Book Review: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

I have read The Eye of the World, the first book of The Wheel of Time, probably 3 times since I first discovered it more than a dozen years ago. It's stayed with me all this time and with the announcement of an actual TV series based on it (not the vague rumors from years ago), I knew I had to at least re-read the first book to re-acquaint myself with the characters and the legend of the Dragon. One of the largest Epic fantasy stories of modern times, it deserves to be read by fans of the genre.

Read on for my spoiler-free review.

Overall Impression

This book is where it all starts. Even at the onset, you can tell it's going to be a long ride. This book has it all, a fast-paced engaging plot that hints at a grander adventure to come; a unique cast of characters that grow and develop within the book, and for the rest of the series, too; and a setting that captures the imagination, whether it is of the magic, the cultures, or the legends of thousands of years past.

Plot

The plot of The Eye of the World may start a bit slow, but it quickly builds up speed and then barrels along towards the end in a rush. I would say there are roughly phases to the book, first the introduction and development of the main characters, as they leave the Two Rivers for the world beyond. This takes roughly the first half or so of the book. The second phase is when the team is separated, a lot of tension develops here, and the split narratives foreshadows the way the series will develop- with multiple protagonists and plot lines all interwoven. The final quarter of the book or so is when the team rejoins and the end goal is in sight. There is still plenty of tension and struggle, but with the whole team grown stronger during the middle phase you feel like they can finally overcome things. 

All throughout the plot there is a lot of foreshadowing, especially on a re-read. Secondary characters or place names and events are brought up and an avid reader will catch them and realize that we will see them again or we will revisit them in the future. This makes the narrative far more epic since not only do you get the main story, and some interesting legends of the past, but also tantalizing hints on what is to come.

Characters

The main characters are almost too many too name, since everyone is important in this story and to The Wheel of Time in general. You have the three ta'veren, the three boys from the Two Rivers that the Dark One is hunting: Rand al'Thor, Perrin Aybara, and Matrim Cauthon. From the Two Rivers you also have Egwene and Nynaeve, which although secondary in this first book, grow to be quite important. We also have Moiraine Sedai and her Warder Lan, the gleeman Thom Merrilin, and even the Ogier Loial. The three boys are the key to this tale, however, as we as readers are trying to find out who specifically is being hunted and why (though there are plenty of hints, some quite obvious, as to the underlying reason).

Setting / World Building

The setting of The Wheel of Time is grand with an interesting system of magic revolving around the One Power which stems from the True Source in two parts: the male half saidin and the female half saidar. While we learn more about this in subsequent books, we know at least that men who use the One Power go mad and somehow broke the world in ancient times. Women, however, from a group of people known as Aes Sedai and they safeguard the world against the forces of evil, though they themselves are frequently viewed with distrust.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the setting in this series is the manner of speech of the different cultures. It's very subtle in the first book, but we do see a few characters from other nations and their mannerisms are very apparent in how they speak. It's a very clever way to showcase the varied cultures without relying on physical characteristics, clothing styles (though Jordan is known to be quite descriptive at this), or such.

My only minor criticism to the setting of this series is that the 'world' itself does not have a name. It is simply the world to them, but to fans it has become Randland, so named for the primary character. While Tolkien has Middle Earth and Sanderson has Roshar, I would have liked a unique name for this world.

Final Thoughts

This book was as great as I remembered it. It's made me excited all over again and I want to continue re-reading the series, though I don't know if I can spare the time for a 14-book series again. I loved the characters, the setting, the plot. It's such a grand tale and one of the best epic fantasies to date. I still want to do a comparison of The Wheel of Time with The Malazan Book of the Fallen as they are both grand, multi-volume fantasies though very different in their themes. In the end, I highly recommend people check out The Eye of the World as the beginning of a long, epic journey.