Wheel of Time, The by Robert Jordan

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Submitted by Anonymous 
(Sep 02, 2011)

It has been such a journey to be able to travel through the first twelve and half of thirteen books in the last year and a half, to be able to experience all the sensations each character feels, and live through what they're living. Needless to say, the Wheel of Time is my favorite fantasy series. I've been obsessed with it since my dad first introduced it to me.

Granted, the pacing can be slow, and the series is very long, but I managed to get into it. I first started the first three books, got a little bored, then stopped. A year later, I decided to try my luck again--maybe this time I would begin to like it more. And I did. I love almost all the characters Robert Jordan introduces, which helps with not boring me when I'm not reading about the main characters. But it's not only that that keeps me reading, that holds my attention so dearly; it's the story, the plot, the twists, the changing personalities, the darkness and the light.

I have several authors I look up to whenever I am writing my own stories, but Robert Jordan was one of the first ones to strike me with what he had created in the Wheel of Time. It's not only a story, but a world. He has given it history and time and people; this is hard to accomplish in a novel, but I love that he's done it so expertly. Creating a world is one of the things I am currently trying to achieve in my own novel, and this series influenced my thoughts in that direction greatly.

This series starts out well and has some great ideas however, I gave up after book 8 as it just kept on going and going and going.......... I am sure RJ could have cut the flowery descriptions without compromising the book. Seriously, this series could be condensed to about half the number of books. It could have been epic, however it falls seriously short.

I'd only recommend this if you had a lot of spare time up your sleeve (For example, if you had been convicted of something serious and were expecting to be locked up for a very, very long time).

The Wheel of Time series is a massive undertaking that shouldn't be delved into lightly. Imagine investing hours upon hours of frustration, only to finally be TKO'd before it ends..... 2 stars for me.

The Wheel of Time. It's been named the New LOTR, where I wouldn't go that far it is possibly the best that can come after that. The scope of the story does - In scope, I've not read somthing to match it - impress, it makes you feel as if you are actually in a huge world where something is happening at the eastern corner, it effects the whole rest of the world. Characters, when introduced do lend themselves easily to be liked (for the protagonists, at least), where antagonists are seen, some have been taken care of far too easily. Pacing, while the first half of the first book drags, the story picks up very quickly after that and continues on through the next at roughly the same pace.
One qualm I have with the series is that it is slightly too long, 12 books(as of 8/10) going on fourteen is a tad bit too long, but that's been said before.

All in all, if you can get past some of the slower sections and some of the slower books, it is a very good series and completely worth picking up.

The Eye of the World, bk 1.

I will recommend this series to anyone who likes sudden plot changes and twists.
In the first two books, there is much detail. Kinda slow paced for my liking, but it really creates a sence of bonding with the characters.
The third and fourth books have very much action. There are many fights, althought I must say that the forces of good practically always win. Starts to get repetitive after a while. Although there may be some downs to RJ's writing, there are new and interesting characters introduced - such as the seanchean.
The fifth book is a partial mix of books 1-4. New characters - both good and evil - are introduced. There are still some downs like it being slow paced at times and being repetitive - esp. "I'm Rand Al'Thor of The Two Rivers - but all in all this is a great book. Many surprises and shockers. Each page will bring new struggles, new threats, and new excitement.
This is amazing book for all age - except for little kids - and would be a great read for anyone.
PS: I'm writing a book myself which has been deeply inspired by RJ's work. I would have given it 5, but there are some minor downs.

i started reading the series 7 years ago. it was actually refered to me by one of my colleagues at work. I love fantasy books and the day he refered the book to me, i went to the mall and got the first 3 books. The moment i started reading the first book (eye of the world), i couldn't stop. I had to keep on reading to find out what will happen to the characters. The story for me is full of action and intrigue. This is one helluva series. 12 books so far. 2 more books left. For those people who think the book is not worth reading, try getting a copy of the latest book (The gathering storm). It has one of the best action scenes so far. For me, it rivals the battle at dumai's wells and the trolloc attack on the two rivers.