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A review by arcali
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
So this book is not new to me - I've read it before and have read 8 or so of the following books in the series. It might be difficult for me to give a review purely based on the content of this one alone, given I know some of what follows after, but I will try my best.
The Eye of the World is the first book of 14 or so novels in the Wheel of Time series. This series is a gargantuan beast that requires a serious time commitment, but if you like your chunky doorstoppers, this may well be the series for you.
Eye of the World is a mixed bag for me. Its pretty tropy, taking a lot of very clear inspiration from Tolkein in particular- fans of Lord of the Rings won't be able to miss them. I think this was actually deliberately done by Jordan. That said, I do know that the Wheel of Time series takes its own very distinct path as it goes on, so while it's perhaps a flaw for some people in the first book, it's not indicative of the series as a whole.
It's also pretty dense prose wise. It takes a lot of time with its descriptions and its worldbuilding. The world building is one of its strong points in my opinion though. Jordan clearly spent a huge amount of time developing the world, and it shows in all the little details.
The pacing is a bit slow, especially in the beginning, and there is a central portion that drags on a bit as well, but when Jordan hits his stride properly in an action scene, I always find myself turning the pages, gripped for more. Particularly with the way the book ends, I was tempted to jump straight into book 2 in order to continue on (but my existing TBR shortlist won out in the end)
Finally, I have mixed feelings about the way women are portrayed in the book. It's over 30 years old now, so somewhat a product of its time, and in some ways I think Jordan did try to push the envelope with this. His female characters are strong, in a world where only women can (safely) wield magical power - they have huge influence and ability, and this is something that you didn't really see much of at the time. On the other hand, the world itself has gender differences baked into it, and the characters themselves are all frustratingly prone to pertpetuating stereotypes and getting into a sort of 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus' mindset. I suspect that as the series goes on, they will have to learn to work together better, but it's something that I picked up on a lot more this time round than I did in my (much earlier) rereads.
Final thoughts: Eye of the World (and the rest of the WoT series) is a fantasy classic at this point, and I will definitely be reading the following books (I hope this time is the time when I finish the series!), but it is definitely not without its flaws.
The Eye of the World is the first book of 14 or so novels in the Wheel of Time series. This series is a gargantuan beast that requires a serious time commitment, but if you like your chunky doorstoppers, this may well be the series for you.
Eye of the World is a mixed bag for me. Its pretty tropy, taking a lot of very clear inspiration from Tolkein in particular- fans of Lord of the Rings won't be able to miss them. I think this was actually deliberately done by Jordan. That said, I do know that the Wheel of Time series takes its own very distinct path as it goes on, so while it's perhaps a flaw for some people in the first book, it's not indicative of the series as a whole.
It's also pretty dense prose wise. It takes a lot of time with its descriptions and its worldbuilding. The world building is one of its strong points in my opinion though. Jordan clearly spent a huge amount of time developing the world, and it shows in all the little details.
The pacing is a bit slow, especially in the beginning, and there is a central portion that drags on a bit as well, but when Jordan hits his stride properly in an action scene, I always find myself turning the pages, gripped for more. Particularly with the way the book ends, I was tempted to jump straight into book 2 in order to continue on (but my existing TBR shortlist won out in the end)
Finally, I have mixed feelings about the way women are portrayed in the book. It's over 30 years old now, so somewhat a product of its time, and in some ways I think Jordan did try to push the envelope with this. His female characters are strong, in a world where only women can (safely) wield magical power - they have huge influence and ability, and this is something that you didn't really see much of at the time. On the other hand, the world itself has gender differences baked into it, and the characters themselves are all frustratingly prone to pertpetuating stereotypes and getting into a sort of 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus' mindset. I suspect that as the series goes on, they will have to learn to work together better, but it's something that I picked up on a lot more this time round than I did in my (much earlier) rereads.
Final thoughts: Eye of the World (and the rest of the WoT series) is a fantasy classic at this point, and I will definitely be reading the following books (I hope this time is the time when I finish the series!), but it is definitely not without its flaws.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Violence