Rating: 
Summary: Oy!
Review: I'm not going to tell you anything different from the other million reviewers on here. In a nutshell, very little happens in this book to further the story that Jordan began so promisingly... NINE books and more than three THOUSAND pages ago. He hops around in the story like a child that's eaten too many sweets, and manages to move his plot lines along not a whit. If you've read this far in the series you'll probably finish this novel and read the next when it comes out. You won't really enjoy it though. Even Rand, who I thought was the most exciting character to follow in the first seven books, is flat and one dimensional. So, I will await the next book, without bated breath, and will purchase it despite the queasy feeling in my stomach brought on by the thirty dollar price tag. Oy!And apparently those fellows at Tor were awful rushed trying to get this masterpiece out for Christmas judging by all those typos.
Rating: 
Summary: winter's heart
Review: Start from book 1 and work your way up, trust me you will not be disappointed. Fans of Terry Brooks, Tad Williams or L.E. Modessit Jr. are welcome.
Rating:
Summary: 5 Stars...Mainly for Self-Pity
Review: Okay. It's been said before, but Robert Jordan is like crack-coccain; you start out feeling great on a literary high, and slowly, over say a decade or so, you stop caring about the literary value and just need your fix. I gave it 5 stars, not because it deserves it, lord knows it doesn't--this volume barely deserves a 3--but because ya just have to respect the LIFE-THROTLING power of Tor books and Robert Jordan. Book 9: The Never Ending Story... Synopsis...Flash back to Book 8, and add 3 months. THERE your at the end of 9. I honestly can't think of any other author who has succeeded, and let's face it Jordan has succeeded, in dragging a series...epic...jugernaut...whatever, through 9 books and barely cover ugh? maybe 5 years, damned if I can even remember for sure. Eh, this series began in the late 80's and will probaly go to the 10's, lord have mercy on us all.
Rating: 
Summary: Put me out of my misery
Review: I sure hope RJ has written the ending for this series, because this really has become the never ending story. With so many characters it's easy for the author to take a diversion when the "inspiration" isn't there. The first few books in this series were quite remarkable, but it's become a chore to get through each successive tome. I think I've ordered my last hardcover, I'll just wait for the paperback to go on the discount rack.
Rating: 
Summary: Offers slight hope that Jordan can redeem this series.
Review: Well, at least something significant happened. I enjoyed book 9 but Jordan does seem to have created a story too large to handle. Every time things seems to be moving forward, they go off course. Isn't Perrin's mission to deal with the Prophet enough of a subplot without taking a detour into a bizarre kidnapping of Faile? Just one of countless ways in which Jordan seems to be meandering. A recent quote from the author reveals the problem. He was asked about readers being upset with the absence of Mat from book 8. His response was something along the lines of "Well, a house fell on him. A HOUSE! How can one recover quickly from such an accident. Better to leave him out of the book than attempt some boring depiction of convalescence." Uh, excuse me Mr. Jordan, but WHY did a house fall on him? Did a deranged fan put a gun to your head and say "Have Mat suffer a horrible accident or you're a goner." YOU'RE the author for crying out loud. YOU put the house on top of him. Next time you find yourself considering whether the main characters of the series should suffer some calamity that may put them out of commission for an entire book, think again and have them stub their toe instead.
Rating:
Summary: A word in favor of Robert Jordan
Review: After 9 books, I can understand the concern of readers complaining that the series doesnt seem to come to an end and also that Robert Jordan is trying to make money by giving us such a a large picture of the whole story arounr Rand that we are getting nowhere... We do not really know the real intentions of Robert Jordan. But i am going to tell you now why after 9 books I still like to read his saga... First of all, he is really talented in developing all the different main characters of the series. And the fact that there are so many gives him of course also the possibility to develop sub-plots that my not be really linked too closely to the story arc, but which allow us to learn more about that person throughout the books. I guess we need to have a different approach for these series. You cannot really compare it to the Lord of the Rings, a bit more than 1000 pages for the whole Journey of the Ring. The perspective of Jordan's series is much larger. So I advise readers of the Wheel of Time series to consider this series not really like a long novel, but more like a typical TV soap opera... The story arch is on a very long time horizon with many charactes showing up and disappearing again, with different places where the action happens etc... If you take that approach, you dont really mind that there are already 9 books and that the end is not clear yet. As for myself, I rarely read Jordan's books from the first to the last page without interruption. Its more a lecture over several weeks and months, now and then 20 to 50 pages, a bit like I would watch different episodes of that series. And under that perspective, it is a pleasure to know that there will be more books coming, like you hope that there will be a new season of your favorite TV show. I guess it is a matter of taste. And I certainly dont blame anyone who tells Jordan to finally get to the point. As a consolation there are many high level fantasy novels with more action and a shorter story line available...
Rating:
Summary: HMMMM - Coincidence?
Review: Robert Jordan is secretly Bill Gates? Bloated story = Bloated software? Bloated software = Bloated story? you be the judge ;) maybe we just need to download the latest service pack ;) hehehe
Rating:
Summary: Well...
Review: This is it. The book in which the pace is supposed to pick up, something BIG is going to happen. Right? Maybe? Almost? Kinda. The main plot of the book seems to be that Rand is going to cleanse the male half of the Source. Everything else in the book that happens is just plain filler. None of the other events mentioned (I don't want to go into specifics, as to to give any important spoilers--oh wait, not one single surprising or important thing happened...) So, our friend Rand cleanses the Source. WOW. Good job, Rand. You did it. And that is the book (about 18 billion words) summarized into one sentence (7 words). The really sad part is that I'm not exaggerating. Nothing else in the book even remotely critical to the plot happens with any of the characters. Now, on to my completely random complaints, other than there is waaaaaay too much filler... 1) The book has no suspense whatsoever. I meant it. You are told what will happen in the very beginning of the book (Rand mops up the Source), and the rest of the book just leads up to that. Now, that's very clear and easy to follow (unlike every other plot of Jordan's lately). But the problem I have with that, is that there is no big shock, no surprising ending. You know what is going to happen. And absolutely nothing of note occurs along the way. 2) The characters are really beginning to get the X-quality. What is the X-quality? It's my polite way of saying that I want to shoot the characters and make them go away. They say the same two phrases (for those of you not yet addicted to the crack that is the Wheel of Time, they are "You woolhead!" and "(fill in with random name) smoothes her skirts". Imagine 630 pages of this. And there you have it. That is what the last three books of the series have consisted of. 3) The series is stretching on so long, I'm beginning not to care anymore. I no longer care whether or not (random character) smoothes her skirts. I don't care if they're smooth or not. If I cared, I would read some book on ironing. Or something. Just stop with the smoothing of skirts. Seriously, though... It's hard to care about the characters anymore. The only one who keeps me entertained is Mat.... 4) his later stories, Mr Jordan is starting to leave out at least 1 important plot per story. In this case, the siege of Tar Valon. Now, the siege of Tar Valon was the cliffhanger of the last story, so to speak. He gets you thinking you'll find out what happens, and then...you still don't know. 5) The series is never going to end. Mr Jordan will just go on and on and on... He even says on the back of the book, he'll write till they nail the coffin shut. Unless he knows when they nail the coffin shut, he ain't gonna know when to stop.
Rating:
Summary: Continues a disappointing trend
Review: Is it just me, or is Robert Jordan losing his touch? The first few books were a lot of fun. They weren't incredibly great or breathtakingly original, but they had fast action, likeable characters, a dash of intrigue, and a wide panorama of cultures obviously worked out in great detail. The series has gone signifigantly downhill since then, however. The plots have grown increasingly wandering and diffuse while at the same time slowing down. The Dragon Reborn managed to pack a hefty chunk of action into its 600-sum pages. But less and less seems to be happening in each successive book, while RJ takes longer to tells us about it. The last three books can all be summarized in exactly the same manner: Rand goes on a guilt trip and then sleeps with one of his girlfriends, which doesn't cheer him up at all, so he goes back on the guilt trip. Mat says he hates all women, especially Tylin, and then sleeps with them all, especially Tylin. The characters chase one other around but never seem to catch up. The Aiel act tough and cryptic. The Forsaken have a few meetings and make some dastardly plans. The women are all sniff and say "Men!" and the men are all bewildered by the women. Finally, in the last hundred pages, there are a lot of special effects and the book ends. What is wrong with this picture? The books are just as well-written as ever. But they're less and less satisfying to read, because when they're over you find yourself wondering: Okay, what actually happened? Rand has averted another plot to his life and gained a smidgen more power. (Oh yes, and his lifestyle has gotten still more alternative.) The Seanchan have edged a wee bit closer to invading, and the two Aes Sedai factions have crawled a little closer to a confrontation. It's all very well-done, but at the deneument, there's no sense of having reached a climax--just that oops, it's time for the fireworks, so let's trot out another attempt on Randy-boy's life. And when the stories over, you're left with the frustrating feeling that you haven't actually gotten anywhere. One might argue that it's more realistic this way. Things tend to move slowly, and not separate themselves into neat, novel-sized chunks. But realism isn't the issue here. If it were, then I would be condemning this book for magic and imaginary countries--which I most certainly am not. The issue is whether or not a story is satisfying. And the answer here, unfortunately, is no.
Rating:
Summary: Not as bad as it's been.
Review: Like the below reviewers I too wonder why I read this series, perhaps like the others it's simply wanting to see how my investment of time will ultimately pay off. The last few books have been laughable, with the trademark Jordan 'women are tyrants' characters, next to no plot development and, of course, Rand's tired self-loathing (didn't see this better with the Covenant series?). But I didn't hate this one. Why? Maybe it was a bit sleeker. Maybe the women seemed a bit more like human beings, maybe there was the hint of resolution. But I actually enjoyed the reading of it. Jordan's sin, if one can call it that, is that as the genre's most popular face, he draws attention away from more deserving authors like, of course, George Martin. But so be it.
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