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

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

List Price: $15.30
Your Price: $10.40
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Definate Must-Read!
Review: This is one of the best books I've read. Though it took awhile to get into, mainly because there was no review on the back. It is high class fantasy, unlike most of fantasy, though not really wordy. It's just enough.

You have more to look forward to if you read it. The Great Hunt is even better in my opinion.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Time to Speak Out!!!
Review: Okay, I don't care what people choose to read. If you love westerns, romance, sci fi, fantasy, or any other genre of pop fiction...that's fine with me. I'd be completely content to let the Robert Jordans of the world do their thing without criticism or complaining from me. But now that this series has sold millions of copies (with a role-playing PC game due to come out and a silly coffee table book, "The World of Robert Jordan," available in book stores) it's time to speak out.

Many other reviewers have dismissed Jordan as being a Tolkien rip-off artist. These comments, although somewhat accurate, are irrelevant. Jordan may write fantasy as he wishes, Tolkienesque or not. Tolkien himself drew heavily from other works (Greek mythology, Beowulf, The Faerie Queen, the Bible). What is most disappointing about Jordan, though, is the quality of his writing. I doubt any of us would mind a Tolkien-like fantasy series, as long as it were as well-written as J.R.R's work itself.

Writers, as far as I know, are no longer paid by the word as Dickens, Tolstoy, Bronte, etc. were in the 19th century. One would begin to wonder, however, after reading the Eye of the World! Jordan seems to be filling up space. The plot drifts and wanders. When Tolkien wanders off the path slightly (oh, take Lothlorien and Lady Galadriel for instance) there is still relevence to the main plot. Also, since Tolkien had been working on his Epic history of Middle Earth long before writing The Lord of the Rings, characters such as Galadriel, Elrond, etc. alreay held a place in Tolkien's imagination and thus gave the Lord of the Rings a feeling of authenticity. The woods of Lothorien and the Lady Galadriel feel real in The Lord of the Rings because they WERE in a sense real; at least real in Tolkien's vision and history of the world he had created.

Jordan, on the other hand, seems to have little vision about the world he has created. When Perrin bumps into Elias, or when Perrin and Egewene run across the traveling people, or when Mat and Rand miraculously learn how to play musical instruments and juggle (within no time!) to earn their food...all of these plot diversions seem random, unplanned, and absurd!!! Trollocs attack at will. Lightening strikes a barred window just at the moment the bad guys have the good guys cornered. Wolves connect telepathically with humans!!! Where does the madness stop?!

Add to this a bunch of characters who act pre-pubescent (even though Rand, Mat, Perrin, Egwene and Nynaeve are all young adults). The women dismiss all men as wool-headed, worthless, or both. The male characters are even worse, so socially and sexually backwards that they don't even know how to SPEAK to girls at all!(Mat, Rand, and Perrin all wish--when confronted with a girl alone--that one of the others were around. "Gee, I wish Mat (substitute Perrin, substitute Rand) were here. He'd know how to talk to girls.") Also, Jordan's descriptions are repetitive. How many people are "stone-faced?" How many times does Loial "tuft his ears?" How many dresses and other articles of clothing do we need described? How many times can one handle the ridiculous exclamations such as Light, Bloody, and Burn Me?!

I'm amazed at the number of 5 star reviews. Are people so starved for fantasy? Try Tolkien or Ray Bradbury or Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea books (which, despite being aimed at a younger audience, are wonderful!) The Eye of the World, and the rest of the books in the Wheel of Time series, is a soap opera, a never-ending story that drifts farther and farther away from any sort of anchor to hold it in place. Like General Hospital or All My Children, only those faithful readers who tune into each installment of the Wheel of Time drama can make sense out of anything, while those on the outside peer over their shoulders with a look of confusion.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: I understand the coments of the book's detractors.
Review: Mat is left totally undeveloped, and Nynaeve could be summed up in two words: "Grow up." The climax seems rushed; odd for such a long book. But beyond that the tale is well-crafted and enjoyable. If the book is to be judged by the enjoyment of reading it, this one hits a home run. The classic conflict (good/evil) Is done with more finesse than most writers can manage. If you're a fantasy fan, don't overlook it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Gods speak through Jordan...
Review: "The Wheel Of Time turns and ages come and go. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the shadow. Let the dragon ride again on the winds of time." That simple phrase has made Robert Jordan one of the most respected fantasy writers of our time. With more than seven books in his series each more than 800 pages Jordan has continued to put out quality work, time and time again. Each of Jordan's books have more details, more depth, more personality and more plot twists than their predecessors. The story of The Wheel Of Time is as magical as its characters. Two thousand years ago in a time of wonder and legends a group of twisted souls let a force of darkness out of its prison and into the realm of man. In doing so they not only set loose darkness unimagined but also began a chain of events that would forever shape the future. The force, calling itself the Dark One, threatened all goodness, all light and all of human kind. Regardless of all of these horrible truths a group of malevolent power-hungry mages, later called Forsaken, joined with the Dark One, wishing to put themselves into his good graces by betraying the light, and therefore damning themselves forever. Then began a bloody war that lasted several years, the War Of Shadow. Thousands died, and countless battles were won and lost by both sides, but ever so slowly the Dark One was gaining influence over the land tainting it with his evil. All hope seemed lost for mankind, but in a desperate attempt a hundred mages all true of heart and power, led by Lews Therwin, the most powerful mage that had ever been, overthrew the Dark One by sealing him and his Forsaken back into their prison. The Dark One, in a final act of defiance, tainted the male half of the Source (the Source is where all mages get their power) causing all men who used it to slowly go mad. Thus was the fate of Lews Therwin and his hundred. In going mad they used powers never before seen in their world, causing rivers, lakes, forests, and continents to move and change places killing hundreds of thousands of people. The last to go mad was Lews Therwin. He killed his family and all those who were close to him, earning himself the name Kinslayer. The Kinslayer, realizing that all that he had truly loved was gone forever then took his own life in a display of madness and power that literally broke the world. Thus finally earning him the name Lews Therwin Kinslayer the Dragon, and forever etching a place of fear and hatred in the hearts of all mankind forever. Thus was the end of the Age Of Legends Now two thousand years later the cycle of time is about to repeat itself, The Dark One's bonds are starting to loosen. Join the adventures of three unlikely heroes: Rand Al'thor, Perrin Aybara, and Mat Cauthon as they discover the horrible secrets of their world's past, and their own equally horrifying future, for all three of them are those who's mere presence shapes the future, but one of them is also the Dragon Reborn, destined to save the World from the Dark One once again, and to yet again go mad and break it ...

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Eye of the World--Lord of the Ring
Review: First I like this book a lot but i must point out something that bothers me. Am I the only one who noticed how close this book follows lord of the rings. Think it overI won't give the story away, but to those who read both books should know Lan is so clearly a perfect match for Aragorn that it is surprising I did not notice it the first time i read it.Thom is Gandalf without the magicMat is Pippin, think about the dagger with mat and the Palantir with PippinPadan Fain is GollumShadar Logoth is an above ground version of the Mines of MoriaLoial is an Ent, Don't be hasty as each would say He would be QuickbeamThe Green man is of course Treebeard Trolloc = OrcThe Dark one who should not be namedThose are just a few things I noticed. But I still like the book, I love the series. Please email me your thoughts on this

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: God couldn't have written a better series
Review: Just for kicks I decided to read what others have thought of this series, and after a while I just kept reading the bad reviews. Frankly, I was stunned! How can anyone dislike this book or the series? I have seen three major complaints about this book, and I would like to address them all. First, some people say that the ending was bad. True, to a point. First you must understand that, as a series, it's not really an ending, but rather a pause in the action. Second, the entire point of the book was to set the backdrop for the revealing of the Dragon Reborn, which is done in the ending. Where's the problem? Secondly, people say that the story progression is slow. These are the people that never read the rest of the series. The Eye of the World is basically a prologue, setting up all the information we need for the rest of the series, and there's a lot of it. Jordan knew what the series was going to be like from the beginning, so one book does not make the story. Besides, I like the detail he goes into, especially the historical aspects of the world. Anyone who finds this annoying should probably read Piers Anthony until he or she grows up. Finally, some people actually have the audacity to complain about the complexity of the plot and the characters! OK, people, that's what we call real life. There are no perfect, happy endings. Rather annoying, bad and often detrimental stuff happens to the characters, and they have to deal with it. This combined with their indiosyncracies and personalities makes them real to the reader; the reader relates to and bonds with them. You care about the characters. Anyone who would rather fly through a book just to get to a cheesy, predictable ending doesn't have the intelligence, nor the right, to comment on Jordan anyway!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good book Bad ending
Review: I have read the book (and the rest of the series) I rather enjoyed the complexities of both the characters and situations they engaged in Over all the book was a great read but... the ending was rather disappointing It felt much like the author was spent on how to end the story and needed a ending Bah! You can do better than that Rob (though I will admit that the rest of the series has better endings) But the quality of the book is still very much worth the buy (good ending or not)

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Book was OK...characters could be more clearly laid out....
Review: This book was ok, but I did not like how complex the plotbecomes. Can't they just have one name per character? All in all itwas enjoyable, but the plot was a bit fanciful!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A never want to put down , stay up all night reading, book!
Review: Robert Jordan did not only write a book, but with words wrote out and created a new adventure world. The best thing about it is, that in picking up the book and reading it, you too will get caught up in this second world and become an invisable character... never seen, but always there. You become a part of the twisted tale! It is the BEST!!!! A MUST read, top of the list kind'a book! So what are you waiting for go out and explor that new world.... they'll be waiting for you!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Read it 'couse later the serie will improve dramatically
Review: It's just a long intro to the other books in the serie. Read the book and then continue with the other ones.


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