to old to enjoy this genre before the series moves forward. I am absolutely certain that after the last two books, I am not looking forward to number 9 too much. I am sure I will read it, but unless Mr. Jordan finds a way to re-invigorate the story or at least resolve the hundreds of dangling plotlines, I'll be able to wait until a used paperback copy is available at a garage sale (which should be about 3 years at the current slow pace)
Rating:
Summary: :::groan:::
Review: It's official, the WOT series ground to a screeching halt in book 8. The characters kept me involved in the first seven despite the pacing, which runs slower than a bottle of Heinz Catsup. But in book 8, Jordan has lost me. The man must get paid by the word, that's the only explanation I can come up with for the level of detail he goes in to. It is completely unnecessary, especially EIGHT books in to an endless series.
And I must say, from the beginning all of the comparisons to Tolkien struck me as laughable at best. It's not bad for brain candy (which we all need sometimes, right?) but is nothing particularly intellectual, insightful or meaningful.
Rating:
Summary: Much Better Than Crown of Swords
Review: So much happen in this book. Rand is faced with even more difficulties especially with the seachan invasion and the desertion of the men that can channel. A downside this book is that there are more and more characters to keep track of. This book is definetly not as drawn out as the last book.
This book is like a meat and potatoes book. Straightfoward and just plain fun to read.
Some of these parts won't let you put the book down.
Rating:
Summary: Jordan's Roller Coaster Series Hits Another Snag
Review: After finishing book seven of the Wheel of Time Series, I had high hopes for the remaining books of the series, but, sadly, the series has again taken another downturn in "The Path of Daggers". So many more characters have been introduced that I've completely lost track, except for the main characters, of course. There are now so many that I simply scan right over the new ones.
As for the activites of the characters, Rand is on the brink of going insane while continuing his battle against the Seanchan, who have overrun Ebou Dar and are now threatening Rand's armies. The Bowl of the Winds has been used and the drought that had covered the lands has been replaced by thunder, lightning, rain, and even snow. Egwene continues to develop her hold as the real Amyrlin as she heads toward Tar Valon and her confrontation with Elaida. Nynaeve and Elayne continue on toward the Lion Throne while trying to evade the Seanchan at the same time.
I had a difficult time maintaining my interest while reading this book. There were several times where I read many pages, but I had no idea what had happened. The introduction of so many new characters has made it very difficult to keep track of who's who, and thus the overall plot of the series has suffered. The great cyclical nature of the entire series has been frustrating as well. Just when the reader thinks that the series is picking up, another dud such as this book comes along and sets the whole series back. I will read the final two books of the series, and I can only hope that the roller coaster will swing back up again.
Rating: 
Summary: Not what it could be.
Review: This series started out fantastic, and then it started to go downhill. Some things that I had let pass before - because the series was too good to drop it for such minor things - are now popping out and driving me crazy. This series is aggravating me to no end. Here are some of the once minor things that have now made this series completely unrealistic and unimpressive. 1-half the women in this series should be dead from the labors they are forced to go through as prisoners of the Aiel, especially from dehydration. These unrealities have been running for several books now, but only in PoD does it actually become a problem. Anybody who is unaccustomed to such physical hardships (especially women, for the obvious reason of the time period) should not be able to do it at all, no matter how fearful the Aiel are. Your body simply cannot handle it, no matter what. 2-looking at the descriptions of the winter (snow to the knees) would make it at least -20 Celsius. No matter how modest you are, when you're stripped in the winter to bare skin, you would not care one bit about being naked in front of men. You would die, or at the bare minimum, get a severe case of frostbite. That of course never happens. Apparently, fear makes people invincible in Jordan's world. 3-Jordan's incessant urge to tag "under her breasts" whenever he says "she crossed her arms" is downright ludicrous, at the least. It's a given that somebody is crossing their arms over their chests/under their breasts, so why does he need to say it? Unless it's a different way than the obvious (over her hips) it's useless and an added three words for every page. 4-I'm sick and tired of "switches" and "boxing." Do women carry switches in their pockets? How often are they used - every page? Whatever Jordan calls it, it's a whip. Substitute "switch" with "whip" and tell me that that's not more than a LITTLE disturbing. "Boxing ears" is no better, because that's just a light way of saying PUNCH IN THE FACE. Again, substitute "boxing" with "punching" and see the impression you get. What kind of women are these, to go around whipping and punching people left and right? 5-description is limp and dead now. Every time saidin is held/released, literally 1/3 of the page is dedicated to how it feels; 2 pages on undoing a weave; 7 pages (literally) on various people asking (literally) the same questions; 2 pages on somebody undressing (okay, so that's in book 9, but the principle is still the same); 1 page on people asking to be Aes Sedai. And the list goes on. It's a waste. He describes every incident that's useless; not the relevant ones. When Mat got his new memories, there was only one example of Mat letting his military-knowledge slip, from the supposed dozens. When several people ask the same questions, Jordan literally describes at least 6 instances. 6-at least five consecutive chapters in a row are given to each group of characters; only one of those is worth anything. It's not a matter of 5 chapters doing something that can be condensed into one chapter. There literally is only one chapter that should be included at all. 7-the Aiel are seemingly immortal. They should be bogged down considerably with the snow (that goes to their knees) but it's little more than an inconvenience. It should reduce their armies considerably, but no, they're too strong for that, of course. Strong will and strong fear can make people do anything, after all. (PS, excluding Mat was a horrible decision, but I can let that pass. It's more a personal thing since he's my favorite character, but still. The only thing that gets me through these books is the thought, "three more chapters until Mat! Five more chapters! Half a book! 300 more pages!" and so on and so forth. It took me 2 months to finish this book without those little rewards.)
Rating: 
Summary: Would be 5....
Review: But the ending was cut short. The book is about 50 pages too short to wrap up the plot lines properly. Otherwise quite good!
Rating:
Summary: Poor Quality
Review: First off, had Jordan cut down this series by a half dozen books or so, it would have been great. But because he has strung it out so far, the books progressively lower in quality. As much as I like the early books in the series, this one stinks. The different groups run around in circles most of the book until the end when he cuts it off to prepare for book 9. No real resolutions, revelations, nothing in this book.
Besides all of that, the number of names starts to become ridiculous. Between the 2 zillion nobles and 2 bazillion Aes Sedai, you can tell the author has just ran out of original names for his characters. He starts to take the same name and switch one, maybe two letters and it has you going back and rereading to make sure you are thinking of the correct person.
I think Jordan is a very good author but there is a time when you have to think to yourself, do I need to have these middle books where nearly nothing of importance happens? He could have culled a few and made this a much, much tighter series.
Rating:
Summary: The Wheel turns, the plotline advances along. (Lee Comp.)
Review: The DragonSworn raiders of the Prophet Masema scourge the land, Seanchan forces are attacking from the sea, the seals on shadow are breaking, the touch of the Dark Lord is still felt across the World, the White Tower plots, and the Taint on Saidin worsens with each use. Leaving Rand, Egwene, Elayne, Perrin, and others now left to deal with and survive through it. For Rand to save the world against the Darkness and in so doing shatter it. So begins the "The Path of Daggers", book eight of the "Wheel of Time" series by Robert Jordan.
Yet afterwards of over ten years, 6000 pages, and seven books, many readers of the "Wheel of Time" did seem to think and do think the storyline to have slowed greatly, the plot of the series its' self beginning to slacken by Book Eight. Admittedly, in "The Path Of Daggers" it does takes some while for things to really happen in it (few of the which really altering the series' storyline). Though with both books nine and ten of the series having been released, it now may be a better time to read book eight. For with enough happenning in it for one to actually read through the book, no matter the speed of events; now being able to read Book nine directly after should hopefully aid alleviate most problems you may have with the story.
Albeit not as quickly as before, the story does moce forward, Jordan continues with the wit, characters, interaction, dialogue and etc. of the story and overall writing style of the series oof which so marks the books before it...Also continuing with his various ways of read abuse- "The reason I won't tell people though is that I am enjoying watching them squirm entirely too much. It's probably bad for me,"-Robert Jordan, Wheel of Time interview.
All in all, "The Path of Daggers" and the series should interest readers of series such as "The Lord of the Rings", "A Song of Ice and Fire", and others. As long as they've enough patience, interest, and at times "tolerance" and the like for the series...and sense of humor, the "Wheel of Time" should rank equal if not better then them.
|
