The Path of Daggers (The Wheel of Time, Book 8)

Robert Jordan is an amazingly talented author.

The entire series takes you on a journey of a lifetime. You feel connected to the characters. Love and hate some of them. The story is so great it's hard to put it down.

It seems a lot of people are disappointed with this book, and the series in general. I believe this is because you're not reading closely enough. Read it again, and pay attention - there's PLENTY to keep you busy. Just think of all the mysteries there are. Who killed Asmodean. According to RJ, by bk. 6 it should be "obvious." Do you know? Have you even wondered, or tried to figure it out? There are two popular theories on the web, one is Graendal and the other Lanfear. Try looking at all the websites, reading their reasoning, and create your own theory. Who do you think is beating Sheriam? Who is Mesaana in the Tower? Who killed Adeleas and Ispan? These things fascinate me, and I find myself going back and looking for clues, and reading what other people think on the web. After that, if you have a new idea, you can send it to people who have the websites, and discuss/get yours posted. People say there's not enough action, but you're just not looking closely enough; there's plenty to keep you occupied. If you pay attention to all the mysteries, and look for clues, you're certain to find something that will keep you intrigued. The sheer quality of the writing is amazing, but if you go back and look through the rest of the books, you notice things you never would have before. For example, how many of you realized that in Book1, Ishamael healed Lews Therin with the True Power (the black eye stuff)? The books are layered and layered and layered, and you can't even begin to comprehend it until several readings all the way through. There's just so much here, if you don't like the books, then you're expecting everything to be handed to you simply. Reread it and try to figure it out and speculate. Trust me, you'll enjoy it a lot more than sitting here complaining.

I think that even though Jordan's books have supposedly slowed down in action and large movements in plot that it provides the necessity of a long story to allow the reader to "personally" get to know the characters and story. I also think that the more recent books are allowing for a good set up for Rand as he approaches "Tarmon Gai'don" and allows the prophecies to be fulfilled that have been introduced in his first books. I think that with the extremely comlex plot of Jordan's books you cannot rush the story into a simple and disappointing ending. I think that Robert Jordan is doing a great job (one that I am sure none of us could match) and that he should continue writing his books in the fashion he sees as best suitable.

I am not much of a reader, well, I wasn't much of a reader till this series came along. It has captivated me and has had me reading and re-reading it over and over, each reading has always enlightened more of the story to myself making each re-reading as exciting and entralling as the first time I picked it up, maybe more so! I look forward to the following book(s) and wish they would never end. Robert Jordan is a brilliant writer, few others have managed to capture my interest as tightly as this one and I have read it more than most others.

I thought it was a great book. If you read the whole series in one continuous cycle, it works out great. If you didnt like it, I say read it again. Cause I didnt think it was that great at first, but then I read it again. I thought it was a lot better. I looked deeper into it, and found it more enjoyable. I didnt look at it from a critics point of view at all. All I can say is read it again. And Robert Jordan, THANKS FOR SIGNING MY BOOK:), makes it all worthwhile.

I began this series with a failure of interest, and the confusion at the beginning of it didn't help much. But as I read on my interest gradually rose until finally I became just another one of many WoT fanatic. Not only does it succeed in what most books fail at--giving the world a life of its own and then bringing you there, so you experience all the love and hate, pain and ecstacy that the characters experience as if YOU were the characters. The detail is emence and the plot intricate. Also Jordan makes you think about the story and what events will occur later on, instead of laying it out cut and dry (although I do have to admit this Read And Find Out business he gives for every question is rather irking). The only downfalls I find in his series come from the recent book, The Path of Daggers. He relented the descriptive details and brought characters into the story who had nothing to do with the previous books, only to have them killed or rid of twenty pages later. Also, his characters are starting to get quite annoying; and Mat, my utmost favorite character in the series was absent the whole book. But with my ever lasting faith in Jordan's works, I'm sure has a reasonable excuse for these faults. If you want to read a massive story wherein you get to know the characters like a close friend, whilst exploring an enormous world, then read the WoT (and kick yourself if you don't). But reader prepare thyself, for Jordan might again decide to pull a Let's-make-a-book-about-my-books and-a-short-story-also stunt--which thus makes the WoT fans tear their hair over the 2 1\2 years of waiting for the next book.