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Summary: Long live the new King of Fantasy.....King Jordan!!!
Review: Oh man....with every book in the wheel of time, I'm getting more and more sucked into the story. I can't really wait until the next book. I guess I will read the whole cycle all over again, when I have the next part. Yes.....all 7 books are a jewel in my bookcase....and in my memory...
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Summary: Regaining momentum
Review: As opposed to most other reviewers, I seem to have a middle-ground opinion of this book. To me, Lord of Chaos was a great disappointment; the momentum of the plot, up to that time admirably maintained, faltered almost to a stop. This book began to recover that momentum, though not quite to the previous level yet. However, the next book in the series promises to get back up to the usual high quality level.Overall, the series has had involving plot, and good characterization. The impact of the story and characters was greater toward the start of the series, I think, but is still there. It is not nearly as powerful, however, as Tolkien's climax, or especially as the first two books of the Sword of Truth series (which is exceptional for emotional effectiveness). I look forward to the next book in the series. (Personally, I'm waiting for Mazrim Taim to be "unmasked".)
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Summary: He is a Master of Fantasy
Review: Howdy, Well my fellow followers of the WoT, I must admit I am ashamed to say I only started this set of books two months ago but I am already through what is out. I am hungrily lusting after the final book. The one that should tell all. I will also admit the seventh book was a bit of a let down but still I could not wait for the next page and finished it in a day. R.J. is a master of fantasy and should rate up with the kings. Zarth Last of the Renshai! Knight of the Light! Fornit Some Fornus
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Summary: superb fantasy work
Review: Book well thought out. Easy to follow even if first 6 books weren't read. Very dramatic and enthralling. Thoroughly enjoyable science fiction.
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Summary: Jordan's fluff dies of boredom
Review: I read the WoT series mostly because I was involved in an on-line rp game based on the books.
I found the books to be moderately enjoyable fluff.
All those readers who praise Jordan for his greatwriting skills should go out and read some real literature or even some good science fiction and fantasy to see what "good writing" means. Jordan has always been a master of hanging guns on the walls but none of them ever fires. Sometimes they emit a wheeze or a sniff. Example: this book's ending, or the scene where Nynaeve got rid of her block. The scenes were rushed and even downright annoying.
Jordan's build-ups are long and almost never lead anywhere. Jordan simply doesn't know how to resolve a plot. He also doesn't know how to create a plot -- the fact that there is something resembling a plot at all in his books is due to his overuse of a pathetic plot device -- prophecy.
Whereas the first books were somewhat readable for the reader had to remember only ten or twenty interchangeable and stereotypical characters, in this book (and a few previous ones) the reader has to remember ten billion such characters. Give or take a few thousand. I am not even going to comment on the infantile behavior of his characters -- others have done it well before me.
Many people complain about Jordan's long-windedness. While that is not necessarily a problem, it is in Jordan's case. The Crown of Swords is a prime example of the problem, although the problem has been there since the very first volume. Jordan doesn't seem to know where he wants to go with his story or how to do it. So he just writes pages of filler and meaningless descriptions. He can be painstakingly precise when it comes to describing, say, an arch in the White Tower or Elayne's new dress, but he muddles the important scenes. What exactly happened in the confrontation between Rand and Sammael? Or in the conclusion of Eye of the World? Or all the other battle or fight scenes? It all remains unclear. I will not buy any more !Jordan books, there is more enjoyable fluff out there for light entertainment.
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Summary: Good lord, man, get on with the story...
Review: When I started reading _The Wheel of Time_, the series consisted of only two books, and I've eagerly awaited each new release. I was never disappointed... until now. As occasionally frustrating as Jordan and his penchant for loosening three threads for each one he tied up was, the plot moved along, the characters developed, and, simply put, things happened in the first six books. _A Crown of Swords_ was doubly frustrating -- first, because I spent hours reading hundreds of pages that did none of the things I listed above (develop characters, move the series' plot along, or, for that matter, even just tell an interesting story) and, second, because I'd waited for a year and a half only to find out I'll have to wait another year and a half to see the series develop. With the exception of a few things, this book could never have been written and the series wouldn't suffer. If I have to hear Nynaeve huff again or listen to someone gripe about silly men or cross her arms beneath her breasts or dress someone down with her hands on her hips or otherwise encounter any of the other actions, descriptions, or themes Jordan repeated ad nauseum here, I may just call it quits on what was once one of my favorite series. The Wheel of Time will never be on par with "serious" works like the Book of the New Sun or the Hyperion Cantos but it was, until this book, far and away the best of the more "popular" books like those by Eddings, Feist, and Brooks. With _Crown_, I'm starting to feel as if Jordan knows he's got a good thing going and is content to milk a couple extra books out of this series to ensure his family's financial security forever. Move on, Robert... you've slowed down your release schedule, and we'll live with that, provided you give us some reward for our patience.
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Summary: Looking to the end
Review: As the seventh book in the Wheel of Time series, "The Crown of Swords" takes us through nine days after the Battle of Dumai Wells. Jordan's series now contains so many characters that by the time we touch base with each one, we are at the end of the book. Some of the things that were funny or cute in the earlier books are becoming stale. His constant references to switching and spanking are tiresome now in Book 7. In this book Rand al Thor appears more whining as he struggles with the inward Lews Therin. After reading through the intricate descriptions of places and attempting to remember where Carhien and Tar Valon are, one wonders what was accomplished by this volume. Will Sammael reappear? How about Moraine? There are hints she is not dead. And what of this Olver character? What purpose does he have in this book, except for some very minor comic relief? Perhaps Volume 8 which is almost ready to be published will answer these questions. But as a reader of the seven volumes I wonder when Jordan will finally come to the battle we have been waiting for. Sometimes Nynaeve, Elayne, Egwene and Mat are so bumbling and susceptible to childish behavior, how can the world be saved? Come on, Jordan, finish.
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Summary: VERY slow moving, all the women are nuts
Review: The overwhelming sense I got in reading this book was that the author was tired and did not care to make an effort to write a good book. The story moves glacially slowly. And the women are all insane, repetitive caricatures of themeselves. It's a miracle Nynaeve has any hair left after all that braid-pulling. I read most of this heavy book (and the predecessor book) in amazement that she responded to EVERY situation by pulling her hair, getting angry, and doing something mindlessly idiotic. The only thing at which she should have been angry was her own towering stupidity. This woman badly needs professional help, like electro-shock therapy. I've had enough of all the women believing that all the men are idiots whose every action must be tightly controlled, and all the men believing (correctly, in this book) that all the women should be committed to a loony bin. Mr. Jordan, if you can't give these characters any more depth, please kill them off and concentrate on giving fewer characters more attention. It's hard to stick with the book (and the series, which I have enjoyed) when you make the characters so tiresome.
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Summary: One after another... They just keep geting beter!!!
Review: The Seventh book in a series of books that keep the reader in supense from the begining to the end. I loved the series sence I read the first book and afer I got done with book 5(that was all that was out at the time)I wanted to read them again. Now that there are seven books I have read all of the books at least 3 times if not more and I will keep on reading untill Jordan stopes or I Die(the second isn't any time soon).
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Summary: This series seems to have good concepts
Review: But there're too many of them and they don't seem to get tied together very well. There are too many new characters to begin with and too many new ones being introduced. And with Rand's gargantuan task of uniting all the countries, I have little patience for the unnecessary dialogue and constant bickering. I couldn't possibly care less about how pretty Rand's buttocks are, or how the set of some unnecessary character's nose keeps him/her from being good looking; and I'm tired of reading about how men and women won't ever understand each other and the inevitability of Nynaeve, Elayne and Egwene bickering with one another. That bit with Mat and Queen Tylin (another useless character) was disgusting and something I didn't need to read.
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