A Crown Of Swords: Book Seven of 'The Wheel of Time'

This particular Robert Jordan novel has been the Achilles Heel of me getting over the middle hump of this bloated fantasy series, but I was finally able to make it through, with the help of the unabridged audiobook off audible.com. I actually found that listening to Jordan's prose (redundant or richly detailed depending on who you talk to) works better for me than reading it off the page. I did a little of both while reading this installment, and enjoyed it. I'm not a die-hard fan of the series, but I loved the first book -- it would be one of my top 10 fantasy novels for sure, but I have the same complaint as many...when will it ever end? I gained a new perspective while re-reading the first 6 books a while back, namely that reading a series like Wheel of Time is like watching a television series. In fact, I think that's the only sort of filmed adaptation that could be done of the books. Aside from the unnecessary (at least it seems so now) wounding of Rand by Padan Fain in the last few chapters, the book was a great "next step" for all the characters in the series. That said, Mat Cauthon's storyline is the one that I liked the most this time around. Rand was too moody and Perrin's too obtuse. And as a quick side note...why are only males ta'veren?

After the wild ride that was the sixth book, the seventh is a big failure. The characters are becoming much less captivating and the plot is rather dull. There are good moments to hold the story together, but the influx of extra characters is hard to withstand. Ultimately the end sequences is uninspired and typical. I had hoped for more.

Although i'm only eleven i personally thought this book was a real thriller. with all of the cliff hangers and changes the series gets better by the book!Robert Jordan outshines all of the previous authors i have read from. He captivates me and i can never put the books down. I especially like the battles which are very well written(i love all of the suspense and action!)Thank you Robert Jordan for introducing very well written series for me it is definitly a book to reccomend!

In book 7 of the series, the hunt is on for the "Bowl of Winds". Although several other small things happen, I can't seem to recall what they are, as the whole focus of the book seems to be in just one place. For the first time ever, I got the feeling that either Jordan lost sight of his goal, or that he's simply trying to extend the series as much as he can. His writing style has not changed, but I found myself wanting the book to end. This book could have been several hundred pages shorter. Despite this rather cold review, I am still anxiously awaiting Book 8, and I still recommend the series.