The Eye of the World

From the moment I spied the cover, I knew I had to read this book. 

It featured an armored soldier on horseback leading a group of weary travelers on a dark, foreboding night. It whispered of danger and mystery–two things all good fantasy contains. The group, inspired by prophecy, battles against unworldly creatures, eyeless monsters, and enigmatic foes in their quest to defeat the dark one.

I loved the clear delineation between the creator and the dark one and their contrasting visions for the world.

After many years of avoiding large, thick fantasy books and series due to being a slower reader, I realized if I wanted to continue to read the best fantasy, I would have to break down and pick one up.

At the recommendation of a friend in the early 90s, I bought Eye of the World. I had a hard time getting into it at first, because I was intimidated. Then something happened in the book and I couldn’t put it down after that. I was amazed it read like a smaller book and I was amazed I finished in about… show more.

Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series is the very definition of sprawling epic, the entire story spanning fourteen volumes. While it is steeped in a number of thematic elements that may, from modern perspective, be seen as tropes, the intricate design of the magic system in the books is undeniable. 

The system is described over time through the series with such nuance that the reader can begin to have a very clear notion of what is and is not possible, and feel an understanding of how things are done, almost as if we the readers are versed in the topic.… show more.

The Wheel of Time series has my admiration for its incredible depth. Other fantasy series have set up final, epic, conflicts, but none have done so complete a job of creating a big, interconnected world as Jordan did. And his magic system—the One Power—is given incredible development. It is integral to the religion, history, and even cosmology of his world. There is a historically anchored conflict between men and women in Jordan’s series, and it is exemplified in his magic system, where the men access one side of magic, and the women, the other. This creates a misanthropic rift. How… show more.

Although the first novel in this series was not produced until 1990, it was still unusual and refreshing for me to discover a society where women rather than men wielded power. But these women were as flawed as their male counterparts and the struggle between good and evil continued unabated. Religion is a key theme, and having been brought up in a mixed-religion family, I was curious about different types of religion, particularly the conflict between the beliefs upon which they were based (usually good) versus the destruction and cruelty caused by most of them at some time in history.… show more.

The series is for a dedicated fantasy reader who enjoys an epic, in-depth story full of characters who sit on the side of either the dark or the light, which leads to good versus evil. It contains a multitude of characters who will catch your emotions and carry you through 14 books. The layers of storylines are incredible and the imagination of this author to capture such depth is well worth the time to read his works. Unfortunately, Robert passed unable to complete this series, but with the contribution of another fantasy writer (Brandon Sanderson), chosen by him to end… show more.

Rand is the ultimate unsuspecting hero, ever skeptical of myth and superstition. When presented with an opportunity to make a difference and save the world, he wants no part of it, wishing to simply return to his old life. A sometimes frustrating journey, Rand struggles with a past he doesn’t know, a present that is uncomfortable, and a future that is vastly uncertain, all the while people around him giving their lives for him.

The Wheel of Time gets a bad wrap as a slog, and it may be so further in the series. But I never found it boring. Rather, what I found while reading Jordan’s epic was a magical world that I could become fully engrossed in. What starts as a thin Lord of the Rings clone soon becomes its own unique tale of prophecy and adventure incomparable to any other fantasy.

The monsters and the magic are also both in top form! Trollocs are like orcs on steroids, with the magic of the Aes Sedai being one of the first hard… show more.

I think book 1 of his 14-book series Wheel of Time is Robert Jordan’s best. I absolutely adored Rand (and Mat). The story is a classic because the detail is so vivid, the pacing perfect, and the world building as rich and vast as Tolkien’s Middle Earth. I’m the kind of reader who wants to get lost in a story and stay there as long as I can. Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time will. As for the characters, every one of them has distinct personalities and I quickly chose my favorites. There were some I loved to hate as well. 

Adventure awaits you in each and every book in this series. It is easy to see why they made a TV series around the books. However, the books are much better than the series. The weaving of the plot with the wonderful characterization makes this series a page-turner.