Rating: 
Summary: This is a new low for the "Wheel of Time" series
Review: I had a very hard time reading this novel. After the third try I did a quick read.(I skipped paragraphs I thought weren't necessary.) The problem is the three know it all witchs (Aes Sedai). I don't like any of them.When are the characters in this series going to grow-up. The only one I give a hoot about is Perrin, and he is not in the series enough.I'm sorry, but A Crown of Swords was just to slow.I realize it's a tie to the next book in the series,but couldn't it have been a little more interesting.Your starting to lose me Mr. Jordan.......Tom Shalifoe
Rating: 
Summary: One of my favorite authors
Review: It has been a little over a year so my grasp of the specific events have slipped. How ever I do remember that this book in the series like the others before it were excellent. There can be no comparison between Tolkien and Jordan. Tolkiens books except for the first one were so boring I couldn't even finish them. Out of more then 50,000 (I literaly keep track) pages in the last four years Tolkein would be rated amoung the worst. Likely those that don't enjoy the book and complain about character development would be better suited reading Romance or Peirs Anthony (an author of his own fantasy world(a flowery world)). Or perhaps they have difficulty with the words and phrases. I think that every one is intitled to their own oppinion but must wonder if perhaps they should look for a different class of works such as mystery perhaps. I would like to rate this book with higher then 5 stars but cannot. I have recommended Robert Jordan to friends and haven't gone wrong yeat. I being a big D&D fan, though I have read the vast majority of my librarys other fantasy novels, would like to say bravo to Robert Jordan. I have seen many series turn sour as they continue on (like Tolkiens). Jordan (may he keep it so to the end) has so far kept the series enthralling.:)LL
Rating: 
Summary: Well written, classic Jordon but dissapointing story line
Review: As usual Robert Jordon writes in way that prevents the reader from putting the book down and going on with real life (the fantasy is too much fun). I had been eagerly looking forward to this release. I re-read The Path of Daggers so the story would be fresh in my mind. A Crown of Thorns arrived and I settled in to read it. I was very disappointed the story did not progress as in the prior books in the series. Typically, Jordon's books build a complex story around a central theme that coalesces into a spectacular climax. There are problems left to solve but those problems are for the next book. With Crown of Thorns I was left hanging after a great read, as if there were a chapter missing. So here I sit waiting for the next release. Crown of Swords is "must read" but like a mediocre meal at a great restaurant, it left me feeling used and more than a little unsatisfied.
Rating:
Summary: ALMOST THERE
Review: I LOVE THE WHEEL OF TIME SERIES AND THE CROWN OF SWORDS WAS NO EXCEPTION. I NEVER EALLY GOT INTO SCI-FI & FANTASY TIL JORDAN. I LOVED THIS BOK (ACTUALLY THE SERIES SO FAR) BECAUSE OF THE WAY JORDAN TOLD THE PLOT BUT ALSO TOOK TIME TO CONVEY THE EMOTIONS OF THE CHARACTERS. ITS BEEN SAID THAT THE CHARACTERS WERE "ONE DIMENSIONAL....WELL EVERYONE IS ENTITLED TO THEIR OWN OPINIONS. I THINK THAT IF U TOOK THE CHARACTERS FOR MORE THAN FACE VALUE...YOU WILL FIND THAT BESIDES BEING "ANNOYING" THESE WOMEN ARE STRONG AND HAVE FEELINGS ANY GIRL IN LOVE AND CONFUSED WOULD HAVE. THESE R PEOPLE WHO HAVE JUST FOUND POWER THEY HAVE NEVER IMAGINED THEY COULD HAVE. SO JORDAN MAY NOT BE TOLKIEN....WHOEVER HE MAY B ;) I DONT THINK THEY SHOOULD B COMPARED,EACH AUTHORS WORK SHOULD B VALUED IN ITS OWN RIGHT. I COULD NOT PUT ANY BOOK IN THIS SERIES DOWN AND CANT WAIT FOR THE NEXT BOOK. JORDAN MAY NOT B ALL TIME GREATEST BUT WITH BOOKS LIKE THESE I FEEL THAT HE IS ALMOST THERE.
Rating:
Summary: I found this book to be good.
Review: I think that this book is a great book. You must read it if you want to read the 8th. Jordan is one of my favorite authors. I found it to be exciting and leading ever closer to the end. I get caught up in the story worring how long Rand can keep his sanity.
Rating:
Summary: I Loved It!!
Review: I did, really. Sure it didnt have T'armon Gaidon in it but thats reserved for the last book(I hope), and CoS is not I repeat NOT the last book. And yes Rand didnt kill Sammael yet but its infinitely superior this way. And it had lots of Mat chapters and enough Rand chapters to work it in perfectly. Mats adventures in Ebou Dar were perfect(except maybe the parts with Tylin) and how his medallion worked in relation to the fight with the Gholam was suprising at the least. However it wasnt a suprise on how he acted on those occasions. Returning to Rand there is no way Jordan could have it better(other than adding Aviendha and Elayne to the whole mess in Carhein) and how he dealt with the rebellion in (where else)Carhein was ingenius. It is the GREAT! Anyways enjoy...
Rating:
Summary: I want more- and more and more and more and more and .....
Review: You must read this! It is full of twists and new threads, and old threads being untangled. The prologue annoyed me a bit (as much as one of these books can, anyway)because 48 pages were used in giving the viewpoints of Elaida, Gaywn, Sevanna etc on the Battle at Dumai's Wells, which, as you remember, finished "Lord of Chaos". Normally I wouldn't have minded, but when I first read this book, it was the last of the series. Mr Jordan does a lot of that in this book, giving the pespectives of the Forsaken, the Aiel, the Aes Sedai, Morgase, Min (who I don't like- she flirts too much with Rand, while pretending she doesn't, and never has the guts to say something to him-but her viewings are interesting.) Elayne is ...Elayne. Looking for the Bowl, in love with Rand, but worried about Aviendha and Min loving him too. I've never liked Nynaeve, and I like here less here. She is a whining, conceited, can't-see-what's-in-front-of-her-because-her-head-is-too-big, prim and self-pitying fool. For all her talk about sense, she has the least of all the characters. Mat is still himself- carefree and gambling and chasing girls while running from trouble as he sees it. Trouble has formed a habit of following him, though. Perrin is being a dutiful husband to the overbearing and jealous Faile- I acan't wait till the hawk arrives. Egwene is Amyrlin in Exile, slowly and carefully gaining more power and say and respect, even though it means discarding custom. Rand is fighting against the Forsaken, the Aes sedai, Lews Therin... He's worried about what Sammael and the rest of them are up to, about the Asha'man staying sane, about staying sane himself, about what to do with the Aes Sedai, and Andor and Cairhien without rulers and a thousand more things. I think he might go mad from the stress, not the taint on saidin. Read this book if you have to spend food-money to buy it, or if you have to fail maths... Mr Jordan, keep up the good work!
Rating: 
Summary: Waste of Time
Review: No, that summary probably isn't very original, but I don't care. "The longer the better"? Whatever. Actually, if book 7 conveyed the feeling of something actually happening, of plot devices advancing (as opposed to just one device: i.e. that darn Bowl), as the first 6 books did somewhat, I wouldn't mind nearly as much. LoC had an ending that salvaged something decent from the sludge that dominated that book and I was hoping CoS would pick up that pace. But no, all we get is the bowl, some new women (who, like most of the women are, surprise, annoying) who can channel and a new foe, the Golem (which to be honest, is one of the few halfway decent developments in the book). We also get the rape of Mat Cauthon at the hands of Queen Tylin and despite what anyone else thinks, even if it isn't necessarily a brutal rape, it IS a rape. How else would you describe sex at knife-point? Maybe I'm getting too hung up over it, but even if I'm not offended by it, I'm still bored to death over it. I really could care less about Mat's cavorting or how pinchable his bottom is. It's naught but filler material that's not funny, offensive or not. I'll be the first to admit that Jordan has fashioned an IMPRESSIVE fantasy universe here that has a LOT of potential. But I just don't see that potential getting realized. What I do see is a lot of plot threads swaying in the wind and a lot of filler in place of what should be there: resolution and character development. There are about a ton of cool things that could be happening that aren't. But what can I say? If all of you die-hard fans of Jordans' love his style of prose, more power to you. If you love it great, I'm not going to try and convince you otherwise. But please don't tell the rest of us to "put up or shut up" or "have patience" or what have you. It simply doesn't work for everyone. Some of us have no use for pages upon pages of descriptions of people's necklaces and overcoats or the number of women about who are falling out of their brassieres. One more point I'd like to address is that of this issue of comparing Jordan and Tolkien. First off, there's nothing wrong with comparing two authors however long between their respective time periods. Fact is, both are in the same genre. Comparisons are bound to happen. Secondly, I'm not going to assume Jordan is ripping off Tolkien, but I do see a lot of parallels that suggest to me that Jordan drew a lot more inspiration from Tolkien than he's been known to admit. 1) Rand's village/ Frodo's shire; not a big parallel, but it's there. Also, both Rand and Frodo are pivotal in defeating the enemy; 2)Moraine/Gandalf - both attempt to recruit Rand and Frodo, respectively, into doing their respective duties. Also, both disappear into some kind of abyss, while battling an enemy. 3)Lan/Aragorn - both of their physical description suggest that they are very similar in appearance and both are revealed to be kings without a kingdom. Furthermore, the last seven letters of Lan's last name, Mandragoran, are an anagram for Aragorn. 4)Padan Fain/Gollum - both have been used and abused by their masters and both have vendettas against the main characters; 5)Myrrdraal/Ringwraiths & 6)Dark Lord/Dark One; no more need be said really for the last two. And that's where the similarities pretty much end (unless anyone else has some others?): Jordan's story goes off in a much different direction than Tolkien's (what that direction might be is anyone's guess, Jordan's included, perhaps), but the similarities are pretty apparent and it seems a bit hasty to dismiss them out of hand. Anyway, enough ranting. Buy Crown of Swords if you are, unlike me, absolutely dumbfounded and tickled ecstatic by Jordan's literary style, but then I didn't really need to say that did I.
Rating:
Summary: Oaky, but not the best
Review: This book was really quite good, but not one of Jordan's best. True, there were some exciting part, but throughtout the whole book, I felt like Jordan was only extending the series as much as posslibe. Is it really too much to ask to finally end this series so poor pathetic people like me can just get on with our lives?
Rating:
Summary: There is some plot to be found, but slow going...
Review: Well, I haven't quite finished slogging through this one yet. I have less than a hundred pages left, but I can't help feeling a little empty for all of the words that I've digested. I was stalling my reading of this book while I was waiting for Path of Daggers to emerge on the scene, but looking at the reviews for that one, it might as well have not been published. This has been somewhat of a disappointment. Before I read previous installments of this series, I would take the time to go back and read all of the books leading up to it so that I could keep details of the intricate plotlines fresh in my mind for when I delved into the next. However, this time that wasn't necessary. The plot seems to be wandering and has lost its focus. It's not as exciting as it used to be and doesn't entice the avid reader to tear through it from cover to cover. In the past, I wasn't able to put the books down; however, I have easily been able to table reading this volume for weeks, even months at a time. For those of you who, like me, were hooked at your first glance through Eye of the World, you'll want to buy this because it's not that bad. As for the rest of you... ?
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