The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

Title: The Eye of the World
Author: Robert Jordan
Genre: High Fantasy

I purchased this ebook and chose to do an honest and unbiased review.  Tom Doherty Associates neither requested nor are associated with this review.

Goodreads Description:            

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow. 

Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time.

Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time® by Robert Jordan has captivated millions of readers around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters.

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

When The Two Rivers is attacked by Trollocs-a savage tribe of half-men, half-beasts- five villagers flee that night into a world they barely imagined, with new dangers waiting in the shadows and in the light.

Here's What I Thought:
By my lack of posting, You could probably guess that I have been in a massive reading slump.  Any book that I picked up, I would put down after a few chapters.  It's not that any of those books weren't good... It's just that I wasn't feeling it, so to speak. I had been hearing about the Wheel of Time series from pretty much everyone that reads fantasy, but was seriously intimidated by the prospect of tackling this monster sized series.  With 14 books, 1 prequel and a grand total word count of 3,505,736, it is a daunting task to take on under the best circumstances, let alone in the midst of a reading slump spanning not days or weeks, but years. But this may be just the series to do that.

The book starts off with the events that ended the Age of Legends and then goes forward 3,000 year to Rand.  I liked this, but I also didn't like this.  I liked it because it had action that grabbed you from the start.  I didn't like it because the prologue was super confusing and hard to follow because it jumped into the middle of the world and magic system that Jordan builds over many books. Some of my questions were answered throughout The Eye of the World, but many were not.  Even the questions that were answered left me with more questions and eager to start the next book. The plot itself had a good balance of exposition and action.  Jordan loves details and some descriptions do drag, much like Tolkien, but he makes sure to insert action enough so the reader does not get bored.  In this first book, he has already begun to weave a complex Pattern of world building and magic systems. (The word "Pattern" is capitalized for a reason. 😉)

A little about the characters: Rand, Mat, Perrin, Egwene, Nynaeve, Thom, Lan, and Morraine. This book follows them leaving The Two Rivers and Emonds Field and heading to Tar Valon. What I loved most about the characters is that they are relatable.   Rand, Mat, and Perrin dreamed of leaving The Two Rivers to go on adventure, but when the chance came, they realized how much they really liked their lives in their little village.  Egwene is just amazing because she decides from the beginning that she wants to be a hero and have adventure rather than just have it thrust upon her like the boys. Nynaeve was a challenge to learn to like.  She can be abrasive, but she also has her reasons for being like she is and, by the end of book one, I was already starting to like her so much more.  Thom is interesting.  He is the classic bard character, but I am convinced that there is significantly more to him than meets the eye.  Lan is like granite.  It's hard to talk much about him as he is a man of few words and he always seems impassive.  Morraine is complicated.  On one hand you can tell she genuinely cares for the Emonds Fielders, but you can also tell there is a lot more to her motives than she lets on. 

Overall, my biggest gripe about this book was final fight of the book.  I'm reading it, at the edge of my seat, following everyone's part to play, when suddenly.... What? What just happened? It turns into this confusing mess that I'm not sure if it's even reality at that point, but when I keep reading, I find out is reality? I guess... Sure. Even if I was willing to spoil what happens, I wouldn't even know how to describe what happens. It's just that confusing.  I discussed this with others that have read it and found that I am not alone in this sentiment. Fortunately, I am told that the subsequent books are significantly better (which is pretty hard to imagine to begin with) and more than make up for the weird battle scene at the end.  

Although the part I hated most--the only part of the book that I hated actually--was kind of a big deal, the rest of the book set up for an epic fantasy that has me excited for more.  As I write this, I have already started The Great Hunt.  It's good to finally be out of a slump and I will get to spend a lot of time with my favorite characters to keep my momentum going. My final rating is 4 stars. I may have elevated it a tish just because it brought back my excitement for reading.

Quote:

“Relax, lad. Take life as it comes. Run when you have to, fight when you must, rest when you can.”

-Elyas Machera                         

About The Author:

Robert Jordan was the pen name of James Oliver Rigney, Jr., under which he was best known as the author of the bestselling The Wheel of Time fantasy series. He also wrote under the names Reagan O'Neal and Jackson O'Reilly.

Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He served two tours in Vietnam (from 1968 to 1970) with the United States Army as a helicopter gunner. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with bronze oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star with "V" and bronze oak leaf cluster, and two Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses with palm. After returning from Vietnam he attended The Citadel where he received an undergraduate degree in physics. After graduating he was employed by the United States Navy as a nuclear engineer. He began writing in 1977. He was a history buff and enjoyed hunting, fishing, sailing, poker, chess, pool, and pipe collecting.

He described himself as a "High Church" Episcopalian and received communion more than once a week. He lived with his wife Harriet McDougal, who works as a book editor (currently with Tor Books; she was also Jordan's editor) in a house built in 1797.

Responding to queries on the similarity of some of the concepts in his Wheel of Time books with Freemasonry concepts, Jordan admitted that he was a Freemason. However, "like his father and grandfather," he preferred not to advertise, possibly because of the negative propaganda against Freemasonry. In his own words, "no man in this country should feel in danger because of his beliefs."

On March 23, 2006, Jordan disclosed in a statement that he had been diagnosed with cardiac amyloidosis, and that with treatment, his median life expectancy was four years, though he said he intended to beat the statistics. He later posted on his Dragonmount blog to encourage his fans not to worry about him and that he intended to have a long and fully creative life.

He began chemotherapy treatment at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in early April 2006. Jordan was enrolled in a study using the drug Revlimid just approved for multiple myeloma but not yet tested on primary amyloidosis.

Jordan died at approximately 2:45 p.m. EDT on September 16, 2007, and a funeral service was held for him on Wednesday, September 19, 2007. Jordan was cremated and his ashes buried in the churchyard of St. James Church in Goose Creek, outside Charleston.