Timeless…

The world and the characters are stars of this book. It’s long and at times a chore to read through with all the relentless descriptions but Robert Jordan paints the world and the main cast so perfectly that you really can’t help but keep turning the page.

The supposedly fantastic Wheel of Time cycle by Robert Jordan is, in fact, a disappointing, unoriginal series, mirroring the plot of Lord of the Rings and introducing nothing memorable to the literary world. For those who say it is reminiscent of J. R. R. Tolkien’s masterpiece, they would be partially right, as The Wheel of Time copies characters, plot, and creatures from its pages. The characters are forgettable and one-dimensional. The main character, Rand al’Thor, is a childish, pathetic young man who is portrayed in the novel as a hero- Robert Jordan must share Rand’s delusions of glory. The villain and his minions are unoriginal- The Dark One (possibly the most forgettable name possible for a villain) is a parody of Satan in Christian mythology, and bears extreme resemblance to Sauron from Lord of the Rings. The trollocs are nothing but orcs given a new, ridiculous name. The myrddraal are Nazgûl, and entirely unintimidating. This book has none of the enlightened air of Tolkien’s masterwork, and yet assumes it has the right to copy its plot and characters. An offense to the fantasy genre and carelessly written, The Eye of the World and the rest of The Wheel of Time series should be avoided. Although this is not the appropriate place to issue this warning, the television series based off the novels is just as much of a bore and waste of time, although the story is even more disconnected and unappealing than the book. If you are in desperate need of a new fantasy novel to read, I would suggest such books as The Witcher, The Lord of the Rings, A Song of Ice and Fire, or many others. Do not force yourself to read this atrocity.

100% fantastic fantasy!

People talk so highly of this series and then you find out you need to give it 5 books until it picks up. The series might be great but this book was incredibly boring and felt like a mirror clone of the lord of the rings. Predictable yet confusing. I’ll watch the series for this one and spend my time on books/series that as a whole are worth it

Epic series, couldn’t put it down. Ready for book two.

The story was good, but the characters lacked something and Egwene and Nynaeve weren’t stunningly written. In my opinion Nynaeve was super annoying and overly childish. I enjoyed the story but at times it seemed to drone on. Like with Mat and Rand against the dark alone in the villages on their way to Caemlyn, it just went on and on. I am a little excited though for what the rest of this world might bring, I hope it isn’t lackluster.

The descriptions were strong and balanced. The dialogue shows a lot of thoughtful ideation. The story is truly epic.

I have read dozens of other authors, listened to hundreds of hours of fantasy books, read thousands upon thousands of pages. None have gripped me like this book has. Nothing I have ever encountered compares to the scope and scale of this world. The history and lore is rich from the very beginning, the characters have very real motivations and flaws, and there is a fair bit of mystery and intrigue among the heroes of this tale. There isn’t a single character I don’t like, even the least-explored person feels like a solid addition to the story. Unfortunately, the book did start off a little slow, with difficult, often folksy, patterns of speech that tripped me up for the first ten or so chapters. That didn’t stop me from reading and enjoying them, but it did take some getting used to. Once you get familiar with the strange words, names and phrases there is nothing to stop you except your own desire to progress. I cannot wait to read the following books. 5 stars, would definitely recommend.

I read this book a few time as a child and a young man but this is the first time I have read it as an adult. Robert Jordan will forever be my favorite author. Such vivid imagery and depth. He was taken from us too soon and the world is a little darker without him.