Rating: 
Summary: And the plot ... slows to a crawl.
Review: Before I vent my frustration, let me say that Jordan is clearly one of the most talented sci-fi world creators that I have ever encountered. Unfortunately, the latest installment in this series, much like the past two, fails to advance the plot sufficiently. After plowing through more than 600 pages, I would like to feel as if the main characters have moved closer to ultimate resolution of the main plot (in this case, the Last Battle). However, Jordan seems to be dragging his feet. In fact, some of the progress made in the first few books now appears to be undone since basically all of the Forsaken previously thought to be dead have returned in some form or another. Some writers are so quick to wrap things up that the final chapters seem more like news reports than fiction. Jordan certainly doesn't have this problem. The slow pace is killing the momentum of this story. Bottom line, I will see this series through to the end because I have invested too much time thus far to end the journey now. But I would like to see a quickening of the pace. I don't mind breaking the traditional trilogy mold, but after NINE books I think we should be closer to the finale.
Rating: 
Summary: Give a good writer a break...
Review: Ok ok lets start with what everyone knows... Books 1 thru 6 are excellent reads; character growth, action, and richly detailed. bah bah bah Ok yes maybe books 7 and 8 moved a little slower but were they really that bad?? What are those who have been giving this series bad reviews looking for? Sure we like action but are our lives always run by constant action?? Are we always fighting the forsaken of our world?? Isn't there a time where we ourselves are not going anywhere; where we learn and grow, discover ourselves and those around us. Jordan's rich details are what draws me the most about this series. Granted sometimes the information is too much and irreverent to the story, but without his use of dialogue and the very detailed world I would probably care a lot less for characters such as Perrin, Nynaeve, Lan, and of course Rand(who are all my personal favorites). Jordan still has a lot of story he wants to tell, (I mean the forsaken, Semirhage still has barely made an appearance, although I do THINK you come across her under a different name in book 9) and if you at all are a REAL fantasy fan you'll be patient and loyal and maybe Jordan will reward you in the end. So for those of you who have been disappointed with his last few books,go ahead pick up book 9 WINTERS HEART, I think you will be satisfied. You may even become a fan again. Unless you are one of those people who insist on finding something wrong with everything. Then I ask you, Why do YOU continue to read Jordan? Maybe you don't think it is so bad after all. I read Winter's Heart in just a few days. I'm still drawn to this world, and will be in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Jordan (almost) redeems himself
Review: I can understand readers being frustrated at Jordan over books 7 & 8 which were terrible (I didn't care for #4 either), but Winter's Heart is a definite improvement and probably ranks in the top 3 or 4 for the series. Throughout the book, you get the distinct impression that Jordan is finally pulling together all the loose threads and subplots. The ending in particular is a real rush, reminiscent of the ending in _Lord of Chaos_, plus it's one of the most significant plot advancement to occur in the series. I could see the series coming to a satisfactory conclusion in 2 to 3 books. That said, I have two complaints about this book. First, Jordan continues his usual pattern of filling 80% of the book with drawn out descriptions of uninteresting events. When significant events occur, they are usually glossed over in a few pages. Secondly, Jordan introduces several characters who are stronger in the Power than Nynaeve/Egwene/Elayne. This was totally unnecessary. Nynaeve in particular seems to have become almost completely irrelevent over the last few books - I would take the old annoying Nynaeve over the new impotent Nynaeve anyday. Anyway, if you are reading this review, you probably haven't totally abandoned Jordan, so give Winter's Heart a try.
Rating: 
Summary: Master of the Irrelevant
Review: Just what I wanted over 200 pages dedicated to what Elayne wears and eats! Wow, Mat Cauthon finally finds himself back in the series...but his most enjoyable aspect, i.e., past military knowledge, isn't mentioned at all. Perrin gets about three feet along in the search for his kidnapped wife. The "rebel" army of Egwene doesn't even get three feet closer to the White Tower. Should I go on? Oh, the "great climax." It was only anticipated about 4 books ago. It certainly could have at least been made more interesting. How disappointing, Rand finally DOES something but the writing is so drawn out that you almost fail to notice it. Hire a REAL editor already. Jordan's wife certainly isn't cutting it at the job.
Rating: 
Summary: What is everyone talking about?
Review: I thought that Winters Heart was an excellent book, as was every single other book by Mr. Jordan. If you would be so kind to point out these supposedly "numerous" erors i would be most apreciative. I recomend this series to anyone, despite what the critics say. If you are a fan, visit ..., it is a great WoT website. ...
Rating: 
Summary: Good news, bad news for Winter's Heart
Review: The good news on Robert Jordan's ninth book, "Winter's Heart," is that it was not his first, otherwise we would not have had the enjoyable reading experience provided by his first four books. Sadly, the bad news is this book was poorly written, very poorly edited, and should never have been published in its current form. As Mr. Jordan is reported to have stated, he is making the story up as he goes and does not feel restricted by accepted writing standards of plot and character development. Unfortunately this is the undoing of this book as it is chock-full of confusing, disconnected subplots and poorly developed, irrelevant characters. Some characters central to the previous storylines are notably absent and are others that are present are given a short shrift. What happened to Loial and the Whitecloaks, and why are the Foresaken all turned into whimpering, frightened weaklings? I did not find the big, heralded battle with the Foresaken that ends the book to be very fulfilling or exciting, particularly compared to the battles in previous books. There are a few good moments where Jordan returns to his excellent story telling ways, in particular the kidnaping of Faile and Mat's struggles to escape Ebou Dar. However, these disconnected moments provide only short respite from the incessant parade of new Aes Sedai, Warders, Cairhienins, Saldaeans, Andorans, Kin, Sea Folk, Seanchan, damanes, sul'dams, and many others too boring and irrelevant to mention. In my opinion while Mr. Jordan's first four books were excellent reading, books five and six were only average, books seven and eight were poor, and book nine was very, very poor. Even great writers can occasionally create bad books. However, there is an obvious trend here, which indicates a slow and defined decline into mediocrity. Hopefully, Mr. Jordan has a change of heart, decides to pay attention to the opinions of his readers, and returns to his previous brilliant storytelling form before putting out another volume in this series. After all, anything can happen in the world of Fantasy. If you have not already tried them, I recommend all books by Guy Gavriel Kay, Stephen Donaldson's "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever," and Paul J. McAuley's, Books of Confluence 1-3.
Rating:
Summary: How is it possible...
Review: to take a series that once had such promise and absolutely destroy it? The first 4 or 5 books were great, and book 6 was decent. Crown of Swords and Path of Daggers were difficult to get through, mostly because they sucked... they were slow, characters were missing, and the plot was hardly advanced at all. They should have been one-half of one book combined, and would have been, if Jordan had a decent editor (PoD was actually much shorter than the other books, almost as if Jordan pumped it out for a deadline, cash, or both...). At any rate, this newest installment is _slightly_ better than the previous two, but it is not on the level as the first few books. I'm sorry to say that despite the cool ending, I've given up on Jordan from here on out - I discovered WoT when Dragon Reborn came out, and have been a huge fan ever since... but no longer. The cliched, stupid male/female relationships, the invincibility and god-like powers of the main characters, and the ridiculous villains, combined with the poor plotting and lack of a main storyline have all made me decide to throw in the towel. When everything's completed, I may go back and read the remaining novels in paperback if my library has them. If you're looking for epic fantasy on the scale of Jordan, but with realistic characters, great dialogue and incredible prose, look to George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire saga (starting with the novel A Game of Thrones). Also try out Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy (beginning with The Dragonbone Chair). Both of these works are far better than WoT (in its current state).
Rating:
Summary: Lowering my rating...
Review: After confirming that Jordan's wife has become his editor (which I have suspected from the last several books), I am lowering my rating of this book to one star. No wonder Jordan writes such stereotypical "tough" (arms crossed, hair pulling) female characters, and such meek men; he doesn't want to ... off his wife! And what a poor editor she is: I have never read a book with so much fluff and as many spelling/grammatical errors. Word to the wise: avoid buying these books until Jordan gets a better editor (perhaps the one he had from the first several books), and pick up George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones instead!
Rating:
Summary: Give it half a chance. then decide.
Review: OK. It's not as "good" as books one through 5. Somewhere, in the past few years, Jordan has undergone a transition in his writing style: the subplots have become more integral, and at the same time has diffused resolution of the plot to great effect. HOWEVER. I think Robert Jordan is going somewhere with this new technique. True, the plot is definitely moving at a fraction of the pace it once pursued in earlier works. This can be both a good and a bad thing: I think it is GOOD, in that with the way this epic is written it is likely there WILL BE NO SEQUELS. Anything that draws the experience, the story line, out a little, or a lot, further cannot but be beneficial to avid readers who have come to enjoy Jordan's skill at world-building. Besides, look at how well the end of book nine comes together after the chaos of oh, 700 pages. There is certainly an atmosphere of chaos perpetrated by style, resolved neatly as he returns to something of the normalcy 4 books prior. Maybe the end is something of a shift back to the old. Anyway, I for one greatly enjoy the simple experience of reading and glutting my imagination on Jordan's Wheel of Time, and care not so much for the destination as for the journey itself. Judge the final product of the series, then decide if you like it.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting tid-bit for the fawning masses
Review: How many of you know that Jordan's editor at Tor happens to be his wife? Hmm, strange coincidence, eh? He's the cash cow for the company, so it's no surprise he keeps pumping out books in this series. Tor is letting him run wild, with no editorial control. Give him another editor who will force him to pare his books down by 100,000 words per book, at least. Otherwise, this book barely moves the story forward. I suggest folks read Martin, Kay, Sean Russell, Glen Cook or Robin Hobb for good fiction that has a beginning, middle and end.
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