Rating: Summary: The buildup continues Review: I want to say that I began to read this series right around the 1999 new year after hearing numerous recomendations from friends. I demolished the first three books in a week, and continuued plowing through the rest the minute I could get my hands on them. Now, after a frenzy, I am stuck. The action has slowed to a lull, and it's driving me crazy. I wouldn't mind so much if I could go on reading, but there are no more books to read. Now I have to wait another year or two for the next book. I would love this series to go on for a long time if I could continue reading, but I can't stand being stuck with nothing more to read. My advice to the potential reader of this series: Don't start reading until the series is complete. It is not worth the pain and suffering. of the anticipation and immediate dissappointment at finding nothing more happening. To Jordan: Stop your repetition. We have all read your previous books. Also, stop going off about people's eyes and what they mean. I loved it at first, but now it has been overused. Get on with it, but only if you can maintain the quality of the first three books.
Rating: Summary: A Crown of Swords won't Dissapoint... Review: This book is a very refreshing addition to the series. Book 5 was good, book six could have been better, but this one definitly delivers. It's up there with the first 3. I've read over half in under 3 weeks, and I hope to finish in another 2.
Rating: Summary: Long, but excellent ending Review: While I was reading this book, I was also reading Dickins' A Tale of Two Cities. It's crazy! Robert Jodan writes in the exact same style as Dickins(the long-winded detail, innumerable characters,and innumerable clauses). It's so obvious, that I wonder if Jordan use Dickins as a refernce. Check it out.
Rating: Summary: Continuing tradition of questions Review: Of course, this last book in the Wheel of Time series is wonderful.
Many of the questions we have all been asking for a year and a half
now are answered. But what is most interesting is the many, many new questions
that now float around in my head. Even more new and intricate
characters are introduced. The background for many of the predictions made
in the earlier books is laid. (Specifically an answer to the question,
how does Mat meet the Daughter of the Nine Moons?). Our favorite
Thelma & Louise begin to take on true power. As does the ever-forceful Egwene.
Rand stops acting like a wool-brained ninny. And Mat begins to understand
a certain amount of responsibility. Overall, though the book was rather
short (only 700 some odd pages), it definitely lives up to what we have
all come to expect from Robert Jordan, a certain complex genius that allows
us to escape into another world, perhaps more real, and certainly more
interesting than this one.
Rating: Summary: please kill them off Review: I hve loved these books so far. All have been wonderful in there own way and this one is of course no exception. That said I must now complain. I don't understand why Mr. Jordan has to make every women in his books act as if they are the devil. I dread every time that I see the chapter is about them. Every time that they speak I want to strangle one or all of them or at least slap them up side there head. They are rude and mean and usually mess up every thing that they want to do because they don't understand that they don't know everything. I guess that this would be ok if it was one or even two women but it is every single women that Jordan has written in. (Brigitte dosen't count in my rant of course.) Then there is Perrin or I guess the lack there of. Lets face it Perrin is probably the second best character the Jordan thought up next to Rand and he was not in the last book and is hardly even in this one. Besides that he has no purpose so far compared to Rand and Mat. Again I will tell you that I love this book and all of the rest so far but I just had to get that off my chest thank you.
Rating: Summary: The descent begins . . . Review: This series has gone completely in the tank and A Crown of Swords is where the tanking begins. By itself, ACoS has decent action and some plot developments. But its resolution is ambiguous, unlike each of the previous six books, and it adds more questions to a plotline already polluted with innumerable mysteries, intrigues, factions, and characters from the six previous books (and 3500+ pages) that preceded it.After the end of Book 6 (Lord of Chaos), it seemed that the series had regained its direction. But in ACoS, Jordan introduces numerous "new" characters (most notably Moridin), new concepts, and new intrigues. The pacing slows to a near crawl for nearly 600 pages before erupting to the uncertain ending. Worst of all is the dithering by Rand, the messiah figure who is paralyzed by inaction for most of this book and Book 8. The first five books of this series are great. But book 6 is an interlude from the non-stop action and this book begins the series descent into unabashed authorial self-indulgence. To wit: The Wheel of Time Series is now at 10 books plus a prequel and a guidebook but less has happened to the characters and the plotline in books 7-10 than did in any two books of the first five. The 10 books are probably seven times the length of Lord of the Rings and at least two or three more sequels are likely. If you're prepared to stick it out to a (hopefully) colossal ending, then get this book, the execrable Path of Daggers and the others. If not, get out now and save yourself the grief so many other disappointed fans have endured.
Rating: Summary: Soooooo much better than the Lord of Chaos. Review: After trying desperately to get through The Lord of Chaos, the Crown of Swords is a breath of fresh air. I gave it more stars than it perhaps deserves, if only because book 6 was so terrible. Things actually kind of happen in this book. Kinda. I'm now going to try to get through book 8, and hope that Jordan keeps the "Mat knows women, Perrin knows women, but I'm a clueless Messiah foretold in the Age of Legends as the defeater of the Dark One. . .but even I am powerless against feminine wiles of my strong-willed co-protagonists!" to a minimum. (PS. Lan is too cool for that annoying, stubborn to the point of being mentally retarded pony-tailed woman. Seriously, their relationship makes no sense. Grin and bear it, I guess.)
Rating: Summary: That's it... Review: After spending a lot of time with this series, I have finally given up on The Wheel of Time. Robert Jordan frustrates me. You spend more time reading about what the characters are thinking rather than actually getting any of the plot resolves. Furthermore, the story goes into POVs that really, REALLY don't need to be done. One would think that if you are this far in the series, you should have a broad knowledge of what's going on. But RJ does not think so. He goes on once again to describe every single city and enviroment again and again and again. I mean, how many times can you describe Tel'aran'rhiod? Sadly, I've given up and will no more force myself to finish these books. If you're looking for something fast-paced, something that will work your mind and not bore you with long descriptions about how some random hawk is flying around, then do not go any further.
Rating: Summary: Jordan starting to suck a whole lot Review: each book in the series is worse, less plot, more emoting. Quit while you're ahead
Rating: Summary: If you get past page 600, its good Review: The first half of the book dragged on so slowly; it was completely tedious but my desire to know the overall storyline pulled me along. Then finally, in the last fifth of the book things started to pick up and things actually started happening. Hopefully the next book starts as active as this one left off. One thing I have really liked about Jordan's books is that he is really good at catching up readers on past novels, he does not waste time rehashing in each new book what dedicated readers already know. Or if he does it does not detract from the story but in fact adds to it--like recapping Rand's rescue but from the perspective of the Shaido. All that changed later on in this book. Other than the retelling of the rescue, all other recap is drivel poorly incorporated and just reiterated stuff--if you have been closely following the series. If this is your first book then these descriptions fill in a lot of holes to the numerous and complex character interactions in the book. In the end I am glad I labored through it so I can move on and learn what else happens in the overall story.
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