Life in Emond's Field has been pretty boring for Rand Al'Thor and his friends until a strange young woman arrives in their village. Moraine is an Aes Sedai, a magician with the ability to wield the One Power, and she brings warnings of a terrible evil awakening in the world. That very night, the village is attacked by bloodthirsty Trollocs - a fearsome tribe of beast-men thought to be no more than myth. As Emond's Field burns, Moraine and her warrior-guardian help Rand and his companions to escape. But it is only the beginning of their troubles. For Moraine believes Rand Al'Thor is the Dragon Reborn, and that he is fated to unite the world against the rising darkness and lead the fight against a being so powerful and evil it is known simply as the Dark One. Part One of the opening volume to Robert Jordan's classic Wheel of Time series, The Eye of the World continues with TO THE BLIGHT, also available in March 2003.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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The Eye of the World and its sequels in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series show the extent to which one can go with a traditional fantasy framework, with added gusto. Stock elements are abound: a reluctant hero--in fact five humble village folk--plucked from wholesome obscurity to fight dark powers; an eternal evil enemy who can be defeated but not destroyed, until the end of the world, which is fast approaching; a mysterious sisterhood with vast powers and who love to manipulate thrones and kingdoms from the shadows (think of the Bene Gesserit of the Dune series); a ferocious battle-hardened warrior race (echoes of the Fremen of Dune, or the Haruchai of the Thomas Covenant novels).
Jordan didn't become a bestselling author merely by mixing up traditional ingredients; a master storyteller, he ingeniously gives unusual twists to these conventional fantasy elements. He also excels in the descriptive and narrative skills needed to create a detailed and coherent imaginary world. The many lands he portrays are vast in scope and contain amazingly varied countries and peoples, while retaining the inner coherence needed to make them satisfying places for a fantasy fan to roam around in. However, Jordan's writing never attains the subtlety or sophistication of, say, George RR Martin and there are some annoying stylistic tics: he seems unable to introduce a female character without commenting on her neckline and thereafter has them forever smoothing their dresses.
To his publisher's credit, Jordan's books are fortunate among fantasy novels in not having covers that look like an explosion of a teenager's bedroom. The absence of such lurid artwork is, perhaps, part of their appeal. --David Pickering --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Review
On very rare occasions, very talented storytellers create worlds that are beyond fantasy; worlds that become realities. Robert Jordan has (- MORGAN LLYWELYN )
Epic in every sense (THE TIMES )
[With} The Wheel of Time, Jordan has come to dominate the world Tolkien began to reveal (THE NEW YORK TIMES )
The Eye of the World and its sequels in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series show the extent to which one can go with a traditional fantasy framework, with added gusto. Stock elements are abound: a reluctant hero--in fact five humble village folk--plucke (To his publisher's credit, Jordan's books are fortunate among fantasy novels in not having covers that look like an explosion of a teenager's bedroom. The absence of such lurid artwork is, perhaps, part of their appeal.’ ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Epic in every sense (THE TIMES )
[With} The Wheel of Time, Jordan has come to dominate the world Tolkien began to reveal (THE NEW YORK TIMES )
The Eye of the World and its sequels in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series show the extent to which one can go with a traditional fantasy framework, with added gusto. Stock elements are abound: a reluctant hero--in fact five humble village folk--plucke (To his publisher's credit, Jordan's books are fortunate among fantasy novels in not having covers that look like an explosion of a teenager's bedroom. The absence of such lurid artwork is, perhaps, part of their appeal.’ ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I thought that book 1 of the Wheel of Time series, The Eye of the World, was excellent, and I quickly picked up and read books 2 and 3. However, half way through book 4, I feel I must relate my experiences to new readers or those considering delving into this lengthy series of books.
As early as book 1, I experienced some minor irritations with characters, the way they were written and the way they acted. They were, though, only minor irritations, easily ignored because of the great story. By book 4, these irritations had become huge, and were seriously impeding my enjoyment of the story. I did a quick Amazon check on the reviews of book 5, only to find that readers were beginning to seriously mark the series down due to these specific annoyances.
In particular, Nynaeve's constant braid tugging, all the women's anger and annoyances with the men around them and the men's confusion over women in general, Mat's dialogue always starting with "Light" or "Burn me" and, a personally irritating one for me, Loial's grin always "splitting his face in two".
The above paragraph may seem very petty if you're just diving into book one, but these are huge books, and when key characters haven't evolved beyond these shallow characterisations when you're practically 4,000 pages into the story, then you might start to see why it can become an issue.
I truly wish I could read beyond these issues, as I'd love to see how the actual story progresses and finishes. I genuinely intended to read all the books in the series, and was really looking forward to a good, long fantasy series that I could stay with for a long time. Unfortunately, this has turned out not to be the one for me.
My recommendation: give book 1 a try, but proceed cautiously from there.
As early as book 1, I experienced some minor irritations with characters, the way they were written and the way they acted. They were, though, only minor irritations, easily ignored because of the great story. By book 4, these irritations had become huge, and were seriously impeding my enjoyment of the story. I did a quick Amazon check on the reviews of book 5, only to find that readers were beginning to seriously mark the series down due to these specific annoyances.
In particular, Nynaeve's constant braid tugging, all the women's anger and annoyances with the men around them and the men's confusion over women in general, Mat's dialogue always starting with "Light" or "Burn me" and, a personally irritating one for me, Loial's grin always "splitting his face in two".
The above paragraph may seem very petty if you're just diving into book one, but these are huge books, and when key characters haven't evolved beyond these shallow characterisations when you're practically 4,000 pages into the story, then you might start to see why it can become an issue.
I truly wish I could read beyond these issues, as I'd love to see how the actual story progresses and finishes. I genuinely intended to read all the books in the series, and was really looking forward to a good, long fantasy series that I could stay with for a long time. Unfortunately, this has turned out not to be the one for me.
My recommendation: give book 1 a try, but proceed cautiously from there.
54 of 60 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Wow. I read this book six months ago and can still tell you exactly what happened, but I won't, because I want everybody to read the books. The wheel of time is surely THE MOST addictive series of books ever. I read Eye of the World in five days and went straight out to buy the next one, and straight out to buy the one after that, and so on. Yes, it's a little slow to start, but the minute Winternight gets going you can't stop. Ever.
Sub-plots galore, love and hate relationships, twists and subtle hints as to what the horrifying ending is all make this book possibly the beginning of the best series I will ever read. People say the later books are more boring and too long, but THIS IS NOT TRUE. Robert Jordan has an amazing talent for story-telling, and I recommend him to everybody.
I must also say that his characters are perfectly developed so that you know precisely who they are and what they would feel and think. By book 9 you will know and love our main characters, and don't start book 1 without thinking you won't finish, because you will be hooked. Enjoy, everybody, you will not find better.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I haven't read the second book of the series yet but the start didn't get me too excited to continue. "The eye of the world" was disappointing due to many bland characters, constant repetition of uninteresting observations the bland characters make, unnecessary explanations of situations and feelings, and generally, thousands of paragraphs that contribute much to the dumbing-down of the story and nothing to plot or character development.
All this, combined with seemingly unending similarities to the Tolkien universe, of which, the two most annoying to me were the naive black and white morality and the continuous walking, result in a completely forgettable and mediocre start to a series that I hope gets better.
There are some redeeming points of course. The beginning (before the walking starts), for example, was particularly strong. Moreover, there are several fascinating elements to the history of the world that make it very interesting to delve into, in contrast with the otherwise unoriginal story.
All this, combined with seemingly unending similarities to the Tolkien universe, of which, the two most annoying to me were the naive black and white morality and the continuous walking, result in a completely forgettable and mediocre start to a series that I hope gets better.
There are some redeeming points of course. The beginning (before the walking starts), for example, was particularly strong. Moreover, there are several fascinating elements to the history of the world that make it very interesting to delve into, in contrast with the otherwise unoriginal story.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
re reading
top class just starting to re read all of the wheel of time books found it just as good second time around
Published 2 days ago by mr t a w norris
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant
A captivating story I would recommend to all readers of any age. The plot is entertaining and the characters feelings are well conveyed.
Published 15 days ago by Mrs Karen Kenyon
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing - Rivals a song of ice and fire and Abhorsen easily
I've wanted to read this series for ages and have been putting them off until I got my kindle. This was certainly a great first purchase. Read more
Published 20 days ago by Craig
5.0 out of 5 stars
Complex, Intense, Compassionate, and fantastically real.
I picked this up in passing a bookstore for a glance over. It quickly drew me in, and for 2 days it mesmerized me. Read more
Published 23 days ago by Greg
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great
Awesome book in great condition. Can not wait to get the rest and complete my collection, they are a must have!
Published 23 days ago by AHW
4.0 out of 5 stars
start of a new series
I have always wanted to read the wheel of time series but as I was in the middle of another set of stories I left this till the story was complete so I could savour the full lot at... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Michael McGinty
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Read
Am enjoying this book and will keep buying the rest of the series. Have enjoyed Si-Fi fantasy for years and this has been a good find.
Published 1 month ago by Wee Eck
3.0 out of 5 stars
Tough going but worth the effort.
I was sceptical about this saga the sheer epic scale is daunting, yet once you get your teeth into the characters it soon becomes obvious that you have to know what happens to... Read more
Published 1 month ago by DaveDoubleT
3.0 out of 5 stars
great in 1991, not so riveting now
So ,book 1 in the critically aclaimed 'wheel of time' series. sold thousands of copies worldwide, with an army of devotees who eagerly snap up whatever Mr Jordan pens. Read more
Published 1 month ago by D. MACKENZIE
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love love love it
This book was recommended to me and i loved it. It took a little while to get to know who all the characters were but i loved the way they evolve throughout the book. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Emma
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