Rating: 
Summary: This series is on life support
Review: Nothing happened in this book until the end and the ending was not really very intriguing......I am cutting my losses and bailing
Rating: 
Summary: Winter's Heart by Robert Jordan
Review: The problem with this book is not so much the book itself but the fact that publisher has allowed the series (which started spectacularly) to drag with the inclusion of excessive filler. There are several themes that are okay in small doses. In large repetitive doses they reduce the credibility of the basic story line. For example, there is continual misdirection among the players; factions jump to unwarranted conclusions and act upon them, "ritual conflict" among factions and continued failure of groups with like interests to unify on the basis of those interests (i.e., petty stuff would be set aside in the face of a recognized common danger and their larger common interests), etc., etc. As the series is lengthened, the wearing nature of these minor flaws increases. Further, there are a number of personal and relational quirks that are also fine in small doses but become equally wearing as the series goes on, e.g., the preoccupation with dress, cleavage and bosoms, the ritual patterns of dominance-submission ("... jump when Renaile issued a command), Nynaeve's prickly stridency, Mat's persistent adolescent approach to everything, etc., etc. Some of the above is pretty childish but the reader can get through them even a few times. The more they persist, however, the more they are magnified and the overall series sinks.
Rating: 
Summary: winter
Review: This one is definitely better then the one before, but Jordan has to many personages in to many places, so he needs to begin a bit of a slaughter among his main personages (preferably Perrin and Faile as first victims) and bring the others more to the same place, because it's getting to confusing. Secondly, the plot about Rands empire is illogical, anyone who rules so many people should get them on one line and check on all of them, especially on the Black Tower, but he's just jumping around doing none of the obvious, logical things. This is one of WOT's weakest points, while in other series, for example Sword of thruth the main personages have their logic and follow it admirably, even if they or their motivations change.
Rating: 
Summary: Wheel of Time finally spinning faster!
Review: Finally, stuff actually happens with the plot. I'm sure Jordan is paid by the word, hence the increasing size of his books, but I was pretty close to quitting this series with the last book. Winter's Heart was the last chance I was going to give Jordan, and he managed to drag me back in to the fold. Now, if only he can follow it up with even more plot closure in the next book, maybe we can wrap this series up in the next few. There are other stories to be told in this world, or the next, and it's time to spin that damn slow wheel of time so we can get there.
Rating:
Summary: Exciting concluson and "Mat/Rand" focus overcomes shortfalls
Review: Robert Jordan has his strengths and weaknesses, fortunately, this book displays more of his strengths. Agreed, the series is getting long, agreed there are too many side characters to keep track of, and agreed that he needs to roll the ball a bit faster - "Winter's Heart" may be the off ramp from the circuitous and overly-long character development books 6-8 displayed we've been looking for. The best characters in the series are featured (Rand and Mat), and they both progress the plot in-totum significantly. The conclusion of this book is the most exciting finale of the series so far (including the spine-tingling endings of "The Great Hunt" and "Lord of Chaos"), and so shatters the world Jordan has created one must guess he sees the light at the end of the tunnel. There are some problems with Jordan's latest effort, however. Essentially, the Perrin plot-line has been dead since the end of book 4, and about 1/4 of the book concerns him. Fortunately, Jordan freezes this plot-line early on; unfortunately, it means he will have to thaw it in the next book. With some exception, the Elayne-plot line is also growing cold, but it is not given much ink. One thing that Jordan seems not to understand is that some of his most interesting characters are the evil ones (a lesson that Dante taught us well over 500 years ago) and yet he reveals them so sporadically, and with so little real "evil", I sometimes find myself cheering them to succeed - if only to justify the great pains to which the heroes in this book suffer to destroy them. If I had to rank all 9 books of the series: "Winter's Heart" would certainly be in the top half of the series, perhaps even 3rd behind "Great Hunt" and "Shadow Rising" - but honestly its the superb Mat-plot line and the finale that pushes it there. It is good, but not as masterful as its two betters.
Rating:
Summary: The Wheel of Time
Review: What are you people talking about? This is the best Wheel of Time yet! I couldn't put it down! I read this one faster that any of the other eight. I am already anxiously awaiting the next novel. You have to leave the reader hanging to make them want to keep reading and Jordan has this down to an art. I have to agree that the last two or three weren't as good; however, Winter's Heart makes up for it without question.
Rating:
Summary: Slowly getting better
Review: With the exception of the last 100 pages of this book, Winter's Heart is just as over-inflated and boring as the previous two. I am tired of reading about women's dresses! I am tired of infinite sub-plots that are never revealed. What about the land beyond the waste? What about the athan mere and their Coramoor? Lets resolve the sub-plot with Matt, Rand and the Seanchan already! And how about an end to Elaida! Anyway, like all WOT fans, I am frustrated with this series. But the ending of this book is momentus and offers a promise of more to come. If you don't read the book and unless someone clues you in, you will be a little lost in the next book. This is more than I can say for the last two.
Rating:
Summary: wraping it up
Review: This book starts the wraping up proses of the wheel of time. THe last battle starts, the most powerful tarangrel are used, the male half of the power is touched by rand, It is the best book because all the loose ends made by the last 8 are being tied up and finished. The next book should be the last battle and It will be sweet. Robert Jordan is my favorite author and his books make you see into it. After reading the book I wouldn't recomend listening to the audio book on tape. All the words that you guessed at how they were pronounced were wrong. the aiel is the weirdest sounding word ever. You should definatly buy this book if you have read the last 8 books!
Rating: 
Summary: Suggestions
Review: I can't keep up. Typically, I love long, complex novels with hundreds of characters. I'm a smart guy. Whenever a new installment is published, I go back and re-read the previous book before reading the new one. At about book 5 I re-read the entire series from the beginning. I bought and read the big hardcover Wheel of Time glossary book. I still can't keep up. I don't have a big problem with the thirty or so major characters. But all of the pages devoted to the character development for the literally hundreds (maybe thousands) of secondary Aes Sadei, Wise Ones, Aiel, Seanchan, etc. is just wasted on me. I can't keep them all straight. There are so many minor character names, many very much alike, that it often requires exhaustive research just to remember something (anything) about that character. I can't keep up. Now I realize it is in the publisher's and Mr. Jordan's best interest to maintain the status quo. After all, fans (myself included) will continue to buy the books just to see how it all works out (or if it ever does). At least for a few more volumes. So here are my suggestions that will not only help fans keep up, but make more money for both the publisher and Mr. Jordan. That way, everyone wins: 1. Include in each new volume a more thorough synopsis and an index with enough information on EVERY character mentioned in the volume to jog readers' memories and help them remember. If this means the book has to be bigger and more expensive, then that's fine. If this means that each volume contains fewer pages devoted to the story, that's fine too. The extra story is wasted anyway without this. 2. Maintain a website with an exhaustive index of characters, updated with each new volume. Ideally, a PDF version would be made available that I can download and print myself. If you have to put ads on the website to pay for it, fine with me. 3. Sell a companion book containing an updated synopsis and character index for each volume. I'd buy them. 4. Bring the story to a close. It's time.
Rating:
Summary: Still going
Review: I've read the other reviews and all I hear is people complaining. I personally feel this book is every bit as good as all the others. His character interactions are as good as ever. And of course he doesn't solve every problem in the series in this book. That would make any sequal meaningless. By leaving several problems from previous books still unaddressed he just builds suspense which I think is neccessary for a good book series. And there is still more than enough happening in the book to keep you from wanting to put the book down. I spent almost every waking moment reading it for the 2 days it took me to finish because I just could not put it down.
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