Author: Robert Jordan
Year: 1990
The Wheel of Time series is the strongest fantasy franchise ever written, with The Eye of the World being both its beginning and its best. High praise for high fantasy, I know, and obviously all fantasy feeds off of Lord of the Rings, but Jordan’s world is the best you will find, the best up to Game of Thrones, and has the best characters you will ever meet in written word. I love this series so much I named my son after one of the leads, and I don’t regret it for a second; unique names are awesome, I should know. Welcome to something amazing, if this is your first time reading, and welcome back into the fold, if this is your thousandth.
The Wheel turns, the the Ages pass, the Great Serpent eats its own tail and it reborn; however you say it, time repeats itself, and heroes come again because they must. In a long forgotten backwater in a realm that has moved on from its glory days, a hero is reborn, but who he is hasn’t been discovered quite yet. All Moraine Sedai knows is that the Dark One seeks young men from a small village, three specific best friends born around the same time and innocent to their importance: Rand, Mat, Perrin. When the forces of evil find them, Moraine and a small party head east toward Tar Valon, the city where the ancient Aes Sedai still wield the One Power and pull the strings of nations. Along the way, the boys discover their destinies and the path of the world is defined, with the Last Battle looming in the mysterious distance.
Any summary simply can’t do this story justice, since this is only the beginning, only a way to set the pace & the path, our introduction to something wonderful. And yet, Eye of the World is still a phenomenal opening act, and probably the best, simplest, cleanest action Jordan has to offer. It’s both a way to become accustomed to the world and a way to meet its inhabitants: Rand, Mat, Perrin, Moraine, Lan, Egwene, Nynaeve, Thom, Loial, Min, Elayne, Gawyn. Every piece, every person, every landmark has something to do with the greater picture, and that Jordan could introduce all these ingredients we don’t need yet and still produce a stunning plot is nothing short of genius. Adventure around every corner, death stalking down the path, greatness waiting at the end; this is fantasy done fabulous.
My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★