Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

The Eye of World is a a good book but there are some elements that I didn't like. First off I did like the character structure but I thought that what they said about the other characters became irritating after a while. The World of the Wheel of Time was great. Each character's personality was compatible with there homes and surroundings. Finally, this book's plot was gripping and fast paced but I thought the challenges thrown out could have challenged the characters more. In conclusion, the book The Eye of the World is a very good book with little flaws.

First off, let me comment on where I am coming from. I am an on-and-off Wheel of Time fan who has read (at least most of)all the books in the series.

Now on to the review.

1. The characters. Although not, perhaps, the most well-drawn characters in fantasy, this book is arguably when the major Wheel of Time cast appears at their most sympathetic and realistic. The character Edgwene, for example, comes across as a stubborn girl with some hints of jealousy, but at the same time, it's pretty clear that she is close to the male protagonists, so she doesn't appear idiotic.

The dynamics of the characters have been compared to a Lord of the Rings. That is true, to an extent; Moiraine is similar to Gandalf. However, the interactions amongst the characters while on their journey is far different. There is a stronger degree of distrust between them, and it shows (perhaps not always in the best form; hearing one of the male protagonists think, "Never trust an Aes Sedai" for the fiftieth time can be irritating).

2. The plot. Although is does show strong similarities to Lord of the Rings, and seems a bit drawn out for the length of the novel it occupies, the plot moves fairly quickly, and, more interestingly, it is strongly self-contained. What this means it that this novel really has a distinct end (different from the rest of the novels), and a person who reads the book but is not really gripped by it can comfortably stop at the end of the novel. Although I have read the series already through, to some extent I fall into this category; I own and have re-read Eye of the World several times as a stand-alone novel, without going on to re-read the rest of the series.

3. The world. This is where Robert Jordan really shines. Although not, perhaps done to the sheer detail and meticulousness of Tolkien's worldbuilding, the world in The Wheel of Time series is extraordinarily rich, and for the most part, very life-like. Characters are well-placed into highly developed and sophisticated societies, and move through a complex, life-like world. This was one of the main draws of the series for me; to an extent, I fell in love with the world of A Wheel of Time.

4. Prose. Jordan mostly avoids awkward prose, which means that the novel is not extraordinarily taxing to read. However, it does give off a bit of a feel of 'denseness', which can make the novel hard to read on a first time through.

Overall, I would recommend this book to any reader, particularly fantasy readers, even if I am more ambivalent about recommending the Wheel of Time series.

I loved this book. Yes it borrows heavily from Lord Of The Rings but that's beside the point. Jordan cleverly reveals his world to the readers through the eyes of the main character Rand who also knows nothing about the world outside his backcountry district. I found Fellowship Of The Ring to be stuffy and ponderous in comparison to this fast paced story. Reading what came later in the series as the pace of the story declined to a crawl, made me appreciate this first book even more. Jordan's faults have been well documented. I would agree with all of them but it still doesn`t stop me loving the world he created.
A few quibbles of my own. Rand is a big disappointment. A well mannered, well meaning young man without any charisma. How three women could agree among themselves to share him, I don't know. He's also predictible and not very smart. I think the story would have been better if he was a cunning cowardly character. I mean there's enough heroes in there and Gawyn is almost a carbon copy of Rand. Also there's no real grit in the story which makes it less believable. For all that Jordan is still number one for me.