The Eye of the World

Landrin201 reviewed The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (The Wheel of Time, #1)

Long-time super fan review (no spoilers)

3 stars

I absolutely adore the Wheel of Time. It's by far my favorite series.

But, book one has some problems. Originally, I've always heard, Jordan wasn't sure if he would get to write more than 3 books with his publisher, so he structured the first 2 very differently from the others. He also hadn't fully fleshed out the world yet, so there are some inconsistencies with how magic works in this book compared to the other books. Jordan described EOTW as his homage to the Lord of the Rings, and it very much shows- if you've read LOTR, you'll see a LOT of similarities here. That is not true of the other books after this one.

The best part about this book is the story, but it has some pacing issues IMO. Jordan improved enormously as a writer in book 2, and by book 3 he had really cemented the world, …

I absolutely adore the Wheel of Time. It's by far my favorite series.

But, book one has some problems. Originally, I've always heard, Jordan wasn't sure if he would get to write more than 3 books with his publisher, so he structured the first 2 very differently from the others. He also hadn't fully fleshed out the world yet, so there are some inconsistencies with how magic works in this book compared to the other books. Jordan described EOTW as his homage to the Lord of the Rings, and it very much shows- if you've read LOTR, you'll see a LOT of similarities here. That is not true of the other books after this one.

The best part about this book is the story, but it has some pacing issues IMO. Jordan improved enormously as a writer in book 2, and by book 3 he had really cemented the world, his style, and the characters. The start may be a bit rocky, but it gets so much better!

Kadomi reviewed The Wheel of Time, Boxed Set I, Books 1-3: The Eye of the World, The Great Hunt, The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan

Review of 'The Wheel of Time, Boxed Set I, Books 1-3: The Eye of the World, The Great Hunt, The Dragon Reborn' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

After watching the TV show I decided that 2022 is going to be the year I finish reading WoT. I remember first reading the books when they originally were released. The first series I only read in English because the German translation made over 30 books out of the 14 books in the series. I read the first 7 books and quit because they got super boring, and it seemed the author would never finish. But it's time to try again.

I skipped The Eye of the World because I remember how unremarkable it was. But The Great Hunt managed the feat of sweeping me up, grabbing me, just like it did back in the 90s when I first read it.

Now I only need the strength to stick with it when I get to the boring slog of the middle books.

Strakul reviewed The Wheel of Time, Boxed Set I, Books 1-3: The Eye of the World, The Great Hunt, The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan

Review of 'The Wheel of Time, Boxed Set I, Books 1-3: The Eye of the World, The Great Hunt, The Dragon Reborn' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Another great stepping stone in the saga of The Wheel of Time. A plot that starts slow but by the end has you breathless; characters that continue to evolve as they embrace, or try to run from, their destiny; and a setting that grows clearer and more complex, this book has it all. This was a great addition to the series and, in my mind, a sort of capstone book that wraps up the first arc of The Wheel of Time. With the Dragon Reborn fully declared, the series takes on a new direction as the enemies become clearer and the stakes higher.

Check out my blog for a full review: strakul.blogspot.com/2021/10/book-review-dragon-reborn-by-robert.html

Strakul reviewed The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (The Wheel of Time, #1)

Review of 'The Eye of the World' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This book is where it all starts. Even at the onset, you can tell it's going to be a long ride. This book has it all, a fast-paced engaging plot that hints at a grander adventure to come; a unique cast of characters that grow and develop within the book, and for the rest of the series, too; and a setting that captures the imagination, whether it is of the magic, the cultures, or the legends of thousands of years past.

For a full review, check out my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2021/09/book-review-eye-of-world-by-robert.html

Michael Gouker reviewed The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (The Wheel of Time, #1)

Review of 'The Eye of the World' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I read this in the 1990s and remember being unhappy with its derivative nature, though I enjoyed some of it a lot, especially the world building.

I rarely reread books but I've decided to read Wheel of Time in its entirety. The first time I stopped in 2008 before Brandon Sanderson finished the series.

This time I found it far more inspiring. The characters that annoyed me the first time (especially Nynaeve) seemed fuller. I agree with some of the criticism, but every character develops over the series. Here they are more innocent and uncertain. The magic system and world building are excellent.

Anyway, I marked the book up two more stars to 4 and studied different parts of the story for the world-building aspects. Yes, it could be more artful, but it's still pretty good.

Kadomi reviewed The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (The Wheel of Time, #1)

Review of 'The Eye of the World' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I vaguely remember first reading this book, waaay back in the early 90s. In fact, Eye of the World was the last fantasy book that I read in German, and convinced me to turn away from the money-grabbing schemes of German publishers splitting large volumes into many (Wheel of Time in German is 36+ books, e.g.). Now it's 2013, the series is finally finished, and I started pondering a re-read. A massive undertaking, for sure. I decided to use this opportunity to see if audiobooks are for me, and listened to the audio edition commuting to and from work.

My original feelings for this book haven't changed. I felt like it in the 90s, and I feel like it now that Jordan heavily leaned on the pattern established in Lord of the Rings. I heard that it was actually his plan to make the Two Rivers setting similar to the …

I vaguely remember first reading this book, waaay back in the early 90s. In fact, Eye of the World was the last fantasy book that I read in German, and convinced me to turn away from the money-grabbing schemes of German publishers splitting large volumes into many (Wheel of Time in German is 36+ books, e.g.). Now it's 2013, the series is finally finished, and I started pondering a re-read. A massive undertaking, for sure. I decided to use this opportunity to see if audiobooks are for me, and listened to the audio edition commuting to and from work.

My original feelings for this book haven't changed. I felt like it in the 90s, and I feel like it now that Jordan heavily leaned on the pattern established in Lord of the Rings. I heard that it was actually his plan to make the Two Rivers setting similar to the Shire. The similarities are too much for me. The Eye of the World is basically The Fellowship of the Dragon Reborn, with Rand in the role of Frodo, Mat and Perrin as Pippin and Merry, Moraine in the role of Gandalf, Lan in the role of Aragorn, and some random, really annoying women as Egwene and Nynaeve. The fellowship gets split up, not by attacking orcs, but trollocs, and eventually they join up again to travel to Mordor together. I mean the Blight. They get chased by Gollum aka Padan Fain. Unoriginal, and not always compelling. Some characters drive me insane. Mostly the women and all their hair-tugging nonsense.

On the other hand, I love the world building. The other books are not so derivative, and that's when the setting gets to shine. The magic system, the whole mythology, and the vast and diverse world-building. I know that the series offers more of that, and so for a first fix, the book is alright. I am nostalgic enough now and remember how totally swept away I was when reading The Great Hunt and The Dragon Reborn that I am keen on continuing this re-read, even as audio version. The two narrators, mostly Michael Kramer and very few chapters Kate Reading, were quite excellent. With Kramer I never had any problem sorting out which character was speaking. He's damn good.