Customer Reviews

The Wheel of Time, Box Set 3: Books 7-9 (A Crown of Swords / The Path of Daggers / Winter's Heart)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" is a love-'em-or-hate-'em series -- either you will adore it for its thick machinations and intense detail, or hate it for the glacial pace and often-annoying characters.

By the time the sixth novel arrived, it was becoming clear that if Jordan even possessed the ability to finish the series, he wasn't going to anytime soon. The seventh, eighth and ninth books are compiled in this boxed set, but it seems like very little actually happens in these doorstoppers.

"Crown of Swords," which suffers from this glacial pace, includes Elayne, Aviendha, and Mat searching for a magical bowl that will reverse a deadly heat wave, but Mat's flirtatious nature attracts a ravenous Queen who won't take "no" for an answer. Unfortunately, Rand (who spends most of the book thinking) now believes that he's going bonkers.

Things only go further downhill in "Path of Daggers," both for the characters and the readers. Rand believes that his magic will kill everyone he holds dear, and must also deal with the Seanchan as they attack the Dragon Reborn (that's Rand), Ebou Dar and everybody Rand commands. Meanwhile, his friends are still en route to wherever they are going, and the Bowl of Winds has cooled the heat wave.

The same holding pattern is in place in "Winter's Heart," where Rand is still upset and has nearby been killed. His friends are distracted by a series of kidnappings, crownings and civil wars within the Aes Sedai, and so Rand must tip the balance against the Dark One by himself, even if it takes twenty more books to do so.

Long books or series can sometimes be a blessing; the best and most beloved of the fantasy genre are usually big awkward tomes, or at least several books long.

Unfortunately, when a series loses momentum, and the same cast is used in every book... the series is going to inevitably deteriorate. As a result, Jordan's series is overflowing with potentially glorious plotlines, but most of them are stretched thin until you just want the things to end.

One of the biggest problems with Jordan's series is that his women -- almost without exception -- act like the most demented man-haters in the world. This wasn't as annoying when the series showed some forward momentum, but when it's in a holding pattern, this becomes teeth-grindingly unbearable. It makes one wonder about Jordan's own relationships.

So do descriptions of braid-pulling, cleavage, smoothing clothing, and the details of farms, vases and statues that we will never, ever see again. Jordan does not seem to realize that except for the monumentally talented -- Tolkien, McKillip, Lewis -- less is more. His focus on minutiae feels like he is trying to fill out the required number of pages.

Virtually nothing is accomplished in these three novels, except for finding that bloody bowl and fighting a few battles; there are meetings that decide nothing, journeys that don't end, and political conflicts that get progressively messier without reaching a finale. And Rand, who spends relatively few pages being active, has reached the level of a polygamous demi-god, yet he doesn't come across as being a future savior, but an uncertain kid.

The seventh, eighth and ninth volumes of the "Wheel of Time" series seem impressive, until it becomes clear that virtually nothing is going on. In truth, Jordan is spinning his "wheel."

Robert Jordan has created an incredibly disverse, and well though out world. There are several plots going on the intertwine with each other, and the characters are very complex themselves. There's a reason this guy has eleven books in this saga. Awesome read.

I echo the sentiment of other reviewers so I'm making my review short. There is much sash twitching, names that sound identical, and excessive detail for an item that has been described before. If you like the series then this shouldn't be too much of an issue, considering the series starts picking up again at book 11.

I started reading this series when it first came out in the 1990's. I followed every twist and turn in the plots of the books and loved everything about them.
When Robert Jordan died I figured no one would ever be able to finish the series, but I was wrong. Brandon Sanderson has done a totally awesome job with the latest in the series, His style and Jordans mesh seamlessly. Kudos to JR's wife for choosing Brandon to finish the series!

I give the actually story 5 stars, but the binding only 1. Several pages came completely loose while reading. A trouble I have had with all of the Jordan boxed sets.
I can hardly wait for book number twelve

robert jorden was a very talented writter and will be missed. his wheel of time searies in my opion is the best set of fanticies novels ever written. the storyline and charcters are so rich in content you can actuall see your self identifing with them. You feel as if you actuall know them i highly recommend tanyof these book to anyone

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.

Read the first set so many times that replacements were needed-the first copies were falling apart.

I am so sorry that book 13 was the last. They were filled with love, adventure and frightening imaging. I stayed up many a night just to finished a chapter or 3. I will miss the people in the stories. Also, I will miss the writing of Robert Jordan. We lost a very special person and writer. My heart goes out to his family. His books will live on.

Please refer to my other reviews of the Robert Jordan boxed sets, which was the only way, besides Kindle, to get book one; info on publishing lingo should be part of the data when buying a paperback so it is obvious (without searching for dimensions) the sizes of the books, which in this case considering the length of the books, makes them impossible to handle with any limitations in hand use; the small size means small print, as well, which with aging eye-sight, is also a problem; I've read the series before and was disappointed in the inconsistent quality of the story, but in general, I have enjoyed this series