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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Eye of the World marks the beginning of the long and epic Wheel of Time series. It somehow rivals Tolkien in the depth of worldbuilding, making each city and village full of depth and history. Not to mention the crap-ton of named characters (over 1,000 I think are supposed to be in the series).
Like any fantasy, WOT (Wheel of Time) owes a lot to Tolkien. Edmond's Field is basically the Shire. The Myrddraal are Nazgul, Trollocs are a more creative Orc (but both are clearly derived from the trolls/ogres of folklore). Not to mention the Gollum-like artifact cursing a character in a very Gollum way. Despite all these strong influences, Eye of the World breaks away from classical Fantasy and you can see the beginnings of the modern trends.
The powerful organizations and magic users, known as Aes Sedai, are feared and shouldn't be trusted (as is seen here on multiple occasions). But Jordan makes things even more complicated when he adds in the religious zealots known as the Children of the Light, who hunt down the evil witches of this world in service of God (the Light). Both factions are shown to have complex characters. Some are evil extremists and others are more relatable people we can admire and look up to. These shades of gray complicate the good v. evil battle fantasy had been largely up to this point. Jordan also gives a lot more power and credit to women, having their long overdue spotlight as more than love interests, but political figures who didn't get their power via the Yennefer method.
The true spotlight of this is how grounded it feels, much like Tolkien. The shear detail he puts into each landscape and city, not to mention the details that goes with their struggles on the road. Where they sleep, what they eat, how they deal with the weather. Each are addressed as they make their way across the land. This felt all the more real with three "micro maps" focusing in on different regions of his larger world, showing the true scale of the world much like Tolkien's Shire map.
Perhaps the best part of this novel were the various dream sequences the three chosen ones experienced throughout the novel. The Dark One truly feels terrifying in these dreams as he attacks them emotionally, slowly driving them insane and closer to where he wants them. He even physically harms them, showing how these dreams can be lethal. Each night becomes a dangerous dance with the Dark One and they remain awesome the entire novel.
Secondly, I have to mention my boy Perrin. Like I said, there are three potential chosen ones (although they all might be chosen ones). We follow Rand for most of the novel and I was certain he was the main one the Dark One was looking for the whole time (won't spoil if he is). But when we finally get into one of the other "chosen's" heads a few hundred pages in the novel, he immediately has so much more depth. For the first half, Perrin was just the quiet strong guy. Once we enter his head, we see so much he quietly observes the world around him. He isn't a quiet and gentle brute, but a quiet and gentle hunter who is always planning ahead. Once his own story progresses, the depth only increases in the most epic of ways. Is he my favorite? Don't know yet. Is he my favorite POV? Hecks yeah!
There are really only two complaints about this novel. The ending tied into the titular "Eye of the World" felt rushed without much build up. We spend most of the novel trying to get to Tar Valon before we realize we actually have to go to this other area the Dark One has been driving them too. They fight some really powerful people here including someone I won't spoil. That being said, this clearly is so the author isn't risking royally pissing off the readers should the publishers not let him make the sequel. Thankfully they did and the ending falls a little short because of this. Luckily, it was only a little bit as the novel is still amazing the entire way (including this ending). The other complaint is very small and opinionated. I don't think two of the characters should have gotten together for two reasons: (1) age difference and (2) there wasn't much build up/romantic tension between them.
In short, this is an awesome book if you like fantasy. Dark modern Fantasy? Lighthearted classic Fantasy? Realistic/historical feeling? Fantastical and awe-inspiring? It's got it all! And I'm assuming the ride only gets wilder as we go, which I am really looking forward to.
Like any fantasy, WOT (Wheel of Time) owes a lot to Tolkien. Edmond's Field is basically the Shire. The Myrddraal are Nazgul, Trollocs are a more creative Orc (but both are clearly derived from the trolls/ogres of folklore). Not to mention the Gollum-like artifact cursing a character in a very Gollum way. Despite all these strong influences, Eye of the World breaks away from classical Fantasy and you can see the beginnings of the modern trends.
The powerful organizations and magic users, known as Aes Sedai, are feared and shouldn't be trusted (as is seen here on multiple occasions). But Jordan makes things even more complicated when he adds in the religious zealots known as the Children of the Light, who hunt down the evil witches of this world in service of God (the Light). Both factions are shown to have complex characters. Some are evil extremists and others are more relatable people we can admire and look up to. These shades of gray complicate the good v. evil battle fantasy had been largely up to this point. Jordan also gives a lot more power and credit to women, having their long overdue spotlight as more than love interests, but political figures who didn't get their power via the Yennefer method.
The true spotlight of this is how grounded it feels, much like Tolkien. The shear detail he puts into each landscape and city, not to mention the details that goes with their struggles on the road. Where they sleep, what they eat, how they deal with the weather. Each are addressed as they make their way across the land. This felt all the more real with three "micro maps" focusing in on different regions of his larger world, showing the true scale of the world much like Tolkien's Shire map.
Perhaps the best part of this novel were the various dream sequences the three chosen ones experienced throughout the novel. The Dark One truly feels terrifying in these dreams as he attacks them emotionally, slowly driving them insane and closer to where he wants them. He even physically harms them, showing how these dreams can be lethal. Each night becomes a dangerous dance with the Dark One and they remain awesome the entire novel.
Secondly, I have to mention my boy Perrin. Like I said, there are three potential chosen ones (although they all might be chosen ones). We follow Rand for most of the novel and I was certain he was the main one the Dark One was looking for the whole time (won't spoil if he is). But when we finally get into one of the other "chosen's" heads a few hundred pages in the novel, he immediately has so much more depth. For the first half, Perrin was just the quiet strong guy. Once we enter his head, we see so much he quietly observes the world around him. He isn't a quiet and gentle brute, but a quiet and gentle hunter who is always planning ahead. Once his own story progresses, the depth only increases in the most epic of ways. Is he my favorite? Don't know yet. Is he my favorite POV? Hecks yeah!
There are really only two complaints about this novel. The ending tied into the titular "Eye of the World" felt rushed without much build up. We spend most of the novel trying to get to Tar Valon before we realize we actually have to go to this other area the Dark One has been driving them too. They fight some really powerful people here including someone I won't spoil. That being said, this clearly is so the author isn't risking royally pissing off the readers should the publishers not let him make the sequel. Thankfully they did and the ending falls a little short because of this. Luckily, it was only a little bit as the novel is still amazing the entire way (including this ending). The other complaint is very small and opinionated. I don't think two of the characters should have gotten together for two reasons: (1) age difference and (2) there wasn't much build up/romantic tension between them.
In short, this is an awesome book if you like fantasy. Dark modern Fantasy? Lighthearted classic Fantasy? Realistic/historical feeling? Fantastical and awe-inspiring? It's got it all! And I'm assuming the ride only gets wilder as we go, which I am really looking forward to.
adventurous
dark
tense
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:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
slow-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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-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
slow-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
Re-reading this book in preparation for the TV series on Amazon. Always a favorite!
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
It takes a bit to get into, because there’s so much world building that needs to be done to really pull you into the story, but I really enjoyed it!