Rating: 
Summary: I couldn't put it down and neither will you!
Review: Jordan's characters come alive on the page and leave you feeling as though you are right at their sides through all their adventures. It's rare that a writer reaches such a level to leave the reader feeling the emotions of the characters both human and non-humans alike. When one word can leave me with my mouth open and shivers running down my spine just because of how it is used in imagery ("Soar") I know this writer will be one to be remembered for a very long time to come. Jordan is a joy to read. He has a gift and I am eager to read all the books in this series. I spent several nights late after weariness caught up with me still reading! I couldn't put it down and neither will you. If you buy any fantasy novels at all, this series is essential to your collection!
Rating:
Summary: Best book of all time!
Review: I have read and reread every book in the series a few times over. And I enjoyed it more each time. This book has an intricate plot with characters that develop into people who are living in this fantastic world Jordan creates. Each time you read the book, you pick up on new interesting twists of words you did not see the first time.
This book captures you and draws you into in. WARNING! it is extremely hard to put down and is not a quick read. These books are long but worth every minute of your time. And don't worry-once your through their are more books to the series and they're just as good.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book when the series turned towards the worst
Review: After reading the Zahn series. I was looking for another series to start. I picked up the Eye of the World and started reading it during a 2 day trip. By the end of the trip I was more than half-way through it and finished it by the end of the week. I would have to say that know being on his fifth book Jordan is good and keeps on getting better. I finished the whole series recently and was really disgusted with the rest of his books.
Rating: 
Summary: originality?
Review: OK, here it is for all you lovers of this series. Personally i don't mind, it. Lots of depth to the plot and characters that are interesting, if somewhat cliched. I have read the first two and i will continue to read the rest, but i have one real problem with these books. Originality. I have been reading fantasy for over twenty years now, and i know there is a lack of originalit BUT.Jordan himself has said the first 100 pages of Eye of the World was a homage to Lord of the Rings and thats fine, but does he have to rip off every other sci fi and fantasy masterpiece as well. There are glaring similarities to Frank Herberts classic Dune series. The main character fits the Paul Atreides type perfectly, with untapped powers, a messianic destiny,and a running battle with a sect of powerful 'witches'. And i am sorry but if the Aes Sedai are not a copy of Dune's Bene Gesserit, I'm Luke Skywalker. Even the word Shaitan is taken from the Dune series for God's sake. ... And a whole host of others i can't think of right now because i'm in a hurry. So all in all not a bad few books, but please, this is not a classic
Rating: 
Summary: A great opportunity, wasted
Review: Robert Jordan's creative imagination is truly extraordinary. In The Eye of the World, he creates a vivid, multifaceted universe with many fascinating and interesting elements, which despite their obvious unreality are nevertheless convincing and believable within the world of the novel. Trollocs and Myrddraal are real and scary; Shadar Logoth is full of atmosphere; the Ogier is appealing, though he somehow seems out of place; the differences between male and female magic "channelers", and between the different schools of channelers, called Ajah, is complex and interesting. All of which creates immense potential for exploitation in a series of novels by a decent writer. Unfortunately, Jordan's no writer; not even close. The best word to describe his writing is "trite". Everything about the book, aside from the world-building, is trite beyond words; this is juvenile, unimaginative, amateurish writing. In over 30 years of pretty much continuous reading, this is unquestionably the worst-written novel I've ever seen published. The characters are shallow beyond words; the ridiculous and incredibly irritating Nynaeve (don't ask me how that's supposed to be pronounced), for example, has a permanent scowl on her face, and never varies her tone at all; every sentence that comes out of her is negative, angry, and sour, and she almost never says anything without an exclamation mark at the end. She's as one-dimensional as a character can be, and she ends up being nothing more than a caricature. The rest are almost as bad. In place of characterization and emotion, Jordan substitutes bizarre mannerisms and physical descriptions: "[He] was staring into the darkness with eyes so wide they seemed to be all whites." What? When you open your eyes wide, do the pupils and irises disappear? And don't people usually squint when they're peering into darkness? Would opening your eyes wide really help you to see? Just a page and a half later: "His teeth clicked shut abruptly, and he gave himself a shake." Do your teeth click shut? Mine don't. And do you give yourself a shake? Are you a wet puppy? These are not isolated examples; the book is chock full of such incompetence. The worst is the incessant lip-licking. Characters lick their lips in almost any situation; when they're threatened; when they're thinking; when they don't know what to say. "He/she licked his/her lips" must take up about a quarter of the book. The lip-licking actually recedes for a while in the middle of book, but it makes a roaring comeback later. The plotting, if you can call it that, is just as bad. The basic story line is trite in the extreme. Adolescent peasant-boy is the savior of the world, unbeknownst to him. He must journey to the site of the bad guy to miraculously kill him. He discovers his incredible super-powers! Along the way, he amazingly defeats enemies that are much stronger than he is; one never quite learns how. It just suddenly happens in the middle of the fight. Jordan lacks the talent to make these confrontations interesting; the bad guys always have total dominance over the hero and his buds, then at the last minute the good guys kill them all of a sudden with a single blow. If you're looking for a battle description along the lines of a Guy Gavriel Kay (cf A Song for Arbonne), Bernard Cornwell, or Sharon Kay Penman, don't look here. There's a passage of about 300 pages of filler in the middle of the book where Rand (humble savior of the world) and his gang are simply walking through the countryside to the fateful rendezvous, going through village after repetitive village, getting attacked by a bad guy and miraculously whupping him/her in each one; the pattern is so repetitive, and each encounter is so similar to the others, that they all become indistinguishable. Most of the book, in fact, is filler; got to get it to 800 pages somehow! There is simply no writing skill here, and no imagination beyond the world-building. At least 600 pages of this book is redundant. [....] If you want a good fantasy/adventure, try George R. R. Martin's series. Steven Erikson's Malazan books aren't bad, but his lack of control over his material, and his penchant for deliberately leaving the reader in the dark, seriously compromise his work. Historical fiction provides much of the same sort of thrill as good fantasy, though of course without the magic; Cornwell's Arthur books and Penman's medieval England ones are good suggestions. But stay away from Jordan's tripe; this stuff is simply puerile.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Novel Overwhelmed by a Lengthy Series
Review: Back in 1991, I picked up the Eye of the World in paperback and thoroughly enjoyed it. Jordan's characters were interesting, the world was fascinating and there was the promise of an epic struggle. Even when it appeared two more volumes would be needed to complete the story, I was interested. I went on and read the second novel. However, then I discovered that there would be at least 7 volumes. And by now (2001), there are 9 volumes and it's hard to tell if the end is in sight. Jordan has written over 6,000 pages (in the hardcover editions). For comparison, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings is just under 1300 pages. Anthony Powell's twelve volume Dance to the Music of Time is around 1600 pages. Even J.K. Rowling's seven-volume Harry Potter series should come in at around 2500 pages in toto. Frankly, the first novel was good, but it wasn't the best fantasy novel I read in 1991. (That was Guy Gavriel Kay's Tigana.) The storyline does not justify 6,000 or more pages. It might have supported three volumes. Unfortunately, then, there's no reason to read the Eye of the World. Go spend your time reading 10 to 20 other fantasy novels.
Rating:
Summary: Got Wot?
Review: A good friend of mine gave me The Eye of the World as a Christmas present, and it is a present I will cherish for a long time! When I finally found time to begin the series, I found that I couldn't put it down! Although I must admit book 1 is the slowest of the lot, it was still something I enjoyed immensely. The female characters are unforgettable, and the male heart-stopping. Jordan is able to weave a story with drama, the humor well written and placed with style. The story put forth is one that enchants and enthralls, and I anxiously await the arrival of book 10!!
Rating: 
Summary: Slow at first, gets better
Review: This book was indeed a great read. Once you got past the first few pages. Like all books it starts out a little slow, but it quickly picks up, and doesn't stop! I am currently more than halfway through book 5, and still enjoying the series quite immensley. I would reccomend reading it, if your new to the Fantasy Genre.
Rating:
Summary: Best of the Best
Review: There is not really much I can say that all these others reviews don't cover. All I say is that if you start this series please start from book #1. You will have no idea of the depth and power of this series of you start in the middle. Oh and if you start Eye Of The World FINNISH IT!. I have read a bunch of the 1 star reviews and most have not even finished the book. I admit the first time you read it and you don’t know Jordan’s way of writhing it drags on a little. But by the end of the book you’re hooked for life. If not then you have the right to your own taste but don't stop others from something great because it's just not your thing.
Rating:
Summary: The same interaction, over and over.
Review: An excellent series with one big flaw. I read through book 4, but had to give it up. Why? All of the elements were there, great alternative world, facinating creatures, arcane powers and a battle between hideous evil and flawed good. So, what was the matter? The characters always have the same interaction with one another. Always. Typical interaction involves a man, a woman and an older woman that the younger one can confide in. Woman [gets mad] at the way the man behaves, man is confused why woman is acting so [strange]. Woman gets in a huff and throws a hissy fit. Man is even more confused. Woman runs to older woman for advice. Older woman describes birds+bees and all is well again. Repeat for several thousand pages to complete series. Sometimes the genders are reversed, etc. This was all fine for part of the first novel, but eventually you want them to just move on. It's especially jarring when a older woman behaves like a teenager in this formula.
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