Rating: 
Summary: too little, too late
Review: Here's the problem: this series started out as a wonderful example of how dramatic fantasy can be. It featured moments of genuine tension that were enhanced rather than ruined by the fantastic elements of the story. The rich world used to be a setting for a plot that kept you on the edge of your seat. Then the world took over and the plot ended up on the back burner. From that point on, the drama ceased to be meaningful, and what happened (what LITTLE happened) to the characters became irrelevant in the face of tons of useless pontification.
Another problem: there are no consequences in this series. With the exception of Moirraine, no one- not even the bad guys- dies and stays dead. It seems that everybody has croaked at least once. The consequece of this revolving door of mortality is a total lack of emotional impact. Major characters need to die or they get sidelined. Then, they lose their relevance (see Thom Merrilin, most of the Aiel, various Lords, random Aes Sedai, even Lan). In addition, what's the point of cleansing Saidin if no one ever went mad anyway? The whole idea of a hero who could go crazy at any moment was terrific. Now, after building that tension up for NINE books, we're left with no consequence. The whole taint might as well have not existed.
Another problem: Robert Jordan used to be very good at the "show not tell" school of writing. His text conveyed nuances that weren't necessarily stated. Now, however, everything is tremendously obvious. Every time Lan walks into a room, there's a four paragraph description of how deadly he is- despite the fact that he has never really killed a major character!
Ultimately, Robert Jordan has in effect promised us an epic to rival the Lord of the Rings. But like so many stories today, his is all promise, and no deliver. The shame is that the series began so well- but whether it was the pressure, the fame, or the money that led Jordan to lose all semblance of literary discipline, the result is that the Wheel of Time has squandered its place as one of the classics of Fantasy.
Rating: 
Summary: Finally! Something happens
Review: Robert Jordan suffers from the NES complex (Never-Ending Series). Finally, something of note happens in this book, though not until the very end. Oh, and Mat shows up too.Whew. One message to Mr. Jordan: NO MORE CHARACTERS! At this rate, we'll need an encyclopedia to keep track of all the plot threads.
Rating: 
Summary: Robert Jordan has returned!
Review: "The Eye of the World" through "Lord of Chaos" (books 1-6) were, as the editor said: topnotch, where-have-you-been-all-my-life books filled action, suspense, and set in an immense world with laws and customs and powers that are mind blowing in depth. Although I liked both "A Crown of Swords" and "A Path of Daggers" (books 7-8), I must say that neither were really up to Jordan's potential. They were slow, they had a lot of filler, and definitly too many sniffs. Winter's Heart (book 9) returns us to that action we were expecting. Many critics say that Mr. Jordan has gone over to the "cash-cow" and is milking the series dry, trying to spred it thin. Personally, I think he might have tried that at books 7 and 8, but soon realized that he would loose all fan base if he kept it up. Yes, Perrin doesn't do much in 9, but I believe it's more character developement between Perrin and Faile. I believe Robert Jordan is really finally coming out of his two book slump. I think that "Lord of Chaos" was so mind blowingly awesome (in my mind, LoC is THE best fantasy book ever with the exception of Lord of the Rings) that we expected so much from 7. But whatever the reasons, Robert Jordan has returned! The ending to Winter's Heart is second best only to "Dumai's Wells" in "Lord of Chaos". And Rand is really getting to be very cool. I loved the cycle of emotions that Robert gives us with Rand. First he's a farmboy; then a reluctant and fearful ruler; then an angry, hard, and cold king, and now, in Winter's Heart he beings to grow softer, realizing he must balance ice and fire, strength and mercy, love and hate. It is beautifully done, and I must say that Rand al'Thor is fast becoming one of the most well written characters in all fantasy. So all in all, the 2 book escapade in which very little happens is finally over, and it seems that Mr. Robert Jordan is coming around with some real meat. I think that Winter's Heart sets up book 10 to possibly be better than "Lord of Chaos", and that is quite a feat.
Rating:
Summary: And I love the series?!
Review: This book is about 90% mush and 10% plot advancement. "The Eye of The World" entranced me from the first chapter and kept me going straight through the next 8 books. Then I had to stop and wait, and wait, and wait, and finally "Winter's Heart" arrived. The worst part is I bought it in hardback, oh! the money! I love this series, I greatly enjoy this author, but he is falling into the trap so many epic authors succumb to. Where do we go from here? So many fights, so much heroism, so many twists, is Jordan beginning to lose the threads? I hope not because even now, so many months and years after beginning this series, I still occasionally wonder, what's going to happen to Rand? Mr. Jordan, are we there yet?
Rating:
Summary: Winter's Heart
Review: I have read this series three times now. The first time I loved books 1-3, 4-6 were OK, and 7 and 8 were a drag.The second time through I only got to book 7 and was actually enjoying the plot through all the books. The final time I read this book looking for clues and actually loved reading all of them. Yes Jordan has become the master of book padding by adding irrelevant details to the text(Taking a paragraph or two to describe the color of someone's clothes can be tedious at times). But are you so sure what you are reading is irrelevant? There are many hints in the text to help you guess at future events and explain past ones. It was defenately more fun reading the series that way. As far as the tapes are concerned, I am torn. It is definately convenient. The only problem is that I tend to drift off while the tape is playing. I suggest reading the book before listening to it. It works better that way.
Rating: 
Summary: Finally, a welcome clarion call to bring us back to the fold
Review: Like most people, I thought that this book had continued a bad trend started in the last few books of the series, namely that 700 pages or so have been used to forward the story only a few months at best. The problem, I think, lies not so much in that Jordan has become weak, but in that he has been too successful in the earlier books. At this point we know the characters as well as we do some of our friends in the real world. By this point we almost know what they will do before they get to it themselves. So now, more character development doesn't work to keep our interest...they are already about as developed as you can get, barring actually producing them in real life. So now, only raw events will serve to keep the series going, and these are markedly lacking until the end. Fortunately, Jordan finally delivers, even if it takes him almost the whole book to finally stop the characters' endless self-discovery. By the time I was done with the last few chapters, I was once again hooked, as I had been in the first books. Finally something happens that will firmly steer the series back to the path. The next book promises to be action packed, as Rand is moved firmly along his way with his three women now resolutely with him, the intermixing of the fates of Rand, Mat, and Perrin is finally hinting at closure (with the strange "colors" that all are sensing), the Chosen come out of hiding, Egwene (though not active in this installment) is finally shifted to the White Tower, Mat has encountered the Daughter of the Nine Moons, Elayne is about to be crowned, Perrin is about to deal with the Shaido thereat, Masema seems to be very close to being dealt with, and all of the other characters are moved to their proper supporting places in the fight to get to the Last Battle. Though it takes a long, drawn-out series of pages to do it, this book sets us up for what will be an absolutely thrilling last couple of books. It may seem pointless to read a book in which so little of the plot actually gets resolved, but after such a lengthy story to get to this point, it HAS to take a whole book in order to set us up for the end. I'd rather Jordan get all of this material out of the way now so that it isn't there to clutter up what bodes to be a fantastic end. So stick in there, folks, buy this book to keep you up to date on the relevent details, and try to withstand the wait for the next installation of one of the finest fantasy epics yet written.
Rating:
Summary: I don't understand the complaints
Review: I have read many books in my life, but none have come close to Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series. Tolkien never even wrote so well. He still offers the vivid, complicated world that he always has. Then why do people complain? They may say it is too long. I have never heard anyone say that War and Peace was too long. Believe me, I have read many 1000+ page books and they tend to go just as fast as a 200 page book; one page at a time. Another complaint is, "The series is too long. Can't it end now?" In other words they are saying, "I can't wait. I am impatient and I want it too end right now." I have heard it said often, "You can't have too much of a good thing." With Jordan's intricate universe of detail, the roller-coaster plot of twists and turns there is no other story more intricate and complicated than the world of the Wheel. It is almost real life, with the vision of the impossible so vividly clear, it is like a photograph. The reader almost believes that he saw a Nym or a Trolloc, a Myrddraal, Draghkar or Ogier. You can almost feel the One Power rushing through your veins! Any fantasy fan would agree with you that that is a good thing. After all, what fantasy fan would not want a series that a non-genre reader could pick up and enjoy and would flip off one of his "Breathren" for looking at him cross-eyed. (Don't do that; it would not be positive.) That would give fantasy a good name (and believe me; that is happening of late.) But really, how many good fantasy authors have there been since Tolkien and Lewis. There have not been many more than twelve over the last dozen years. Maybe three before that, but only one would be considered in the elite today and even she does not really come up with anything original. What more could a person want? How do books become classics? They stand the test of time. They stand up to a baroge of critism and they servive. And sometimes, they even flourish. Robert Jordan's book sales have increased 30 to 40 percent with his last three books. (Winter's Heart being 40 percent.) Yet many people will tell you that the last three books are the worst. I have read them all and can tell you the last three books were the BEST and that is why they are out-performing the rest and selling more with each new title. A little tip: No one has ever built a statue for a critic and noone ever will (unless the critic will be another Joseph Stalin). If you are new to the series, begin with the first title The Eye of the World. And whether you are new or not, get lost in the books and you will never want to find your way out.
Rating:
Summary: God of Writing
Review: I can't see why anyone can possibly think that Robert Jordan's writing is deterioratng. The series only gets better with each new installment, and Winter's Heart is by far the best book ever written. The depth of description that Jordan can muster is second to none, and the richness of the seven thousand-odd subplots in each book is something to revel in, rather than a tedium that should be found to be rebarbative. I originally read this book in December 2000, and did again this December, wondering if perhaps I'd make it a yearly tradition. For any fan of Fantasy, this series is a must, even if only to get to this book, Winter's Heart. Happy reading!
Rating:
Summary: Not close to the best work but a turn for the better
Review: Out of the last three books this is definitely the best. I hate to see the series in this postion though considering I burned through the first 8 books in about as many weeks. At the end of book eight what I was looking forward too was the Tower war the to have Egwene be non existant was a let down. But hes been doing this sort of thing with Perrin and Matt for ages so I guess its par for the course. Rand, for me, finally got interesting as a character with this book I finally got to see him go back to working with Lan. For me this book is the fulcrum Ill buy the next one but if its more the same Ill probably give up on the series all together untill its finished.
Rating:
Summary: Desde el principio al fin!
Review: He leeído la colección completa de la serie "The Wheel of Time" escrita por Robert Jordan. Al igual que muchos de los lectores de ficción épica que inicialmente nos enviciamos con los primeros libros de esta serie, tengo que reconocer que los últimos cuatro libros dejan mucho que desear y pueden catalogarse como engorrosos y aburridos. Para el próximo a salir esperaré por la revisión de otros lectores y/o la versión en carpeta blanda que resulta más barata y menos dolorosa la decepción de resultar tan mala como los últimos tres libros (The Wheel of Time Books 7, 8 y 9). Es una pena por que la serie prometía mucho en los primeros libros, pero parece que Jordan quiere estirar demasiado la trama.
|
