Rating: 
Summary: A Definite Improvement
Review: I admit that I bought this book with low expectations. It took me half a year to suffer through the last book, The Path of Daggers, and I almost considered giving up this series. I decided that I would endure to the end, however, so I picked up the paperback edition. I was pleasantly surprised with what I found. Jordan seems to have stood back and taken a long look at himself, and I got the feeling that he tried hard to make this book as good as it's predescessors. The final product turned out to be much better than the last two books(the fact that the last chapter of this book ties up more loose ends than the last two books combined should be proof enough). In this series we see the return of plot threads from as far back as The Shadow Rising and The Great Hunt. Egeanin and Bayle Domon, two characters you might remember from The Great Hunt, return. A much smaller part of the text was the reappearance of Slayer, the mysterious figure that Perrin chased to the Tower of Ghenjei in one of his wolf dreams during The Shadow Rising. We learn his name and a few of his intentions but beyond that he is an enigma that made me very curious. Mat's return also had much to offer to this book. His wanderings make up most of the latter half of the book and I was pleasantly surprised to see the beginning of the fulfillment of one of the Aelfinn's prophecies. I suggest that anybody who is having waning faith in this series should pick this one up. It is definitely worth the price of admission.
Rating: 
Summary: crack is just as bad and easier to kick
Review: Ok, if you're reading this review, you're probably wanting a validation of your own opinion of this book. You started like everybody else following Rand and his merry troupe across the mythical continent. Things got exciting when he met new people, learned of new powers he had, made friends and enemies.
Then after Book 4 it all went to hell. What are we doing here? We're addicts trying to avoid detox. We're desperately seeking a resolution to something, and then Jordan throws in another race, problem, character, whatever to drag this out a little longer.
Sure, it had promise as a good series, but Tolkien managed to put the world aright again after a trilogy and a prequel. Frank Herbert finished almost as quickly, and Dan Simmons, in the Hyperion series, cut it down to four, and managed to do a lot of real research into philosophy, theology, and literature while he was at it. Jordan is like a Colombian drug lord, hooking us on his product, and then steadily lowering the quality, because he knows we'll buy the next one, probably in hardcover, just to get the fix we need. I'm giving the next book a chance to start picking up the pace again, but after that, I may see you all in Wheel-of-Time rehab. 1. Admit that you have a problem.........
Rating:
Summary: Like getting lost in a maze
Review: I loved the beginning of this series, so much so that I turned on 2 or 3 buddies onto it as well. Started out great, the plot lines, sub plots, deep characters and just a great read.
But enough is enough. I find myself hoping a plague or magic will wipe out 3 sub plots as it is getting too confusing.
There is such a great story underneath all of this, but when 4 main characters turn into 6, then 8, then 10, now 27...
Crimanry, I have to re-read it before I'm done to keep on top of things. One of my friends started a outline of characters just to follow along and another had abandoned it all together.
Simplify and find the heart of this series, it had such promise.
Rating:
Summary: Of course it's excellent
Review: Almost all the main characters (only Egwene is missing) share the limelight in this important addition to the saga. There are numerous twists and turns in the tale which advance several character issues and plot directions. Rand and Nynaeve work together (actually, they've become a real action team) to bring about a fundamental change in the nature of the world. Good stuff. But then, any book that features the post-Aelfinn Mat Cauthon is good. Mat - supernaturally gifted, sardonic, witty, and yet in some ways still a naive boy from the outback - is one of the most engaging characters I have ever encountered in literature. I cannot help but laugh with gusto whenever I read about his antics, and yet admire his bravery and fortitude. Jordan has given us distinctive characters that hold together and ring true after thousands of pages. Start at the beginning, read 'em all, and reread them often. Only "Lord of the Rings" wears as well or better. Bon voyage.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book???
Review: Of course it is. Every character is interesting; Mat, Rand, Perrin, Nynaeve..., still. Everything is moving to an ending point. True, it isn't finished yet. Every detail that has been written in this series is purposeful. A good book, movie...whatever, always stirs up emotions. This book does just that. Mr. Jordan keeps his writing fairly clean... Robert Jordan is one of the best, and has not disappointed me yet.
Rating: 
Summary: Zero Star Book: Jordan has killed a Great Series!
Review: Be warned all ye who read these reviews: This is NOT a 5 star book. Even the reviews contained here should tell you that if you read them. Sure, there are 5 star reviews but even those people tell you that this book is not that great, or has problems or suffers from pacing issues. The truth of the matter is that Jordan is riding on reputation and a public's perception that his new stuff is good ONLY because he has written good books in the past. Jordan has passed into a form os self mockery. His character are starting to act in a unintentionally comical fashion. Entire pages (and yes, I do mean entire pages) will cover a rather meaningless discussion in which Jordan will describe how each character responds to another character's facial expressions. NO JOKE. IF THIS WAS THE FIRST BOOK YOU READ IN THE SERIES YOU WOULD'T READ ANOTHER ONE! That is the absolute truth. Instead of rewarding dedication with a plot that carries through the promise of exposition and background, Jordan plods along. This book's plot (as well as Crown of Swords and POD) is so instantly forgettable that only the most diehard fans would be able to repeat it, although the story could probably be described in short shrift. My message to my fellow reviewers is to judge this book for what it is, and not within the context of a series which was once full of promise. To grant this book a 5, or 4 star rating simply because, say, you loved the Great Hunt (as I did) does a vast diservice to other readers. I am realistic about the fact that a reader of this review isn't going to use it to determine whether to start the series. I am sure that this review is being read only be people who's opinions are set in stone one way or the other. But in the hope that there is someone out there unsure about whether to read this book, or even to start this series, my answer is "No." After such a long amount of time devoted to this series and its characters, it has turned to utterly terrible. I strongly feel that I have wasted my time reading through Jordan's last three books. I am sorry to say this, but if I had known at the time I started Eye of the World what I know now, I believe that I wouldn't have started the series. Instead, I would have dedicated myself to stories and authors who understood basic storytelling devices such as plot and pacing. One additional point for those people who would ignore my advice: If you must read these books, I would take breaks often. It took my months to finish Crown of Swords, for example, because the plot would literally stop cold. Additionally, do not think yourself daft because you do not like Jordan's writing style. At first I thought it was just me, but I realize by the other reviews, that I am not alone. Yes, Jordan has a great grasp of the English language. What Jordan suffers from is an apparent disrespect for his reader's intelligence. While other writers will fast forward time (say a week), Jordan seems intent on describing every hour in the day. The result is that the reader is told every detail of a character's day, even those events which the character himself thinks are boring. I would also be very wary of the earlier reviews. Having read many of the reviews on Jordan's earlier books, I have found that many of the earlier reviewers simply gave the book 5 stars and then admitted in their review that they hadn't read the book yet but they were "sure it was going to be great." Obviously, that type of review is worthless. However, check for yourself: the Jordan faithful are so dedicated to a author who apparently feels less respect for his audience.
Rating:
Summary: Editor
Review: In case you didn't realize Robert Jordan's wife does editing... Now explain to me how you guys think he can just can his wife and get someone to chop his writing down to half the length? You seem to care more about your personal peeves than you do the artistic expression of the author himself.
Rating:
Summary: the whole series is a bore
Review: As they used to say in those commercials---where's the beef. I have just finished reading all 9 volumes in sequence-not because they are good but because I am the kind of reader who for better or worse reads things to completion. So Mr. Jordan, you will still get my money for the remaining books in the series but not that you deserve them. The only thing this series has going for it is complex world building. But that alone cannot make good literature or fantasy. The quest theme has been done many times before. That is not a critique just a fact. But to make this a good series requires more than just plot outline. It requires developing characters who come alive. The characters here are just pasteboard, uni-dimensional being who engender no empathy. He brings characters in and out of the narrative using a deus ex machina that is frivolous. Actually the one character who does intrigue me is Moraine who has disappeared, and who knows whether he will revive her like Shakespeare brought back the "fat knight" in the Merry Wives to please Elizabeth I. Furthermore his writing style is at best puerile. He writes like someone who has just completed a creative writing segment in his junior year high school English class and only got a C+. For that matter it seems that his editors must have taken the same course and got a lower grade. If you want to see how the use of language can make characters, plot, and a world come alive, I urge any and all to read the Majipoor series by Robert Silverberg. Now there is a master!
Rating:
Summary: Jordan is a master craftsman
Review: I am presently rereading this series, as so much happens in each book; that I need a refresher before tackling the next one. And, I admit, the long wait for the next installment drove me to rereading. This is my favorite fantasy series, of all time; above J.R.R. Tolkien, Piers Anthony, David Eddings, and even Terry Goodkind. There have been a lot of complaints about the length and complexity of this series, but that is what constantly delights me. And in rereading I have been putting together a lot of references, that I missed the first time. Robert Jordan constantly enriches the series, and provides driving forces that put events in motion. There is a purpose for each character. The constant coincidences would have long turned me off of this series, except for the way Jordan "weaves"
them in. The "Wheel of Time" provides the reason that coincidence must exist. The characters are so real, and each is distinct from another. There are no cardboard characters. And their personalities and experiences shape events. Events do seem to be going a little slower, than in the first books. For instance, look how much happens in Eye of the World. But, the quickpace serves a purpose in the first book. It is a lifechanging series of events, that rips Rand, Mat, Perrin, Egwene, and Nynaeve from their village. Now, my one complaint would be how little has changed in Faile and her parties situation. They were prisoners at the end of Book 8, and Perrin has not managed to save them in "Winter's Heart." The very last pages with Mat getting ready to leave, and finding out the identity of the Daughter of the Nine Moons is so exciting. There they are, with more companions than they expected, in a stable, about to set out on a new adventure. Does that remind you of "Eye of the World?" Would it be as exciting, if Mat hadn't been so long in Ebou Dar? Take a close look at these books, and you will find a lot beneath the surface. Would Egwene have attained her position, in "Lord of Chaos," without the rivalry between Lelaine and Romanda? And would she have gained any influence without the added rivalry between those two, and Sheriam? I think the regret will be, that this series does draw to a close. I would not mind if he continued beyond the one or two more books expected.
Rating:
Summary: It's better.
Review: I thought book nine was much better than seven or eight and made me fall in love with the series again. I almost gave up on the series, but this book was worth the wait.
| 
