The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time Book 1)

Rate: 4/5. Great fantasy. Like finding Tolkien all over again. A Tokien hyped up on caffeine.

Despite Robert Jordan being a pillar in high fantasy, I had never gotten around to reading his books. Frequent any old used book store and you will find a section of his books in line. Since the Wheel of Time series covers 14 books, 11 written by Jordan, plus a prequel novel, tackling them is a daunting task. More so since they have high page counts. 

Jordan’s story hits all the things I love in fantasy: adventure, magic, horrifying evil, prophesies of chosen ones, stoic warriors, idiosyncratic characters, and on. 

Jordan starts the story in an idyllic world of sheepherders and farmers with community and shy love interests. It has a Biblical feel, as if you are in a peaceful Galilean countryside. But as soon as you’re comfortable with this peaceful setting, Jordan introduces the evil, and this idyllic town becomes something more. 

Once the evil is recognized for what it is, much like Gandalf identifying the ring Bilbo left to Frodo as the one, the adventure commences in haste. The reader is swept across the world that Jordan has created, from far of woods to great cities to long abandoned, evil fortresses. Much like any adventure fantasy of today, the characters adventure is a combination of flight (from evil right on their heels), fight (when they cannot run) and seeking for answers to their (and your) many questions. 

If I have a complaint it is that I find characters who repeatedly do things they obviously should not do to be annoying, and characters that lie with no apparent reason the same. This said, it is also true that sometimes I miss subtleties in this regard. Recognizing that characters arcs are necessary, and noting that the many characters have fantastic arcs, I was frustrated at the troubled caused by silly conduct! I couldn’t help but feel like some of the actions did not contribute to the story. I wonder: will they contribute somehow in the second book?

It is also interesting to see the parallels between the LOTR and this story. These stories may stand entirely on their own, but Tolkien’s influence is certainly there. I attribute this, possibly naively, to the time The Eye of the World was written. Fantasy seems to have developed quicker in the post-2000 years compared to the latter half of the twentieth century. And the number of authors publishing within the fantasy genre has undoubtedly increased over the last 25 years. Whereas the twentieth century was dominated by epic/heroic fantasy (Tolkien, Brooks, Jordan), the 21st century has seen an explosion in sub-genres like cultural expansion (R.F. Kuang) and fantasy-sci fi hybrids (Tamsyn Muir). Of course, there is LeGuin, whose novels sometimes defy categories. Think The Wizard of Earthsea series (epic-heroic in scope but culturally nuanced) and The Left Hand of Darkness (is it sci fi or fantasy?). 

Overall, a worthy read as the wintery weather approaches! 

Until next time.

 

Photo: Derrell K Sweet. Tor Books. 1990.