Rating: Summary: These books are good, but they never end! Review: I read a lot, but even so, they are taking forever! I started the series in January, and I just finished the 9th one. Foe me, 5 months is a little much to finish 9 books. Though there are so many books already, it doesn't seem like Jordan will get anywhere near Tarmon Gaidon ( The Last Battle ) for at least a couple more books. There are cliffhangers at the end, if not so much so as in other series. In a crown of Swords, Jordan ended the book right after Rand captures Tear. Somewhat frusterating, though it could be worse. As another reader has said, Jordan does seem not to want the series to ever end. I mean, one way to do it would be for Rand and Nynaeve yo have lost control of the ter'angreal that control the giant sa'angreal. Though I must say, and most readers would agree, that the ending would be rather dissapointing if the whole world just shrivled to a cinder. What a great way to end such a great series! I wonder how many centuries Jordan would have to live to actually finish the series to his liking.
Rating: Summary: A Note to New WoT Readers Review: Although some of the last books were slow and very little of the overall plot has moved, this book ties up some very loose ends for us all. Yes, I agree that too much descriptive phrasing detracts from the overall storyline. I don't care if someone "smoothes" a hole in her skirt or if someone yanks her hair, but I remember that these books are published about 2 years apart and those phrases may be RJ's way of helping us to remember the main characters' bad habits. I won't review the book based on impatience to get to the end of the story but read every book for the pure enjoyment of the writing. RJ is an accomplished author and, unlike some other fantasy series, helps us to believe that the line between "good" and "evil" is purely subjective and one must learn to use the skills we are born with or learn new skills in order to find where that line is for us. Remember, all new skills are not always the easiest or the quickest to learn and I would rather read about the character's learning the skill before he/she just shoots from the hip to win the battle.That's just my opinion, I could be wrong.
Rating: Summary: "Epic" series not epic enough for 9 books but still good. Review: I have the same sentiment as most reviews here. The Wheel of Time series has been prolonged into a tedious soap opera of trivial and insignificant events. It does become annoying to follow minor characters that had ten page cameos five books earlier and then suddenly reappear. Futhermore, the constant stereotyped "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" comments along with the obligatory blushing that give the books a "Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew" feeling are cumbersome. To give Jordan credit, Winter's Heart (Book 9) does progress the plot more than some of its most recent predecessors. (Specifically, Books 7 & 8.) I read a review here where someone wrote that if they had to do it over again, they would buy the entire series and read it in it's entirety. Being recently introduced to the Wheel of Time series, this "new" experience is what I have encountered, and it has probably allowed me to enjoy the series more so than the long-time fans who wait a year or two for the sequel only to be disappointed when it doesn't live up to the climaxes in some of the earlier volumes. One of the few fantasy series with as much creativity as Lord of the Rings just not the same writing and story-telling ability, but I would still recommend the series to anyone that hasn't started yet. Some reviews mention that the series has become boring enough that you must flip through some of the pages. To be honest, I've done that with most of the books. Jordan is a decent author, but sometimes puts a little too much detail and attention into his story to make it worth reading. There are many instances in all 9 books where you can skim through a few pages very quickly and still gain the same feeling. Like I said earlier, great creativity but sometimes lacking in the content department - considering the decent, but not excellent wrting, some of the fantasies don't need thirty page narratives on their importance. It almost reminds me of growing up with Edgar Rice Burroughs titles and the addiction to sequels that would present your favorite characters but never live up to the initial "creativity high" you obtained by exploring the series in the first place. The longer more volumes are out, the better. (So you can continue from book to book.) As far as waiting for the next dramatic sequel, Jordan may have run out of ammunition to make it worthwhile. But we all know we'll buy it anyways. ;)
Rating: Summary: It's the world & characters that count Review: I have to admit that at first I was a little disheartened by the latter parts of the WOT series. Recently, though, I began re-reading the series from book one through book nine (I'm in eight right now) in anticipation for book 10 to come sometime, hopefully, in the near future. I've realized now that I really do like these latter books. I've come to enjoy the world, the characters and their changes as major and minor things happen to them. There is enough action sprinkled in to keep me going. I now wish the series would go to about 20 thousand page plus books...I just don't want it to end. I'm hoping that Robert Jordan will at least put out two to three more LARGE volumes before wrapping the series. Start again from volume one. Read them for relaxation and fun, for plot, small and large, and characters that are developing on a more intimate level than most authors allow. I think some people will be happier by the time they come back to volume nine (or ten, if it's ready!). I know, I am!
Rating: Summary: Depends on what you're looking for . . . Review: Well, I glad Mat is back, thank the Light. I know I got into this book, and the series, because I've just recently finished what's around so far, since I'm using the slang and other distinctly Wheel of Time language. That happens if I read good fantasy, and by good, I mean engaging. Sure, Jordan isn't writing like Shakespeare, but as far a a good read is concerned, this goes. What concerns me, however, is this book's reluctance to decide if it will appeal to the mass public or scholars. Most of the time, it is the former. However, endlessly branching subplots tempt me to make charts. I wish Jordan did better at compacting his characters and events. Sometimes the book also gets predictable. For example, who didn't see Mazrim Taim's true nature being revealed? I know I expected that much. In addition, Jordan (and this is a problem with all of the series) continues to have almost no characters that do not reappear again and again. Even the most insignificant personage, once being given a name, will be something like pivotal later on. If you're looking for fun, suspense, and a very creative series, yes, go with this. If your looking for another scholarly fantasy series along the lines of Tolkein, Jacques or C.S. Lewis, find another series. This is more of a criticism than a review, though the difference is subtle.
Rating: Summary: I tried to quit Review: Well, I tried to quit but I found the book abandoned in an airport terminal... unread by all signs... so I read it. Overall, I liked it better than the previous books, which is not to say a lot since those books were a waste of good paper. I had to put a lot of effort in finishing the so-called introduction which is really a first chapter with all the usual femenine stereotyping (makes you wonder what kind of childhood RJ had). After the introduction I found better writing. It was still disjointed, mind you, and still had lapses into boring details totally superfluous to the story, but it was entertaining. The ending wasn't bad and almost made me forget the aggravation of the first couple hundred pages. Almost... My feeling after reading it? Blah... He still wants to prolong the series. There is no sign of closure anywhere. You see, I alternate between literature and entertainment in my reading. The WOT series is no Lord of the Rings or Dune but it started being entertaining an I loved it. Then RJ let go and the series went belly up. I gave it a chance reading book 8 and it still didn't work for me. Will I read the next book? Only if I find it abandoned in an airport terminal.
Rating: Summary: Emergency Liposuction...stat Review: Would someone please edit this book! After wading through chapter after boring chapter of wasted paper you get a little action at the end. Would someone remind Robert Jordan of the old adage "short sweet and to the point". This series started out wonderfully, but has grown into a bloated behemoth. I skipped whole chapters and missed nothing. Take a razor and cut out every other chapter except the final one, you will not miss anything important.
Rating: Summary: IN DEFENSE OF ROBERT JORDAN Review: I've accidentally reviewed this book twice, but this time I'd like to explain some things to the masses. Why is the series going downhill, you say? The answer is dreadfully simple. I've heard that Robert Jordan spent 4 years on Eye of the World. In an interview Robert Jordan says that he was expecting this to be a trilogy. In short, RJ wasn't EXPECTING book 9. As an aspiring writer, I know that the two most important things are the BEGINNING and the END. The MIDDLE is just filler. The beginning is important because it is what has to convince you that it's worth reading in the first place. The end is important in that it has to convince you that it was worth reading all parts prior. Robert Jordan is not the only writer who's winding down. Look at Tom Clancy. Average customer review (at this time) for his latest Jack Ryan book (The Bear and the Dragon) is 2.5 stars. 1 star LESS than Winter's Heart. I'd bet that even Mr. Clancy wasn't expecting his Jack Ryan series to be so long, either. Let me ask you this: Can YOU write a 600+ page sequel to a several thousand page series in the span of two years. HA! Most of us--myself included--would be hard pressed to write a 6000 word short story. Books aren't the only medium that suffer from the "sequel syndrome". Aliens series, anyone. How about the Exorcist series? The Star Wars series, for that matter. Yes, this is a rather slow and boring book, but I feel that RJ deserves a LOT more respect than what most people are giving him.
Rating: Summary: Wheel of Time needs winding up. Review: I have read all of the Wheel of Time series and have become dismayed at the change in style with the last three books. Mr. Jordan is belaboring old issues and is not at all clear how new ones relate to the plot. He does nothing to assist the reader's memory in recalling characters and their importance. A prologue would help or, at least, a more elaborate glossary which includes the dozens of minor repeated characters, locations, and events. Certainly one motivation for this stretching out of the story would be to continue his revenue; his editor would gain by that tactic also. For number 10 and beyond I will wait for others to read and review his production and not automatically get the book.
Rating: Summary: Better than the last one, even good... but when will it end Review: When will this end.... since I was in 8th grade I have been waiting for the final book in the Jordan opus... now I've been out of college for two years and it still isn't done... THis book was good, not the best, but much much better than Path of Daggers, which I seem to have disliked less than most. I'd say go with this one, its worth it.
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