“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 Mist. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning.”
-Robert Jordan, the Eye of the World
The Eye of the World. A suitably epic tale to begin the undoubtedly epic series of the Wheel of Time.
I’ve got to say, when I first read the Eye of the World (commonly abbreviated tEotW), I wasn’t exactly overawed. Now before you all jump on me, I did think it was a decent book, and there definitely were parts that I enjoyed and that intrigued me. Additionally, at the time I am writing this review, I am currently reading Knife of Dreams (book 11 of the Wheel of Time), and I can easily say my rating of the Eye of the World has risen as I’ve made my way through the series. Obviously I won’t say anything particular for spoiler reasons, but the amount of foreshadowing shown even WAY back in book 1 and the character development our cast goes through is so dramatic that even at this point in the series I almost fancy digging into the Eye of the World again.
“Death is lighter than a feather. Duty, heavier than a mountain.”
-Robert Jordan, the Eye of the World
Speaking of duty, I should mention the obvious. It’s cliche to say, but yes, the Eye of the World does feel very similar to the Lord of the Rings. The hooded Myrdraal, the flight from the Two Rivers, to an encounter with an object of evil corruption that twists the mind of the holder, and the ‘Wizard’ Moiraine. Whether you shout homage or flat-out stealing, everyone must agree that the two are VERY similar in certain ways.
Saying that, I should mention that I hate it when people use the term ‘trope’ in a derogatory way. In my opinion, If a thing/trope is enjoyable or done well, I see absolutely no problem with it. In fact, some of my favourite aspects of books I read come from certain tropes that are often slated. Maybe that’s partly because I’m not as widely read as some of you others out there, who’ve read HUNDREDS of series and get bored of seeing the same patterns over and over again.
That being said, for those of you out there who are sick of tropes you feel are overused, Robert Jordan does a great job of handling them. The man can clearly write. He has a distinct style and a flowing prose that feels similar to what we as a community are used to, but also plainly separate from that of other writers.
“The fact that the price must be paid is proof it is worth paying.”
-Robert Jordan, the Eye of the World
Speaking of writing style, if you aren’t a fan of overly descriptive writers, you may find this book (and series) a . . . grueling read, to say the least. There is no competition for THAT title. For example, you want to know what the pattern on the scarf of that woman in the corner of the room is? Never fear, Jordan will let you know, along with that of every other person in the room, and the rug, the curtains, the teacups, the . . . Sorry, I got a little sidetracked. Jokes aside, I personally didn’t mind it, but it did make some slow moments drag even longer than were needed.
Anyhow…
As a brief synopsis, the story of the Eye of the World follows 5 main characters. Rand Al’Thor, Matrim Cauthon, Perrin Aybara, Egwene Al’vere and Nynaeve Al’meara. All the members of our group come from Emond’s Field in the Two Rivers, a homely little village relatively undisturbed by the wider world. After Trollocs attack their home, they flee in company with the Aes Sedai Moiraine Damodred, her Warder Lan Mandragoran, and a trusty old gleeman named Thom Merrilin.
Their journeys take them to Shadar Logoth, where Mat steals a sinister knife that starts to make his brain go wonky. The group is then split off into three groups after a frantic escape from the city. Mat, Rand and Thom travel downstream by boat and make their way to Caemlyn, with Thom being lost to a Myrdraal along the way. Perrin and Egwene meet a strange man named Elyas, some Tinkers, and are eventually captured by Whitecloacks, who believe Perrin to be a darkfriend. They are later rescued by Nynaeve, Lan and Moiraine and the three groups finally meet back up together at Caemlyn.
At Caemlyn they meet Loial, an Ogier, then use a Waygate to travel to Sheinar, where the Borderlanders are preparing an attack on a Trolloc army coming out of the Blight. The group travels into the blight to reach the Eye of the World, as it has been revealed that there has been a threat against it, and Moiraine believes it will reveal which of the three boys can channel. They battle two of the Forsaken waiting there and it is revealed that Rand Al’Thor is the One, a male Channeler and the Dragon Reborn.
“Whether the bear beats the wolf or the wolf beats the bear, the rabbit always loses.”
-Robert Jordan, the Eye of the World
The Wheel of Time (and the Eye of the World) is a series with many PoV’s, so you’re always going to have your favourites. Mine were definitely Rand Al’Thor’s. I found his journey gripping from beginning to end, from his encounter with Trollocs at his home, to the twistings of fate being ta’veren brought him, and the tidbits throughout the book that let you as the reader aware that he is more than he seems. I couldn’t get enough of everyone’s reactions toward him, from his fluting prowess, to accidentally falling over a wall into the royal palace of Caemlyn.
I really enjoyed the character’s of Moiraine and Lan. They felt like real people, with their own goals and aspirations. They also seemed to genuinely care for our lost sheep, Moiraine in her mysterious Aes Sedai ways, and Lan in his stern, gruff way. I also loved their platonic relationship (with a capital P). Sometimes it feels honestly hard to find more than a few decent examples of male and female character’s in fantasy who are simply good friends and not love interests.
I also appreciated Perrin’s finding out he’s a Wolfbrother, and the introduction of our favourite Ogier, Loial. I know there are some Loial haters out there but I mean, come on. Who wouldn’t like him? Ten feet tall. Check. Gentle, but ferocious when his friends are threatened. Check. Loves to read. Triple check.
The last thing I want to mention that I enjoyed in the Eye of the World was the worldbuilding. The world is HUGE, and you can see Jordan has put a tremendous effort into developing the cultures, cities, magic systems and so on; they feel rich and real in every sense of the word. As you read, you can sense there is much more going on beneath the surface than is obvious. From my point of view (being on book 11), the amount of subtle foreshadowing the book contains is breathtaking. It definitely sets up the rest of the series extremely well.
“Run when you have to, fight when you must, rest when you can.”
-Robert Jordan, the Eye of the World
Overall, that final quote pretty much sums up the Eye of the World for me. A book of journeyings, of fleeing from the Dark One’s minions, of resting in places of refuge along the way, and fighting when one must.
Still not sure?
Here are the Fantasy Nobility’s Opinions…
“I loved this book. Full stop.”
Man Carrying Thing
“Ok it’s 1:AM and I just finished Eye of The World”
Mike
“I absolutely loved this book.”
The Goblin
“This book was so much fun to read. I had a blast reading it.”
Merphy Napier