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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I did try to read The Eye of the World years and years ago, but I was possibly a bit too young and hadn’t yet read much in the genre, as I couldn’t read beyond the first few chapters when the Trollocs turn up, a hideous humanoid monster with heads of beasts like goats, pigs and wolves, and hooves for feet. They gave me nightmares, and I’ve been reluctant to go back to it ever since.
I’m not sure what changed my mind – but I bought myself a copy earlier this year and gave it another go. It might be because I’d enjoyed reading Sanderson’s Mistborn saga so much, I figured if he was the one to finish Jordan’s epic series, then I’d probably get on well with Jordan’s writing too. That and I’ve read about much scarier things than Trollocs since then, so I should be ok!
The story begins in Emonds Field, the back of beyond as far as the rest of the world is concerned, and the locals are more than happy with this. They have their farms, their blacksmith, their inn and their festivals, with little for the Village Council or the Women’s Council to discuss, and nothing but peddlers and the occasional Merchant travelling through. This winter has been the hardest in living memory, with wolves coming down from the mountain and crops failing to grow – something to cause everyone concern and even raise whispers of a higher cause than just the weather. But none of that is likely to put a hold on preparations for the spring festival of Bel Tine.
Rand is on his way in to the village with his father, and their own contributions to the festival, when suddenly he spots a black horseman in the distance, whose cloak remains still in the wind. Upon arriving at the village, no one else has seen the black rider, save two other young men his own age. The rider is forgotten however, as two strangers and a gleeman arrive, ready to make for an unforgettable Bel Tine.
But that night, Trollocs attack the outlying farms and the village itself, forcing Rand and the other two boys to leave with the two strangers, an Aes Sedai mage and her Warder guard, along with the gleeman and a young girl named Egwene, too stubborn to do anything else. As they flee, further than any of them could imagine, they begin to discover their fates are wound tightly in the Pattern, as woven by the Wheel of Time.
I really enjoyed the beginning stages of the book, as you learn about the Emonds Fielders and their ways, and seeing how they view the big wide world from their quiet little corner. Moiraine, the Aes Sedai, has a wonderful force about her that makes her captivating to read about, as well as the mysteries surrounding the magic and legends of the world. Thom Merrilin, the gleeman (or bard), largely knows the world through his stories and, seeing him find out the extent of the truth behind them is enjoyable.
I did begin to struggle though after about a third of the book. The chase continues, mysteries are hinted at, and the chase continues. I can’t grasp how fully Jordan must have had this world realised in his mind even with the first book, as there are mentions of myth and legend, magic and power, Light and Dark which are so ingrained into the characters there is no need for explanation. Whilst sometimes these things can be over explained in a very laborious, patronising way, I did feel that a little more context on the history and the present story would have been helpful. I found the magic and power a little confusing, the fear and terror surrounding it didn’t quite add up to the way it was revered in ages past.
That being said, the middle third of the book dragged on so much, I really struggled to get through it. It just felt like chapter after chapter of travelling, moving from one place to the next, meeting characters and moving on from them, with no further understanding as to what the main characters were all running from, or why. On the one hand, that does convey how the characters themselves must have been feeling, but I was definitely beginning to lose interest until about the last third of the book.
Even then, though that was where things began getting interesting again, I was so exhausted from reading the rest of the book that it wasn’t as enjoyable to read as it could have been. And there were still the main issues of not quite understanding the historical & magical context, as well as being introduced to characters briefly, that seemed to have little impact on the main storyline.
That being said, I’m well aware that this story is in it for the long haul – and it is entirely possible that these characters, those brief meetings will have a huge impact further down the line. As well as this, there are thirteen other books of the main storyline for the world to be made clearer to the reader. It’s just a shame that the first book was quite difficult for me to read, but it was exactly how it felt – a small taster of a much grander thing, despite being a huge book in itself.
I think that’s it, I’m just very worn out from reading such a long book, and yet I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface. Which is exactly the case, really. I’m going to give myself a break from The Wheel of Time for a while, but I’m sure I’ll pick it back up again, and make my slow way through the mammoth series!
I’m not sure what changed my mind – but I bought myself a copy earlier this year and gave it another go. It might be because I’d enjoyed reading Sanderson’s Mistborn saga so much, I figured if he was the one to finish Jordan’s epic series, then I’d probably get on well with Jordan’s writing too. That and I’ve read about much scarier things than Trollocs since then, so I should be ok!
The story begins in Emonds Field, the back of beyond as far as the rest of the world is concerned, and the locals are more than happy with this. They have their farms, their blacksmith, their inn and their festivals, with little for the Village Council or the Women’s Council to discuss, and nothing but peddlers and the occasional Merchant travelling through. This winter has been the hardest in living memory, with wolves coming down from the mountain and crops failing to grow – something to cause everyone concern and even raise whispers of a higher cause than just the weather. But none of that is likely to put a hold on preparations for the spring festival of Bel Tine.
Rand is on his way in to the village with his father, and their own contributions to the festival, when suddenly he spots a black horseman in the distance, whose cloak remains still in the wind. Upon arriving at the village, no one else has seen the black rider, save two other young men his own age. The rider is forgotten however, as two strangers and a gleeman arrive, ready to make for an unforgettable Bel Tine.
But that night, Trollocs attack the outlying farms and the village itself, forcing Rand and the other two boys to leave with the two strangers, an Aes Sedai mage and her Warder guard, along with the gleeman and a young girl named Egwene, too stubborn to do anything else. As they flee, further than any of them could imagine, they begin to discover their fates are wound tightly in the Pattern, as woven by the Wheel of Time.
I really enjoyed the beginning stages of the book, as you learn about the Emonds Fielders and their ways, and seeing how they view the big wide world from their quiet little corner. Moiraine, the Aes Sedai, has a wonderful force about her that makes her captivating to read about, as well as the mysteries surrounding the magic and legends of the world. Thom Merrilin, the gleeman (or bard), largely knows the world through his stories and, seeing him find out the extent of the truth behind them is enjoyable.
I did begin to struggle though after about a third of the book. The chase continues, mysteries are hinted at, and the chase continues. I can’t grasp how fully Jordan must have had this world realised in his mind even with the first book, as there are mentions of myth and legend, magic and power, Light and Dark which are so ingrained into the characters there is no need for explanation. Whilst sometimes these things can be over explained in a very laborious, patronising way, I did feel that a little more context on the history and the present story would have been helpful. I found the magic and power a little confusing, the fear and terror surrounding it didn’t quite add up to the way it was revered in ages past.
That being said, the middle third of the book dragged on so much, I really struggled to get through it. It just felt like chapter after chapter of travelling, moving from one place to the next, meeting characters and moving on from them, with no further understanding as to what the main characters were all running from, or why. On the one hand, that does convey how the characters themselves must have been feeling, but I was definitely beginning to lose interest until about the last third of the book.
Even then, though that was where things began getting interesting again, I was so exhausted from reading the rest of the book that it wasn’t as enjoyable to read as it could have been. And there were still the main issues of not quite understanding the historical & magical context, as well as being introduced to characters briefly, that seemed to have little impact on the main storyline.
That being said, I’m well aware that this story is in it for the long haul – and it is entirely possible that these characters, those brief meetings will have a huge impact further down the line. As well as this, there are thirteen other books of the main storyline for the world to be made clearer to the reader. It’s just a shame that the first book was quite difficult for me to read, but it was exactly how it felt – a small taster of a much grander thing, despite being a huge book in itself.
I think that’s it, I’m just very worn out from reading such a long book, and yet I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface. Which is exactly the case, really. I’m going to give myself a break from The Wheel of Time for a while, but I’m sure I’ll pick it back up again, and make my slow way through the mammoth series!
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
