Ok, here it is... The first 5 books were ok. Those after is when Rand is getting a hard time and gets more sinister. Those who like the first 5 books should read Tolkien, cause there the hero is small hobbits who doesn't have an evolving personallity. You maybe like that kind of stuff (small hobbits, good Wizard, Bad Wizard,Oh My God...). Don't say that Jordan just does it for the money..He has developed and you don't like the direction. But I can tell you that as an adult I prefer the books after the fifth..

Can you say, "Moo!" Robert Jordan is milking The Wheel of Time series for all its worth. It would have been a great series if had ended it after 6 books. Come on, and have some closure, please. Very overated writer. Read George R.R. Martin if you want to read some fabulous stories.

Boby is really great authot but he must finish Wheel of Time right now. It's currently out of control, the last books are boring - pity, because the first are outstanding.

I love the main characters but I'm drowning in all the others.The first three books moved the characters thru the story and in turn created a vortex which pulled you along with them. Since then we've been meandering thru morase. Focusing on all the other characters and reducing the lead characters to cameo roles at best instead of zeroing in on them. It's like writing from a soap opera lately. I buy these books in hope that he returns to his early form and breaks out of this slump.

The story and characters are created exquisitely but little is done after that. The books are written with less flair and intrigue as they go on in the series and Robert Jordan has a tendency to dwell on trivialities and little is accomplished in the latter texts. The characters become more and more stereotypical and bland in nature and their habits are so similar only their names and rank tells them apart. Thoroughly disappointed as I was impressed by the first few books. BTW I have read all 10 numerous times and am still unimpressed.

I'm tired of the descriptions of jewelry and dresses! Is he even writing this anymore or is it some understudy from the publisher? The world has become small as the kids take over all the positions of power and teach the old folks (over 20) how to run things as they force every one to their will. I'm tired of this same old same old. 8,9 and 10 should all be sent back and re-written. Thank God for Martin and Erikson.

I've given this a 1 out of 5 star rating for several reasons: 1. The female characters are all exactly the same cardboard brat, but given different names and levels of fighting skill. 2. All the couples (and yes, everyone gets paired off) behave the same way, ie female folds arms under breasts, snaps at the male for thinking with the hair on his chest, while the male scratches his head wishing he understood women better. 3. Every female that is under 50 falls in love with Rand, unless they meet Perrin or Matt first. 4 (and most important reason): Too much detail, considering how little the story has progressed, and how little depth characters show. Detail doesn't = quality. So what's the 1 star for? I think books 1 to 4 were good. They were built up to nice climaxes.

This is truly about being good or bad. No character lives in both worlds. This becomes a bit annoying when you are coming to a certain age (and I am not even that old!) better try Hobb or Modessit

Jordan had the potential to be a decent to mediocre author, but then he found out that if he extends his series indefinitely he can just rake in the dough.

Okay...not that good. He doesn't compare to Tolkien.

Eye of the World taught me what a good book was. The Great Hunt was an excellent book as well as The Dragon Reborn. I have never seen the likes of The Shadow Rising and The Fires of Heaven (which are really the same book). Lord of Chaos was the best book I've ever read. A Crown of Swords was only fair. Path of Daggers was OK. Winters Heart was about as good as The Dragon Reborn, but there was a lot missing from it. An excellent series, regaining ground. There is no author I prefer, or like as much. His characters do have something missing though, especially the women. And his women are not all the same. There are about five molds, which he gives each new female character a trait to distinguish them. Example: Nynaeve- braid-tugging; Elayne- nose-raising; Cadsuane- patting her hair bun; Verin-staring. If you can get past the five men-hating women, there is nothing better.It is getting better, but I wish he wouldn't hurry so much- his writing suffers for it.

Well, I'll tell ya, it's not bad, yet bear in mind I'm only starting #5. The positive points: The world is fairly fresh, intricate with lots to explore. Conceptually well done in regards to rules of magic, political interplay (well done Game of Houses!), history and some of the cultural personalities (Seanchan, Aiel...though they have a decidedly "Fremen" flavor...and the Tinkers.) I'm leaning towards agreeing to the flatness of the characters, but would like to point out that the women are developing somewhat, Egwene in particular. I like them far better than the majority of the male cast (Thom Merrilin excluded!) who spent most of the 1st 3 books whining while the ladies were at least eager to learn and accepting of responsibility (and how much more interesting would it have been had the Dragon Reborn been one of the ladies!!! Wonder if Lanfear would have still kept such a torch for Lews then?) Pity more hasn't been revealed about Moraine. Most of the other characters have destiny to guide and protect them, but her decisions were made without the benefit of that assurance, leaving lots of juicy motivational history to be revealed. Also in regards to dimensionality of characters, I think Jordan spent too much time describing the time they were on horseback instead of letting us hear the conversations between characters that might have evolved some believable motivations for subsequent decisions. Also, this whole thing with people falling so dramatically in love with each other is weak, most of it being attributed to the boys being a ta'veren or whatnot. Nynaeve's over Lan would be much more interesting if I suspected Moraine might be interested as well. Ah well. I'm just a little frustrated at all the "why's" I have in regards to why the characters are behaving the way they do, but I do enjoy Jordan's world and how it works. Overall, not bad or awful, but not exceptional either. Good enough I'll keep reading to see what happens, the books were gifts anyway, LOL.

Great!

Some of the best Fantasy Writing out there!

Would have gotten 5 if he could only stop repeating himself. He has made a whole world into which one may dive and study

He has many good reviews, and is marketed well. However, he is actually NOT a good author, or certainly has gone downhill since the beginning of the series. The only original idea he had was his magic ideas. The characters are all flat with one overlying characteristic then filled up with typical male/female B$, the countries have no blending of cultures...if you're of one you fit perfectly with the stereotypes, I could go on all day....It's a rather pathetic comment that he's at the top of this stack...then, looking at the number of the votes, it shows that many more people rated it lower than other high ones....

Personally I think that Robert Jordan is one of the greatest fantasy authors of all time.

I used to like RJ a lot up until his 6th book. The last three has in few words disappointed me. What has hooked me once - the fine plot, the nice mysterious set-up, the original background - all this has gone. The chars have become annoying, especially the female ones, and personally in the last two books (POD&WH) i can't find a scene to call "breathtaking". Maybe it's all up to my taste having change from classical fantasy to satire one but i think not. I think RJ suffers a commersionalism syndrome. I hope the 10th books will change it all...

I have read these books for a while and I´m now waiting on book nr 17. I think that the first book was the best. Jordan is a great writer and he is almost better than J.R.R Tolkien. Maby he is better...I haven´t read the english books yet, but when I´m finish with the swedish ones, I will. Maby someone can tell me when nr 17 comes to sweden? bye/StoneColdEmma

The reason that my review is only 4 rather than 5 stars is only because books 7-9 have read like time-killers. The plot has barely advanced, there has been very little character development, and any major events that have occurred seem rushed, a little forced, and anticlimactic. Books 1-6, however, are definitely the best fantasy novels I have ever read. The sheer level of detail, the complex plays on history and historical societies represented in the various cultures and chacters, and how carefully constructed everything seemed to be all won the series for me as much as the storyline did. One reviewer felt that the lack of 'grey' issues, as oppose to straight 'good' and 'evil' was a problem in the series, and while I'll admit that RJ has strayed more towards this end, the intial books had a plethora of 'grey' figures. The Children of the Light were certainly a fascinating group, although admittedly they could have been much more than the simple band of thugs that they were portrayed as in later books, and with the Aes Sedai, I was intrigued by the way my feelings towards them swayed back and forth between sympathy for an unjustly stereotyped 'witch', and the occasional suspicion that the slander against them was justified. Hopefully, book 10 will bring back the energy and complexity of the intial books.

I've been reading these books for 8 years. They are my old favorites, the books that I go back to whenever I come up short on reading material. I find the world that Jordan has built to be a very complex one, especially compared to other contemporary fantasy writers. If you want to read one-dimensional character development, read Terry Goodkind's "Wizard's First Rule." Jordan's structure of these books is fantastic, with convoluted storylines, "plots within plots," a hero who is destroying his own humanity for the sake of the world. Granted, some of the characters are not as developed as they could be, but with as large a cast of characters that Jordan uses, I feel that if he fleshed them all out there would be double the number of books. This series ranks among Lord of the Rings and Dune as some of the best sf/f of all time.

I found the books at my sisters boyfriends house and he adviced me to read one, as i am a Tolkien fan i thought that nothing could be as good or so vivid, but i was wrong, I read through the hole of the series (1-9) in one week and three days. He tells the tale of an magnificent adventure in such funny and living words, also catching the reality of lives and worlds, it is not just a story with fabled creatures in it, it is a story where you can see them before you and belive their real. The only thing i dident like is that you cant be there and have your own adventure. I loved the books, and they learned me to think in english. (i am swedish)

If you had ask after I had read the first 5 books I would have rated it 5 even after 6 and 7 but after #8 it dropped dramatically! We now are in limbo with 8 becomming boring and not progressing! As for book 9 forget about it!!! Nine is pure garbage about the only parts that kept me inersted were Mat and the last 25 pages or so. The rest belongs in the bottom of my bird cage!! I will no longer recommend the series to anyone!! If book ten isn't one hell of a lot better old Bobs HISTORY!!!!

Robert Jordan is the master of heroic fantasy litterature, it is only in one man's shadow he pale, and of course thatis the God of Fantasy: JRR Tolkien!!

Well I like this series because Rand is so cute! He has red hair just like me! As I read it I found I was not Highly offended, which happens often. All your bad reviews Highly offend me! Tolkien highly offends me! I love all the men in this series. They were delicious! Did I mention that I am Highly Offended? Wheel of Time Forever!

It is too easy to say that a particular author is the absolute best in their genre. Several discovered and undiscovered authors are just as good if not on occasion better than Jordan. However, I will give this man a Good rating on his series. Although I am only on the third book, I find Jordan's work to be wonderfully detailed with a rich world that is filled with several possibilities. From what I have seen from those further along in the series he stays fairly consistent with this. However, if I were to give Jordan some bad remarks I would say like many others that he, like Tolkien, tend to go too indepth with their writing. Some cherish this attribute, but I don't care for it as much as they so I put this as a negative. His female characters are rather annoying, and I wish he would consider making a stronger female role. A few of his characters are extremely annoying, and I find Rand to be a bit of a cry baby right now (hopefully he changes later on). Overall, I applaud Jordan's work, but believe that both he and Tolkien don't own any particular right to be called a master of fantasy, because everyone is the master of their own fantasy..some just happen to be better at showing theirs than others.

I have been reading Sci Fi/Fantasy for 35 years. I was excited when I discovered the Whell of Time series. That excitement has turned to vast disappointment. It is really sad when an author has 6 books worth of material but has to write a dozen. The first 5 books were great! Since then, there hasn't been 10 pages worth of real reading in a single book. If Jordan is out of ideas, why not wrap it up with a bang instead of letting it die an incredibly slooooowwwww boringgggg painfulllll death ! Or is this one of those "Portrait of Dorian Gray" things ? (i.e. the books age horribly but Jordan gets to stay young and continue the series forever.....one 5 minute action scene per book)

Robert Jordan has inherited the throne Tolkein left behind. He throws balance in to all actions, lets loose ends not yet revelaed turn inot interesting (and occasionally heated) debates on the upcoming volumes among fellow readers. There is something very indentifiable with all these characters, and it is fun to read and figure out where certain concepts were borrowed from. Th one thing I cannot recommend is that Art book that is floating around out there. The information is outdated, there are several typos, and the art is substandadrd, not to mention that it ruins your own imagination on what these mulit-dimensional characters looks like. I for one could agree with any of the portriats, as they all seem to be caucasian in race, when RJ CLEARLY has characters from various racial descents. The Seancahn are decidedly Asian in anture, both in look and socital nature. Make it pas the first hundred pages or so, and you'll be hooked.

Robert Jordans writing combines the intricacies of a genious with the passion of a poet. This tale winds and twists, taking the reader on a rollercoater ride of adventure and romance. The Charactors are believable if not a little cliche. The setting is intricate and well developed, with intricately defined cultures and poeples. Also, the way Jordan weaves in the use of "magic" is unique and complex, and vaguely reminicent of the George Lucas's Force power. Though long winded at times, the description involved in it more than makes up for its length. All in all, Jordan's writing is a medium level read with high rewards. Jordan has made a canyon out of the crack that Tolkien created.

Clydefroggy yoyo KL In my opinion anyone who thinks RJ is an old hack who cant write should go suck donkey balls. Especially that ho bitch Arya. Robert jordan is a great author. His books are imaginitive and creative my only problem is the time he takes to publish the books.I have read them all and I cant find anything wrong with what he writes. But I do find the long boring chapters were nothing happens quite annoyin. But there is always one person who can find something they dont like even in the greatest of books. I think fantasy is the best genre and Jordan makes Fantasy that much better. And my regards for Harriet.

The Wheel of Time has become soooo boring, it's unbelievable. The beginning of this series was the best I've ever read but since book 5, it has gone downwards and the latest two books were real insults to the fans.

I have to say that I have gotten really disappointed in Jordan's story telling. In the Wheel of Time, the main characters are written like cardboard cutouts, with no realistic properties at all. Every female character in the series spends most of her time acting as childish as possible, sniffing, straightening her skirt or tugging her braid or any of seven hundred million other pointless things. The main characters haven't been in any real dnager for the last six books or so. Even the bad guys, the Forsaken, supposedly the 13 most powerful people in their time, are nothing more than mediocre. The story hasn't been moved foreward at all in the last 3 to 4 books, with characters moving around basically aimlessly and for no particular reason. Perrin's storyline has turned into an oozing pile of puss that is more boring than watching grass grow. This is definitly a series in great decline.

Jordan's writing style is immature and dumbed down to the masses. He started off with a good story, and then let his publishers destroy what he had going for him. His volumes are filled with thick pages, and his thick pages are filled with large type. His characters are disgustingly one dimensional; his hero stereotypical; his villains caricatured (and they WON'T DIE!!!); his female characters are all the same!: repulsive skirt-smoothing, braid-tugging, sniffing, breast flashing, manipulative, man-hating please-dominate-me lesbians. If all you want is mass market schlock designed to take as much of your money as possible without style or content, Jordan is where it's at.

Too long-winded, and can't write female characters to save his life. Very poor at writing about male/female relationships as well.

The one reason I read fantasy is because it gives a taste of the unreal in a real world. The best way that that could ever be possible is to make that other world so real that you have trouble getting away from it, and Jordan does that. The world he hinted at in Eye of the World and fostered through the rest is robust. Every character has a name (is not just a stable boy, but jaim or some sort), and a life. It's almost as if they are living the same life we are, but in a far more exciting and lovely world. The books are definite good read, and beyond that as well. They maybe long, but stick with it, it's worth it all the way.

im a great fan of robert jordans works, the coment i hear a lot is that it takes him tolong to get to the point of the series, well that is just what i love about it actualy,that is: i love its sheir scale, the multitude of charecters, places, cultures and such, in no series have i ever seen anything like it although i m craving to know what will happen in the end of the series, i also dread it cause then i wouldnt b able to learn more about this wonderfull world r. jordan has created.

Jordan hasn't reached perfection, hence it is impossible to give a five star-rating. Good points are the creation of a believable universe (though he did mess a little into mixing his with our own--I'll be interested to see if he drops that completely--see book 2), developing characters (good examples are Nynaeve, Rand, and Mat), and in general, consistency. The first book was copying a different style, but afterwards he seemed to shake that off, which has been good. The quality of the work does vary (book 8 being so-so). Good is good and bad is bad with never a discussion of who's in-between. On the whole, a very good series.

Hello to everyone who might read my comment. When i started to read the wheel of time i accidently started from the middle - meaning from the shadow rising and afterwards read it up and down from that book.At first it completely and totally was fascinated by it but towards the end it was a bit long - My gueass is that mr. Jordan started to write the Eye of time as a single book(PS I thought it was great!!!) ,but later on the book became a bestseller and he continued to produce this monwymaking mashine called wheel of time. Please DO NOT take my words in the wrong way,I Think that the books are GREAT,and R.Jordan is one of the best writers of fantasy ever,but towards the end it became a bit too long... If anyone would like to comment my words please do so - My email is stsvld1@hotmail.com I will write back. Steve.

this is one of my favorite authors, but when is it supposed to end. i am worried that robert jordan will pass away before he finishes. is he almost done?

Robert jordans' wot series has been and always shall be a portal to another demension where everyone from all walks of life can set aside their world and become engulfed in an in depth adventure . Robert jordan is one of the rare authors that creates characters that the reader can become as he journeys along through these books. I could say that Robert jordan is the best author ever to happen to the fantasy genre, but that would mean that somewhere along the line he would have had to have competition.

Thoroughly enjoyed these books (I've only read up to book 7), & I think it's mainly due to the extraordinary amount of detail of the places, people & cultures that Jordan crams into his books. A lot of people think that the characters are a bit hackneyed & one-dimensional (I find this to be the case with many fantasy books - just read Eddings), but I have to say that I think they're quite well fleshed out, and given the large & disparate groups that all tie in to the plot I think Jordan has done a great job in still producing a tense, convoluted, lucid storyline with some interesting twists. As usual, the man takes too darn long to bring out each book, but, hey, if that's how long it takes, then so be it.

I have been reading "The Wheel of Time" series for about eight years now, and no other series has been able to captivate me more. Since the 9th book's release, I have recently reread all of the novels straight through. It is astounding the amount of detail I passed over before. The description of "Cold Rocks Hold" was breathtaking! Some books have dragged in some parts, but if you look at the series as a whole...it is truly a work of art. Some argue that the characters are too simplistic, but I've found characters that are too complex difficult to relate with. These characters allow you to actually feel what they're going through. If you can stick through it during some of the slower books (7 & 8) I think you'll find 9 rewarding and the series as a whole utterly superb!

Intially I was drawn to the series, granted that was mainly because of my other options (aka, read that or all the case law and arguments pertaining to the Pinnochet Extradition Case) It was an easy enough read, with a few interesting characters and a fun black & white, good vs. evil (with no grey) story arc. Really not for anyone beyond children who can't accept characters and motives that aren't paperthin/one dimensional, or for anyone else looking for a story with actual teeth to it. When it comes down to it, a fun and interesting fluff piece. Wouldn't be so bad if he could write female characters that didn't make you want to burn the books. For the mindless melodrama of star wars, with a few decent characters, and interesting setting, from an accomplished author, there is no better. But if your looking for something a bit more mature, try George R. R. Martin. The classics always work as well: Dune, Orson Scott Card, Tolkien of course and others.

Too wordy and verbose to be anything other than Good.

i love the books the game dosn't fallow the story line but the books are great

First ill tell you that ive read Tolkien,Brooks,and lot of other authors' books,and i must say that jordan i by far the best of them all. For all of you people that gave RJ a bad review, you must have just grazed the over-lying structure of his books and could not have really read it to give a review like that.But i understand that every 1 has their opinion and so be it. Now down to the actual review.Jordans books could not be more enveloping. Great character detail and mature story progression should put the series on the top of every ones list to have (if they dont already). I myself am inspired by the extremeties that he has put into character developement ,environment,and history. And personally think that their should be an entire line of products to spawn from them. a new game(RPG),movie,and of course actual rendition of items from the series. the RPG would be the thing that would be the best to further enhance the world(done by the right people of course) because we all have to admit that the wot game that was developed was a bit shallow(sorry). that would be a game that i would jump to get into the developement of (and i already have some ideas for it if i were on a team. but any way thats all i have to say except excelent job Mr. Robert Jordan and keep them books coming.and if any 1 wants to see some of the ideas that i have for an RPG version of the books email me at jenny@tctc.com thank you

This is the greatest author and series ever

Before I found The Wheel of Time, I read all different kinds of Science Fiction and Fantasy books. But since then, all other genre's and books have just seemed, well, boring and plain. Robert Jordan is an excellent writer, and has created a very indepth and fascinating, not to mention hypnotising, series. I only wish it wasn't 2 years between books. But, all things come to those who wait.

Robert Jordan's book series "The Wheel of Time" takes science fiction novels to an entirly new level. His writing ability and word usage is unequivicly the best of all time. The stoies themselves always keep you guessing and he is always diving deeper into a new and unexplored area of Science fiction. Jordan is the man!

I love RJ!!! If anyone has ever read his books, they will know what I'm talking about when I say that "wotlandia" (anything but randland *shivers*) just becomes your world!! Read them! Katja