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The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time) by…
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The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time) (edition 1992)

by Robert Jordan

Series: The Wheel of Time (1)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
19,651374232 (4)3 / 450
In the Third Age, an age of prophecy when the world and time themselves hang in the balance, the Dark One, imprisoned by the Creator, is stirring in Shayol Ghul.
Member:brightglance
Title:The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time)
Authors:Robert Jordan
Info:Orbit (1992), Paperback, 832 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:
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Work Information

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

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» See also 450 mentions

English (356)  Italian (4)  Dutch (4)  Spanish (2)  French (1)  German (1)  All languages (368)
Showing 1-5 of 356 (next | show all)
I'm certainly late to the party on this one. This book sat on my shelf unread for over two decades before I finally cracked the cover and it was already old and well beloved by the time I purchased a copy. Now that I've finally dipped my tip into the monumental work that is Jordan's Wheel of Time series, I can understand the appeal.

The prologue quickly set up some tension and intriguing insights into the overarching storyline and mythos. It also left the reader with plenty of questions, just the thing to keep pages turning.

The book does a great job of introducing us to a wealth of characters, locations and stories. I was pleased that most of the characters quickly felt distinct with their own characteristics and voice. Their actions and reactions felt fairly believable given the circumstances and the nature of each character. We didn't get a ton of depth into the characters from the prologue but moving into the first chapter, the author methodically puts characters into our path and drops details to us in a slow but increasingly steady pace.

The worldbuilding was also interesting. The physical structure of the world felt familiar enough as it stretched across the landscape similar to many other fantasy books. The social structure and nature of magic and religion was quickly identified as something unique to this world and something to keep an eye on. The first few chapters also quickly identified the mystical threats lurking on the fringes of the page, ready to send the characters and the plot into action. As the plot revealed itself, it also felt familiar enough to be a comfortable Hero's Journey tale while also being unique enough to be compelling.

As our band of heroes set off on their adventure, I was excited to discover each obstacle and misadventure they were sure to encounter. Naturally each step of their journey allowed for moments of exposition to allow the reader more insight into the backstory of the world and the motivations of each character. Without going into spoilers, I did enjoy the mystery surrounding our heroes and their own particular relevance to the plot and it was fun to see different revelations slowly unfold.

My main gripe with the book was that the story, plot and pacing sometimes felt muddied by the writing and structure. I wholeheartedly appreciated the wonderful details peppered throughout the pages to enhance the plot and provide suspense and intrigue but there were other chunks of text that felt descriptive and wordy merely to take up space. It felt like foreshadowing of problems I had heard from people who say the series had moments where it really bogged down and lost momentum. Even from this single book I felt that there was a fair amount of content that could have been trimmed in order to streamline the pacing and flow of the story.

Still, The Eye of the World sets up what is sure to be a sprawling, epic adventure. I am not yet wholly invested in the characters and the plot but I am entertained enough that I will likely seek out the second book at some point. I don't yet feel like I can invest to read the entire massive series but I'm willing to try out the next one and see if it hooks me enough to want to continue on.

***
3 out of 5 stars ( )
  theokester | Mar 28, 2024 |
This is the first novel in the The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. It is a fantasy novel centered around several main characters that is a good against evil tale. Emond's Field is a small village that does not attract too much attention in the kingdom as it mainly consists of farmers. One night, though, it is invaded by Trollocs, monsters that are bred to be an evil fighting force. There to help the village is a woman who wields a lot of power, a so-called Aes Sedai by the name of Moraine. Together with her Warder Lan, she helps keep the evil forces at bay and prevent total destruction of the town. This begs the questions: Why do evil forces invade such a small and apparently insignificant village? And why does a sorceress come to their help? It is soon revealed that some of the villagers seem to have a special role in the fight against the evil force, the Dark One. Matrim or Mat Cauthon, Perrin Aybara, Rand al'Thor, Egwene al'Vere and Nynaeve al'Meara leave the village with the Aes Sedai to start their quest of fighting against the evil forces. The first novel in the series follows the group along their way through the kingdom and relates the challenges they have to face and the obstacles they have to overcome.

At first, I found the story a bit hard to get into as I had to familiarize myself with all the different characters and the lingo that is special to the Wheel of Time universe (there is a glossary, though). Once I got into the story, it kept me reading and wanting to learn more, both about the characters and about the fight of good versus evil. There is a lot of background that is slowly revealed and at points the motives of the different characters are questioned. I will definitely continue with the series and would recommend it to readers of fantasy fiction. It is no Lord of the Rings (yet?), but it is highly enjoyable. 4 stars. ( )
  OscarWilde87 | Mar 21, 2024 |
Fantasy
  BooksInMirror | Feb 19, 2024 |
An OK book that I got bored with half-way through. I am enjoying it on Prime though. ( )
  lfritts | Jan 30, 2024 |
It's the type of book that starts with a beautiful fantasy map and the heroes are recruited by a wizard from a rural village, then take a tour of various countries on the map; in the process they discover they have been Chosen to Fulfill a Prophecy. So it's a pleasant (if derivative) remix of epic fantasy tropes, but I read and re-read this book a lot way back when, so I have a lot of affection for the characters. ( )
  yaj70 | Jan 22, 2024 |
Showing 1-5 of 356 (next | show all)

» Add other authors (12 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Jordan, Robertprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Canty, ThomasCartographersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ciocci, ValeriaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Grove, DavidCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kramer, MichaelNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Mitchell, EllisaCartographersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Nielsen, Matthew C.Illustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Pike, RosamundNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Reading, KateNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Russo, CarolCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Staffilano, Gaetano LuigiTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Sweet, Darrell K.Cover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Weber, SamCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Epigraph
And the shadow fell upon the Land, and the World was riven stone from stone. The oceans fled, and the mountains were swallowed up, and the nations were scattered to the eight corners of the World. The moon was as blood, and the sun was as ashes. The seas boiled, and the living envied the dead. All was shattered, and all but memory lost, and one memory above all others, of him who brought the Shadow and the Breaking of the World. And him they named Dragon.

(from Aleth nin Taerin alta Camora,
The Breaking of the World.

Author unknown, the Fourth Age)
And it came to pass in those days, as it had come before and would come again, that the Dark lay heavy on the land and weighed down the hearts of men, and the green things failed, and hope died. And men cried out to the Creator, saying, O Light of the Heavens, Light of the World, let the Promised One be born of the mountain, according to the prophecies, as he was in ages past and will be in ages to come. Let the Prince of the Morning sing to the land that green things will grow and the valleys give forth lambs. Let the arm of the Lord of the Dawn shelter us from the Dark, and the great sword of justice defend us. Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time.
(from Charal Drianaan te Calamon,
The Cycle of the Dragon.

Author unknown, the Fourth Age)
Dedication
To Harriet
Heart of my heart,
Light of my life,
Forever
First words
The palace still shook occasionally as the earth rumbled in memory, groaned as if it would deny what had happened. (Prologue)
The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose in the Mountains of the Mist. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginning nor endings to turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning. (Chapter One)
Quotations
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Wikipedia in English (1)

In the Third Age, an age of prophecy when the world and time themselves hang in the balance, the Dark One, imprisoned by the Creator, is stirring in Shayol Ghul.

No library descriptions found.

Book description
The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.
When The Two Rivers is attacked by Trollocs--a savage tribe of half-men, half-beasts-- five villagers flee that night into a world they barely imagined, with new dangers waiting in the shadows and in the light.
Haiku summary
The Fade on his horse /
The trollocs crash winternight /
Ba'alzamonā€Ž's eyes
(davidwil)
The Wheel of Time turns /
Lews Therin Telamon lives, /
The Dragon Reborn
(SirNoodle)

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