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

Rating:
Summary: The First of a Magnificent Series
Review: "The Eye of the World" is the first book in an epic series of twelve fantasy novels by Robert Jordan, who, frankly, must be deranged to think of a twelve-part series with an average book 900 pages. Madness. But the result is spectacular.

Unlike "The Lord of the Rings", EOTW and the whole series through is very thought out, and gives the impression that the author knows all twelve books by heart before writing the first book's final draft. All sorts of little hints are scattered about that might indicate what happens later on. RJ seems to have faith in his readers to keep going with the books, as answers to this book's questions might well come four books later. For example . . . nah. Just because evil, horrid people did that to me doesn't seem to be a good enough reason to torture other innocents.

The book is very well-written, very well organized, until the last 50 or so pages. After reading 700 pages without a complaint, the last 60 or 70 pages seem rushed and none too serious, even though it is the climax. The rest of the books don't fall into that trap again. Even this little patch has its moments, though.

Many times has WOT been compared to LOTR, and I guess a lot of RJ's inspiration comes from Tolkien. Three young lads living in a village at the back end of forever, before a person out of a fairytale whisks them away on a grand adventure. But that's where it ends, story-wise at least. Fine, Lan is exactly like Aragorn, and Moiraine in some ways similar to Arwin, and Nynaeve kinda like Eowyn. Rand is at times Frodo-like and Mat seems a blend of Merry and Pippin. But that IS where it ends. A single WOT book is about as big as all of LOTR combined. The story is so vast, and pans out so differently, that all ties with Tolkien are severed. Before I have hired assassins trying to slit my throat, let me make it PERFECTLY CLEAR that LOTR is indeed very well though out. I wasn't having a dig at Tolkien, dude. It's just very well known that he simply started from the beginning and kept writing, not knowing where the book will go. WOT seems to have been written completely before the final draft of the first.

One of the most fantastic things about the books are the way all the paths of all the characters pulled around our three ta'veren meet at the end of each book, very well handled in this book, better in the next, and absolutely magnificent and unbelievable in "The Dragon Reborn."

I'm on the fourth book right now, just starting, page 39. Keep reading, folks, but I'm wary now, because people seem to think that after "The Shadow Rising" it goes downhill. Well, I suppose I'll find out. Meanwhile, though, keep reading and don't worry about the future. Perhaps the least of the first four, but genius nevertheless. RJ is the Amyrlin of the genre.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, but kind of juveneile.
Review: After receiving mixed reviews from my friends, I had postponed starting this series. I only really started it because whenever I met someone who read fantasy, they were always like "Have you ever read The Wheel of Time??".
I have read up to the 5th so far, and I read them relatively quickly, and they were entertaining, but I wouldn't recommend them. There are so many better books to read (George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series for example).
The basic plot itself would be amazing, but there are some common themes throughout the series that kind of kills it.
All of the girls are horrible to read about. They are very annoying, and everyone has a very hackneyed idea of marriage (i.e. the woman controls absolutely everything even though they technically have no rights by law). Egwene, Nynaeve, Elayne, and almost all the other main female characters bicker like children constantly while becoming increasingly arrogant and confident in their ability to control men and everything around them. As a girl, I can honestly say that Jordan doesn't seem to have any idea about how women actually think and behave, and based all his characters around the same model. All of the women starts getting on the reader's nerves, and because of the bad characterization, the book starts getting on your nerves as well as Jordan.
He also has this juvenile fascination with odd, ill placed, and unnecessary female nudity. For no real reason (and with no real description) the female characters find themselves without clothes or with revealing/transparent clothing at weird parts of the story that makes it seem very out of place.
You find yourself really into the plot, until one of the female characters talk about the overall stupidity of men in general or they generalize about all women or all men, at which point you just get disappointed and wish that Robert Jordan had kept those ideas to itself.
[...]It has most of the classics, and I highly recommend almost everything on the list.

Rating:
Summary: I haven't read the books and don't plan to.
Review: Here's why. One day, I was bored, having bled my library dry, and I was staring at my bookshelf in woe. Then I saw on my shelf an untouched book! It was The Eye of the World, which I'd bought at Chapters years ago. It had been suggested to me by one of their staff. I was doubtful, and had been told by my friend that I should NEVER read the books. Of COURSE I bought it. Being my normal self, I read the first sentence and decided I didn't like it (believe it or not, I think I've got ADD) and I threw it on my 'crappy books', bookshelf.

I was wracked by indecision as I stared at the funny looking girl sitting on a chubby pony on the cover. I knew that I often lost a lot of good books due to my patience deficiency, but then again. . .I turned to my good friend, Amazon.com.

I was not disappointed. I say, chuck the books and just read the reviews. They're FANTASTIC! They've got plot and character developpment and EVERYTHING! Here's how the story goes.

Once upon a time. . .fifteen years ago to be exact, everyone got hooked on Robert Jordan's astoundingly deep stories.

Seven years later. . . Robert Jordan is still writing and readers are still reading, astounded that Robert Jordan can keep up so many storylines and make them all interesting. A fresh batch of people join the Robert Jordan fan club.

Now. . . More readers than ever are still reading, but Robert Jordan ain't writing. He's only regurgitating up the same words he's written a million times. Especially scenes where the women grit their teeth and smooth their bloody skirts (for the twentieth time) And the once time fans, who once had their teeth firmly in their mouths and didn't have to eat more pills than cereal for breakfast are P-I-S-S-E-D. I've never read more scathing reviews. Whew! To quote a few of them and their titles.

'At least I won't need to buy toilet paper for awhile.'
'Why, Lord? Why?'
'THE PLOT IS CONSTIPATED AND NEEDS AN ENEMA!'
'IT'S A WHOLE DAMN BOOK OF NINNIES! ROBERT JORDAN IS PROBABLY A NINNY OR ASSOCIATES HIMSELF WITH NINNIES. STAY AWAY BEFORE YOU BECOME NINNIED AS WELL!.'
'Urgh is not a good reaction'

However, some still hold on steadfastly, trustingly hoping that RJ is just setting up for the grande finale. I can't help but feel sorry for them.

Well anyhow, I'm sorry for the spoiler, for all of those who are going to read the reviews. I do believe I shall call the series of collected works, LAUGHING AT OTHER PEOPLES' MISERY Bwahahahaha! Robert Jordan, you have inadvertantly and quite by accident, made a masterpiece. Thank you for that.

All I can say to those of you who are going to read this series, maybe you should start trusting good old Amazon.com. (the last book got an average of 1 ½ stars)

So, I give 5 stars to LAUGHING AT OTHER PEOPLES' MISERY, and hope that even if you don't listen to me, you'll listen to the 2220 people on the customer reviews of Crossroads of Twilight, and then you give me a good review for saving you years of misery (and me laughing at you)