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Summary: A world like no other!
Review: Robert Jordan's epic series blends deep charachterization with rampaging action and a history so lovable it has captured the devotion of fans around the world. When you first begin the journey through these novels, you are awakened to a sense of incredible will and forethought, assured that Jordan knew what would happen in book 8 before he wrote the first line of book 1. This series is exactly what the fantasy genre had been missing for decades, a world that grows with you and lasts for years so that you can read at your leisure and know that when you are ready to take it up again, there will be more adventures to share! Finally, a creative and imaginative author who has wrestled with the mighty aura of Tolkein and seized the crown as the greatest fantasy series of all time. Let Jordan write as many as he wants because I, for one, hope the story never ends
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Summary: bar-none the best fantasy series ever written.period...
Review: I love reading, especially science fiction and fantasy . I have read nearly every fantasy novel to be released by a major publisher, and I can say without hesitation that Robert Jordan's Wheel of time is far and away the most captivating series I've ever read. I've read the entire series several times, and enjoy it and understand it more with each read. This is the only book I've ever read more than once . If you've never read the series, be warned, after the first hundred pages, you will NOT be able to put it down, and every minute you're away from it, it will be on your mind. It's as addictive as any drug there is . After I finish a Jordan book, everything else is paled in comparison . I reccomend this series to anyone who is litterate . I rate The Wheel Of Time a "10", the next best book out would probably be rated a 8.5.
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Summary: Wake up and learn something about literature
Review: For all of you who are screaming about Jordan's characters and plots, but especially his character types being so similar to others in fantasy, wake up, and go back to Lit 101 in school. It's called archetype and archetypal characters. There is usually the archetypal hero: Rand, Luke Skywalker, Frodo. The hero goes on a quest or a journey of some kind. The hero has a mentor or guide. The hero has a special power or powers of some kind. The hero has a special weapon. The hero always has some kind of obstacle or obstacles to overcome. It can, of course, get more complicated than this, but as Joseph Campbell(who was a close friend of George Lucas, by the way) explained in "Hero With a Thousand Faces", these are the essential elements to any story. In fact, if you are really interested in understanding how fantasy works, I recommend Mr. Campbell's book. All stories are basically retellings and slightly new twinings and re-twinings of these basic elements. Once you understand the parts, it can be a fun challenge to see just how a writer gets those parts in and still does a good story. Truly, some writers do this twining and re-twining better than others, but the basic elements DO stay the same. For all the whiners, why don't you write a book? Let's see how well you do. If all you can do is complain,(complaining is NOT the same as literary criticism), why don't you do it in private, and let those of us who are happily entertained by Mr. Jordan's "not-so-shabby" attempt at writing, be so.
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Summary: As The Wheel Wills
Review: I was told about this book from one of my teachers and, in the week since I started reading the series, I have already read the first two books. They take the reader and make you feel like your part of the story. Every character is described subtly, yet in full detail, no matter what la solinas thinks. The reader is pulled off on a wild adventure that takes you everywhere. You never know what is going to happen next, just when you think it has hit it's climax, it gets even better. I have read both THe Lord Of The Rings and The Sword Of Shannara numerous times, and, if you liked these two series, you will fall in love with WOT. Many of the ideas in the series are the same as Brooks and Tolkien's but Jordan puts a whole new twist on things. The people and places are unforgettable and you are gauranteed to find yourself taking sides with many of the characters. I just can't wait to get my hands on the next book.
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Summary: Wonderful series...
Review: ... but the quality of the books [stink] (that's the only reason I didn't give this product 5 stars). Page after page of these paperbacks fell out, with the first reading. All in all I lost the first 30 or so pages of each book. The publisher needs to up their QC standards. The stories, however, are wonderful. I've read all of Jordan's works over and over, and each time I find something new in this complex, always fascinating series. However, if you want a book that will last, buy the hardcover.
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Summary: Get off the wheel, get on the wheel, we really don't care
Review: For those of you looking for a great series, this is the set for you. Robert Jordan has pieced together an epic story. The Wheel of Time dwarfs Star Wars and has a richness that leaves Tolkien behind. Yes, Robert Jordan does have a hard time working with details. He is quite wordy, and not necessarily the best writer. But for those of you who are older than 10 years old, you should have figured out by now that, in order to tell a great story, you don't have to be the best writer. Jordan is an excellent writer, he weaves a rich world full of characters that will make you laugh and cry. He describes everything with a detail you can almost see, feel, hear and smell.Compared to anyone else out there writing fantasy, Jordan takes the cake. Slow to start? Yes. Difficult to follow? Sometimes. Weak Characters? Are you crazy? Intense Depth and Drama? Absolutely! Jordan takes you through the highs and lows, and by the time you reach the fourth book, you will find yourself arguing with Nynaeve or Rand, of waiting to see what the Forsaken are planning next. This series is captivating at the least. la_solinas says that the Dragon Prophecies are obvious and that the WoT (Wheel of Time) world is too complex. But then la-solinas also reviews books like "Pinnochio", and "The Complete Jeeves and Wooster Mega Set" alongside "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Shakespeare"??? C'mon, who are you gonna listen to? Robert Jordan may not impress everyone, but except for here on amazon.com, I have yet to meet a single person who has read any of the Wot series and not loved it. In fact, I have personally purchased over 7 copies of the first book to give and loan out to friends and family and have hooked 20+ people to Jordans series. Currently I am on Book Four: The Shadow Rising, I am reading the series for my fourth time now. On a side note... If you will check out Terry Brooks the Sword of Truth series, you will find a VERY similiar setting. In fact, I would think one of them would sue the other for copyright infringement. Their books are VERY similiar.
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Summary: Stop the Wheel, I wanna get off!
Review: If Robert Jordan were getting paid a certain amount of money per word, I'm surprised that he hasn't retired to a decadent, hedonistic lifestyle by now. The "Wheel of Time" series is one of those serieses that is good in concept, but the execution is simply hideous. This particular boxed set has the first three books of a nine-going-on-ten series of doorstoppers. The first problem is Jordan's writing. Some authors can describe a landscape, a person, the atmosphere of a scene with richness, depth, and either spare or lush language. Jordan uses a lot of words, but the result simply feels as if he's giving us a rivet-by-rivet account of every piece of furniture, clothing, and architecture. This does not add a feeling of you-are-there, it simply crams the reader's head with insignificant details, that most authors allow the reader to imagine on his/her own/ (Darnit, I don't CARE about Rand's living room furniture!) He also has a tendency to use bizarre descriptive terms, and repetitive use of certain terms will, eventually, start to really grate on you. The dialogue is strictly ordinary -- it is neither really good or really bad. The pacing is amazingly bad; in the first book, it is literally a hundred pages before anything actually happens. (A good comparison is this: It's as if the first hundred pages of "Fellowship of the Ring" had Frodo Baggins ambling around Hobbiton, talking pointlessly to his friends and being sniped at by hobbit women). Two annoying traits of Jordan's world are these: The Dragon prophecy, and the complexity of his world. Anyone with even a quarter of a brain could figure out that Rand is the Dragon, something he and his friends seem blissfully unaware of for a very, very long time. As for the complexity issue, it hinges on the fact that Jordan, in an apparent effort to make his world as realistic as possible, crams as many organizations, terms, and people into his books as possible. This is one of those fantasy books where "less is more," and it's virtually impossible to keep track of it all. Characterization is sketchy. All claims to the contrary, these books have a heavy sexist overtone, where all the women (except one, thank God) are screechy, picky, whiny harpies who spend a great deal of time yammering about what pains men are. The men, overall, seem to be as clueless as it is possible to be; some of them exhibit individualistic charm, but the hero is as bland as white bread. Supporting characters are, more often than not, annoying and lacking in dimension. The idiot villagers spring immediately to mind. Perhaps the worst thing about this series is the lack of originality. While many concepts are original, and intriguing in their conception, many more are not. Before reading the "Wheel of Time" books, I suggest you invest in a copy of "Tough Guide to Fantasyland," sadly out of print in the US but still available in the UK. Most of the cliches are the basic things: we have the orc-clones, a Fade, a hero with a lost identity and destiny (think Luke Skywalker, but without a personality), a special sword, a welcoming inn with a jolly inkeeper, a mysterious stranger-wizard-type, a rugged outdoorsy warrior, the necessary pals and sidekicks, a Dark Lord, and so on. If you're an avid reader of fantasy (especially Tolkien) you will soon discover that you've read all this before, and it was more fun the first time. Not as bad as Dennis McKiernan's Mithgar books, but close. Read Terry Brooks if you're in the mood for generic fantasy; better yet, read Tolkien, or Lloyd Alexander, or Patricia McKillip, or newcomer Cecilia Dart-Thornton. It's not really worth dedicating your brain cells to a fantasy series that will, apparently, never end.
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Summary: Best Ever
Review: This series is most likely the best written series I have ever read. And believe me I have read a lot of fantasy series and know a good book when I see one. Before I read the wheel of time I probably never would have read a book close to a thousand pages long and now I have read ten. The amazing thing about Jordan is that he can keep your attention no matter how boring it gets. His books are a veritable weaving of plots and sub-plots, the best I have ever seen, except for the Lord of the Rings. Some people say that his later works aren't as good as the other ones and were only written to make money. Personaly I don't think so or care, I hope he never quits writting. Or at least, as he said, untill they nail his coffin shut.
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Summary: The best books I've ever read!
Review: Jordan's world is so complex and believable I can not put down the books. It has the realism that so many other fantasy books lack. I find myself expecting to see characters or situations in the books in real life.
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Summary: Wonderful series worth the time to read.
Review: I'm one of the fortunate followers of WOT I began my experience this year{june 1999} while waiting at a library for my son . I kept extending his aloted time there ,at the expence of my wife's wrath, just to read the first book. I finished it that night at home . Wen't to the bookstore next day and was fortunate to acquire this and the rest of the books that brought me to speed on the remaining series finished them in a week and was hungry for more . Mr jordan I praise your style of writing, and wait with anticipation for the next installment{book 9} please do it soon .As I predict at least two books{from book 8} till the end of the series my mind is wild with speculation ,and sick with anticipation . BTW anyone with a hint to the title to book 9 I will enbrace your speculations.
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