Rating: 
Summary: What did you expect anyway?
Review: HEY! Winter's Heart was worth the read. The number of characters is getting a bit much, can't spend enough time in one place. But the boy is getting better with age, style wise. I bought this for my oldest boy because I have trouble keeping enough good fiction around for him. Let's face it, kindly old proffesor Tolkien is dead. Creating an epic is a task of epic proportion, and I for one appreciate the effort that is going into this tale.Bob, if you read these, you ARE at some point going to have to run into something ultimate. Right now everybody thinks they are it, and then along comes "the bigger fish" (as they liked to say in that last Star Wars flick). But all together I think this series gets better as it goes on. Just to irritate those who want to not like it, I am going to go read it again. So there. :)
Rating: 
Summary: How much longer will this go on?
Review: I thought this series of books was slated to end at number eight. It's too bad that it didn't really. I gave up reading them after the 5th installment and haven't regretted it. It's been so long since I read one that I became curious and picked up a copy from the library. Thank goodness I didn't pay money for this snoozer! I gave up on this series and urge you to do the same.
Rating:
Summary: Effort, but a failure to deliver
Review: Robert Jordan took on a massive undertaking with Wheel of Time series, and he was masterful in the first three books. The significant time he spent developing the Aiel culture, for example, was a work of art. Character development was a little thin in comparison, and the over-indulgence in female arrogance, political ramblings and other oddities were tiresome and detracted from the overall quality. But the series through book three was strong and held great promise for the future. The literary craftsmanship through book three did not carry into books four through eight. An explosion of story elements received very little development, making it difficult not to conclude them as gimmickry to lengthen the series. Books six through eight in particular afforded no perceptible movement toward the series climax. By book eight's end, Jordan had saddled himself with such a vast array of story elements that he has little chance to tie them back together to reach an elegant and rewarding finale. Book nine attempts to move forward, but fails embarrassingly. Like a novice chess player unwilling to sacrifice any pieces, Jordan inexplicably keeps his entire host of story elements in play, toying with each without strategically moving any. Still, Jordan knows he needs story development in book nine, and he does deliver. With no page space left to work through the wonderful complexities in his story, he uses a butcher knife to cut through them. Book nine contains a number of these discontinuations, and they cost dearly in the integrity of both plot and character. The result is a product that becomes the new benchmark for poor performance in the Jordan's series. Jordan set the standards high in the first three novels. He appears to give in to commercialization and the profit motive in books four through eight by increasing the number of story elements to lengthen the series. Book nine responds to the dissatisfaction of the readership and tries to get the story moving, but sacrifices the story integrity in doing so. Jordan has shown he has real talent. This reviewer hopes he sheds the excess baggage of unneccessary story elements and focuses with redoubled effort on the development of key characters and plot lines.
Rating: 
Summary: How many books is this series supposed to have?
Review: I know that it's impossible to change someone's perspective on this once great series: either you love it, or you quit reading it several books ago (I once was in the first group, but now am in the latter). I'm writing this view for one reason: while whatever her name is continues to pull on her braid due to the "complexity" of men, George R. R. Martin's latest book came out in the Fire and Ice saga and I can only hold my head low in shame at what a gifted author he is. Ironic that there's a review by Jordan on the sleeve! While Paul Atreides, oh, I mean Rand battles evil and the Bene Geserit (oops, sorry, again with the incorrect reference) et. al. continue to spin their wheels I have been thoroughly enjoying Martin's work. If you haven't read this other series, put down Jordan now and do so. You can thank me later....
Rating: 
Summary: Winter's Heart left me feeling a little chilly.
Review: First of all, let me say that I too am often amazed and awe-struck by the complexity of the WoT series. It's obvious to me the Robert Jordan's outline alone must have been a huge undertaking. That's what keeps me reading and coming back for more. However, some of the reviewers here are accusing readers who give this book a less than sterling review of having short attention spans. Anyone who has stayed with the series this long is not suffering from a short attention span. The problem with the series is not the length and it is not necessarily a lack of action. The problem is that the series has gotten stale. The same things and the same descriptions are just being repeated, and they are still being described in the same way. There is too much filler. I don't think most people want to read a description of what each character is wearing unless there's a specific reason. It may have been important earlier in the series that Rand was wearing elaborately embroidered expensive finery while his friends were still dressed in humble country clothes. Now, however, he's simply wears variations on the same outfit, but they're always described in detail. I'm not surprised that some readers are having trouble remembering the huge cast of characters. Just the similarity of the names alone is becoming an annoyance. Notice anything similar here?: Alaine, Bain, Berelain, Cadsuane, Caredwain, Dain, Deain, Dobraine, Egwene, Elayne, Ellaine, Faolain, Jain, Lain, Logain, Luaine, Melaine, Moiraine, Mordraine, Padan Fain, Raen, Shiaine, Tigraine. It's enough to make Nynaeve tug the braid right off of her head! I've also noticed the lack of a really evil, frightening foe in the later books. Trollocs were scary in the first book or two, but now they're just fodder. The Forsaken have, for the most part, been too easily overcome. The book needs something like a Balrog to spice things up. The gholam isn't active enough, and I'd like to see the gholam be a much bigger threat. I, too, am disappointed in the depictions of the women characters. The most ridiculous scene of all was when several groups of women got together to use the Bowl of the Winds and right the world. Strong and capable women should have been willing to put their differences aside and work together, but did they draw together for a common cause? No, they argued back and forth and acted like a group of 10 year olds, even though some of them are supposed to be hundreds of years old. I've seen very little evidence of wisdom among all these "Wise Ones" and "Wisdoms" and whole lot of childish temper tantrums. A bad temper is a sign of weakness, not of strength. The casual attitude toward violent physical punishment among all cultures of women is also disturbing. I'm amazed at the number of times grown women are punished by "switchings" or beatings. Every culture is also obsessed with status, and whoever has the lowest status in the room is forced into doing menial tasks. Just once, I'd like to see the lowest-ranking Aes Sedai have some spunk and say "Pour your own tea, you lazy slob!" Finally, there's one thing about our Two Rivers heroes that really puzzles me. These characters are still very young, yet they seem to have completely severed all family ties. Rand is understandably hesitant about seeming to care about his hometown, but why hasn't Egwene written to her mother to say, "Hey Mom, guess what? I'm the new Amyrlin Seat." Personally, I can't believe her parents haven't hunted her down and...given her a good "switching"!
Rating:
Summary: I'll be brief.
Review: There are two side of the issue, and a stunning debate that I'm not really qualified to approach, so I'll just say this: Jordan doesn't have an evil strong enough to carry 13 novels. He started well (really, really well), but the whole thing is getting old. And the inactivity! It's like Shakespeare stretching Hamlet out for aproximately 8,000 pages, it just isn't happening. I agree with the other reviewer that action is not the most important ingredient of a fantasy novel, but it is an ingredient. If there was an evil strong enough, this would work (maybe), but there isn't the "presence" that drives good, and without it, it loses urgency, and falls flat. For heaven's sake, I practically fell asleep reading the TEASER!
Rating: 
Summary: Better than last 2 books
Review: The last two books in the series left me unsatisfied. I felt like nothing really happened, and that I had read 1500 pages of people walking around. _Winter's Heart_ didn't have those faults. Jordan ties up many loose ends that have been hanging around forever, and even throws in a handful of surprises. This is the best one from him in a while. I look forward to number 10.
Rating:
Summary: A more positive impression...
Review: Like all Jordan fans, I was disappointed with Path of Daggers. Heck, even Jordan himself wasn't ready to release it. But, Winter's Heart is his redemption. He returns to the rich weavings that tied us all to this series in the beginning. If you considered giving his world up after book 8, you need to read book 9 first. Events occuring in the prologue alone are potent, and each subsequent chapter led me right into the next into the wee hours. Perrin and Egwene are a bit empty in this book. Rand is far more involved here, though the Far Madding scenes seem out of place. Perhaps the next book will clarify it. (If anyone got more out of it than I did, please e-mail me.) Matrim, as always, left me grinning, especially his final scene. I give it 4 stars. Not the best in the series, but a definite return to style. I'm going to read it again.
Rating:
Summary: Wish I'd Waited
Review: I have to agree with some of the reviewers in that this installment was somewhat lacking. Perrin dissapeared from the storyline far too quickly, for one thing. For another, the first half of the book was way too slow, it could have been condensed without losing anything. However, the second half of the book more than made up for it. Although I do write fiction myself and enjoy that aspect of it tremendously, I know that I am not nearly half the writer Robert Jordan is. I applaud Mr. Jordan for a brilliant story, character's I feel I know personally, and the best series to come along since The Lord of the Rings. I am able to enter RJ's world while I'm reading and am reluctant at leaving it when the book ends. My only regret is that I wish I'd waited until the series was finished before reading it. The books aren't too long (in fact, they're not long enough), but it's torture waiting for the next installment. Hopefully it won't be another two years. In the meantime, keep 'em coming Mr. Jordan. If you write it, I will read.
Rating:
Summary: How do you spell "tedious"??
Review: I can only hope that Robert Jordan is still having fun writing this tripe because it stopped being fun to read about 4 or 5 books ago. Say what you will about it being set in a complex world that requires time to develop and "adults" to understand it as much as you want, but, in the end, it is a world and a series that has become bloated beyond both belief and necessity. My biggest gripe, however, is the total abruptness with which we are re-immersed into the story line, after a two year wait since the last book. With no preamble or synopsis, we are practically dropped into the middle of conversations. Since many of the names are similar, since events take thousands of pages across several books to come to a resolution, and since there are myriads of varied suplots, Mr. Jordan could at least make life easier on his readers by dropping reminders, at least in the earlier pages of the book, like "Perrin, who was raised by wolves, set out after the Aiel who kidnapped his wife, Faile at gunpoint and spirited her to the lost city of St. Louis in the borderlands." As it is, we are expected to remember the details of the kidnapping, who all was with Faile, who among those are pretending to be someone else, and why we should care. And we are expected to divine all this from converstions that began in a book we read two years ago. And the cast of characters grows only more despicable and unlikable with each book. They show absolutely no development, only more regression into the spoiled children they started as. Unfortunately, far more words are invested in what they are wearing instead of how they are growing. Maybe it would be more palatable if they at least developed new habits instead of constantly yanking at their braids and smoothing their clothing. I realize that many genre writes don't like to read in their own genre for fear of "stealing" other writers' ideas. But Mr. Jordan would well be served by taking some hints from some ot the current masters of fantasy. David and Leigh Eddings tend to be a tad wordy at times, but their characters are about the finest in contemporary fantasy. They don't get in a snit if someone has the audacity of trying to save their bacon like all of the arrogant Aes Sedai and stout Two Rivers folk on the Wheel of Time. As for plot development, Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts, in the various Riftwar and Empire series', have more action and plot twists in one chapter than the most of the Wheel of Time books have in 700 pages. And the characters actually learn from their previous actions, to boot! In summary, I can only surmise that the Wheel of Time series is meant for those readers who are willing to invest all of their reading time to one writer, and are willing to restart from book one each time a new one appears. As far as I can tell, that's the only way to keep everything staight in your mind. James Joyce felt that his readers should be willing to invest as much time in reading his books as he did writing them. Well, I always thought that was an incredible presumption, and Robert Jordan is no James Joyce. The sad thing is that I have invested too much time in this series to stop reading it now, but I regard it as a chore, not a pleasure. If anyone reading this review has not yeat started reading the series, DON'T!! Trust me, you'll thank me some day.
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