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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
What an epic tale! I kept putting off fantasy novels because what I'd read years ago was so heavy on world building, gory depictions of murder, and gratuitous porn-esque sex scenes, that I had sworn off the genre for a looooong time. What a shame!
This book was so well written; filled with detail, engrossing characters, adventure, friendship, and coming of age. It was Narnia, King Arthur, and Tolkien wrapped up into a fantastic bundle.
Thank goodness for the Glossary at the end of the book. At over 800 pages, it was a little difficult to go back and try to remember who some of the characters were or who fought which battles.
This book was so well written; filled with detail, engrossing characters, adventure, friendship, and coming of age. It was Narnia, King Arthur, and Tolkien wrapped up into a fantastic bundle.
Thank goodness for the Glossary at the end of the book. At over 800 pages, it was a little difficult to go back and try to remember who some of the characters were or who fought which battles.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Nothing ground breaking in the first book and I haven’t really grown attached to the characters as yet. However, it’s a long series and there is plenty of time for that.
The first book felt very much like it was setting the scene for what is to come but it suffered from uneven pacing. Apparently, the next book is better and the series as a whole is a firm favourite of many fantasy fans.
It has peaked my interest enough for me to pick up the second book, we’ll see how it goes…..
The first book felt very much like it was setting the scene for what is to come but it suffered from uneven pacing. Apparently, the next book is better and the series as a whole is a firm favourite of many fantasy fans.
It has peaked my interest enough for me to pick up the second book, we’ll see how it goes…..
slow-paced
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I didn't enjoy this book at all, I even had to make myself read it.
I had heard a lot of good things about this book and many people said that I had to read it since it was my genre. They were right this is my genre, but when I read a book I want to be carried away with the story and the characters. I want the book to make me want to read more, find out what happens next...
This book didn't do that at all. I didn't have an interest in the story, I couldn't connect with the characters. And it took a very long time for the story to start there was a lot of useless information throughout the book, and because of the little things that happen you lose track of the storyline.
No more Robert Jordan for me.
I had heard a lot of good things about this book and many people said that I had to read it since it was my genre. They were right this is my genre, but when I read a book I want to be carried away with the story and the characters. I want the book to make me want to read more, find out what happens next...
This book didn't do that at all. I didn't have an interest in the story, I couldn't connect with the characters. And it took a very long time for the story to start there was a lot of useless information throughout the book, and because of the little things that happen you lose track of the storyline.
No more Robert Jordan for me.
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
While it had certain problems like convenient endings, a plot pushed through unnecessary secrets, by far its biggest failure is its hasty and weird resolution in the end where the problem just goes away (kind of) mysteriously. AND YET, this book opens so much of the world and puts so many intriguing pieces in place that I am eager to read the whole series. Fortunately, I have also heard that these things don't remain big problems in the future, so yayy to that too!
Bloated and a tad derivative, Jordan sows the seeds for the rest of the series, but does little to distinguish the debut volume.
First off - the prologue shocks and awes. Magic, power, madness: The prologue draws us in, throwing terms at us we don't yet understand, promising a long and grand adventure.
After that, the book moves at a tepid pace. We see the same beats of the Fellowship of the Ring, Star Wars, the Belgariad - young boy unaware of his important heritage must flee his small town after the forces of evil come for him. While those other stories have a goal to push towards - Destroying the One Ring, saving Princess Leia - there's little pushing the story forward in EotW. We read through endless scenes of Rand reaching a new town and then running away from Darkfriends - what has been accomplished? The only real story happens in the last tenth of the novel, where the danger suddenly ratchets up to eleven as they rush to Shayol Ghul to prevent the Dark One from escaping his prison. This final section is done well, particularly the descriptions of the Blight and the reveal of Lan's backstory. But one wonders how much of the preceding five hundred pages were necessary.
Though I can understand the character reasons for it - Rand and Mat are naive farmboys who have never been outside of their village, and also have been raised to distrust Aes Sedai - the sheer genre blindness of the characters grates on you throughout the book. Imagine the strife Rand could have avoided by simply telling Moiraine about the dagger immediately when she asked if Mordeth had given them anything... Conflict from poor communication always frustrates me as a reader, and here is no different.
I do have a positive opinion of Ba'alzemon as the antagonist - making the Dark Lord take such an active role in the story rather than just waiting for the heroes to arrive and fight him is a good take on the trope, and his menace and corrupting nature comes across well.
Overall, a lackluster beginning that hopefully will set the groundwork for better books to come.
First off - the prologue shocks and awes. Magic, power, madness: The prologue draws us in, throwing terms at us we don't yet understand, promising a long and grand adventure.
After that, the book moves at a tepid pace. We see the same beats of the Fellowship of the Ring, Star Wars, the Belgariad - young boy unaware of his important heritage must flee his small town after the forces of evil come for him. While those other stories have a goal to push towards - Destroying the One Ring, saving Princess Leia - there's little pushing the story forward in EotW. We read through endless scenes of Rand reaching a new town and then running away from Darkfriends - what has been accomplished? The only real story happens in the last tenth of the novel, where the danger suddenly ratchets up to eleven as they rush to Shayol Ghul to prevent the Dark One from escaping his prison. This final section is done well, particularly the descriptions of the Blight and the reveal of Lan's backstory. But one wonders how much of the preceding five hundred pages were necessary.
Though I can understand the character reasons for it - Rand and Mat are naive farmboys who have never been outside of their village, and also have been raised to distrust Aes Sedai - the sheer genre blindness of the characters grates on you throughout the book. Imagine the strife Rand could have avoided by simply telling Moiraine about the dagger immediately when she asked if Mordeth had given them anything... Conflict from poor communication always frustrates me as a reader, and here is no different.
I do have a positive opinion of Ba'alzemon as the antagonist - making the Dark Lord take such an active role in the story rather than just waiting for the heroes to arrive and fight him is a good take on the trope, and his menace and corrupting nature comes across well.
Overall, a lackluster beginning that hopefully will set the groundwork for better books to come.