The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time, Book 1)

Rating:
Summary: Best Fantasy Series Ever
Review: I read Eye of the World, and was absolutely stunned. I couldn't put the book down until I was done, and then I picked up The Great Hunt and kept on going. This is, by far, the best fantasy series I've ever read. I like the way Jordan describes everything you need to put yourself inside the book. When I read Eye of the World, I cared about what happend to Rand, Mat, and Perrin. I wish I could say the same of every book I read, but the Wheel of Time series tells the story of good vs. evil in a new way. The book takes place in it's own fantasy realm, with Aes Sedai, Trollocs, Gleemen, and a unique history that is interesting by itself.

Rating:
Summary: Mediocre Tolkien ripoff with some decent episodes
Review: I read the whole series a couple of years ago and remember being quite underwhelmed by it. This first book has several decent episodes but each subsequent book has fewer and fewer until the narrative loses its way completely. I re-read the "Eye" over the weekend and was quite stunned at the degree of audacity that Jordan displayed in plagiarizing Tolkien. Come on ! Leaving the village to go on a quest against the Dark One whose mountain is near the "Mountains of Dhoom(sic)" and being chased by riders in black cloaks emitting fear... Being protected on that journey by a warrior from an ancient but dispossessed line of kings who was brought up in the wilderness fighting the creatures of the dark, and a wizard (OK, wizardESS)... Or consider Gollum, oh sorry, Padan Fain, a poor wretch whose footsteps they hear traveling through the dark and after whose capture it turns out that he had been captured and taken to the Mountain of the Dark One... Oh, give me a break ! Not to mention characters that define the expression "one-dimensional" and mysterious plot lines that lead nowhere. PLEASE ! Go read Eddings, at least he is funny.

Rating:
Summary: An absolutely amazing & fascinating story about good & evil
Review: THE EYE OF THE WORLD - there are very few real fantasy-fans (or freaks) who don't know this title. It is a fascinating story created by a writer almost more perfect than Tolkien. The world he has created in his mind and that he has written down in his books is described so detailly and lovely as well as sometimes dark and frightening , that I fell like being at home when I take one of his books and read a few pages. And he is the only author - next to the german author Wofgang Hohlbein - who I can say that about. And when I, a 17-year-old-student from Germany, read Jordan's books, it is completely different to one of you American and English folks, 'cause I don't understand 'bout every 10th word (okay, I'm reading the english versions of his books, but that makes the whole thing even more fascinating), but I understand the story, the world, the characters in every detail - only thanks to the brilliant writing of Jordan. There should be no one who misses this book - the EYE OF THE WORLD. So read it! And you will understand.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but not the best
Review: This is not Jordan's best work, but it's still head and shoulders above the rest. The prologue is the best beginning I've ever read, and I have read enough to have some basis to that opinion. After that, however, it becomes an 800+ page introduction to the charicters and setting. It is nessacary to read the first time you read the series, but this gets less reads than the rest of the series, with me. It is still worth reading. Saying that it is the worst of Jordan's novels is like saying that it is the least religous book in the Bible. (No angry E-mails from annoyed clergymen, please.)

Rating:
Summary: Wow...
Review: Wow...I'm impressed. Definitely one of the best books I've ever read. I almost cried when it was over--the only thing that kept me from weeping was the knowledge that I have 7 more books in this series to keep me going!

Rating:
Summary: Unreal
Review: This book is a must read if there is such a thing. i actually read a good book in like 2 years, but this stunned me. once i started reading i was unable to put it done. Within a week i finished it and have already started on the second book, The Great Hunt. excellent series

Rating:
Summary: Just one more never-ending story ?
Review: Robert Jordan creates a legend, a myth about a never ending story. The theme is as old as humankind itself, or at least nearly: the fight between good (the Light) and evil(the Shadow). Jordan builds up a new world in the reader's mind. A world with magic powers, gleemen, its own (very old) tales and of course many odd creatures, all placed in a time about the Middle Age. Central figures are Rand, Perrin and Mat, three village boys who have to leave their old lives behind after an attack of Trollocs against their village. Hunted by supporters of the Dark One and only with the help of two women from their village, one gleeman, one Aes Sedai (a magician) and her Warder (some kind of bodyguard) those three have to find the Green Man and the Eye Of The World. There the question will be answered why three village-bumpkins are chased by the Shadow. Though the book is fascinating to read (not only for people who read fantasy before) the story itself seems a bit worn out (young unknown hero -or heroes- leaves his home behind to face the Shadow). 8 books by now seem to me too much, not only because of the money to spend. But at least, Jordans way of writing grip the reader and will not let him/her go until the book is finished.

Rating:
Summary: A first in the series of 7 that really gets your attention!!
Review: This is the first book of Robert Jordan's phenomenal series of fantasy that really catches ones attention. I could hardly waite to read the next one and the next. He follows the characters, you can pick up the next book and pick up right where you left off with the previous book. Mr. Jordan spurs your mind to see the characters, and feel the characters plight, and journeys. I found this book to be quite engrossing, and i could go back and read the book again, and again......

Rating:
Summary: After reading 260 pages I gave up.
Review: I started this book with great expectations. I have to admit I failed to read this book. I was waiting for catching up with the story line, but pages after pages it was still boring. It is completely narrative, the story is straightforward like a motorway, and the amount of excitement raising from this book can be compared to a phonebook. It is simply plain. Maybe I gave up to early (on the 260th page).

Rating:
Summary: Best book I've ever read
Review: This is the beginning of the most enchanting, enthralling, magnificently alive fantasy saga I've ever read. The characters are as real as they get, and as the series goes on they become your best friends and your worst enemies, and it seems you miss their company when you're not reading. Jordan demonstrates superior world-building, creating a home for his characters as solid as our own. The plot is thick and intricate, a massive external struggle spiced with the internal conflicts of all the characters, as they begin something of a scale they -- nor the reader -- cannot possibly imagine. Jordan introduces original and exciting fantasy concepts and creatures, making his work completely unique. You must read this book.