The Eye of the World: Book One of The Wheel of Time

(WARNING THE FOLLOWING IS LONG) Got a book to pass the time while I wait for power to return to Puerto Rico. This is the first book I ever read for pleasure. (No, i don't mean this is literally the first time I've read for pleasure.) I've read the entire 14 book series and 1 encyclopedia. I've read this book three times, going on fourth. The first in the series. It's like The Hobbit but much more adult and dark. I think the writing is better too. (I'm not really a Tolkien fan too much. Good story. Bad writing. #shotsfired) Funny story: I never intended to read this book. I wanted money from my great grandma Deeder (Great Deeder we called her). For a toy or something, I forget. But she didn't want to give it to me. So me binge a sly kid I thought, "ok, an educational gift the: a book." And I'd return it later for the cash and buy whatever I wanted. So I went into Barnes and Noble and picked a book up totally at random, checking only that the price was about the amount of cash I had wanted. She paid for the book. I went home and it sat on a shelf for months. Later on, I got really sick and stayed home from school. I decided to read it because I had nothing else to do and was on the toilet a lot. When I picked it up, the cover was literally was covered in thick dust. Disgusting. I cleaned it up and started reading. ...and reading. And four hours later I stopped. I remember it was four hours because I was shocked that it was 5PM and dinner and I was a little hungry. I couldn't put it down. I loved it. And the lessons it taught me and it's new ways of thinking molded who I became as a person. "Death is lighter than a feather, duty heavier than a mountain," became my motto for how to soldier and lead. And so many others. I loved the characters. I literally cried for them in moments of pain or death. Even minor characters are people you know. And I laughed out loud at jokes. Got excited in moments of lust or chase. Even felt genuine fear. Robert Jordan (James Oliver Rigney, Jr.) was an amazing man too. A taste for the fine old things. Pipes. Hats. Chess. History. He was also a military school guy (like me) at Virginia Military Institute (VMI). And part of the reason I went to military college (NMMI) myself and why I excelled in JROTC in high school. Even into my Regular Army career as Combat Medic (68W) and how I approached medicine and bedside manner (thanks Yellow Ajah and the Band of the Red Hand). Not just his example, but the examples of his characters that inspired me to lead and to be uncompromising in my self discipline, especially honor. Tragically Jordan died before he finished the books and the last three (or four) were written by his chosen successor Brandon Sanderson (who I had never heard of). And in fact Sanderson was surprised that Jordan wanted him to be his ghost writer. What a huge responsibility to finish the story that fans had been reading literally for more than a decade. I eagerly awaited each new book and when I first started reading there were only four or five, I think. I convinced my brother to read it too and he also became addicted. We would talk about the different theories and ask questions. It was exciting! Sanderson did an incredible job. I could not even tell that the writer's voice had changed. He used very detailed notes and talks with Jordan's wife, Harriet (for whom the first book is dedicated). Fans are waiting for the movies to be made. But that's been passed around for years to different studios and directors. It can't be done cheaply or wrong (like the Wizard's First Rule tv series for instance that sucked but the books were amazing by Terry Goodkind). Better no film than a bad one. Anyway, I got it again to pass the time. It's fun to revisit it from a more adult mindset and with the full knowledge of the 14 novel series. Things I overlooked or seemed unimportant now jump off the page. That sly devil, I think. He knew all along! And there are still unsolved mysteries that are debatable and interesting fan theories and even beautiful fan art. I could not more strongly recommend this book and the entire Wheel of Time series. I'm not being hysterical when I say it made me who I am. I feel like Jordan and his characters were some of my most important mentors. I perhaps never would have learned to love reading without this book. Any other Jordan fans out there? Tell me about your story.

These are my thoughts about the entire series: I think many people who complain about this series miss the point entirely. You'll notice the majority of the complaints stem from those who find the books too long winded, too slow, taking too long to get to the point, and focused on too much minutia in detail. To those complaints I say: That's the point. This series isn't about getting to the climax as fast as possible. These aren't plane ride or beach day books. This is a series for fantasy fans who want the minutia. For those who revel in being able to visualize every single detail of the world. These are for people who want to escape their mundane worlds for some time and live in another, more fantastical world. If that's what you're looking for in a fantasy series then that is what Wheel of Time offers in droves. To those who say that this series is just generic fantasy, you're right. But, man, it's wrapped in a brilliant packaging. I would say this is the generic fantasy trope (chosen one destined to defeat big bad) done the best it could possibly be done. It's a beautifully realized world in every way. I think people are really hard on this series. It does what it sets out to do and does it brilliantly.

See Headline. If you like a writing style than can take multiple pages to describe a young man walking to town or a sunrise or a river then this book is for you. To that I will add that book 1 does have it's moments, a few, but I can't recall the details of them except the ending which I found to be interesting but still a relief to get through. The plot is pure Tolkien. The author just changed the names - plot is so similar that by a third of the way in what was going to happen became fairly obvious at which point I was tempted to just put the thing down. Didn't though; WoT is such a popular series I thought there must be a twist, a surprise, something different but it never happened. I had high expectations for this series. Been seeing them on library shelves, book store shelves and all the times the series gets recommended by some book service or other. Wheel of Time has been around for years and based on the selling price per book must be in high demand but not for me which one supposes puts me in a rather small minority. For $1.99 a book (Kindle) they might be worth it - might - but not for the price the series is selling for on Amazon. I can be bored for free.

I started this series when I was 15 and am now 37. I read them as the books came out, waiting years in between releases and decided to re-read the series in full. There is so much you miss or forget after 22 years!!! I remember hating Nyaneve when I was younger, now though, I love her! This review is for people debating whether or not to do a second read through. My answer is 100% yes!!! As complex a world as Robert Jordans Wheel of Time series is, knowing some of the main story opens up many details you missed the first time you read it.

Not to verbose at all. Not hard to understand. Not boring or any of the other negatives stated by the low star reviews. The language is Descriptive and puts you right in there in to the book. I could see, taste and touch and that is rare for me. So what if he took inspiration from Tolkien? Every author takes inspiration from somewhere and more often than not, it's from another author. Don't be afrid of the so called verbosity. Many of the best authors in the world can be "accused" of this. As for me..... I loved it! On to the next one. Hoping it won't be as bad as some reviews say. Happy reading! :D

Very good books with detail. Before you get involved be sure you can read continuously all 13 books, because if you don't, you will forget who's who in the zoo. This was my problem. I got into these books but ended up hesitating with the reads with month long gaps before picking the book back up and I found myself forgetting the importance of each character. There are approximately 1600 different characters that pass through the pages of these books. Many of these characters are seen only once.

Eye of the World is all but a classic in many reader's minds. It is an outstanding story that introduces the reader to the world that Robert Jordan builds with each book of the series. The writing is superb. The story is awesome, and it deserves a 4 and a half star rating, in my opinion. That said, however, there was one thing that tended to dampen my read of this book. At times, especially in the beginning, and in other places throughout the book, Jordan waxes very poetic in his details and descriptions. While it is certain many readers like that, I, for one, found it slowing down the pace far too much for me. Jordan had a detailed vision of what he wanted to portray, and he detailed it. While I, personally, prefer to visualize things using my own imagination. Perhaps that is the writer in me, I'm not sure, and I certainly am not slamming Jordan's work. It is exceptional. At any rate, Eye of the World is a great read, though a long one, and any fantasy fan would certainly enjoy the tale.

I waited to review this series until I completed reading it. I have to say I loved the characters. The storyline was good but not great.... When this series was recommended to me it was in this fashion “If you like Tloken you’ll love this series!” No, this is not of the caliber of Tloken. There is a continuity with Tloken that is lacking in this series. The Wheel of Time series has smatterings of every belief system out there ... seriously, New Age to Christianity, Judaism to reincarnation, and everything in between. For me it made the storyline sloppy and a bit scattered. That being said, I found the strong ties of friendship and sacrifice along the same lines as Tloken. This series is fairly clean. Very little explicit content and the only “swearing” was “blood and bloody ashes!” And a few other choice sayings. Strong sexist content... sheesh, the men had no brains and could do nothing with out a woman correcting or chastising. This did get better as the series continued. I did find it annoying however. Over all this is a good series... not a waste of time at all. This is an epic and not for someone who wants a quick and easy read with no strings attached. It’s a story that builds so be prepared to spend months reading this series :)

Narration is okay. Since most names are made up (more or less) the pronunciations are less important (really hate it when narrators either mispronounce or misread something). The vocal characterizations are difficult as the narrator does not have much range when it comes to trying female tones so he seems to have decided on accents, which are wildly varying at times. As for the story, it's LOTR meets Dune with Arthurian based names and relationships. I read most of the series years ago, pretty much as it was being written, and at that time, thought they were derivative but good. Now, many years later, I find that Robert Jordan was either woke before it was a thing or was trolling feminism hard. Recurring theme throughout all of these is that men are stupid and women, despite making most of the worst decisions available throughout the book, are vastly more intelligent than the men (in their own minds) but most men (the good ones at least) appear mostly dominated by the women of the story... In short, it ain't a bad yarn but no seat belts required as this puppy moves like the seasons....

Character development: 1/5. Just the thinnest characters I’ve ever read. Why are any of these people going on the journey? Whats their goals? Besides Rand, do ANY of them have a past? The books 800 pgs. He couldnt squeeze in some character development there? Atrocious. Plot: 2/5. Oh wow really surprised me there with: “Hero with uncertain lineage goes on journey with help of troubled and flawed friends.” Gee what famous fantasy novel does it sound like? All of them? There was some fun stuff in there. But not too much. Compared to GOT (which lets face it if youve read GOT youre gonna compare) this plot looks absurd. There was a point where I said out loud: “if I have to read about these folks going to another inn I am closing the book.” I think its six total inns these people visit. Always the same result. Writing: 3/5 the actual nuts and bolts of the book are fine. Sentence structure, description, strong verbs, tight chapters. Decent, if flat, dialogue. Action: 1/5. kind what we’re all here for right? Only decent. Again for 800 pages he really spent too much time on the inns and the riding of horses over hills. Caveat: im not a huge magic/fantasy guy. Its galling to go 800 pages and wow some waving of the magic staff kills all the Orcs or whatever. Hate that. And there was plenty of that.

(WARNING THE FOLLOWING IS LONG) Got a book to pass the time while I wait for power to return to Puerto Rico. This is the first book I ever read for pleasure. (No, i don't mean this is literally the first time I've read for pleasure.) I've read the entire 14 book series and 1 encyclopedia. I've read this book three times, going on fourth. The first in the series. It's like The Hobbit but much more adult and dark. I think the writing is better too. (I'm not really a Tolkien fan too much. Good story. Bad writing. #shotsfired) Funny story: I never intended to read this book. I wanted money from my great grandma Deeder (Great Deeder we called her). For a toy or something, I forget. But she didn't want to give it to me. So me binge a sly kid I thought, "ok, an educational gift the: a book." And I'd return it later for the cash and buy whatever I wanted. So I went into Barnes and Noble and picked a book up totally at random, checking only that the price was about the amount of cash I had wanted. She paid for the book. I went home and it sat on a shelf for months. Later on, I got really sick and stayed home from school. I decided to read it because I had nothing else to do and was on the toilet a lot. When I picked it up, the cover was literally was covered in thick dust. Disgusting. I cleaned it up and started reading. ...and reading. And four hours later I stopped. I remember it was four hours because I was shocked that it was 5PM and dinner and I was a little hungry. I couldn't put it down. I loved it. And the lessons it taught me and it's new ways of thinking molded who I became as a person. "Death is lighter than a feather, duty heavier than a mountain," became my motto for how to soldier and lead. And so many others. I loved the characters. I literally cried for them in moments of pain or death. Even minor characters are people you know. And I laughed out loud at jokes. Got excited in moments of lust or chase. Even felt genuine fear. Robert Jordan (James Oliver Rigney, Jr.) was an amazing man too. A taste for the fine old things. Pipes. Hats. Chess. History. He was also a military school guy (like me) at Virginia Military Institute (VMI). And part of the reason I went to military college (NMMI) myself and why I excelled in JROTC in high school. Even into my Regular Army career as Combat Medic (68W) and how I approached medicine and bedside manner (thanks Yellow Ajah and the Band of the Red Hand). Not just his example, but the examples of his characters that inspired me to lead and to be uncompromising in my self discipline, especially honor. Tragically Jordan died before he finished the books and the last three (or four) were written by his chosen successor Brandon Sanderson (who I had never heard of). And in fact Sanderson was surprised that Jordan wanted him to be his ghost writer. What a huge responsibility to finish the story that fans had been reading literally for more than a decade. I eagerly awaited each new book and when I first started reading there were only four or five, I think. I convinced my brother to read it too and he also became addicted. We would talk about the different theories and ask questions. It was exciting! Sanderson did an incredible job. I could not even tell that the writer's voice had changed. He used very detailed notes and talks with Jordan's wife, Harriet (for whom the first book is dedicated). Fans are waiting for the movies to be made. But that's been passed around for years to different studios and directors. It can't be done cheaply or wrong (like the Wizard's First Rule tv series for instance that sucked but the books were amazing by Terry Goodkind). Better no film than a bad one. Anyway, I got it again to pass the time. It's fun to revisit it from a more adult mindset and with the full knowledge of the 14 novel series. Things I overlooked or seemed unimportant now jump off the page. That sly devil, I think. He knew all along! And there are still unsolved mysteries that are debatable and interesting fan theories and even beautiful fan art. I could not more strongly recommend this book and the entire Wheel of Time series. I'm not being hysterical when I say it made me who I am. I feel like Jordan and his characters were some of my most important mentors. I perhaps never would have learned to love reading without this book. Any other Jordan fans out there? Tell me about your story.

These are my thoughts about the entire series: I think many people who complain about this series miss the point entirely. You'll notice the majority of the complaints stem from those who find the books too long winded, too slow, taking too long to get to the point, and focused on too much minutia in detail. To those complaints I say: That's the point. This series isn't about getting to the climax as fast as possible. These aren't plane ride or beach day books. This is a series for fantasy fans who want the minutia. For those who revel in being able to visualize every single detail of the world. These are for people who want to escape their mundane worlds for some time and live in another, more fantastical world. If that's what you're looking for in a fantasy series then that is what Wheel of Time offers in droves. To those who say that this series is just generic fantasy, you're right. But, man, it's wrapped in a brilliant packaging. I would say this is the generic fantasy trope (chosen one destined to defeat big bad) done the best it could possibly be done. It's a beautifully realized world in every way. I think people are really hard on this series. It does what it sets out to do and does it brilliantly.

See Headline. If you like a writing style than can take multiple pages to describe a young man walking to town or a sunrise or a river then this book is for you. To that I will add that book 1 does have it's moments, a few, but I can't recall the details of them except the ending which I found to be interesting but still a relief to get through. The plot is pure Tolkien. The author just changed the names - plot is so similar that by a third of the way in what was going to happen became fairly obvious at which point I was tempted to just put the thing down. Didn't though; WoT is such a popular series I thought there must be a twist, a surprise, something different but it never happened. I had high expectations for this series. Been seeing them on library shelves, book store shelves and all the times the series gets recommended by some book service or other. Wheel of Time has been around for years and based on the selling price per book must be in high demand but not for me which one supposes puts me in a rather small minority. For $1.99 a book (Kindle) they might be worth it - might - but not for the price the series is selling for on Amazon. I can be bored for free.

I started this series when I was 15 and am now 37. I read them as the books came out, waiting years in between releases and decided to re-read the series in full. There is so much you miss or forget after 22 years!!! I remember hating Nyaneve when I was younger, now though, I love her! This review is for people debating whether or not to do a second read through. My answer is 100% yes!!! As complex a world as Robert Jordans Wheel of Time series is, knowing some of the main story opens up many details you missed the first time you read it.

Not to verbose at all. Not hard to understand. Not boring or any of the other negatives stated by the low star reviews. The language is Descriptive and puts you right in there in to the book. I could see, taste and touch and that is rare for me. So what if he took inspiration from Tolkien? Every author takes inspiration from somewhere and more often than not, it's from another author. Don't be afrid of the so called verbosity. Many of the best authors in the world can be "accused" of this. As for me..... I loved it! On to the next one. Hoping it won't be as bad as some reviews say. Happy reading! :D

Very good books with detail. Before you get involved be sure you can read continuously all 13 books, because if you don't, you will forget who's who in the zoo. This was my problem. I got into these books but ended up hesitating with the reads with month long gaps before picking the book back up and I found myself forgetting the importance of each character. There are approximately 1600 different characters that pass through the pages of these books. Many of these characters are seen only once.

Eye of the World is all but a classic in many reader's minds. It is an outstanding story that introduces the reader to the world that Robert Jordan builds with each book of the series. The writing is superb. The story is awesome, and it deserves a 4 and a half star rating, in my opinion. That said, however, there was one thing that tended to dampen my read of this book. At times, especially in the beginning, and in other places throughout the book, Jordan waxes very poetic in his details and descriptions. While it is certain many readers like that, I, for one, found it slowing down the pace far too much for me. Jordan had a detailed vision of what he wanted to portray, and he detailed it. While I, personally, prefer to visualize things using my own imagination. Perhaps that is the writer in me, I'm not sure, and I certainly am not slamming Jordan's work. It is exceptional. At any rate, Eye of the World is a great read, though a long one, and any fantasy fan would certainly enjoy the tale.

I waited to review this series until I completed reading it. I have to say I loved the characters. The storyline was good but not great.... When this series was recommended to me it was in this fashion “If you like Tloken you’ll love this series!” No, this is not of the caliber of Tloken. There is a continuity with Tloken that is lacking in this series. The Wheel of Time series has smatterings of every belief system out there ... seriously, New Age to Christianity, Judaism to reincarnation, and everything in between. For me it made the storyline sloppy and a bit scattered. That being said, I found the strong ties of friendship and sacrifice along the same lines as Tloken. This series is fairly clean. Very little explicit content and the only “swearing” was “blood and bloody ashes!” And a few other choice sayings. Strong sexist content... sheesh, the men had no brains and could do nothing with out a woman correcting or chastising. This did get better as the series continued. I did find it annoying however. Over all this is a good series... not a waste of time at all. This is an epic and not for someone who wants a quick and easy read with no strings attached. It’s a story that builds so be prepared to spend months reading this series :)

Narration is okay. Since most names are made up (more or less) the pronunciations are less important (really hate it when narrators either mispronounce or misread something). The vocal characterizations are difficult as the narrator does not have much range when it comes to trying female tones so he seems to have decided on accents, which are wildly varying at times. As for the story, it's LOTR meets Dune with Arthurian based names and relationships. I read most of the series years ago, pretty much as it was being written, and at that time, thought they were derivative but good. Now, many years later, I find that Robert Jordan was either woke before it was a thing or was trolling feminism hard. Recurring theme throughout all of these is that men are stupid and women, despite making most of the worst decisions available throughout the book, are vastly more intelligent than the men (in their own minds) but most men (the good ones at least) appear mostly dominated by the women of the story... In short, it ain't a bad yarn but no seat belts required as this puppy moves like the seasons....

Character development: 1/5. Just the thinnest characters I’ve ever read. Why are any of these people going on the journey? Whats their goals? Besides Rand, do ANY of them have a past? The books 800 pgs. He couldnt squeeze in some character development there? Atrocious. Plot: 2/5. Oh wow really surprised me there with: “Hero with uncertain lineage goes on journey with help of troubled and flawed friends.” Gee what famous fantasy novel does it sound like? All of them? There was some fun stuff in there. But not too much. Compared to GOT (which lets face it if youve read GOT youre gonna compare) this plot looks absurd. There was a point where I said out loud: “if I have to read about these folks going to another inn I am closing the book.” I think its six total inns these people visit. Always the same result. Writing: 3/5 the actual nuts and bolts of the book are fine. Sentence structure, description, strong verbs, tight chapters. Decent, if flat, dialogue. Action: 1/5. kind what we’re all here for right? Only decent. Again for 800 pages he really spent too much time on the inns and the riding of horses over hills. Caveat: im not a huge magic/fantasy guy. Its galling to go 800 pages and wow some waving of the magic staff kills all the Orcs or whatever. Hate that. And there was plenty of that.

Hello, I won’t spoil even though online is it incredibly hard to avoid spoilers for a book written in the 90s. It’s annoying because I want to talk to people about the book because it’s so juicy and so many things happen. But I refuse to be spoiled so I don’t read anything I won’t even read the other amazon reviews under this book. But I bought this on my kindle and I spent some time reading on my phone with the kindle app. Even so it took me three months to finish lol. This book is so long and it is really descriptive like damn is clothing that serious that you have to write a whole page to describe it?! Haha but in all fun, I enjoyed getting to know the characters. It’s a slow build to the finale scene though like once I got to the end everything happened so fast I felt like I got whiplash. My god I love these characters I had a lot of anxiety reading this book lol. I’m so worried about that damn horse bela please light protect her! That’s all I’m gonna say about the characters but I’m gonna continue with reading the next book. Hopefully it won’t take me another 3 months haha. I enjoyed the book. My favorite character ended up being nynaeve which was so weird because I thought she was so annoying at the beginning. But now I know she has the two rivers stubbornness in her. No spoilers but there are 2 characters I hope to see again in book 2 all healed up and good to go no spoilers tho let me stop while I’m ahead. I’m so curious about how these characters will grow and change over the course of the series. One thing though is you have to have pacience if you want to get through it. A lot of description and a lot of scenes happen that I ended up taking notes for the Middle part of the book. I don’t know if I am helping anyone with this review but yeah. One advice is to save a picture of the map and reference it. I am so proud of myself for finishing this book. Book 2 here I come!

"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." While this short description gives you an idea of what the series as a whole is about, I feel like if you haven’t heard about this series or know what it involves it may be a little too vague. So, as a little bit more information about the first book, we start in a little village where we meet our characters Rand, Mat, Perrin, Egwene, and Nynaeve who are from the village, and Moiraine and Lan, who are outsiders. I know it sounds like a lot of characters, but trust me. The way that this flows from each perspective is so seamless and you can instantly tell which character you are reading from. On a seemingly normal day, Trollocs (strange, evil, human/animal hybrids) attack their village and our group is faced with the fact that the forces of the Dark One are not just scary stories told to keep children in line. Our naïve villagers then have the (first) shock of their lives when they discover that Moiraine is an Aes Sedai and Lan is her Warder. In this world, Aes Sedai are wielders of the One Power and are seen as the reason everything goes wrong in the world, and Warders are their warrior companions. Moiraine then whisks the three boys (Rand, Mat and Perrin) away from the village to protect the village from the Trollocs as she believes that they are after the three of them. What follows is an adventure of epic proportions. I know from listening to many videos and podcasts surrounding this world that Robert Jordan has created that he meant for this first book to be heavily inspired by Lord of the Rings, and while reading that you can clearly see the influences. For me that wasn’t a bad thing as I ADORE Lord of the Rings, but keep that in mind going into this book. I think that Jordan still added in enough original ideas that makes this such a compelling read. Don’t hold it’s similarities to LOTR against it, because this book is SO MUCH MORE than that. However, even though there are tons of similarities between the two series, I think the way that this book was done still made it stand out and made me eager to read more. The writing style is easy to grasp and even though these are some fairly long books, they go by so quickly. I am a HUGE fan of details and descriptions, and this book has all of that. In that aspect, I think it is similar to Game of Thrones, but in a more exciting way. Both series gives incredible detail, foreshadowing and nuances, but while some of the descriptions in GOT can be a little dry, that isn’t what happens with The Eye of the World. And a nice thing about the book is that there is a glossary in the back of the book to help keep all the names and descriptions straight, which is super helpful but doesn’t give away anything that you don’t already know from reading. And if you start this book and the prologue seems confusing (which it definitely can, if you aren’t expecting it) just keep going and everything is explained and you realize just how important that prologue is, and how much more important it will become in later books. Other than everything I’ve already mentioned, the one other thing that made me want to devour this book was the way that everything is revealed over the course of the entire book. You just want to keep reading to learn more about this amazing world that Robert Jordan has created, and for once, I don’t think 14 books in a series intimidates me because I just want to know everything about this series and these characters. Like, this puts my obsession with LOTR and GOT to shame. If you are one of those people who obsessively Googles everything about either of those series, you will want to do the same with this one. There is a reason this book and series is almost always included in the top 5 of any fantasy series list, and has sold millions of copies. It really is that good. So basically, if you like any combination of the following, this book is definitely for you: •complex friendships and character development •the “Chosen One” but you don’t know which character is the Chosen One •complex magic systems that have a specific source, and some people are born with innate abilities to use this magic •Background and details, details, details •Diverse races and characters •Bonding with animals •Epic quests (think Bilbo Baggins going on an adventure out of his element) •Vast world building •Game of Thrones but MORE •Lord of the Rings but MORE •Anything by Brandon Sanderson (who is a huge fan and wrote the last three books in this series after Robert Jordan passed away) •Fantasy •Books •Breathing See more reviews at meltingpages.wordpress.com

I'm a huge fan of the genre, I just finished the Way of Kings trilogy and it was amazing. I found this book to be one dimensional, and repetitive. I never felt any of the characters were in trouble. The ending is so convoluted, rushed, and anticlimactic I had to read the last three chapters three times and still got nothing from it. I thought Nynaeve would have died, and Lan. It certainly seemed they did. Moraine as well. All a hoax. At the end of the book, I found myself not caring about the progression of any character. Rand- has he accepted his purpose? Who knows at the end? Mat- what about his attachment to the dagger? Never made real sense or was resolved Perrin? Why did he become a member of the wolf pack? Egwene- suddenly has ability to use her power at the end? Nynaeve and Lan were in love the whole time?! Moraine, she did nothing more than stare and command, then at the end her power was useless. Other than a few magic tricks, didn't see a purpose for the Aes Sedai at all. I really wanted to like this book, the Fantasy Fiction world definitely does. I won't be reading the next. I think I'll move on to the Mistborn trilogy.

This is the fantasy series everyone is talking about. This is the series that you dive into when you are in the mood for an epic fantasy with rich and in depth world building. This has a very large following with a hard core fan base. With that being said, don't @ me for not giving this a 5 star rating. This may change in the future as I absorb more of the books to come in the series. The first book is never the strongest in a series, and I wouldn't want it to be because it give you more to work towards. A more intense arc. I did enjoy this, but I am not a fan of the Lord of the Rings style writing. I have never been of a fan of this. I am told that this does change a bit in the coming books, which gives me a lot to look forward to. But overall, this story was very long and I am glad in some ways (more time for world building) and not so much in others (took forever to get into the meat of the story). I'm enjoying the direction this story is going and I'm very interested to learn more. I'm sure this book set up a ton of things that we will see in the coming books that I didn't pick up on because I haven't been introduced to those elements yet. The book felt dense and I wasn't a huge fan of the pacing of the story, but I do intend to continue with this. There is still so much mystery and intrigue and still so much of this world left to explore.

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: 𝟯.𝟱/𝟱⭐️ [A note about the book itself: Gorgeous copy. Great quality. Lovely color maps on the inner cover and back cover inner. This is a lovely 30th anniversary edition, however, it’s a little large. So I read it in ebook format since I didn’t want to hold up the book. But nice as a collector item.] MY REVIEW: “𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐥𝐟 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐥𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬.” —Robert Jordan When Trollocs attack their small village, three young men flee their home of Two Rivers to embark on an epic journey. They are led by a woman of great power and her fierce warrior guardian. It is clear that these young men will play an important role...but what? The Dark One knows this, sending his minions to hunt them. Their journey becomes a race against time, and if they don’t reach the Eye of the World before it is too late, the Dark One will destroy them all. Wheel of Time is one of the most widely known epic fantasy series of all time. Amazon is making it into a show, too! Filming has almost wrapped up. It’s got a release of late 2021. Woot woot!! This first installment felt so much like Lord of the Rings, but in a good way. It was packed with adventure, a host of characters, magic, incredible world building, and self discovery. While it did move slow at times, reading it always felt like slipping into a magical world. The perfect escape after a long day. And because of its size, I treated this as a slow read and only allowed myself 1-2 chapters per night. It took nearly two months to finish it. Given that it’s a super huge series, at 14 books, I have a feeling each book is going to be better than the last. While this one didn’t WOW me, I did enjoy it enough to continue the series. I’ve grown attached to the characters and I’m eager to see what the Pattern has in store for them. This fantasy story was written back in the early 90s so it’s a little old fashioned. But I love the feminist feel it has, where women and not men wield the power as Aes Sedai. In terms of style, the writing felt more “macro” than “micro” in descriptions, characters, and events. I didn’t feel like we got into the depth of each character quite how stories today are written. This gave it more of a LOTR feel. Speaking of LOTR...there were plenty of other noticeable parallels. Good vs Evil. Light vs. Dark. A band of friends racing against time on an epic adventure through the wilderness being led by a warrior and strong magic wielder. Trollocs as the hunters vs LOTR equivalent of Orcs. I’ve heard said that WoT is supposed to be a “darker version” of LOTR. This excites me. The characters are all very different. We’ve got three farm boys from a small village: Rand, Mat, and Perrin. Two of the village women who accompany them on their adventure: Nynaeve and Egwene. A storyteller who comes along: Thom. Then we’ve got our two leaders of the pack: the Aes Sedai named Moiraine, and her bound Warder named Lan. As far as favorites are concerned, Lan is by far my favorite. He’s got an Aragorn feel to him. His character is mysterious. He’s every bit the warrior. I can easily see myself developing a book crush on him. Now to the negatives. One thing left me a little salty. The plot tends to feel a little jumpy at times. During the middle of the book, a romance takes place off scene, and while there are subtle clues, we don’t see the confirmation of this until one of the final chapters in the book. It left me scratching my head. Wait, what?! I would have LOVED to see this romance more in the open, as romance is one of the things I look for most in my fantasy stories. But given this book is a bit old fashioned, I can’t say I’m surprised. Romance tends to take more of a front-center role in fantasies today, whereas it didn’t in older fantasy books. Overall, if you are a lover of epic fantasy, adventure, and LOTR, then I think you’re going to really enjoy this book. And hopefully the series too.

The Eye of the World has been in my Amazon recommendations for months, since I was in between books of some of my favorite authors, I gave it a try. With over 2600 ratings and an average of 4.5 stars it felt like a sure thing. However, I struggled reading it. Robert Jordan is an excellent writer and he has the ability to describe action, situations and events so well I could visualize them. I thought the cast of characters were well developed and had depth. I’ve read there this book has changed lives; so what’s wrong with me? I just couldn’t engage in the story, at times it was a struggle to read. The book started very slowly, it was around 50 pages before I figured out who it was about. Spoiler, it’s the kid and his friends. I usually avoid young adult stories (YA), so this may be part of me dilemma; the four star rating was me rounding up. It was about 50% before the story picked up pace, then the ending seemed rushed. Which was unusual since the book is 750 pages. Overall, the book is solid and the story good, for me, I prefer a little more bite than what YA offers.

Unfortunately, I was really disappointed with this wordy retread of the Fellowship of the Ring with little to no payoff after so many pages read. Got about 57% through before giving up. After reading some other reviews from people who have read the entire series, and having them relay that this first book is faster paced than some of the subsequent books, I was glad to abandon the series. Although I admit I'm curious if the final books in the series that were completed by Brandon Sanderson are any better. He's one of my favorite authors and I can't image Brandon spending hundreds of pages drawing out a chase scene like Jordan has in this book. Other reviewers have stated that Jordan sometimes focused more on world building than an engaging and well paced plot.

TL;DR - Amazing book. When it feels slow and you just wish something of substance would happen, keep in mind that this is the first book in a much larger series. It's setting up a much larger story. 100% would buy again. Pros: Beginning of a huge story (I won't have to look for a new series in a long time!). Great character building. Takes a long time, but very in depth and rich with back story. Huge world with extensive history. Long books. (some kindle books are extremely short and are finished in a blink). Cons: Beginning of huge story. Being 14+ books long, this could be a daunting literature adventure for many. Lengthy character building. Entire first book is turning the characters into adults. Soooo, a lot of people are indicating that this book is too slow. I would have to agree, IF the Wheel of Time wasn't 14+ stories long. This isn't a standalone book, or even a small 3 book series. It's extremely long and the story is very intricate. I find a lot of the positives have a mirror image as negatives as well for this particular book. I typically read a lot of self published authors that put out shorter, less fleshed out stories. Even if they are 3, 4, 5 book series. These types of stories usually pick up faster, give a little more juice to hook readers a little quicker. This is nice, but it happens to be at the expense of a more in depth/fleshed out story. The Eye of the World is the opposite of these popcorn stories. It takes longer to flesh out characters, it takes longer for the story to come alive, the book is longer in general. But it's amazing... By putting in the time to read the book and really get engrossed in the series is so much fun. You feel so much more engaged with the characters and story. 100% would suggest picking this one up and starting the literature adventure of a lifetime!

This review is specific to the 30th Anniversary release. The story is amazing and starts one of the best fantasy series ever (imo). However this is a sad 30th Anniversary release. There's nothing really special about this. When compared to some of the special editions of Dune and even some of Sanderson's own books (Warbreaker's leather bound is beautiful), this release is just lazy. There is no new art, the binding is pretty standard, I like the book better without the sleeve but its still pretty basic. The book will never stop being amazing, but this edition is not something I'd recommended unless you must own all things Sanderson.

For a new paperback book, I have never seen such cheap quality ink used. Even on Day 1 of reading this book the pages are smeared with inkprints from my fingers, which is a shame since the book is highly entertaining. Save your money and get a digital version, because whatever print company they use is absolute garbage.

Read these in the original hard cover when they first came out. Jordan kept putting the next book out just about yearly. Rich character and storyline development. Sadly he passed away before finishing the series but left copious notes and the series was finished properly. Couldn't recommend this book and the entire series more. Martin only started his series after several of these were already in print and even though his first few books were good, he got completely sidetracked and several years have passed and he still (2020) hasn't finished writing. He sold out to HBO Game Of Thrones series and even that he abandoned to have a miserable conclusion to the story. The Wheel of Time Series by Jordan is complete and worth the time spent reading...over and over again.

I first read a few books in this series 20 years ago. I decided to Re-read it and finish it when I heard that Amazon was making a tv series out of it. Character development is superb - you really fall in the love with the characters. The culture and geography are exquisitely detailed. It’s basically a grown up version of Harry Potter. Due to the level of detail Jordan provides, some people find parts to be a bit long winded, but you also have to understand that every word has a purpose. The purpose is to make a world with all of its people and principles relatable but fantastical at the same time. Truly one of the best series ever composed for this genre.

Fantasy is not my genre at all. This series has been recommended to me by many people over the last 25+ years. I decided that I was ready to give this a try. I will admit that going in I am intimidated by the length of this series and whether I have the stamina for it. To my surprise, I am enjoying this far more than I thought I would. I am so into the series that I have already ordered the 2nd volume while only 1/2 done with this. This series has me intrigue. I had read all the negative reviews that this was a poor man's Lord of the Rings. People are so narrow minded. The world Tolkien created stands on it's own as does this one. Jordan has created a wonderful story and, yes, there are similarities to LOTH but so what. I hope that I can make it through all 14 books and 4.4 million words.

Felt so derivative. I read reviews that implied it got better, but even in a pandemic I don’t have time for this.

Robert Jordan does for fantasy what few authors can do and that is introduce new aspects to fantasy that are original but also still taking from Tolkien the very best of what fantasy has to offer. World building, complex characters, plot twists, unpredictability, good vs evil, layers and layers of plots within plots. This book is the greatest book laying the foundation for the entire wheel of time series. You are introduced to multiple characters being led in a hundred different directions. The magic is very complex but explained in a way that is understandable but yet real. The book is steady but that is because Jordan is laying the groundwork for so much more in the series. I bought this book when it was on sale in ebook format so I could read it easily across multiple formats. I'm also trying to introduce it to my wife who is just getting her feet wet in the fantasy realm. My only complaint is that none of the other books in the series have gone on sale so far. 8.99-9.99 for a ebook seems a little steep for me. Also the Audible is also equally expensive.

I decided to read this due to upcoming movies being made from these books. It was soooo long. The storyline was interesting but dragged and repeated often. I bought the second and started it but just couldn’t force myself to continue after such a long first one. I will hold off till our long north country winter to get into it. In the right hands this can be a winner series of shows/movies as long as they tighten up the backstory and cut the repeats. Will it be as good as GOT, hmmm, in my mind nothing will ever be, but then it depends on how well they tell the story. With something like 15 books to this series I will probably see the shows long before I ever get near the last book. The potential is there if you can handle the length of each book to get to the facts needed to follow the story.

I could not get through the book, it's like it's some 10th grader's writing assignment. Some of the locales are pretty cool, but jeezus... I'm only about half way through and I don't know if I have the strength to make it the rest of the way, you go on without me. Save yourselves...

First of all I love Wheel Of Time. This book came in a state that was unreadable. Ive never had any problems buying books for my book addiction. Until now. This is unacceptable i refunded and pre ordered the new one, i hope that one is better.

I studied the reviews before buying this book, I really did. They boiled down to a 50/50 mix of "Best book ever!" and "Blatant rip-off of Tolkien." 50/50 is a sucker bet, but I rolled the dice anyway. Is this a rip-off of Tolkien? With it's trollocs, faceless pursuers, inoccent farm boys on an epic quest and magic-wielding guide, one might say so. But I can't really support that opinion. Inspired by Tolkien? Yes. Like everybody else. Best book ever? No, not by a long shot. I grant that reading farther into the series might change my opinion, but the worldbuilding, back story, and characters are all flat. This read more like a script for a video game where the main character is on rails than an epic fantasy. They are forced into the most ridiculous acts, just to prove some point that is never really made, or to firmly set a plot hook that isn't quite necessary. Ultimately this is not an awful book. It's a good book. Not great, but good, and deserves to be on anyone's list of "I've Read These Books". I'm giving it four stars because I'm quite sure that some of my problems with the first book will be resolved by those that follow but, frankly, I just don't have the energy, or the bankroll, to finish it.

I have always loved the story of the book. What I'm disappointed in is the quality of the book's exterior. Look at the picture of the spine that I've enclosed. I can't believe they sent me an 30th anniversary edition with a crumpled spine. It's almost a $35 dollar book, for crying out loud. I'm so disappointed.

So this book is amazing. So this is coming from a person who hasn't really dabbled in the world building type of fantasy. Usually I read 3 book fantasy series which is nice but it doesn't compare to the level of detail that this series has. This series feels like your apart of the world. Theres just so many things going on, in all different parts of the world. It really feels alive. Now that may seem intimidating but it really isn't. Wheel of Time does a great job of slowly bringing you into the magnificent world. I highly recommend you read the first 3 and see how you feel before you make any decisions on whether to keep on or stop.

I have been rereading The Wheel of Time series for the past decade. I'm an avid reader of the fantasy genre, and I can say with certainty that you will enjoy this series. The best part about Robert Jordan's work is you can read the first book and be happy with the ending, or you can read the first three books and count it as a Trilogy and stop. Very few people do this due to the author's abilities who hook you in with an intricate clot and personable characters. Most people complain that the first 90 pages are slow. But once you finish this excellent Worldbuilding section the series picks up very quickly.

It's a daunting task reading such a huge book, in a 10+(14) volume catalog. Each just as thick as the last. There is a commitment, the reward; A deeply affecting adventure. I was really enjoying the read, up till the group got separated then the narratives started to shift. As previously mentioned this series relies on its characters. The tradeoff is character building, and they are all pretty likable. Perrin is one I liked. So yes, it drug around at times for me. However, I think the future volumes will be better for the ground work set in this first book.

I approached the book with great expectations, and that probably ruined it for me. The bulk of the story for this first installment is a chase (lots of situations remind of LOTR), and the same pattern repeats itself over and over again (apparent relax -> Evil strikes -> run). There is very little character development, and very little time to go deep on the stories and background of the places visited. Evil is evil, good is good (and pretty much invincible) for most of the book. The ending is promising, and makes me want to go on despite this initial disappointment.

From one of the masters in Fantasy, I finally read the first book of the series. Now the others I have read make a lot more since. I suggest anyone wanting to read the series start from book 1. For being such a long book I finished it much faster then I normally would a book of this length. I could not put it down, often finding myself reading at 2 or 3 in the morning. Although I felt there were some very Tolkinisk references in the story, it truly is an original masterpiece. The weaving of the story and the characters was exceptionally well done.

"The Eye of the World" is the first in a long, epic fantasy series called the "Wheel of Time" (WoT). This is a classic good versus evil story set in a world filled with swords and sorcery. The novel builds a vast imaginary world, but readers will likely recognize names and places from Christianity, Islam, British history, J.R.R. Tolkien's works, and many other real-life elements. I've heard about the WoT series for a long time, but I avoided it because I heard it drug on and eventually the original author Robert Jordan passed away leaving the series unfinished. After his death, Brandon Sanderson used Jordan's notes to finish the series, so I thought I would give it a try since I enjoy epic fantasy series. The novel opens with two conflicting scenes. The prologue is dark, filled with destruction and despair, but then the story turns to the peaceful village of Two Rivers. These scenes show the breadth of the story as the reader will eventually learn more about the dire scene in the prologue and how it includes a handful of adventurers from Two Rivers. Forces for light and darkness are both searching for three young men around the age of 20 who will forever change the world. I was pleased to find the story was clean from a language and sex standpoint. There are some battle scenes, but they are not gory or graphic in nature, and this is an overall much tamer novel compared to say George R.R. Martin's series. There are a few subtle hints of romance in the story, but for the most part it follows after Tolkien's example of an epic journey where the characters grow together through adversity. The author switches points of view throughout the story, so you get learn more about the main characters. Overall, I rated the book four stars. It was an enjoyable adventure with a lot of world building, interesting characters, and an old fashioned good versus evil story. I rated the story down a star because it didn't really move me in any sense (i.e., I didn't highlight any passages or insights from the characters).

I had trouble getting interested in the story, but I read book 2, book 3, and finally got really involved by book 5. From the start the characters were well developed and the action moved the characters along, but one has to read the entire series for the first books to make sense. But going where? Keep reading! It was refreshing to find people faced with large problems working through the small ones, like differences in culture, appearance and dress. The saga was engaging in the story, but kept me thinking about deeper concepts as well. I read all 14 books twice and I hope I get the chance to read them all again.

A fairly well written book. However, the characters were somewhat derivative, both in role and name. The plot dragged through the fist 5 chapters and started a slow acceleration through the rest of the book before a climax was crammed into the end followed by a far too cursory denouement given the weight of the climax. The hardcover book is well made with many premium construction elements (ribbon bookmark, headband, dust jacket, thick paper) except that the signatures look bound in glue rather than sewn and glued.

Fantastic start to a fantastic series. A few of the books in the middle get bogged down and slow, but overall this is one of my top three fantasy series of all time. Getting back to this book, I'm rereading it again right now after a few years, and it's still extremely enjoyable. Male and female lead characters, plus male and female antagonists. Another great thing about this series if you haven't read it yet is that it is finished. Warning that this is not a standalone book, however, and you have to read the entire series. This book, unlike some of the others in the series, does have a conclusion to the immediate problem, but it's just a stepping stone toward the bigger goal. Outstanding depth of character and universe, rich with distinct cultures.

I picked up Books 4 and 8 at my local Goodwill and decided to take a chance and buy the whole series. I wasn't blown away by The Eye of the World, but it was a solid novel. At over 700 pages of story not a lot actually happens. Most of the book is following the characters as they travel from one location to the next, though sometimes they run into trouble on the way. In a way, much of the story takes place in several mini-journeys. Two to seven or eight of the characters (in differing combinations) will come together, become separated, find each other...etc. All the while they are having their own adventures. My favorite was Perrin and Egwene after becoming separated from the rest of the group. It is, in my opinion, the most interesting "mini-journey", particularly because of a man they meet and an ability Perrin learns he has.

The book was slow in getting started as to what the storyline was going to be. In fact I stopped reading for awhile and almost didn't go back. But when I did it was hard to put down. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good fantasy . It reminds me of Lord of the Rings trilogy in that they both show how young people are asked to do great things.

Upon finishing Gorge RR Martins "A Song of Ice and Fire" a friend recommended that I read one of the all-time classics of the fantasy genera, The Wheel of Time. Upon reading up on the series, and looking up the reviews for the first book, I was very much intrigued. By all accounts it seemed to take what were obviously omissions in the world Tolkien created and create a world that focused on these topics (such as industry, farming, technology, etc) to a much greater degree. However, upon reading the first book I can't help but think that Robert Jordan just copied and pasted the first half of the Fellowship of the Ring and transplanted that into the first quarter of The Eye of the World. Though written in a unique style and very well paced, this book and Fellowship read eerily similar for about the first quarter. Let me elaborate. Rand (Frodo) is a simple farm boy living in an isolated town of Edmond's Field (Hobbiton) in an isolated region known as the Two Rivers (The Shire) far away from the troubles of the world. While the forces of the Dark Lord do battle with the kingdoms of earth far away, in Edmonds field it is a time to celebrate the coming of spring with a huge party, very reminiscent of the birthday thrown for Bilbo Baggins. But the party is cut short as the town comes under attack by legions of Trollocs (Orcs on steroids) led by... God, really? Ringwraiths? He had to steal the Ringwraiths too? Okay, they're called Fades here, but seriously except for them being ten times weaker and 100 times less menacing, these Fades might as well be Ringwraiths. They even suffer from a fear of water, good God did Jordan not think we would put two and two together? Even the ferry scene from Fellowship is in this book. Needless to say, as a huge Lord of the Rings fan, I wasn't too fond of seeing Tolkiens work in Jordans story. The first quarter of this book is a re-hash of plots and themes from Fellowship. It's not until the party gets separated in Moria (I'm sorry, Shadar Logoth) that this story really comes into its own. From that point the Lord of the Rings clone disappears, and a uniquely fun story starts to take its place. It's during this time, when the members of the "Fellowship" are forced to survive without the help of the immensely powerful wizard Moiraine and her... Aragon look alike companion Lan, that the real tension starts to build. While in the company of Moiraine and Lan I never felt like the other characters were in any danger, as these two could easily take on hundreds of Trollocs and dozens of Fades without seeming to break a sweat. So when Rand and his best friend Mat encounter Darkfriends (servants of the Dark Lord) on their own there was real tension there. Before you start thinking I didn't like the book, let me says this. The Eye of the World is an extremely well written, well-paced tale with mostly good characters, a few really impressive moments, and a massive world that I'm dying to learn more about in the next... dear god, TWELVE books? And I was complaining that Martins series goes on forever, seems I'm in for the long hall in this one. The male characters are all written very well and likable. They written more in the Tolkien style without being straight up copies (mostly) as opposed to the way Martin writes. Rand is your typical young "chosen one" who has responsibility thrust upon him he doesn't want or understand, and yet must rise to meet the challenges of, what else, saving the world. It's not terribly original, but it is done very well which makes up for that. Mat and Perrin, his best friends, are also important but in what way will only be make clear in the following books. Mat is a smart ass, always playing tricks on people, never taking anything really seriously, and for this everyone seems to underestimate him. In a pinch though, Mat can be just as strong as any of the others. I think he was my favorite character overall as his humor and light hardheartedness gave me a welcome break from the dark and dreary of the rest of the story. Perrin, likewise is very likable, and plays as a counterweight to Mat's playfulness. Always stern and serious, Perrin serves as the voice of reason for the Edmond Fielders throughout the series. Overall, yes, I really liked the male characters. But wait, the male characters? Aren't there any female characters here? Well yes, very prominent ones in fact, the problem is that almost every single one of them is a real bitch. I don't know if Jordan doesn't like women, or doesn't get women, or styled all the women in this book after one he knew in real life, but they all have that snotty "I'm better and smarter then you" attitude towards their male counterparts. They are self-righteous, arrogant, snobby little wenches and I couldn't stand a one of them. On occasion we'll get a glimpse of weakness from them or a break from the arrogance they are always excreting, but it's not nearly enough to make up for just how unlikeable they are. And don't tell me I didn't like them because they didn't fall into set gender roles, or because they are strong women in a genera dominated by men. Don't give me that nonsense. No, it's because they are badly written characters, and that's it. Overall Jordan has a very good story going here with strong male characters, an engrossing world, and a style that drew me in very quickly and made me feel right at home. I very much enjoyed reading most parts of this book despite my criticisms, and though I don't think this is anywhere near the level of consistent quality I receive from Tolkien or Martin, it is still a fine read and I look forward to reading more.

I have re read the series and am giving my review after each book. The Eye of the World. Is a very well written book that introduces 7 main characters in the series. The "magic" system is well worked out and has a bit of a twist to it. The action is slower paced in this book, but you get a real feel for the main characters and how they are developing. A great writer, so sad he is gone, his writing is on par with Rodger Zelany's writing.

I was looking for "Tolkien" like book series to read, and came across The Eye of The World series, which was recommended for readers wanting another LOTR world to delve into. I am now about 40% of the way through this first book of the series and I am having trouble getting it read. I like the book, but I haven't been able to really get excited about it yet. Still hoping...........

Like most epic fantasies the beginning of this book is a little slow, and they throw around many names, and names of places, and a lot of little things happen that are important later. For some this can be a little confusing. I've read some reviews that compare this to Lord of the rings, and some that deny that. There are clear similarities, but I wasn't put off by that. It still was it's own book. The characters were interesting, and the world building was great. I'll definitely keep going in the series.

As I’ve read this and some of the subsequent novels in the series I’ll start off by saying that the first book is worth reading. It was quite fresh for fantasy at the time it was written. So if one is looking for a classic fantasy novel this is a good one. However, it takes quite a commitment to go through the entire series as some of those books do kind of bog down. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten through but 5 or 6 of the books in the series. I believe this is my 3rd attempt.

Before Harry Potter, before Game of Thrones, before Mistborn... there was the Wheel of Time. Robert Jordan's sprawling epic starts here, in the Eye of the World. The story follows three farmboys as they outrun an evil that no one saw coming. The tropes that Jordan explores in this first novel are a nice callback to what Tolkien did for the genre. Then he spins it on its head. This is one of my favorite books, but the series does get better and better with each passing book. A real page-turner!!! RIDE DRAGON RIDE!!!!

After reading some great works by Brandon Sanderson, I was curious to find another epic fantasy series that included the things I enjoy most, and bypassed the content I rather don't like. 'The Wheel of Time' tempers the reader slowly into it's universe, helping one grow accustomed to the way things are understood, and then it continues to build and accelerate until the book's conclusion. By the time we reach certain locations, and meet new characters, we've already learned to expect (and enjoy) the unexpected. This book doesn't easily compare to a book like 'The Fellowship of the Ring' but I saw parallels in the way we're introduced to a simple world that grows ever more complicated and serious as the adventure progresses. Getting to learn about so many characters while other remain shrouded in mystery was a great part of this ride. Seeing the landscapes in my mind's eye was easy with this author. Furthermore, feeling the impress of urgency on these characters and their journey was appreciated. I recommend this read for fans of Tolkien, Sanderson, and terrifying hordes. ;)

This is of course Robert Jordan and so this book is perfect in every way!!!! This is my 2nd read-thru of the series, the first being quite a few years ago, and I'm enjoying it as much as the first time through :) If by some chance you've never read this series, THEN DO!!! I rank Robert Jordan right up there with the very best and at the top right along with Tolkien. Read it, you'll LOVE it!!! :)

This was a reread for me, and it does not disappoint! I pick up so many things the second time, providing more understanding and enjoyment. Truly epic fantasy, yet relatable in the characters and their actions. Ideals and legends that are at once foreign and familiar. Looking forward to rereading the rest of the series.👍

The writing in Robert Jordan's first in his Wheel of Time series is hefty. The author over-explains most things, from the characters' thoughts and feelings to every speck of dirt and burned out candle in a room. However, after the first few chapters I was involved in the story. I was driven to keep reading. This is action packed and Jordan's world is vivid. In later parts to the series Jordan's writing improves, and once the reader is accustomed to the world less explanation is needed outside of the introductory chapter. I'm having a great time in his novels.

I first read The Eye of the World when I was in high school almost 15 years ago. I remembered loving it then and it did not disappoint when I picked it back up again recently. I am determined to finish the series now that the final book will be released this coming January. It is a captivating story with characters that grip onto you and don’t let go. In this particular first volume the three main characters are Rand, Perrin and Mat, all of the same age they are barely young men. They live in the little village called the Two Rivers. The Beltine Spring festival is tomorrow and there are several unusual strangers in town. But chaos breaks loose upon the town that night and the boys lives are never the same. Pretty much once the trouble starts shortly after The Eye of the World gets started the action doesn’t slow down much. They are being pursued by it seems just about everyone. Scary monsters that they thought only existed in a Gleeman’s tales. This is an epic fantasy with a magic system with power that is split into a make and female side. There are monstrous creatures, darkfriends, men that can speak to wolves, and misty evils that can destroy an army. I could barely put this book down and finished the 800+ pages in two days. The only thing I was a little disappointed with was the confrontation at the end of the book seemed a bit anti-climactic to me compared to some of the preceding action throughout the rest of the book.

This is an incredible book and an incredible series. The two biggest strengths of the book are the worldbuilding and the characters. In my opinion, Robert Jordan's character development and worldbuilding are the gold standard that all fantasy authors should strive for. The story is the next strongest part of the book. It is very entertaining and exciting, but Jordan's writing style slows it down and makes it a little hard for me to sit down and read the book for hours and hours on end (but only a little hard). For people unsure about starting such a large series (14 books!), I still recommend trying it. Sure, the books in the middle start to slow down and the story feels like it sprawls out of control. But the first handful of books are fantastic. What I always tell my friends about the series is that you may as well start it. If you get the point where you get tired of it, then stop reading the series. But the first few books are just so good that you should at least read those. If you get drawn into the series like I did and become a big fan, then you'll be able to get through the series. By the way, Brandon Sanderson's ending to the series is fantastic and wrapped things up in a satisfying way, in my opinion at least.

I enjoy this book, though this isn't the first time I've tried to make it through this series. I enjoy that characters and the journey that each of them embark on. In this book the group of characters, is manageable, I do know for a fact that in the future books the cast of characters grows to an enormous following. There are times it gets hard to follow without a map and a list who is who next to you. I would recommend this for other fantasy readers but you will need to have an open mind. There are some relationship within the story that go against most of our upbringing. The female dominance in the book can and will turn some people off of the book and more importantly the series. I don't mind it, but I believe in the later books it can get daunting to get through.

I first read this book 30 years ago as a 13 year old. I am taking an adventure back in time to read the books again before the TV series comes out. I love the book as much now as I did all those years ago. Highly recommended for anyone interested in clever attention to detail, an amazing adventure, fantastic character development and excellent storytelling that is vivid and alive. Highly recommended.

This is one of my favorite series. I think Brandon Sanderson did a great job finishing off the series, but cannot hope to wonder what it would have been like of Robert Jordan lived to do it himself. The book introduces the primary characters of the story, although not all of the important characters. As the story progresses from book to book other "important" characters are introduced to allow this story to grow to epic proportions. There is so much action in each book, it is hard to believe so much can be written, but you are reading the ending of an age and the birth of a new age (by the very end) - for good or bad. Hope you enjoy this series as much as I have. Bill

Oh my word. This is such a great book. So many LOTR vibes. I can hardly wait to find out what happens next. I was a bit worried about starting such a massive series, but this...this is going to be worth every hour of late night reading. This book arrived in mint condition. I LOVE the big floppy paperback copy. It is worth it to not need to pry open the pages of the smaller paperback copies. It simply lies open, right where I left it. To me, it adds to the reading experience. Of course, that is up to you. Happy reading folks... ...do not stray too far from reality.

The first book in Robert Jordan’s series was just that, an eye into the world of the series, an introduction of many of the characters, and a great fantasy story. When the three young men, Rand, Perrin and Mat left their sleepy hamlet, they were only beginning to believe that all the tales they’d heard growing up were true. The world-building is first rate, and each character has their part to play. I feel like I’m going on an adventure of my own as I continue to read the series. This is what epic fantasy should be.

One down, so only thirteen left to read. I enjoyed the book, though it took forever to get myself invested. Jordan throws about a dozen characters at you right away and the beginning drags on unnecessarily in retrospect; I’m sure there are important details relevant to the next books that I missed, but I’m not going to go back and read it again looking for them. The pace picks up, but there is a clear pattern in the plot development that I hope is going to be varied in the following books. I also hope that Moiraine is knocked down a peg—so far she does things with far too much ease. There are clear parallels to Gandalf, but even he seems more human (even though he’s not). I really appreciated some of the descriptive sentences that Jordan writes for their poetic qualities, and I hope he expands on that more. Overall, I’m looking forward to reading the next book.

I found the narrator's feminine voices to be too unfeminine -- it yanked me back to reality every time one of the woman in the story had something to say.

As the first in a series that will continue on for many, many volumes, this story sets the tone for a great volume of work. The writing is that of a master storyteller who really has the understanding of the written word so that each patiently constructed sentence is meticulously chosen to serve the reader who is being nuanced with a great world that doesn't suffer from realizing The Lord of the Rings and other such classics are out there as well. Never once did I get the sense that this author was retreading ground that others have covered, and after a short time, I came to realize that this is the foundation for classics that so many others will eventually follow. It was funny reading this story because as others found out I was reading it for the first time, they kept remarking on the heroes that are very much a part of the folklore of the series, and it was hard to take them seriously as these names they kept bringing up were simple beginnings right now, not the full blown legends that these people kept talking about. But it gave a sense of humility because I was coming in at the beginning, realizing that generations of people were already enthralled by the names I was reading for the first time, names that would come into their own several volumes later after the one I was reading here. It was kind of a humbling experience, but one of excitement as well. For anyone on the fence about reading this book (and then the series), I can't emphasize enough how much it is worth taking hte plunge.

Since there are almost 2000 reviews here already, I won't rehash the plot, but just discuss my own reaction, as a frequent fantasy fiction reader. Although this first volume in this series pulled me in enough that I will read the second volume, I was a bit disappointed based on the hype. I think comparisons to Tolkien are overblown, although this series has a compelling and well-thought out backstory that is slowly revealed just as in Tolkien. But I didn't find the characters as compelling - I have yet to really care about the three young men at the center of the story - Rand, Mat, and Perrin. I also found the pacing a bit slow - I realize the story is spread out over 12 or more books, instead of three, but still, you need to reveal enough in the first book to make it stand on its own. This one really didn't get to 'page-turner' status for me until the last 50 pages. However, it DID get there, I DO want to read at least the next volume and see where it goes. The 'breaking of the world' is compelling, and the potential for discussing differences in masculine and feminine magical power, which is an interesting theme to me. So I will stick with it through at least one more volume. Because I read this on Kindle, I didn't realize until the end that there was a great glossary included in the back of the book - I highly recommend referring to it whenever you have a question about something that is referenced.

I read this years ago. It's such an epic story. I'm actually reading it again. Sometimes you get a series of books that are just that good and then you're at a loss to find another that compares. This is one of those stories. If you haven't read it, you really should. Mr. Jordan left behind an incredible legacy. Thank you to Brandon and Mrs. Jordan for bringing the series to a perfect end. R.I.P. Robert Jordan.

Some people down this book in reviews they couldn't be more wrong. Some say it is a Lord of The Rings clone. Are they correct? NO! Are they totally incorrect? NO! When looking at reviews for this book you are I am assuming a fantasy fan looking for a great series. Ask yourself what got you into the fantasy genre? Gonna go out on a limb here and say it wasn't Homer. No it was Mr. J.R.R Tolkien himself. (if your internal answer was Stephanie Meyer move along there are no sissy glow in the light vampires here). If your looking for adventure its right here. If your looking for awesome descriptions of a vibrant fantasy world its here. If your looking for a story that will have you so enmeshed that it gives you dreams and maybe even nightmares of the dark one its here. If your looking for great characters that you feel a connection to its here. I spent alot of time in the D&D fantasy world of the forgotten realms until I got bored and was looking for something more. It no longer had the same taste of adventure to me. I had a desire for depth and story. I found exactly what I was looking for in The Eye of the World. Though it does have the same flair as LOTR its a completely different world and story. Treat yourself to this first book and enjoy it for what it is an amazing fantasy adventure.

I purchased this under my husband's account. I grew up reading fantasy series, as a child Chronicles of Narnia...Anne Rice in my late teens. My husband tried to get me to read ASOIAF after watching GOT but I am so glad I picked this instead. As soon as I purchased this book I could not put it down. Robert Jordan built an entire world that is unmatched in its scope and proportions through all 15 books. Yes, it was daunting at first and resulted in me hiding from my husband and daughter to read in secret like a guilty kid. This is hands down the best fantasy series that I have ever read and I can't wait for Amazon's TV adaptation to come out.

First book in the most amazing series I have ever read. The Wheel of Time series is a classic and you will reread and revisit over the years and never get tired of. The characters are brought to life and you watch them grow and change as the books continue. An amazing series and it starts with a wonderful first book.

A complex and well written novel second only to Tolkien’s Hobbit Trilogy. To this writer there are elements of the Hobbit writings as well as the Dune series. Complex characters, well developed plot, and exciting writing make this an ideal book for most age groups and genders. Without going into a long description of the various positives, just take my word on it and purchase the first book. I, myself, am now reading the second installment and find it to be just as enjoyable as the first. I understand that there were fourteen written before the author’s untimely death. It will be a very satisfied reading year for me. I think you will discover that you start to develop an invested interest in the various characters as the plot expands and tend to favor one or another. So far, I do not particularly like Mat and the Wisdom which goes to show you how one gets seduce by the story. It’s were a tangible experience. I cannot tell the number of times when various exclamations are voiced out loud by this reader, much to the chagrin of startled family members and other surrounding crowds. If you like the genre, try it, you will not be disappointed.

The beginning of the book seems a bit enthralling, however, the characters do not come as alive for me like the other books and there is too much repetition that I had to skip over some lines. It was excessive to remind the reader of certain topics which made it difficult for me to continue on reading. Only enjoyed at the beginning where the I believe it introduces the Dragon and his counterpart dialogue and from there on out, the book lost me.

Since the Wheel of Time series will finally end in January 2013 I decided to to pick it up, I had read it 5 years ago, and liked it but didn't think it would end. But since it's finally going to end I picked it back up and plan to read all rest leading up to it. The story is great and really original, it has a huge cast of characters, and it discusses everything from religion to sociology. Jordan writes women really well, there's a lot filler, you feel like you know what every character is wearing, and every place that any character enters. The details are outstanding and make you feel as if you are really there. The politics of class are really interesting, and the history that is weaved, both the past and the present. Thom The Gleeman is my favorite character, he shows bravery and heart, and his willing to sacrifice himself is honorable. I'm not even going to attempt to summarize this story cause it wold take to long, and you still would really know what was going on, it's one that you really just have to read for yourself. I did give this book four stars because of the dream sequences, there are quite a few, and I find those the worst written, he great at over describing the regular scenes, but in the dreams it seems under described, and I had to really fight to picture them, even when reading paragraphs over for clarity. I will recommend read Nw Spring first, it really explains so of what the glossed over in this book about Lan's past, and really makes you have a greater understanding of what's gong on

In a lot of ways, this should be a three star book. The dialogue isn't always so great, many elements of the world are derivative, and the main characters confirm to classic fantasy tropes. I can almost see them as characters in a D&D game. That being said, this book is hard to put down. Robert Jordan just gets fantasy right, and he built a world with a wonderfully rich history that feels self-consistent and three dimensional. His characters grow over time and the story has a suitable epic sweep. It just feels right. It feels like classic, epic fantasy. For that reason, I give it four stars. I'm late to the party with The Wheel of Time, but I'm finding it to be good bedtime reading. It's easy to put away a chapter a night before bed, and it takes my mind off the realities of my day to day existence nicely. That's really all I ask of the series, and so on to "The Great Hunt" I go.

So I thought this was a really good story and it is clearly a very intriguing path forward on this journey. The question is; is it good enough to embark upon something like 15 more books? I am not sure. Think I will take a break and will pick up the second book a little later. Might just be committing to one book at a time right now rather than the full thing.

I had been aware of the Wheel of Time series for quite some time but had never gotten around to reading it and I think that given how the final book in the series is due out in the not too distant future that I picked a great time to start the series. Having no idea what to expect, after a very cool, but short preamble, TEOW starts you off in the Shire - or close enough not to matter - and events and characters instantly feel very familiar for anyone who's read Fellowship of the Ring. In fact, the parallels in this book to Fellowship at times actually detract from the story as they kept pulling me out of the narrative early on. However, these distractions occur less and less for the most part as the book progresses and by the time your 30-40% of the way through the book, it's really found it's own voice. The story itself is a relatively fast paced fantasy epic which covers a lot of ground and provides a few surprises along the way. After I had finished I reflected on how much had happened and I was impressed at how much Jordan fit into the story. The fact that this is only the first of many adventures is pretty awesome if you're a fan of longer fantasy series. The magic system in the story is much more at the forefront than a Game of Thrones type series or even the Lord of the Rings and that's part of what makes the story so interesting. Rand's journey in particular is pretty compelling as he begins to realize his potential. Even by the time the story is over, there's much about Rand that's still a mystery which I'm sure will come into play in subsequent books. Perrin's story is equally promising/interesting, at least to me, and while I understand his reaction to finding out his "gift", part of me also thinks it's be pretty cool to find that type of potential within you. While the story concludes in such a way that you wouldn't "have" to read any more to enjoy the book, it certainly leaves a few major questions open for the story to be picked up if you find the world enjoyable. Overall, while it did remind me a bit too much of Tolkien from time to time, it ended up being a pretty fun story, with some memorable characters and a meticulously crafted world in which I'm sure I'll be enjoying for many books to come.

This book starts out slow. It doesn't really draw you in until about page 62 of the softback. Once I got to that point I couldn't put it down. I've read this whole series more than once. Robert Jordan puts a great deal of description into everything. He tries to let you see his world as best he can. He really breathed life into his characters. Everyone is unique. Everyone has something that drives them forward.

I thought this was a decent book I am glad by the end of it some action happened but I am one of those readership I find myself to bored I skip ahead and I did that a lot with this book. Mr. Jordan definitely paid attention to detail and there was a lot of it in this book. That's not to say it isn't a good book. I have just learned that these get better with each book. I enjoyed growing with the characters in this first installment. From two rivers to the green man it was fun. I will probably continue on to the second.

First a short note about the Kindle version, if you're not a Kindle user feel free to skip: This has to do with my getting accustomed to reading on the Kindle as much as anything but I found this book to be incredibly easy to read. I did notice a few mistakes like the same paragraph repeated more than once like some body was copy/pasting without paying attention and occasionally there was a word split into two words I assume a side-effect of putting the book into Kindle format. I did pay for this book, it seems like such mistakes should have been caught and fixed. It is a commercial product after all. On the complimentary side this is the first Kindle book I have come across (keeping in my I haven't read a lot of books on the Kindle) that had a line at the bottom of the screen with some dots. At first I didn't realize what it was but soon recognized it as a progress bar (the dots signify where the chapters begin). This made it easy to judge how long or short a chapter was going to be. I won't bother trying to summarize the plot as this books seems to already have more than a thousand reviews and I assume a majority of them probably already try to summarize it. With that out of the way here are my thoughts on the book: all I could think the whole time was "this seems very familiar". I'm not one of those avid book readers that finishes 600 pages novels every few days but I also pleasure read regularly. So I guess I'm the last to realize there are some standard fantasy book clichés that simply exist. For instance a farm boy who lives in the middle of no where with questionable origins who inherits a special sword from his father and is forced to leave his beloved home with some strangers he only recently met... I could name several books (and at least one movie) that begin in a very similar way. And a party consisting of a ranger, a sorceress, a archer, an axe wielder...? Sounds like a class-balanced party to me (there was I think a rogue as well at one point but lets move on). Keeping in mind I've played all of one campaign in real life-with-dice Advanced Dungeons and Dragons this seemed almost like it was specifically written for a game such as that. From the origins, the different classes, the encounters with both supporting characters as well as enemies...some how it just screams DnD campaign to me (at least I didn't say NWN module...). I didn't think I was looking for that angle either. Don't let this turn you off to the book though, that is not my intention at all. None of the clichés matter if it was a good, enjoyable book. In my opinion it definitely was. In fact I just kept reading and reading and reading even when I had other things to do. In my view it doesn't matter what any critic says one way or another about the writing: if the book is compelling enough I can't put it down then it's definitely a good and worth while book. As soon as I was done with this book I ordered the second book (easy on the Kindle) so I could just keep right on reading. I assume I'll be compelled enough to do that for the rest of the books as well until I run out of books to read. Since I keep hearing long-time fans complaining about it never ending hopefully it will end before I run out of books...

I put off reading the Wheel of Time for a long while, mostly because it was extremely long, not finished yet, and supposedly went downhill as it wore on. Since I didn't have any other huge series to read at the moment, why not? And so I am currently on one of the longest fantasy journeys ever written. The first book is not really all that original, I'll start by saying that. Quite a bit of Tolkien and some elements snatched from eastern culture. If I can put up with the Sword of Truth and the Inheritance Cycle, this doesn't bother me. I think, besides the Lord of the Rings, the series that the Wheel of Time is most comparable to is George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire. Both have huge, incredibly complex, richly detailed fantasy worlds populated with an impressive group of characters, but will test the patience of the reader and are definitely not for a casual read. If you go into this book seeking instant gratification, you will most likely be disappointed. Reading it over again, once you know which boring areas to skip, makes for a better experience than the first time. Of course, the series is so long that you'll need to really like it to read it more than once. The story starts off interestingly enough. Instead of going on a crazy quest for vengeance like some authors both before and after Jordan had their heroes do, the protagonist of the Wheel of Time sets on the journey simply because it's too dangerous for him to stay with the interest of the Dark One's forces on him. In comparison, I'd say that Robert Jordan's style is pretty much the opposite of his rival, Terry Goodkind. While Goodkind was a very good storyteller but a mediocre writer, Jordan is a good writer but only average as a storyteller. The plot doesn't move as quickly as in most fantasy novels. There are lots of great characters, some pretty good dialogue, but quite a few boring sessions amongst them. For example, the characters spend an inordinate amount of time journeying from place to place, and a lot of pages are expended on those journeys. Descriptions are also really, really long and detailed, even on the most minor of things. Fans of the series seem to like how huge these books are, but I can't help but feel that they'd be better if they were much shorter. The Eye of the World doesn't really advance its story more than a book half its length could have. Speaking of the end, I guess I should cover what I think of the resolution of the book. In my opinion, it was a little hastily scrapped together, a bit too quick to end, too much symbolism and not enough action. In fact, it seemed almost like the author combined five different endings, and the result was that none of them satisfied entirely. That being said, this is a pretty good book, but one that isn't for the casual reader. It requires a good deal of time and effort to savor the character interaction and the setting of the scene for future plots, which are both very good. Be advised before you start that this is the beginning of a much longer series, which will eventually be fourteen books long. It will take a while to get through all these books, especially considering all their length and complexity. So if this first book doesn't grab you, it's probably not a journey you'll want to take.

This is the book that cemented my love of fantasy and was a major part of my young adult life. Yes, it's heavily influenced by Lord of the Rings, but I enjoyed this book and the series better, and it becomes its own thing as the series progresses. Jordan may have gotten lost in his own vast and heavily detailed world later on in the series, but this and the following four books after are top notch and can compare to any other great fantasy novels.

I bought this book to follow up The Name of the Wind. To satisfy a craving for amazing, classic fanatasy with great writing. In short, this book does not even compare. The author feels as if he is a high school senior fleshing out his dnd character. The story is all right I suppose, but the sheer amount of tropes and rather questionable writing decisions makes the book feel lackluster. I would recommend brandon sanderson or patrick rothfuss any day over robert jordan.

Although he would eventually write a prequel to THE EYE OF THE WORLD, this is the novel that launched a series of epics with so many characters that you will need an encyclopedic memory just to sort them all out. Clearly influenced by LORD OF THE RINGS and DUNE, this is a body of work in which the overall plot throughout the series is better than the individual novels. Jordan's strength is his ability to create tension and conflict by separating his characters based on political motivation and lack of communication, set against a magical philosophy ("the Wheel of Time") which works beautifully within the cultures of his work. I found it amusing that he played the "gender card" heavily throughout his story, where men and women simply could not communicate properly because they thought so much differently. The problem with this series is scope creep. It begins as an epic, and as you read book after book, the size of the epic seems to expand exponentially, so that you don't feel like you're making much progress. The longer you travel down this road, the further the end seems to appear. With each novel, Jordan introduces more and more characters, and sometimes they have similar names. One is reminded of the ambiguity of the names Sauron and Saruman in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, a weakness I don't think should have been replicated. In the first couple of books of Jordan's WHEEL OF TIME series, we are led to believe that the main character, Rand, is being tormented by none other than the arch devil character Shai'tan, The Dark One. However this changes direction around the third novel, as we find out this was not Shai'tan but one of his minions pretending to be Shai'tan... One of the Forsaken, as they are called, of which there are thirteen. (They were given names like Asmodean and Sammael, echoing adversaries in Hebrew and Islamic mythologies.) This thus expanded the number of powerful foes Rand and his friends had to deal with. I strongly suspect this was originally intended to be a trilogy, but after the success of the first two books the contract was extended and the plot had to be redesigned for a much longer series. Thus, Shai'tan became a character by name whom we would never meet, and instead we would slowly work our way through the Forsaken, one at a time. I quickly fell in love with the plot at large, but the vocabulary and plethora of character names became too daunting for me to remember in the years between publication dates. It got to the point where I had to stop and just wait for Jordan to finish his series, and then I would start over from the beginning and read it straight through. Alas, Jordan passed away before concluding the series to his satisfaction. Jordan is easy and very interesting to read, but I do feel he could have been edited down a little. The women plucked at their dresses a little too much, etc. And I wish he was a little more daring about killing off his characters. Very few would be sacrificed, and many would be introduced. Nevertheless, I am very impressed with the size and detail of his epic, and all the various cultures, empires, societies, races and circles in power-struggles against one another.

You can tell that this author learned a lot from Tolkien. This is almost like the Fellowship of the Ring, but more exciting. I got to know this series because my favorite author is Brandon Sanderson, who wrote my two favorite series, Mistborn and the Stormlight Archive. And I learned that Sanderson finished this series after Robert Jordan passed away. But I really enjoyed this series for the characters, action, and AMAZING world building. If you're fan of epic fantasy, or fantasy in general, I'd really suggest picking up this series. Along with Narnia, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, Mistborn, and the Stormlight Archive.

I read book 1 many years ago, and continued reading the series I was a high fan. I still am. When Robert Jordon decided that he wasn't going to finish the series I felt at if a part of mWas cut off. I stopped reading the books . Sanderson completed what Jordan started, and all is well. I give (the wheel of time) 5 shinning 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I like the time spent on character development and world building. Clever use of prologues as well. I appreciated that the pace wasn’t rushed. Despite the larger scale theme of the book, I liked that Jordan reminded us that the key figure were still teenagers and had a teenagers insecurities. I look forward to the next installment.

Just my opinion, but for me this is the best series of all-time. I have read this series more times than I can count and it glues me to the pages every time. This is the 4th copy of Eye of the World I have purchased, 1 hardback and the other 3 are paperbacks. I read the paperbacks until they fall apart then get a new one :)

This story is a believable quest with interesting characters whose coming of age and maturity resonates on multiple levels. A great escape from our everyday world and interesting enough that I bought all 14 books in the series even though I had already read the series when it first came out

This is a five star storyline for those that are a fan of the genre. Robert Jordan is a bit long winded and goes into great detail, but as another reviewer stated, that's the point. However the quality of my purchase was lower than I would have expected of Amazon. For purchasing a brand new hardcover copy of this book, I received a copy that came with a folded corner and lightly damaged edge of my dust jacket. The book's condition is better however with only two very minor dings to the bottom of the books pages.

A friend recommended this book and it has not disappointed. The world is complex and sprawling. There is a depth to the stories that reminds me of the Lord of the Rings. The writing is excellent. Descriptions are clear and don't ramble on into unnecessary details. The characters are interesting and varied. The plot winds around and has plenty of twists to keep you guessing. I'm getting ready to order the next book right now.

I've been interested in this story for some time but was hesitant to begin due to the enormity of it. Now that I've begun and finished the first novel I'm eager to continue and I'm also glad to know the series will come to a proper close thanks to Brandon Sanderson. This first volume could be described as the misfit band on a long journey to save the world from evil. There is excellent character development of all the main players although some are more likable than others. I'm not sure it would be a satisfying ending if being read as a stand alone book, but I was happy with it knowing there is more to come.

With hints of Tolkien, and all the myths of all the ages, the flagship of Jordan's epic Wheel of Time series starts out with a narrow scope that promises a vast and rich world to immerse oneself in. There is a complexity and richness that underlies the story, that is fleshed out so gradually that by the end of the book it feels like a real place. There is a well crafted magic system, monsters, an evil that controls them, and Kings and Queens, a constant sense of danger and battles, and somehow, all of it seems fresh and unique in its presentation. The amazement and bewilderment, the fear, and the exultation of the characters is organic and easy to empathize with. Jordan's words are eloquent and his voice delivers the story in a way that helps sell the realism of the world he creates. And if getting interested in a 14 book saga is frightening to some readers, take heart that this volume has a conclusive enough ending to be able to walk away without reading another volume in the series. But I can almost guarantee you will want to continue on after finishing this one.

i COULDN'T FINISH IT!! I fact - I gave up half way through. It seems that every time the main characters get in a bind something magical occurs and "presto" they are ok. Next danger, next magic. On and on. I so wanted to like this series but I fail to see what was so great about it. Maybe I'm just really really tired of YA fantasy. Even RR Martin stories get creaky when he has to go to the magical to pull his story out of a corner he has painted it into - it's much better when the magic is minimal

Love this series even though the author can be quite long winded. I started reading these books a few years ago but never was able to finish it because of kids, work and school. Now the kids are grown, school is finished and work is stable so it's all bubble baths and books for me!

Going into The Eye of the World, I knew I was getting a Tolkien-esque adventure epic. I had read the Sword of Shannara, the first of the Tolkien imitators, and Terry Brooks had a good spin on the high fantasy adventure in one volume. I didn't many other expectations going in, I just jumped in and started reading. The book held my attention for the first 300 pages or so. There were many points in which I wanted to continue, but Jordan weaves a few very good scenes into a huge amount of fluff. If that's what you like, you will get a kick out of Jordan's writing. However, I prefer plot to almost unceasing fluff. At some points in the novel, this filler fits. However, there is a huge amount of unnecessary information, almost Dickensian in nature sometimes. The characters aren't terrible, and Jordan does do a decent job of giving the characters unique voices. Rand is somewhat interesting, as are his friends, but Jordan's plot does not help the reader stay engaged. I would also say that the overall world is flat and uninteresting. It doesn't have the wonder of Middle Earth or even the post-apocalyptic mystery of the Sword of Shannara. Eye of the World is missing the escapism that good high fantasy has. In conclusion, Eye of the World is a large, dense start to an epic series. I couldn't stay engaged enough with Jordan's poor plot and pacing. A fantasy adventure should not feel like work to read.

When I first heard the hype about this book and author (around the time when the third book in the series was released) I was a bit put off. Other books that were hyped that I had read turned out to be cheap, vacuous pop stories that are traditionally just churned out in a few months and sometimes weeks just to get something out there and collect money from hot intellectual property or one time wonder status. I begrudgingly picked up "The Eye of the World" and had it about a month before I cracked the spine. I finished the book seven hours later. Robert Jordan created an incredibly detailed world that lives and breathes in a lush, compelling story. The descriptive details in the simplest things, such as the coloring and threading of a dress, is astounding. There is a large cast of central characters that split off into mini-stories, but rather than fracture the continuity of the story, the writing strings along the reader in ever increasing cliffhangers and occasional small resolutions. The mini-stories sometimes join for a while to create more thrills only to split apart again until the final resolution. Any review will usually give you the basics of who the characters are, the basic plot line, and some generic platitudes. I am writing this to convey just how wonderful the writing and the technique of the author's story and that on those qualities alone it is worth checking out the 'Wheel of Time'.

This is a fantasy inspired by the Lord of the Rings. It is not as good as the Lord of the Rings, but it kept me reading until the end. The writing was not much more than competent. The protagonists were three late-teenage boys and two young women, along with a few older mentors. The young people had difficult adventures and made many mistakes, and for the most part they didn't seem to learn much from their mistakes. I doubt that I will read the second book.

From the moment that I first glimpsed its pages I could hardly put this book down. I found the characters to be grounded, honest, and relatable "people" whom you could imagine really existed. On first impressions, my only critical concern its that of the ending; the pacing of the story held true for most of the read but upon reaching the climax felt uncomfortably sped up. I merely wish that I could have spent more time within those moments and given chance to feel anticipation at what might found next. That said, I am glad to have finally taken the chance to read this book and look forward to finishing the entire series in the coming weeks.

WoT titles rarely go on sale, so then I saw tEoTW on sale I picked up the Kindle version. It is a faithful copy of the print version. There are as many opinions of the Wheel of Time as there are readers - if you don't know whether to read the series, start with tEoTW and try it or search online for reviews form sources you find trustworthy.

The story is rich and full. It takes the time to introduce you to a lot of characters and bring the story into focus and the time is well spent. It builds a foundation like few other stories can. I look forward to investing many hours in this adventure.

It's the first in one of the greatest fantasy series of all time, read it, live it, love it. I lost my copy (read, lent it to a friend who moved with it) so i bought the mass market paperback just to keep my collection complete. What is there to say, it's Jordan and it's awesome. I lent this to a friend in the early 90's who was severely dyslexic because he saw me reading it and doing nothing else. This book actually changed his life, he forced himself to read it and even though it was difficult, he loved it so much that it turned him into an avid reader and actually overcame a lot of his dyslexia.

... and doesn’t fade with time. I haven’t read this book in years, but had fond memories of it. And it is a good, solid, classic heroic fantasy adventure; and almost self-contained in itself if are willing to misread the ending and skip a few lines. But the hero has been called to action and almost the entire book is about his adventures trying to free himself of the call.

I read this book years ago, but recently listened to the 30-hour audiobook on a long roadtrip. Knowing I missed things in the audio, I wanted to get the tangible book to enjoy it again that way. So... I like this story, and I'm excited to read it again! However, my copy came somewhat bent and the cover is a bit beaten up around the edges. Not enough that I want to return it, but enough that if I was standing in a bookstore I'd see if there was a nicer copy behind it. It would be lovely if Amazon packaged books in boxes to protect them a little better... The bubblewrap envelope just didn't quite cut it. :)

it seems like this was a poorly published book. Pages were longer than others and when I opened my package, the longer pages were smashed into the book. I didn’t give this a 1 star review because I didn’t want it to reflect the quality of the novel as a whole. It looks like amazon is selling poor prints of the boo as brand new which is pretty messed up

This series is my favorite of all time. It's a mix of Eragon, Legend of the Seeker, LotR, etc. But wayyyyy better. Jordan weaves the story so carefully and plans things that don't come to fruition until the next book or so! He is a genius of an author. Sometimes his descriptions of things can be too much... Or maybe I'm an impatient reader and want to know what's about to happen. Seriously do yourself a favor and read this series. It's one you will become obsessed with and stay up until 3am finishing.

I started reading The Wheel of Time series way back when it first came out. I had no idea what kind of story this was going to turn into. I absolutely loved this book, and all the ones after. I’m in the process of re-reading the entire series again and I’m buying all the books in hard back so I can have them to read again and again.

I can't add anything to this book review that hasn't been said as many times as characters lick their lips in this book. It drove me crazy enough to almost put the book down sometimes. There's no way an editor never picked up on the repetitive, slobbery imagery of people licking their lips every time they thought about or did something.

In most book series, it would be fair to stipulate that a customer limit his/her review to the book at hand and not make sweeping statements about the entire series. That, however, cannot be done in this case. "The Wheel of Time" is like one long book cut into ten pieces (and counting). One gains nothing by simply reading the first book by itself because it is not a stand-alone work. The adventure concerning the Eye is resolved but the overall struggle between the Light and the Shadow is certainly not over. I do have a few comments that are specific to the first book: if you can get past the first one hundred pages of the book, which were stilted and poorly written, you'll find yourself with an ejoyable read. Jordan definitely acquires a more deft hand as the book goes along. Charges have been leveled that Jordan reproduces many elements from other authors' work and I don't think this claim is unfounded. It's true that there are many overlaps in fantasy since a lot of the tropes found in fantasy books come out of collective myths and folklore that no one has a copyright on. There is, though, a marked difference between overlap and directly lifting something from another writer. Jordan is not guilty of echoing only Tolkein. George Lucas, Ursula LeGuin, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and the estate of Frank Herbert should all be discussing lawsuits with their lawyers, and that's just to name a few. Maybe the reason I enjoyed the book was that I read so many of the elements before! Fortunately, as the series goes on, the world Jordan has created becomes entirely his own. One benefit of the long series is that the reader does begin to recognize the Wheel of Time world as a three dimensional, fully developed place. I'm not all the way through the series but I don't have any fears about time invested reading an unfinished series. Do I think Jordan should finish it? Yes. Will I lose sleep if I never find out what ultimately happens to Rand al'Thor? Hardly. The books are a good read but not memorable. I take them for what they are and I'm not invested in the characters. This brings me to my biggest gripe about this book and the series. The sexual dynamics are absolutely horrible. I don't know whether I've ever read anything so insulting. I wonder if Jordan knows any real women or has ever even met one. He has no idea how to write female characters. You do not create strong women by making them bullies and that's exactly what the two main female leads, Egwene and Nynaeve, are. They frequently make comments that men have no brains, aren't good for anything, etc. Is this supposed to be *funny*? Because it's not. If an author had male characters saying things like that about women, he'd have readers coming after him with torches and pitchforks. It is really not cute just because women are doing it to the guys. Either way you slice it, it's disrespectful and honors neither men nor women. In addition, it makes the male characters seem like fools because they are attracted to these characters despite being reviled by them. Oh wait, I forgot. They're are all pretty. That's why they are tolerated by the men and not told off with the suggestion that they go straight to hell. Of the characters, Min is the only likeable one. It would have been interesting to see a book around her. So, all criticisms aside, I don't suggest readers avoid this series as long as they don't get too attached.

I'm giving this 3 stars because the writing is good, I like to savor a book, and 2.5 stars isn't an option. That being said, every single thing that happens in the book draws obvious, and I mean obvious, reference to Lord of the Rings. For the lack of creativity and blatant references to LOTR, I am so very let down by this book.

I just couldn’t finish it. I made it halfway and kept trying to read more, but just could not get into the story. Three stars on reputation and what I read. I can’t give more than that to a book I can’t finish.

Robert Jordan is a master of the epic fantasy genre. This book is long and slow building, but it does a wonderful job of establishing a firm foundation for deep character and plot development. Anyone that loves the Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, or The Outlander would do well to read this series. Jordan knows how to deeply develop the narrative and characters while also providing the necessary plot twists and action to keep the reader engaged.

I think most people have handled the review of the story pretty well. Eye of the World is an excellent fantasy story. The Kindle version - with the recent sale, I grabbed this up easily. I'd buy them all again, if they were at this price. The Kindle version has the appropriate map. Looks like a straight forward port from the book. I've heard issues of formatting and spelling with later book, but Eye of the World is very clean. I only noticed one spelling issue - and when I pulled my paperback out, it was there also! Kindle version was well down, and clocks in at over 17k locations.

I, like many, read book 1 due to the popularity of this series. This was in fact my third try to read this and I finally pushed through to the end. Honestly there are a lot of factors here to enjoy, even if many are cliche. The good parts tend to get drowned out by the boring (not bad) parts though. Most of the characters that drew my intrest only appeared for a chapter or two, obviously to reappear in later books. I felt that most of the main characters had distinct personalities, but uninteresting ones. The way women assume superiority to the men actually makes cultural sense in this book due to the way their magic works, which I find refreshing. Though the animeish idea that they let one go around hitting men in the head with her staff seems to go a bit far. This book seems designed to create questions to make readers anticipate answers in future books. It failed to work on me, though I will read the second book to see if it picks up its pace a bit. I love long wordy books (avid Sanderson fan) but this one really just got too descriptive on many details. The worst for me was the scene descriptions of "the way." The place has 4 main describable aspects; trails/islands, doors, darkness, and signposts. Yet this place was described in lurid detail repeatedly, a few pages worth probably. This and other subjects like it were the main reason for my low star rating. It drove me nuts.

I've read this book before and wanted to own it so I ordered it used to be able to re-read at any time. I love this series and hope to buy the other two books I need to complete the series. I started reading the series when i started college back in 1994 and fell in love with the characters from the start. I admit the series ran a bit long but I didn't mind having the characters in my life a bit longer since I enjoyed their lives very much. Of course this is a personal opinion of mine and I know others have their own of this series, that said I still count The Wheel of Time the best book series I've ever had the pleasure of reading.

I first read this book almost fifteen or so years ago, back in high school. I enjoyed it then quite a bit. I read the series all the way to book 6, and haven't gotten back to it since. Fast forward several years, the series is about to be finished (by Sanderson). I love Sanderson's other stuff, so it's encouraged me to go back and try the series again. This book was even better the second time around! The pacing was excellent, a tense chase that kept going through the whole book. I absolutely love Jordan's world building he's done here. I love the characters and can't wait to see them fleshed out more. I've since read a lot of Warhammer novels since reading this the first time, and it strikes me so much how the whitecloaks are just like the witch hunters of the Warhammer Old World. Great stuff. I'm going on to read the next one to see what's going to happen - can't wait!

The thing I love about Robert Jordan's early books is the detail, you actually feel like you are there in each city as the key characters travel from Edmonds field to the length and breath of their world. Each city or village holds its own mysteries and as Robert Jordan opens each new place to our eyes you can just imagine the mud in the streets, smells of cooking, the food and best of all the feel for the people as he discribes them, especially the fear they feel without knowing why. I am reading the entire series again after finishing the 9th book a few months ago. I was rather disappointed in that book, but after going back and starting over I see the necessity of catching us up with the characters in book 9. My favorite character surprisingly is Lan, he is the ultimate mysterious man, I don't think anyone actually figures him out which is how it should be. My least favorite characters are the Aes Sedai, I find their complete disregard for others feelings and fears frustrating. Unfortunately the 3 girls soon become real Aes Sedai which sucks to say the least. Sometimes I want to just reach thru the pages of the book and thump them a good one. I love the 3 main characters, Rands character evolves from a farmboy to a man, one all we ladies would love to meet. His decisiveness if a bit jaded toward certain elements is also the thing we grow to love about him. Mat is just Mat, loveable and always the reluctant hero, and how could you not love Perrin, he struggles with every aspect of his new life, and Robert Jordan makes you really feel his angst, which makes you love Perrin even more. His special gift revealed in this book is sooo cool, and a great attention getter in the first book. Morainne is a frustrating character, you know she means well but she needs to show a human side once in a while. Overall, this book and the rest of the series are great reading, losing yourself in the kingdom Robert Jordan has created is the best, especially after a long day in the real world.

This book is fantastic, and fantastically-long. I read it like it was the Bible for my life at the time, a few years back. I stayed up all night reading it. I was soon addicted to it like methamphetamine, so much so that I read the next five books. I think that there are too many books in this series, but the first couple books are mind-bogglingly good, and the first one is slap-your-own-grandma crazy awesome. I like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Lord of the Rings, Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, and most of the American classic novels. Do yourself a favor, read this book. Come on, there are a gazillion (READ: over a thousand) reviews on it! At the very least you'll have something to talk about with thousands of other people in the world, and the reason for reading a book directly behind learning and opening your mind is having something to talk about with people! And so began the birth of the New York Times Bestseller List...

I LOVED this series as a kid so when I found out Amazon will be turning it into a show soon I knew I had to re read the series! This was the best price I could find on the hardcover books. Excited to start them again soon.

I read the first book of this series exactly 25 years ago and was immediately hooked. It was also the first fantasy series I ever read and man did I choose wisely. I waited agonizingly every 1 to 2 years for each new addition until it wrapped a few years ago. Now I've decided to read the entire thing again and it's just as good as I remember. I think I'll finish the whole series in less than a year now.

I had heard a lot about this series over the last 15 years or so, but I had never picked it up. Finally, I decided to give it a try. The prologue was gripping. How I saw it in my mind was exactly the sort of beginning to a story that I was looking for. The whole story is firmly grounded in human interactions and behaviors that people can understand and relate to without sacrificing the intense action scenes and fantastical setting. As with most books, the characters start below my expectations of them and develop into unique and intriguing people. I can see why so many fantasy novels, movies, shows, and games have been influenced by (and borrow from) Robert Jordan's work. Even after over a decade of hype about this series, I was not at all disappointed!

The Wheel of Time. A name almost as recognizable as The Lord of the Rings in the Fantasy arena. And one that has been on my list for a long, long time. I was excited when I began The Eye of the World, I was excited when about a hundred pages in I caught the 'fantasy adventure' bug, and now having just finished it I am even more excited for what's to come. I am between four and five stars on this first installment, but in general I was pleasantly surprised. I have always heard The Eye of the World and the term 'Tolkien clone' used in many of the same sentences, and so I made sure to put a lid on my expectations. I'll not say that it's unwarranted; there are many familiar Fantasy tropes present here. I think that knowing to expect those went a great deal toward me not minding them so much; that and the fact that sometimes that's just the kind of story I want to read. And seeing as how Malazan was my last big, fat, epic Fantasy (and that was well over a year ago), I was due for one. Though I don't mean to draw comparison to the two, they are very different. Seeing as how most of the first three quarters of the book is one big sequence of travel, chase, and escape, I was surprised at how much was actually accomplished by the end of just this first of fourteen books. It was a lot of fun, and has me eager to see what more is to come on this journey. Jordan does a great job of establishing a core group of characters here, all of which have at least a little something to attach yourself to. Rand, Mat, Perrin, Egwene, and Nynaeve of the Two Rivers. Lan and Moiraine, who bring adventure to Emond's Field. Thom Merrilin, gleeman with a secret or two up his sleeve. And later Loial, an Ogier; called Builder by some. This group and many more populate what becomes a more and more realized world by the page. Jordan has always been lauded for his world building, and I'm now beginning to see why. While I wasn't particularly impressed by his prose, his attention to detail is impressive. The world feels lived in, and the history, stories, and lore feel substantial and deep. Travel necessitates new places, new people, new events. And Jordan takes you on a ride with The Eye of the World. Now, onward to book two. The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills. Let's see what sort of Pattern is woven.

The books written by Robert Jordan before his death were masterpieces. Sanderson just closed the series for him after his death. Personally, I felt Sanderson did a bad job in the way he finished it.

I had actually borrowed this book from the library and read it, but with the series coming up on Prime I wanted to have my own copy to be able to use for reference. So glad to get it, love this story

This first book in a *long ass* series was a technically satisfying read as far as fantasy goes. It hit all the proper beats of an epic story. Though it cannot be denied that it derives from a lot of epics before it (i.e. The Lord of the Rings). Though 200 pages could have easily been shaved. Parts in the middle seemed to drag quite a bit. Young protagonists from an isolated area of the world: check. Menacing 'dark riders': check. Wise magic users: check. Dark Lord: check.

I have read the full series at least 3 times and enjoyed the books so much that when each new book came out, I reread the series from the start. The Wheel of Time s not just my favorite fantasy series, but one of my top five reads of all time. It's big and bold and magical and filled with a core cast of complex characters that you will grow to love and love to hate. The writing is superb, the pacing relentless, the magic inventive and the story worth reading again and again...and again. Jordan was a master story teller and Brandon Sanderson did a terrific job finishing the series for him...and us.

and I found something that left me speechless. Let me start from the beginning. I needed something to read. I'd finished all the Weiss and Hickman Dragonlance chronicles a few years back, and just recently finished George R.R. Martin's A Dance with Dragons (ADWD). Considering it will probably take Martin 5-10 years to complete The Winds of Winter, I decided to look for something to tide me over. I picked this up after scrounging through the bestseller in the Epic Fantasy genre, and after reading a few chapters here and there, I got hooked. I literally spent the last 3 days obsessed with the book. It gets to a point where you can't put it down. I'd gotten used to Martin's method of divvying up character chapters so that the following chapter usually doesn't concern the character from the previous chapter. Conversely, In Eye of the World, Jordan tends to stick with a character for several chapters before switching the focus elsewhere. This made the book both incredibly addictive and impossible to put down once it gets going. Jordan's world of fantasy is similar and yet different from the typical fantasy world. Granted I've only finished book one so all this is subject to change, but the typical fantasy races (e.g. ogres, elves, goblins, etc) and the typical creatures (e.g. dragons) are not present. Some races have similar features...but are different enough in both name and nature. Jordan's decision to do this made the early chapters a little...I guess uncomfortable for lack of a better word. I guess I wanted a fantasy world to feel like an old shoe to the extent that all the familiar races and creatures would be present. I only felt this way initially, however, as the further I went into the book the more I admired the world Jordan created. The mythos of the world took a good 1/4 of the book to get comfortable with, but once I did I felt right at home. The story (I'll only discuss the few chapters but skip this paragraph is you want no spoilers) centers around a group of young adults that must suddenly leave their small and isolated village for their own safety and the safety of their village. For reasons unbeknownst to them, these young people are being sought after by the Dark One (who I guess is evil incarnate). The story of book one focuses on their journey from their small village and their experiences in the outside world. Without saying more, the characters all have their own sense of charm and charisma. I found myself laughing out loud at their jokes, being frustrated with their naivety, and fearing for their safety whenever they were in danger. There are over ten books in this series, and if what some of the other customer reviews said are true, the series starts to tail off after book 5. Nonetheless, if the next four books are as good as this one, I'll consider myself fortunate to have discovered this series. The Eye of the World is a gem in this genre. Jordan's world, characters, and suspense all make this one of the best fantasy books I've ever read...and I've got over ten more to go (joy!). I remember the moment I realized I only had 200 pages to go in this book and immediately going on Amazon to order the next book. It's that good and I think the story is one that both adults and young adults can enjoy. Should you decide to read it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I absolutely love this entire series...so much so that I replaced the paperback and softcover editions with hardcovers for our considerable library. I've read it twice, and plan to read it again and again! Not only is the story compelling, but I really enjoy the way Robert Jordan wrote; I just sit back and let his writing style and vocabulary sweep me along. He created strong, interesting characters--a LOT of them!--and could really set a scene without boring me. I was very sorry to hear of his passing, and so very grateful Brandon Sanderson picked up the gauntlet and, based upon the notes and outlines Jordan left behind, wrote the final three books to finish the series.

This is the beginning of the best fantasy series ever written (but there are neither beginnings nor endings...). If you’re just now discovering the Wheel of Time series, then I am truly jealous. I wish I could start this journey over again at the very beginning, not knowing the path that lies ahead. Grab The Eye of the World right now, and buckle in for a long but absolutely captivating adventure. One word of warning - after finishing the entire series, the next book you try to read will seem silly, quaint, and amateur. Seriously, best series ever.

Full disclosure- I’ve read the whole series multiple times and am in love with it. The fantasy world created by Robert Jordan is incredibly detailed and unique with a ton of well developed characters. The storyline is a beautiful tapestry of them all blended together in an awesome adventure that spans several years and 14 books. Each book has its own satisfying ending though, no cliff hangers. It’s gets intense enough so you can’t stop reading but not so crazy you have to take a break. It gets funny enough to make you LOL. 100/100!!

I am writing this as a review of the entire series having just finished Book 14. The series merits its ranking as one of the top series ever. It is addicting and I will likely read it again in another 5 years. The overall development is beyond superlative. Yet, there are bumps in the narrative that should have been fixed by an editor and these show up in less-than-superlative ratings on some of the individual books in the series. In addition, the series was significantly improved by the writing of the three final books by Brandon Sanderson who followed Jordan's notes while adding his own sense of the dynamics of the whole. Whatever minor quibbles one might have with some of the specifics nothing can detract with the overall excellence of the series.

I first read this book 15 years ago, at its original publication. I eagerly anticipated each volume thereafter. Reading it again for the first time in 15 years only increases my appreciation of the work Jordan has done. While Jordan takes some criticism for his quirky stylistic language, this only serves to make his work distinctive and memorable. If you love fantasy, and are looking for a long and satisfying series of books to indulge in, this is the place to start.

This book was excellent. The world that Jordan writes is very expansive, very detailed, and very intriguing. The characters are deep and continue to grow. There are quite a few but not so many that you don't feel that you know them. Just an excellent read.

I'm on the third book right now, sucked in by the interesting story and world that Mr. Jordan created. I'm tearing through them as fast as possible, but that tends to be how I get into series, whether they're good or not (I read all of the Twilight books just to see what happens, despite not particularly enjoying any of them). That's not to say this book is bad, it's just flawed. The world, story, characters (in general), fantasy elements (creatures, powers, etc.) are all wonderful and original. My main issue is that the characters can be a bit inconsistent, some of them are totally uninteresting, and many of the conflicts in the story would be totally avoidable if the characters would just open their damn mouths! There will always be conflict in any story, but the trick is to make it true conflict, and not just some sitcom conflict where the problems could be solved if people just said something rather than behaving stupidly. It doesn't happen often enough to keep me from reading the series, but it's frustrating. The characters are overall great, and they don't fit into any obvious stereotypes, which is wonderful, but damn can they whine. This also ties into my previous issue, where problems and conflicts will arise just because a character thought something but didn't say it out loud.

After about 90 pages describing the completely ordinary rural lives of the main characters, you have been lulled into a sense of calm that shatters with a knock on the door by something straight from hell. The characters never stop running from that point on. Supernatural danger is always one step behind them as well as somewhere ahead of them, and there is a growing sense that the fate of the world depends on the actions of these characters. You will discover a detailed and fascinating world. Boys will feel the urge to master the sword, the bow, and the axe. Girls will feel the urge to learn herbal remedies and make their own clothes. This book can be quite annoying and disappointing unless one remembers - it is just for fun. There is no insight, no philosophy, no moral dilemma, etc. That is the kind of fiction I normally read, but this was a nice break - just for fun.

Absolutely amazing, I will be reading all of them. More like Midde-Earth, I think, than Westeros if that makes sense. But a new and complete world unto itself. He has written an amazing story with great depth and a grand scope. An epic tale of good vs evil the likes of which I've never seen. I can't wait to see what the others bring.

The first time that I read Eye of the World, I was enthralled by the amazing amount of detail and color that Robert Jordan puts into his story. Now, after reading it for the third time, I'm still stunned by the depth and quality of his characters and world. The first book is always the most important book in a fantasy series. If the author can't create a world with enthralling characters with his or her first book, what are the odds that the subsequent books will be of any literary value? Jordan makes great efforts to immerse the reading in the world he has created. In Eye of the World, you are introduced to the key players in a struggle to save the world from horrific evil. The various memorable characters are made to seem so real, that you begin to experience all of their emotions along with them as if you were actually there. After the first few pages you'll be able to forget the world around you, and allow yourself to be pulled into a land of adventure, intrigue, and vibrant life.

The first of 14 books, and is considered one of the greatest fantasy series. I won’t lie it was a slow burn for me to get into for the first couple of chapters, but the characters grow on you and the plot seems nonexistent until it you Full force on the last line.

This is a great book to a series of book that I will enjoy reading. It has the flavor of Tolkein, who went into great detail of the story, history, and the characters' surroundings. At times, you want to rush ahead to get to the next action point, but you may miss the subtle points to their enviroment. I did do this in Lord of the Rings and had to go back a couple of times to catch a missing point. Rand, Moraine, Lan, Mat, Ewyene and the rest of the characters will weave their magic into your hearts. If you are in the mindset of a completion in one book, then yes you will be disappointed. This book is a bit of lifer, another layer to the onion beautifully done.

I've read this book over a dozen times, and I'm always amazed at how it hooks the reader from the beginning. The characters are interesting and engaging (though the female characters can lack depth sometimes), the story is fast-paced and often harrowing, and the world of the storyline unfolds in a way that leaves the reader fascinated. It has been the book I have recommended the most over the last two decades, and remains my favorite in the series because of the way it opens a new world to the reader.

it may not make a lot of sense in the beginning, but it picks up fast and you are in for a ride. Actions scenes are described impeccable. Easy to read and to get into the world that Robert Jordan has created here.

Having read the Wheel of TIme series through book 9, and also reading the Sword of Truth series, as well as several others such as George RR Martin's current.. I still have to say that the Wheel of Time is excellent. I think that the Sword of Truth series has a LOT of similarities early on to the Wheel series.. but it has enough differences to make it a moot point. I truly enjoyed the Wheel of Time, as it reached cult proportions in the corporation I work at. I myself have a very large library of literature, and as it is.. it isn't Tolkien... But it does take you close to the characters like Tolkien does. You truly feel for all the trials and tribulations they go through. And cant wait for the next book to come along. If we could get Mr Jordan to progress with the series.. I am sure he would have many a happy fan. If you find the book somewhat slow in parts.. dont despair.. it is worth the read, as are all the others in the series. Some may be slower.. but there is a lot of plot and intrigue that must be read to not miss important details. It is well worth the time. And on this note, I re-open The Eye of the World, to begin my re-reading of the series.

The Eye of the World is a great read. I couldn't wait to get a few minutes out of my busy day to read it. Robert Jordan does a great job of building a believable world and you feel like you've walked the streets with the characters. He also did a great job of going back and forth between the main characters when they were not in the same locations. You never feel lost with a cast of characters to worry about. I can't wait to read book two.

I’m only 82 pages in, but the story is engaging enough. However, don’t get this edition. It’s a thick book and the publisher didn’t care enough to print it with proper margins. It’s extremely tedious trying to bend every page on every turn.

If you thought the book was good, you should listen to the audiobook! Micheal Kramer and Kate Reading do an amazing job narrating this series to make it even more enjoyable.

The Wheel of Time is one of the greatest fantasy stories ever written and The Eye of the World starts it off fantastically. Be careful... Reading this book will have you hooked and then you're stuck for the rest of the series (plus all the times you'll go back and re-read it)!

I loved this book it came fast and I was loving it pretty much the whole time I would recommend it to anyone. It is big and the beginning was a little confusing but probably the best or one of the best books I have ever read

If you like fantasy then this is for you. Robert Jordan will take you on an epic journey! Warning: *you will most likely loose track of time, so make sure you don't open the books if you have something planned for the day. *you will most likely be anti social until your done reading. But it's worth it! Enjoy!

Still one of my favorites series, I've read through all 14 books twice. One thing I'll say is that Robert Jordan's writing can be a bit long winded in the details. I eventually learned his writing style enough that I would skim some of the detailed parts such as when the party would enter a city and Robert Jordan would talk about the roads and the type of shingles on the roofs of houses. That is me personally though, and even with that the books are amazing.

The Eye of the World is full of adventure that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The world is growing dark and the main characters are important enough to be assisted by unlikely people throughout the telling of the story. If you enjoy fantasy novels this us a must read book!

It has taken me many years to finally come around to checking out this series. I am SO glad I have!!! The descriptive writing draws you right into this very detailed and imaginative story right away. I cared about everything and everyone. Even the horses!!! I eagerly devoured this book and have since read book 2 and starting book 3. If you are someone who enjoys a fantasy adventure filled with heroes and villains -- (who doesn't?), then this is for you. Enjoy!

Amazing description and world building. Robert Jordan does an excellent at making you feel a part of the story. (Spoilers) I'd give 5 stars but there is a really sudden romance that didn't fit and that threw me out of the book for a while.

The adventure begins. A few people recommended this series to me after "Game of Thrones" and "Sword of Truth" series. The characters aren't perfect and don't trust everyone was they set out into the world together. The plot is action packed and driven. You will probably see how it will end with the clues given. The chapters follow other characters at times in their own subplots. The first book was enjoyable enough to purchase the second right after. I'm excited to see where the wheel turns this time.

The author has borrowed shamelessly and heavily from Tolkien. That being said, the book falls short of being just another bad copy of the Lord of the Rings by virtue of the author's skill. The story is beautifully crafted and the characters are engaging and draw the reader into their world. What might have been an insult to Tolkien in another writer's hands is, instead, a tribute.

After listening to Blind Guardian's "Wheel of Time", and numerous people strongly recommending the book, I decided to give it a go. I'm glad I did; this is probably one of the best books I've read in a while and I'm really upset with myself that I hadn't read it before now. I'm about 80% through the second one as I write this, and will probably finish the third by next weekend. This is definitely an ensnaring read after the first two or three chapters, and very strongly reminds me of the Game of Thrones style of story-telling (it tends to branch out to various characters past 70% or so of the Eye of the World). Highly recommend.

Fantastic book. Read it for the first time in 1994 and have read it three times since. Each time, I pick up something new and I am excited to read it. This time I listened. I think reading is better than audiobook for this one, but either way, it is a fantastic story.

I was hooked form the very beginning, finding it difficult to put down. This is a wonderfully complex story with a lot happening. My only complaint is that many of the descriptions and back histories went on too long for me. Still worth the read.

I did enjoy the book and the characters. However, I felt like for a detailed book, it still lacked to detail things that needed to be detailed. Love the author's work.

I'm not going to claim 'The Wheel of Time' is the best series ever written (even its most stalwart fans will have to admit it pales compared to Tolkien) nor claim Robert Jordan as the greatest writer..but 'Eye of the World' is the first book in a well above-average series. Frankly the attacks I've seen here baffle me. What does it matter whether each character thinks others are better with girls than he? Claims that the characters lack substance are absurd. By the end of the third novel, all of the main characters are fully fleshed out. Jordan's series isn't hard literature. No one (to my knowledge) is placing this alongside Tolstoy, Dickens, or Melville. It's escapist fantasy. And in that vein it's among the best of its genre. This has earned a treasured place in my bookshelf.

This is an amazing series. I have read it 13 times!!! Everytime a new book came out I would re-read the whole series from scratch just to get the continuity. I fell in love with the first book I read from it and have been hooked ever since. I recently got the audible version of the book and I was not sure if I would enjoy it as much...I AM!!! It has added a new dimension to the books and I look forward to getting the rest of the series on audio. I plan to enjoy these books for a long, long time to come. I will probably pass them on to my children as well...This is a truly great series, one that transcends generations. It will be as good a read in 100 years as it is right now!

Great story. Awesome narration. I believe that this is the best fantasy series written thus far. This is a brand new world, with brand spanking new ideas. I fell in love with many of the characters. I learned to loathe others. I read the Eye of the World "Wheel of Time" in 1990. I purchased, read, and re-red every addition to the series, all fourteen. I understand the frustration of waiting many years between books. I went on to purchase and immensely the audio books. Now that the series is complete, there, truly, is no excuse for not reading and/or listening to these books.

The Eye of the World is the first book in the Wheel of Time series, by the late Robert Jordan. It's a fantastic world of magic and monsters, that is so detailed, it almost seems real. In this story, Rand and his friends, who are the children of simple folk in a small farming community, suddenly have their lives torn apart as huge monsters called Trollocs rip through their village, burning and killing. None of the villagers have seen these creatures before, and have known them only through stories. A mysterious man and woman arrives, offering to help. Rand soon learns she is an Aes Sedai--a sort of witch--and the man is her Warder--kind of like a guardsman. They tell the kids the monsters were trying to kill them, and that they are very important. They embark on a journey to Tar Valon, the magical home of the Aes Sedai, where they will be safe. But will they arrive in one piece? I first read this book several years ago. I was very skeptical, because I had heard from others it was similar to The Lord of the Rings, which is one of my favorite books. I expected it to be a copycat story of LOR. But it isn't. It is a fantasy, but it's like no other fantasy story out there. There are so many unique creatures, and the characters are so full and rich, that I would often forget that it's just a story. I recommend this story to everyone who enjoys a good fantasy.

My hubby has read this entire series 3 times now and he has been harassing me to read it too. While I am a big fan of fantasy, I didn't know if I wanted to invest the time into reading tens of thousands of pages for a single series. Call me lazy, I guess. Anyway, I finally caved and read the book. I read the entire thing in about two days because I just simply could not put it down. Robert Jordan's use of description really helps the reader to engage in the world in which he has created. The characters are flawed and realistic, which helps the reader to truly make a connection with them. Needless to say, it has been a week and I'm already almost done with the third book. It has come to the point where I find myself dreaming of the characters. It sounds kind of creepy, I know, but I have truly enjoyed every word of this series so far. My only regret is that I didn't read these sooner. However, waiting has had its advantages too, considering that the series is complete and I will not have to wait for a new release! I highly suggest you give this series a try!

I almost quit reading this book. The style was fine, the story was good but there was not one character who was likeable. I thought they were unbelievably shallow and had no intelligence at all. I like a smart hero, nobody in this story acted with any cleverness, positive energy nor admirable traits......I did not like one main character...

After finishing Stephen King's The Dark Tower Series, I was looking for something new in which to invest my reading time (and to ease the disgust I felt from the way King ended that series). After browsing Amazon.com and reading reviews for a month, I finally decided on The Wheel of Time Series. So far, I'm glad I did. The world that the author has created is incredible, vast, diverse, fun, scary, haunting, beautiful, etc. It's amazing to me how someone can create, from sheer imagination, such a world and keep track of it consisently in their writings. There is enough description to give you a clear picture of what is being written about but not enough to make you say, "Geez, get on with the story!" One thing that took me out of the story. Two of the characters are suddenly in love. I like the idea of these two having a love relationship, but there was not enough lead in for me. I found myself flipping backwards in the book wondering if I had missed a chapter or two. I enjoy the idea of the Aes Sedai characters. Very interesting and makes me wish I could channel the One Power. I like that there are women in this book who are as strong as, if not stronger, than men (not necessarily physically). Meaning, I'm glad women have more to do than be damsels in distress. At this time, I'm more than halfway through Book 3 and am still enjoying the journey and am having a hard time putting the book down to go to sleep.

This is my first purchase on Amazon. And it is fitting that such a book would start such a beautiful relationship with Amazon.com. This book is one of the best books I have ever read. And I aspire to be an author, and have over my life read more than a 1000, I think (Very rough estimate). If you love Game of Thrones, for example, this book is GoT squared. The characters are complex, the storyline is realistic (as real as fantasy fiction can be), and it is addictive. Be warned though: once you pick it up, you won't be able to rest until you've read all 14. A must have series for any reader. Or any lover of a good yarn.

James Oliver Rigney, Jr. under his pen name of Robert Jordan was one of the very "top shelf" fantasy writers. He was unable to complete this series before his death, but he did write almost to the end of the series and left explicit instructions for the completion of the series for the writer he wanted to finish it (Brandon Sanderson), who ultimately did finish it. This is a very enjoyable series.

I’ve read the entire series twice already. This is the beginning of my third read. The depth & breath of Jordan’s character development, his story telling ability is unsurpassed in fantasy genre. What pleasure to read! What brilliance! Happily on to book two!

Epic in its proportions! Epic moments in the life of a reader who reads this series for the first time! Epic memories for those who have experienced the magic this story will bring to their life! Epic characters, places and events that you are sure you know and have experienced first hand. Theories and back stories that you are dying to hear and discuss, mysteries you want answered. The only problem is that once you have finished reading you will want More of everything. My solution is read it again and again and share my thoughts with other readers and hear what they have to say. Bottom Line: Start here and your life as a reader will be changed, forever. All other books will be measured by this series.

I rate this an 8 only because I have five others in the series to read and have only gotten about 180 pages into the second. The last fantasy level book I read in full was Elfstone Of Shanara and after a chapter into the sequel, I called it quits. That was 12+ years ago! Since then, it's been mostly technical books. Only recently have I started reading again (some Klingon/Star Trek books) and when this series came highly regarded by a co-worker, I ordered the first book. I was hooked just with the prologue alone. Usually, I'll read a few pages and fall asleep but there were many a night I hadn't put this book down and dawn was fast aproaching! I've enjoyed it so much that I ordered the rest of the books in the series both in paperback and hardcover form. I can't promise YOU'LL like it but judging from the reviews you see here, there are lots of people who have. If you do get the TOR paperbacks, have some superglue handy to repair the darn binders. I figure a book or series of books is good when your friends are hooked. Some have read the series completely and are reading them again. Give the paperback a shot!

This is the start of a massive, detailed fantasy adventure. The characters and world are interesting. Lots of great lore. If you want light reading, this is not for you.