Rating: 
Summary: The Building of a True Saga
Review: It is a shame when the first book in a series is the weakest of them all, but that is the only negative about this book. Like trying to tell the history of an entire world and many seperate cultures in 300 words or so. But Robert Jordan does it and sets the stage for the BEST series I have ever read. After you read all the series and go back and re-read them you will be shocked at the things missed on the first pass. Little things hidden in plain sight make your jaw drop and laughter erupt, depending on the part of the story. The plot is so compicated and intricate, but he weaves them together so fluidly. But not every little thing makes sense and not everything works out, kinda like life. The difference between men and women in life and in magic is explained very well and in a way that I had never seen before in a novel. Men and women are different, of course the way they handle life and magic would be different. Neither better than the other, both with strengths and weaknesses. This book/series has a cast of characters in the thousands (or so it feels), and yet each one is known to you as you read. You can tell who will do what and probably can tell why they did it. And everyone I talk to has a different favorite character. Most books, everyone has the same favorite, but not this series. (in case you are curious, mine is Mat) If you read this book and think it is slow, i ask you to read the second one too, just to make sure. This first in the series sets up everything and it starts running in book 2. Enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: It's the best Fantasy book ever!
Review: Do you love books with mystery, adventure, romance, and you don't know what will happen next? This is one of those. It so full that I just love to re read it, and I have only of re reading before as a way to pass the time when you are bored. Now I understand that re-reading is great for the very best books, so you will always want to read this again and again, to remind yourself of it!
Rating: 
Summary: -
Review: Personally I enjoy fantasy very much, and I really like Mr. Jordan's fantasy world. There are just a few drawbacks to his work that I really can't stand. First off there are numerous main characters, and many more less important characters that show up in the later series. Sometimes it's all I can do to keep all the characters and their descriptions running around in my head. Don't get me wrong, his characters are well written; emotions and traits are described wonderfully. However, when you read for 100 pages or more with one main character, and suddenly the next 100 concerns another main character the reader wants to scream. Jordan's novels are like several smaller stories that tie into each other at the end, which by the way is never the end, and everything is OK for the time being.Jordan's fantasy is superb, but the use of a lot of main characters only confuses the reader. I am, as of right now, almost finished with the 4th book. I read each of the first three in under three days a peice, but I've had to slow down because of college and the amount of detail. The 4th book will be finished in about 3 more days making it a weeklong novel. His fantasy world is great, and his handle on the genre is good. In comparison to other fantasy authors, Tolkein, Freidman, Lewis, LeGuin, Brooks, Feist, and many others; Jordan ranks right up there. I recommend this series to anybody who like fantasy, but be prepared to want to ring Jordans neck when he leaves a character hanging in a perilous situaiton and decides to talk about someone else. ARGH!
Rating:
Summary: A Great Start to the Series
Review: Let me just say I had never heard of these books until a friend told me I had to read them, and now I am hooked on the Wheel of Time. As with most series starters it goes slow in the beginning only to pick up as you go along. Jordan just hits you with twists and action. The book changes direction with "There is a knock at the door." After that it was hard for me to put the book down. Jordan's characters all have a great sense of believeability and life like actions and emotions. Plus, everything that shapes his characters are life-changing to say the least, and all happen in this great and wonderful book.
Rating:
Summary: A good start
Review: The Eye of the World provides an excellent starting point for the Wheel of Time series. It shows Jordan's world, and lets us know just how big and varied it is. In all the novels I have read, none has given me the illusion of an entire planet full of people such as Jordan's has. I can find only two faults in this book. One is that it seems as though very little happens by way of the plot when compared to later books in the series, and the second is that the ending seems a bit rushed, like he needed to meet a deadline and quickly wrote the last few chapters. It is a worthwile book, however, and a mere prelude to an amazing series of books. If you have ever wanted to see a real, living, breathing, fantasy world, look no further than the Wheel of Time.
Rating: 
Summary: Lemmings - bandwagon for boring lack of organization
Review: Let the flaming begin...first let me say that I have enjoyed all types of fantasy writing for over 18 years, and the Wheel of Time series just does not get it done. Robert Jordan is extremely sloppy in story organization and feels the need to go on and on as if he is being paid by the word. His sentences are often laborious and bereft of true meaning. You will follow a group for hundreds of pages on an excruciating journey (for the reader as well as the characters) only to have Jordan bail out the characters (and infuriate the reader) when he realizes his story is not going anywhere. The Wheel of Time series began when there was not a really hot series to hold on to, and now people realize just how strained and disorganized it is. Jordan is Herodotus on crack, and just because he writes 1,000+ pages per sloppy novel, and just because he packs those pages with thousands of little details, doesn't mean the series is good or that it is good work...it isn't. If you want excellent fantasy to enjoy before you tackle this lemming-crack, read... Fritz Leiber, J. R. R. Tolkien, George R. R. Martin, Ursula K. Leguin, Roger Zelazny, Terry Pratchett, or C. S. Lewis. All of these authors produce amazing stories that are well-written as well as well-composed.
Rating:
Summary: A review of Wheel of Time series up to date
Review: I'll keep my review short. Mr. Jordan has broken new ground in his series. Don't be misled into thinking that he is copying J.R.R. Tolkien because of this first book. Books 2 through 5 have intense plotlines, and highly original ideas about magic, politics, and religion. He completely describes a civilization, and the Age in which it existed and the history that made it. The series has its negative points, though. It has slowed down in Books 6 through 8. I have been forced to skim over the hundreds of pages of dialogue because I get bored. Also, Mr. Jordan's ability to maintain several main characters (at least 5), is working against him. I personally hate one of the main characters, which means that I hate 20% of the book. Some other reviewers have suggested that prospective readers wait until the series is done before starting. This is sound advice, but you are missing out on one of the grandest works in SciFi/Fantasy. Try instead reading one book a year. This should allow you to be ready for the last book, which might be out in 2009. Better yet, work on your own shortened version of Mr. Jordan's works to date. P.S. I checked out the Tor web page. They said that Robert Jordan is working on the book, but when I searched the library system, I found out that he actually released a Conan book this year. He is literally killing me.
Rating:
Summary: The perfect beginning for a great series!
Review: I'm hooked. I just (regretfully!) finished the second book in the series, The Great Hunt. I am anticipating the third, The Dragon Reborn.I loved the brilliant and attractive plot Jordan has woven into this masterpiece of a book, The Eye Of The World. As soon as I started to read it, I couldn't put it down. I spent 4-5 hours holed up in my bedroom, being drawn into the world of Rand Al'Thor, Perrin Aybarra, Mat Cauthon and all the other characters in the Wheel Of Time saga. I'm 13 years old,and when my friends borrowed the book, they caught the same bug I did. On behalf of my friends and myself,I rate this fine piece of art 5 stars!
Rating: 
Summary: The Wheel Of Time
Review: If I were to rate this book, and the entire series, based upon the story line I would probably give it 4 stars. Unfortuantely, it appears that the publisher, TOR Fantasy in conjunction with Doherty Books and Robert Jordan, has taken the path most traveled of late. This series is a remarkable example of a good story gone bad. There is so much "Cut and Paste" and other stuffings in these books to take a good three volume story and spread it out over what will become 9 volumes in November 2000 when "Winter's Heart" will be released. I would willingly bet that this 9th book won't be the end of it either. These editors must be part of the cabal to "Dumb Down" America or leave the readers bored into glassy eyed couch potatos. This series goes on and on and on and on until you nearly die of boredom. The publishers, have done a great disservice in the stuffing process to take a good 3 volume tale and turn it into a bloated, cut and paste, nightmare of repetition. What this series would require to raise it to the 4 star level is to be taken in hand by the Reader's Digest editing staff and have the fat and bloat trimmed away. This would reduce this blimp to a fast moving fantasy saga and not the dress designer's trivia it has become.
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievably Regretful
Review: The cover-page looks nice. That's the only thing good about this book. Pages filled with aspects copied from Tolkien and complete BOREDOM. It probably starts good but then you think what you could have done with the money instead. The first page was filled with people claiming that it is the best in its genre (were they drunk or high?)
|
