General Books

The Wheel of Time (Boxed Set #1)

Robert Jordan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 106 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Top Notch Fantasy 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

The first three books of the Wheel of Time saga are exceptional modern fantasy. There is a lot of originality, lots of action, and a powerful sense of both doom and mystery.

If you're looking at buying these books, you've undoubtedly come across the criticism of the series length and the quality of the later books. And its true, the series does falter rather badly beginning around book 6 or 7, and there is a steady deterioration from there. The sense of mystery and doom dissipate, the action and plot advancement cease and the characters all devolve into indistinguishable buffoons.

HOWEVER, the first half of the series, and in particular these first 3 books, really are great, and highly recommended. I'd say just keep reading the series until you feel you found the point where it doesn't work for you anymore, then skip to the end once Book 12 comes out.

Editorial Review:

This box set of paperbacks includes the first three books in Robert Jordan's bestselling epic fantasy series, the Wheel of Time. No saga since Tolkien's Lord of the Rings has evoked such fervor among readers. In the first Wheel of Time book, The Eye of the World, Jordan introduces a world broken by phenomenal power and threatened by engulfing shadow. In The Great Hunt, our hero, Rand al'Thor, begins his epic journeys with a quest for the lost Horn of Valere, which promises to raise long-dead Heroes of Legend. And in The Dragon Reborn, Rand's destiny begins to take shape as his followers flock to him, and the world descends further into darkness. This box set is a great way to begin exploring the world of the Wheel of Time. But don't stop here, the second set awaits!

Crossroads of Twilight (The Wheel of Time, Book 10)

Robert Jordan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2419 Average rating: 1.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In the tenth book of The Wheel of Time from the New York Times #1 bestselling author Robert Jordan, the world and the characters stand at a crossroads, and the world approaches twilight, when the power of the Shadow grows stronger.

Fleeing from Ebou Dar with the kidnapped Daughter of the Nine Moons, whom he is fated to marry, Mat Cauthon learns that he can neither keep her nor let her go, not in safety for either of them, for both the Shadow and the might of the Seanchan Empire are in deadly pursuit.

Perrin Aybara seeks to free his wife, Faile, a captive of the Shaido, but his only hope may be an alliance with the enemy. Can he remain true to his friend Rand and to himself? For his love of Faile, Perrin is willing to sell his soul.

At Tar Valon, Egwene al'Vere, the young Amyrlin of the rebel Aes Sedai, lays siege to the heart of Aes Sedai power, but she must win quickly, with as little bloodshed as possible, for unless the Aes Sedai are reunited, only the male Asha'man will remain to defend the world against the Dark One, and nothing can hold the Asha'man themselves back from total power except the Aes Sedai and a unified White Tower.

In Andor, Elayne Trakland fights for the Lion Throne that is hers by right, but enemies and Darkfriends surround her, plotting her destruction. If she fails, Andor may fall to the Shadow, and the Dragon Reborn with it.

Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn himself, has cleansed the Dark One's taint from the male half of the True Source, and everything has changed. Yet nothing has, for only men who can channel believe that saidin is clean again, and a man who can channel is still hated and feared-even one prophesied to save the world. Now, Rand must gamble again, with himself at stake, and he cannot be sure which of his allies are really enemies.

The Wheel of Time (Boxed Set #2)

Robert Jordan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 39 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

News about Jordan, and his Last Book in the series. 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I enjoyed all his books, I have read all published books to date (Books 1-11) I say keep reading, even though sometimes Jordan rambles on, and such, even what some say is a Average/Poor book from his. It still is head and shoulders about all written Series save a hand full on equal par. HOWEVER, I DO HAVE VERY BAD NEWS, BUT ALSO GREAT NEW FOR WHEEL OF TIME READERS, AT LEAST WITH REGARDS TO HIS FINAL BOOK #12. Please read the following passage all readers need to know both bits of information.

Robert Jordan (this is his publishing name, not his real)....his real name is JAMES OLIVER RIGNEY, JR. Here is a link so you can read it all([...]). James Rigney (aka Robert Jordan) passed away in September of 2007 (last fall)....however there is still good news for all the readers. The whole staff and editors have the notes and spoken ideas Jordan left while in the hospital the last few days before he passed on. The Book will be named A Memory of Light! The family and editors have hired a Fantasy writer to finish the Series and last book. This Writer (Brandon Sanderson) was a personal friend, and was mentored by Jordan too over the years. He will also have Robert Jordan's wife... Harriet.. helping (she edited and helped on all the books with him). They say on their web-site that they are shooting for Late Fall or Early winter (Sept-Nov) in 2009 to have the last book in the Wheel of Time Series on the shelf. This will be called as I said Memory of Light and will be book 12 and will finish the Wheel of Time. This is what they our saying at least, and they know the book might be BIG, and very hard to get all plots and everything in place...... so the Last Battle can be fought....but they will do it, so they say. I really enjoyed all the books, and I know with all the help from his wife (who knows a man better then his wife) this will be worthy of Robert Jordan's Memory and Life.

Ross Hill (who is just a simple man that RJ helped change with getting me to read a lot and that helped me Graduate with a Bachelors of Science in Management)

Editorial Review:

This is the second box set in Robert Jordan's epic bestselling series, the Wheel of Time. The first set included The Eye of the World, The Great Hunt, and The Dragon Reborn. The follow-up includes the next three books of the series. The Shadow Rising, The Fires of Heaven, and Lord of Chaos continue the great saga of Rand, the Dragon Reborn in a world broken in two by unimaginably powerful forces.

The Wheel of Time (Boxed Set #3)

Robert Jordan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

All 11 Books 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I have read all 11 of the Robert Jordan books [[ASIN:0765344939 The Wheel of Time (Boxed Set #3)books and enjoyed them greatly. My one frustration is the time between books and the need to try and catch up on the various groups of people and the current state of events surrounding them by the time the next book comes out. I fear that Jordan may leave us before the completion of this epic series. I do recommend the series but you must be a patient person.

Good stuff 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

While it's apparent that the series has taken a downturn since the third volume, due to what appears to be an effort to simply drag the story out to sell more novels, it's still very well written and developed. Jordan's characters for the most part are excellent, although sometimes his female characters tend to "run together" in thier tendencies. The only issues I have with the series, are wading through what I consider filler to get back to my favorite characters, and the fact that there's some rather heavy "borrowing" from Tolkien and various historical mythologies.

Editorial Review:

The #1 Internationally Bestselling Series

The Wheel of Time

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow. Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time.

This boxed set contains:
Book Seven: A Crown of Swords
Book Eight: The Path of Daggers
Book Nine: Winter's Heart

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

Robert Jordan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1699 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

The first epic fantasy that I grew up on 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

What led me to read "The Wheel of Time" by the late Robert Jordan was when my brother and I bought the "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" DVD. I didn't really like the movie when I saw it in theaters, but then it grew on me when I saw it a few more times on the television and computer screens. I was amazed by the Ringwraiths, the Tower of Isengard, the characters of Arwen and Aragorn, the Mines of Moria, and the beautiful scenery that's seen throughout the entire film (the entire trilogy, in fact). Back then, I wasn't an avid reader, but I have to thank Peter Jackson, and Robert Jordan, for making me a passionate reader that I am today.

I first read "The Eye of the World" back in 2002, and it was pretty complicated (as I said, I didn't read a lot of books before "Fellowship" came out on DVD). I read two chapters for only an average of three days each. But after I finished it, I like it. I knew that the book had lots of sequels, so I went on with "The Great Hunt" and "The Dragon Reborn" and so on.

Then, in December 2007, I reread "The Eye of the World" and I'm still amazed by the author's excessive detail and memorable characters. And I know it uses the typical fantasy formula (ordinary young man in a village leaves home to do some fantastical stuff), but it didn't really matter to me because of how I admired many of the characters so much.

The basic plot involves Rand al'Thor, Mat Cauthon, and Perrin Aybara. Trollocs (anthropomorphic creatures) and Myrddraal (trollock offspring) have attacked their village, and they discover that these beasts are here to kill the three young men. They manage to escape with a couple of companions: Moiraine, Lan, Egwene, Thom, and later on, Nynaeve. During their journey to Tar Valon, home of the Aes Sedai, Moiraine (an Aes Sedai herself) is convinced that Rand is the Dragon Reborn. The Dragon Reborn is the one who has been created to destroy the ultimate evil that seeks to destroy all the lands, from Shienar to Illian to Falme. Rand, of course, denies this, but . . . Well, you, the reader, must find out by reading "The Eye of the World" straight through.

What I love most about this series is the diverse range of characters that are found in the book. Lan, Bayle Domon, Nynaeve, Padan Fain, Min, and many others are given different personalities and motives. But, of course, not all characters will be likable. Nynaeve, in particular, is a pessimist and very annoying at times, but in other times, it was a good thing for her to help others. Ingtar's feelings were a bit forced (and they were forced even more in "The Great Hunt"), while a few folk of Emond's Field won't be a pleasure to read about.

The excessive detail found in this novel are near ideal. I'm not sure if Tolkien's trilogy has this much detail found in Jordan's entire series; I've only read "Return of the King" and bits and pieces of "Fellowship" and "Towers". There are so many things happening here: the journey to many locations like Caemlyn and Shadar Logoth are probably equal to the journey to many Middle Earth locations like Midgewater and Lothlorien. And it grabs my attention when I read "Eye". I couldn't really put the book down.

All in all, I'm sure that this isn't as good as Tolkien's classic trilogy, but I still admire the Wheel of Time series. It's one of my favorite fantasy epics, along with Robin Hobb's "The Farseer Trilogy" and, just recently, Scott Lynch's "Locke Lamora" series. And it's unfortunate that the author passed away back in September, but I, along with countless fans, will still cherish his work. Rest in peace, Mr. Jordan.

A-

Editorial Review:

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

Knife of Dreams (The Wheel of Time, Book 11)

Robert Jordan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 524 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

About the Author
Robert Jordan lives in Charleston, South Carolina. He is a graduate of the Citadel.

Amazon.com Exclusive Content

Amazon.com's Significant Seven
Robert Jordan kindly agreed to take the life quiz we like to give to all our authors: the Amazon.com Significant Seven.

Q: What book has had the most significant impact on your life?
A: The King James version of the Bible. That seems a cliche, but I can't think of any other book that has had as large an impact in shaping who I am.

Q: You are stranded on a desert island with only one book, one CD, and one DVD--what are they?
A: The one book would be whatever book I was currently writing. I mean, I hate falling behind in the work. The one CD would contain the best encyclopedia I could find on desert island survival. The DVD would contain as much of Beethoven, Mozart, and Duke Ellington as I could cram onto it.

Q: What is the worst lie you've ever told?
A: It's hard to think of one since I am genetically incapable of lying to women and that takes out 52% of the population right there.

Q: Describe the perfect writing environment.
A: Any place that has my computer, a CD player for music, a comfortable chair that won't leave me with a backache at the end of a long day, and very little interruption.

Q: If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say?
A: He kept trying to get better at it.

Q: Who is the one person living or dead that you would like to have dinner with?
A: My wife before anybody else on earth living or dead. That's a no-brainer.

Q: If you could have one superpower what would it be?
A: That depends. If I'm feeling altruistic, it would be the ability to heal anything with a touch, if that can be called a superpower. If I'm not feeling very altruistic, it would be the ability to read other people's minds, to finally be able to get to the bottom of what they really mean and what their motivations are.

See all books in the Wheel of Time series.

Winter's Heart (The Wheel of Time, Book 9)

Robert Jordan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1094 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Is Robert Jordan still doing the Light's work? Even loyal fans have to wonder. (And if you're not a fan yet, you'll have to read the previous 6,789 pages in this bestselling series to understand what all the fuss is about.)

Everyone's in agreement on the Wheel of Time's first four or five volumes: They're topnotch, where-have-you-been-all-my-life epic fantasy, the best in anybody's memory at the time since The Lord of the Rings. But a funny thing happened on the way to Tarmon Gai'don, and many of those raves have become rants or (worse) yawns. Jordan long ago proved himself a master at world-building, with fascinating characters, a positively delicious backstory, and enough plot and politics to choke a Trolloc, but that same strength has become a liability. How do you criticize what he's doing now? You want more momentum and direction in the central plot line, but it's the secondary stories that have made the world so rich. And as in the last couple of books, (A Crown of Swords and The Path of Daggers), Jordan doesn't really succeed at pursuing either adequately, leaving a lot of heavily invested readers frustrated.

Winter's Heart at least shows some improvement, but it's still not The Eye of the World. Elayne's still waiting to take the crown of Andor; the noticeably absent Egwene is still waiting to go after the White Tower; Perrin gets ready to pursue the Shaido but then disappears for the rest of the book. About the only excitement comes with the long-awaited return of Mat Cauthon and a thankfully rock 'em, sock 'em finale in which Rand finally, finally changes the balance of power in his fight against the Dark One. --Paul Hughes

The Shadow Rising (The Wheel of Time, Book 4)

Robert Jordan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 273 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

One of my favorite books in the series 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

The Shadow Rising is one of my favorite books in the Wheel of Time series (the 5th book, The Fires of Heaven, is a close second favorite). Note: I am assuming the reader has read up to the third book, The Dragon Reborn.

In the last book, it ended with Rand being proclaimed the Dragon Reborn with the fall of the fortress, the Stone of Tear, in the city of Tear. Rand makes the decision to head into the Aiel Waste, to the city of Rhuidean (with Egwene and Mat tagging along, and of course, Moiraine), Perrin travels back home to the Two Rivers to help his village, Nynaeve and Elayne journey to the dangerous city of Tanchico to obtain an object that could be dangerous to Rand that the Black Ajah is after.

I felt The Shadow Rising was aptly named for this book, as the Dark One's forces (Darkfriends, the Black Ajah, and the Forsaken) are all working behind the scenes to further along the the DO's machinations in the world.

Again, I can't begin to express how amazed I am to see how Jordan foretold future plots and events from his beginning books into later books. Plot lines and events that get introduced here make sense in later books, and when I read this book the 1st time, I didn't catch it, but re-reading it I was able to see how certain events occurred to sow chaos and mistrust between the factions of the Light to prevent them from uniting. Each book has built on past books, but each new book in the series introduces more complexities and also intertwines with the overall story arc in the series.

There is a lot happening in this book, the main stories are told from the point of view of Rand, Perrin, Nynaeve & Egwene with a few from Mat. You learn more about the history of the Aiel, and I really enjoyed the glimpse of the past into the Age of Legends. It was always something I wondered about when I read the 3 books previous to this one, the wonders and amazing feats that were accomplished during the Age of Legends. It was quite interesting to read about, especially the parallels of certain objects in the Age of Legends with our own world (for instance, "jo-cars" being cars, "sho wings" airplanes, "hover flys" helicopters, and the description of "tall, silvery buildings" can be nothing but something similar to a skyscraper).

I also enjoyed how the Forsaken were given more page time in this book, and of course, getting more glimpses of Padin Fain who is still mad with his hatred for Rand and continues to cause trouble for him (sending the fanatical Whitecloaks to the Two Rivers).

If there were any annoyances I had, it was the character of Faile, Perrin's love interest. She got on my nerves with the way she tricked Perrin and tried to manipulate him into allowing her to travel with him back to his home, and she continues to be one of my least favorite characters in the series. I think her traits are something the other stubborn women characters also have, can get irritating to read as well, with their erroneous thinking that certain of the male characters needed guiding by them and were clueless without women.

This is something you see throughout the entire series, and I can understand how the women in this fictional world gained so much power over the men. It makes sense that women would gain the upper-hand, especially the female channelers (the Aes Sedai), as it was those of the male gender that broke the world and with no male channelers to balance out the power of the female channelers, you get a shift in power toward women. I think this thinking filtered down even into the general population, not just those who could channel, and so you get a world that views women as the dominant over men in many ways.

Oh well, I've gotten off-topic of my review of the book.LOL. This book is one of my favorites!

Editorial Review:

The seals of Shayol Ghul are weak now, and the Dark One reaches out. The Shadow is rising to cover humankind.

In Tar Valon, Min sees portents of hideous doom. Will the White Tower itself be broken?

In the Two Rivers, the Whitecloaks ride in pursuit of a man with golden eyes, and in pursuit of the Dragon Reborn.

In Cantorin, among the Sea Folk, High Lady Suroth plans the return of the Seanchan armies to the mainland.

In the Stone of Tear, the Lord Dragon considers his next move. It will be something no one expects, not the Black Ajah, not Tairen nobles, not Aes Sedai, not Egwene or Elayne or Nynaeve.

Against the Shadow rising stands the Dragon Reborn.....

The Fires of Heaven (The Wheel of Time, Book 5)

Robert Jordan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 245 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Book five of the Wheel of Time 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

'The Fires of Heaven' is book five in the wheel of time series by Robert Jordan. So far the series has been consistently good, although I've heard that after this one the quality starts to decline. We'll see.
Jordan keeps adding new characters (consult WOT fan websites for reference help) so much so that Perrin doesn't rate one page out of 900+ in this book.
Also Jordan has his particular annoying writing quirks, including frequent references to breasts and cleavage- it is completely out of control in this book. Every time a female character appears he describes their clothes and the resulting effect on how their breasts are displayed. I don't know if it was part of some adolescent male marketing strategy or what- but it's a little too much.

FANTASTIC 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

simply fantastic set of books... been an avid reader for 1 year and it is really worth it!

Editorial 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.

The Great Hunt (The Wheel of Time, Book 2)

Robert Jordan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 335 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A significant improvement over the first book 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The Great Hunt is the second volume in Robert Jordan's gigantic, rainforest-devastating Wheel of Time series. It was originally published in late 1990 and like the first volume, The Eye of the World, was an immediate big seller.

The story picks up a month or so after The Eye of the World. Rand al'Thor has discovered he can channel the One Power and thus is doomed to go insane and die, wreaking terrible destruction at the same time. Normally it would be the responsibility of the Aes Sedai sisterhood to 'gentle' him, remove his ability to channel, but Rand's Aes Sedai mentor, Moiraine, and the head of the sisterhood, Siuan Sanche, believe that he is the Dragon Reborn, the long-prophesied saviour who will defeat the Dark One at the Last Battle. As such, they have no choice but to let him go free. When the twisted, insane Padan Fain steals the legendary Horn of Valere and the cursed dagger from Shadar Logoth upon which the life of Rand's friend Mat depends, a band of hunters are assembled to track Fain down and reclaim the dagger. Meanwhile, Egwene and Nynaeve travel to Tar Valon to begin their training as Aes Sedai, but find danger lurking even within the walls of the White Tower. In the far west, on Toman Head, rumours speak of the arrival of strangers who apparently use the One Power in battle and use savage beasts in combat, strangers who will not rest until all the lands are under their control...again.

The Great Hunt sees a notable widening of the scope of the world seen in the first book. Whilst the first novel perhaps veered too close to Lord of the Rings' characters and structure to be entirely comfortable, the sequel takes off in a completely different direction. Whilst the series' slightly irritating tendency to be obsessed with 'plot coupons' gets its start here, it does give the book a classical quest structure and deals with the parallel timelines as the core group from the first book gets split up and we follow them separately until their reunion at the end. Jordan also introduces a whole new threat in the form of the Seanchan, a powerful empire ruling a continent beyond the western ocean who now want to reclaim the homeland of their founder (Artur Hawkwing's son). This out-of-left-field threat does an excellent job of shaking things up, whilst the suspicious timing (the Seanchan invasion occurs at the same time the forces of the Shadow are gaining strength in the world) is later revealed as deliberate. The characters are deepened and made more interesting, particularly Rand and Perrin who are shown to grow and change as a result of the revelations they have discovered and the things they have suffered in the first novel. However, we also get to see the Dumb Aes Sedai plot trope get the first of many wearying outings, as Nynaeve, Elayne and Egwene get led into a trap which couldn't be any more painfully obvious. Only their relative youth and naivete makes it convincing in this book; the fact that Elayne is still falling for these things as late as Book 11 is rather more dubious.

The Great Hunt (****) is a notable improvement on the first book, taking the world, story and characters in refreshing and interesting new directions. Jordan's mastery of his enormous narrative is evident here, and even a certain economy (not a word normally associated with the verbose Jordan) of plotting can be detected as some major storylines are rattled through in just a few pages (the Seanchan themselves, surprisingly, don't appear until the book is more than halfway done). The novel is published by Orbit in the UK and Tor in the USA, and is followed by The Dragon Reborn.

Editorial Review:

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow. For centuries, gleemen have told of The Great Hunt of the Horn. Now the Horn itself is found: the Horn of Valere long thought only legend, the Horn which will raise the dead heroes of the ages.

And it is stolen.