Rating: 
Summary: Carbon Copy? Oh yeah...
Review: Jordan's The Eye of the World seems too much like a *not too well copied* carbon copy of the pioneer of epic fantasy, The Lord of the Rings.
Hello?? Is there something wrong with the photocopying machine?
Okay. It -was- an enjoyable book, apart from the fact that there are so many things in the story that are somewhat parallel to The Lord of the Rings. Number One:
LOTR- The Ringwraiths. Black, cloaked, very very creepy figures on horses that scare the wits out of Frodo and Co.
Eye- The Myrddraal. Black, cloaked, somewhat creepy figures that scare the wits out of Rand and Co.(not that they have any) Number Two:
The Wizards - Old-looking men who posses magical powers and youthful energy. Two very prominent ones- Saruman the White (and bad later on) and Gandalf the Grey.
The Aes Sedai - Young-looking women who might (and most of the time) be older than they look. They too, posess magical powers in which they draw from the True Source. One prominent one- Moiraine. I'm not saying that Jordan is practicing the art of copying. It's just a BIT too similar. Most fantasy writers HAVE to have someone of wisdom to guide their somewhat bumbling group of questers. And they also sometimes need a freaky, shocking enemy on the tail of the travellers. And speaking of travellers, their quests almost always involve travelling. And Rands- oops, sorry- young nobodies who discover their worth in magic or talent. Because Jordan sticks to the formula a bit too much, it sometimes changes our impression of the Lord of the Rings and others. And his portrayal of the bitchy female characters draws a un-realistic picture of females in this land. Make them more gentle- at least some of them. Not all of them HAVE to fight!! And don't forget the appearance of wolf-man (Perrin). It's time to warp the formula a bit- don't always stick to it.
Rating: 
Summary: Tons of fun!
Review: After reading many of the previously written reviews for this book/series, I have come to the conclusion that most people are WAY too negative. Let's lighten up a little here folks: This series is fun. I found myself laughing at the reviews because many readers' complaints are valid: Robert Jordan DOES take way too long developing his plot. Most of it certainly is borrowed mythology. But there is a reason people re-use those same ideas: They're wonderful. Is Robert Jordan the BEST writer ever to tackle this format? No. Your mind won't be blown away by his originality and perhaps he makes us work too hard for too little, but I gladly gave him the leeway because I love the story. Tolkien was ten times the writer, true, but what are we comparing to here? Not everyone can be Tolkien. Besides - Tolkien stole all that same stuff from the same mythologies Jordan did. Do these - critics - actually think Tolkien invented Goblins and Dwarves and Wizards?!? At least Jordan creates NEW goblins and wizards. Sure Jordan needs a smack for calling the ultimate bad guy "The Dark Lord" but he's not all powerful. He's a man who wrote a fun story. There is an intriguing conceptual framework for the series and Jordan weaves some terrific concepts into his "Pattern." He goes into great detail with the story, and I thought that made it better. Some of the characters are shallow or otherwise flawed... I found that refreshing. It's actually a lot like reality. Most real people ARE weak in many ways, often to a fault, like some of those in this story. True, you begin to see the plot lines ahead of time and Jordan's foreshadowing is often too obvious, but it's still fun and I found a number of great surprises. That's the bottom line: This is a FUN series. I found myself enjoying these people. Sometimes I wanted to smack them for being idiots, but that's just as powerful as loving them, is it not? If you're a picky, critical type who wants your fantasy fiction served up in a few neat and tidy volumes, written by a Super Author on a par with Tolkien, then these books are not for you. They are probably longer than they need to be and they have faults. If you're just looking for a good vacation for your mind, one you can get lost in for a nice long ride, then you've found it. Few have created so vast a world. Jordan gives us a new take on many old ideas along with a number of new ones. He is not Tolkien. He's Robert Jordan. I love these books. Their flaws are nothing to me compared to the fun they've brought me. Be your own judge. And please -- Lighten up and enjoy the ride.
Rating: 
Summary: Warning! Warning! Warning!
Review: Ok, I'm giving this book only three stars despite the fact that, judged solely on its own merits, it probably deserves the 4 or 5 most people give it. Before you condemn me too harshly though, I'm doing it for a very good reason! Before you read all the glowing reviews and buy this book, be warned: This is the start of a very long, drawn-out series. Not long and drawn-out in the sense that it's an "epic" story that needs time and patience to tell, but more in the sense that the author has discovered he has a virtual cash machine in his keyboard, and he's milking it for every last penny it's worth. "But if they're good..." you think. Uh-huh. But they're not, you see. The first four or five books in the series are excellent; I'd be lying if I said otherwise. Can Robert Jordan write? You bet your bottom he can -- but only when he puts his mind to it. Starting with the abysmal "Path of Daggers," the series' progress has slowed to a sad crawl. In each successive book, less and less happens, and more paper is wasted describing clothing, repeating characters' annoying mannerisms, and introducing new characters who don't seem to do anything to advance the plot. Maybe he doesn't know how to finish it... but that doesn't stop him adding to the misery. How much of this do you think you can take? The 10th book is coming out soon; are you that patient? Will you really be able to stand seeing these cinderblock-sized lumps taking up more and more space on your bookshelf, nudging out more deserving titles? Will your wallet stand up to being burdened with a never-ending book series you're obliged to read because you've got too much invested to quit? What about when people come over, notice that massive row of "Wheel of Time" novels, and ask, "Oh. Robert Jordan fan, eh?" Will you be proud to turn them on to this series... or embarrassed? Give ya' a clue: Mine are boxed. Really. It's your call. Go on and start this series if you want to. But don't say nobody warned you...
Rating:
Summary: STOP THE SPOILERS
Review: These are supposed to be reviews. Not paragraphs to sum up and spoil the whole series. I have read reviews of people who give away key plot points that are not revealed for several books. Have some consideration.
Rating: 
Summary: Avoid unless you want to read read read read....
Review: My advice is to avoid this book. By itself it is not that bad of a book. A classic Fantasy start to what should have been a good trilogy. Unfortunately it isn't a trilogy. The 10th book is coming out shortly and there is no end in site. The current page count is over eight thousand pages (8000+ pages) I guess this would be okay if Mr. Jordan had enough new ideas to fit into that many pages, but he doesn't. Each character goes though almost the same changes, just at different times. You begin to see the plot points ahead of time, but of course given the series is 8000 pages, and growing, you don't get to that plot point for 1000 pages or more. If you do start these books I would suggest using the web as a backup source because even if you have a world class memory you are going to get minor character's names confused and there are a few sites that are completely dedicated to helping readers keep track of everything. Trust me its not easy!!!
Rating:
Summary: Overly long with some bright spots.
Review: On a recent vacation I wanted a hefty fantasy novel along for those long poolside evenings. I picked this book up, having resisted the series for years... ... and I wasn't enchanted. The characters in this v-e-r-y long, endless, weighty, unbending doorstop of a book are very hard to like. The boys are nitwits and I resent being stuck in the heads of rather thick people who do very stupid things over-and-over. The female characters come off somewhat better--Jordan goes out of his way to show them as strong and smart, but I think he overdoes it. It would be far better to see equally interesting and "strong" (strong doesn't have to mean "perfect", you know) characters. Instead... ::sigh:: I was pining for Earthsea, or Zelazny's Amber series, or, for heaven's sake, a couple of Moorcock's Elric books long before I turned the last pages of this monster. The other reviews here do not inspire confidence that this series is worth it. Go read something else (IMHO)
Rating: 
Summary: MY personal feelings?
Review: Hmmmm. OK. Let me keep to this to just a few words that won't make you scroll all the way to the bottom of the screen 'cause you get really tired of babble. I loved the books. All of them. Yes, in book 4 the women get kind of whiney. Some times you wanna' strangle them and other times you wanna' yell, "OOooh! Ooooh! You go girl!" You fall in love with the tall, dark Lan. You'll want to ravage Perrin. You want to hug Mat. You want to run with the Aiel. You want to sing with the Ogier. You'll want to decapitate a few trollocs and myddral's. And you want to throw a few sparks with the Aes Sedai. As with many authors in a long series, there are down points eventually. But considering from book 4 to book 6, so far I've gotten that far, you must also consider that these people are dealing with the reality of the life; their confusion, their anxieties, their hopes, their fears. You feel what they feel. You are there. It's got it all and I thank Mr. Jordan for these books. But please hurry. I'm not very patient. lol
Rating:
Summary: Eye of the World
Review: I thought this was a complete rip off of Tolkein but not as well written. It took too long to pull the reader in and the build up in action was way too slow. It was way too wordy, and I'm used to reading Homer and Lovecraft, some of the "wordiest" guys around.
I don't know how many pages the first book is, but I stopped about halfway through and went to get my copy of the Lord of the Rings.
Don't waste your time reading this, go right to the source and read Tolkein instead!
Rating:
Summary: Blood and Bloody Ashes!
Review: A word of warning: this review is of the series so far, not just book 1. I've read up to and including Winter's Heart. Overall, I'd rate the series at 2 1/2 stars, not 3. If I were to give a rating to each book, it would be thus: EotW ***, TGH ****, TDR ****, TSR ***, TFoH *, LoC **, ACoS **, TPoD **, WH** About eight years ago a friend by the name of Jon-Paul shoved a copy of Jordan's The Eye of the World into my hands. This occurred because I had told him that I'd given up on reading fantasy. I'd read and loved Tolkien when I was ten and after doing so had jumped head first into any fantasy title I could get my hands on. After doing this for about eight years I finally came to a realization: I was reading the same story over and over again. Every fantasy story I've read, with very few exceptions, follows what I call Tolkien's formula: 1. The hobbit is taken from his simple life and forced into a grand adventure by the wizard. Please note, the hobbit can be replaced with "simple farm boy", "village commoner" or whatever. There can also be more than one "hobbit". 2. The hobbit discovers and/or quests for a wondrous device (ring, sword, shield, golden rubber ducky, whatever). This device can either save the world, and/or destroy it. 3. The hobbit discovers that he is the only one who can defeat the great evil. 4. The hobbit meets lots of interesting people on the way and gathers companions. 5. The hobbit has lots of interesting adventures. 6. The hobbit comes face to face with the great evil and triumphs over great adversity. Jon-Paul assured me that this wasn't true of Jordan. He gave the man his highest praises and swore that his literature belonged beside Faulkner and Wordsworth. I took him for his word and gave Jordan a shot. If I ever see Jon-Paul again, he'd better run like hell. Despite his assurances, the story followed Tolkien's Formula: 1. The hobbit (in this case Rand, Mat, Perrin, Egwene and Nynaeve) are taken from their simple village life by the wizard (Moriane) and led into a grand adventure. 2. The hobbit discovers a wondrous device (in this case the fact that Rand is the Dragon Reborn-although in all fairness Jordan doesn't come out and say so in the first book. It's only hinted at) that can either save the world and/or destroy it (in this case both). 3. The hobbit (Rand) discovers that he is the only one who can defeat the great evil (the Dark One - 0 points for originality on naming that bad guy). 4. The hobbit meet lots of interesting people on the way and gathers companions (yup). 5. The hobbit has lots of interesting adventures (yup, for nine hefty books now). 6. The hobbit comes face to face with the great evil and triumphs over great adversity (I don't know yet, maybe we'll know by book 47). You can probably tell that I'm a bit bitter about this series. Frankly, I feel ripped off. Despite the fact that the first book followed Tolkien's formula, I found it engaging enough to read the next book. Jordan does have a way with pulling the reader in. He gives just enough to get you interested and leaves enough out to keep you hooked. Book 2 was better, Book 3 was just as good, Book 4 wasn't bad, then I got to Book 5. What a snooze fest that hefty paper weight was! BOORING!! The Tanchico chapters went on forever. This book was so dissapointing, I almost stopped reading, but by this point I'd invested the time to read about 4000 pages, and I didn't feel like the story had gone anywhere for the past 1200. This has been my feeling with each progressive book. Perhaps "progressive" is not the right word. That's the problem with these books, the plot progresses at a snail's pace, despite the fact that each epic volume is of door stop proportions. Jordan fans are divided into two camps: those who say, "Be patient, he's building to something fantastic" and those who say, "Please God! Let this be the last book!" I'm somewhere in the middle but leaning towards the second camp. So why do I keep reading? For one thing, if I didn't finish the series now, I'd feel like I'd wasted my time on the past 6000 pages. I've invested so much time, this sucker better have an ending that makes my socks roll up and down. There are other reasons. In all fairness to RJ, he has made me care about his characters. Namely, Mat and Rand. I used to like Perrin, but it seems all he does lately is sniff a bunch of stuff.
More importantly, RJ has developed one hell of a world, and a cast that spans pages. As an avid gamer, this is what I appreciate about the man. He does details well. The political maneuvering is engaging. The ethnic diversity is interesting. However, I have one major gripe. Why in the hell do these people worship the Light? RJ has spent so much time developing his world, but he's over looked religion. He just rubber stamped the topic with this whole "Light" business. Are we to assume that in the far flung future of his world all electricians will be holy men? I can hear the chants in the churches now, "Oh great GE, You bring great things to life". The biggest [problem]with RJ is the women folk. I hate just about every female character in the whole stinking series. Jordan tries to give women a larger role in his epic. The problem is, if women truly acted the way Jordan portrays them, the human species would have suffered extinction long ago. Every time Nynaeve "tugs her braid" or Faile gives Perrin the silent treatment and "smells of hurt", I visibly cringe in my reading chair. If by some chance you're reading this RJ, for God sakes please kill Nynaeve and Faile! It the best reward you could give to your dedicated readers. I've been suckered, like many other people. I haven't yet waded through volume 10, but I survived A Crown of Swords, and The Path of Daggers. I won't be pre-ording vol. 10 in hardback or camping out at the book store to get a copy; however, when it goes into paperback I'll pick up a copy and pray that volume 10 is the "Epic Conclusion To the Wheel of Time Series". But at the pace RJ's held since book 5, I predict not likely.
Rating:
Summary: One Chapter and You're Hooked
Review: This book is simply amazing. Take Tolken and double the content, and you've got one of Jordan's books. The start of the book is a little slow, but around page 75, things heat up, and the action never stops! The story is so wonderful. It is the tale of three simple farm boys who must leave their village because some force of evil is after them, and attacked their village. Thus, the three take off, with a gleeman (a storyteller), an Aei Sedai (a witch), a Warder (a guardian), and a female friend. As the novel wears on, the six are joined by the village wisdom - an oracle of sorts. The seven partake of a dangerous journey into the center of complete evil, to keep the world safe. As to the writing style of the novel - it is stupendously descriptive, yet very engaging. The characters' thoughts are so complete, and their descriptions and actions are perfect. They actually seem real. I'd recommend this series to anyone who enjoyed Tolken's books, or even those who enjoy watching the Lord of the Rings. Moreover, one of the best things about Jordan is that women play a much larger role than in Tolken - but just enough to equal the men, but not overshadow them. And, after all, who couldn't love a book that has a dragon-reborn, a scarier-than-Solomon-character, tollocks, gypsies, half-men (fades) with hollow eyes that see everything, the Wisdoms, Aeis Sedai, Children of the Light, a black mist that kills, queens and princesses, the Ways (a worm-hole type phenomenon), not to mention Wolf Friends and hundreds of others.
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