Blurb:

The Eye of the World, the first novel in Robert Jordan's #1 New York Times bestselling epic fantasy series, The Wheel of Time®, follows Moiraine Damodred as she arrives in Emond's Field on a quest to find the one prophesized to stand against The Dark One.

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

When a vicious band of half-men, half beasts invade the Two Rivers seeking their master’s enemy, Moiraine persuades Rand al’Thor and his friends to leave their home and enter a larger unimaginable world filled with dangers waiting in the shadows and in the light.

Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time® has captivated millions of readers around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters. The last six books in series were all instant #1 New York Times bestsellers, and The Eye of the World was named one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read.

Review:

There are plenty of nods to Tolkien’s epic work readily apparent in The Eye of the World, which will endear itself to both fans of LOTRs as well as readers new to both worlds. The Eye of the World is my idea of a “cozy” fantasy read with all the nostalgic aesthetics of a grand quest like traditional epic fantasy is well known for, a solid coming-of-age story, and a fight against the darkness of epic proportions that could see the world shattered should they all fail. This is exactly my kind of cozy read with everything I could possibly want or ask for in my fantasy books. 

“The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again.”

There are so many similarities that jumped out at me of those subtle and not so subtle hints of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings peeking through that brought a smile to my face, and yet they were also uniquely different enough to be this wonderfully fresh story that I am absolutely enthralled by. The basic bones of traditional fantasy are all there, but Robert Jordan gave them his own personal spin in fleshing out those bones and drawing it out into this shockingly long series, the likes of which is rather daunting before you’ve just determined to hold your breath and dive in. Once you’re in you begin to wonder if fourteen books will be nearly enough? :P And the potential of all that fantasy goodness that can be discovered amongst all those pages is truly exciting to me and I can’t wait to find out more! 

I had originally started The Eye of the World early last year, and was thoroughly enjoying it then, but I had to set it down for a handful of other reading commitments that I had promised to do. Unfortunately for me some of those commitments put me into a months-long slump and I never did get back to reading this, though it’s often been on my mind. Luckily, the itch to return to this book finally overcame me, and once again I grabbed this book off my shelves. One glance at the chapter I’d originally left off on told me I had forgotten far too much to be able to continue it with the proper level of enjoyment, as I wouldn’t recall half of what had happened since it’s been a year since I had last read it. So despite being over 2/3s of the way through this chonker, I made the right choice in starting over from the beginning. And wouldn’t you know? I think I enjoyed reading those 2/3s even more this time around than I had on my first attempt, and I remember really loving it then too. 

“The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills. No eye can see the Pattern until it is woven.”

The idea of traveling companions when you go off on a daunting quest like this lends itself to that cozy fantasy feeling. Who would want to go off on this kind of thing all alone?? You could never hope to succeed going it alone. So the trope for a fellowship of travel companions is one of my ultimate favorite things in epic fantasy. You get that comforting sense of home, the learned strength and bravery of the warriors who accompany you to see this quest done, and of course those wise magic users who are the guides along the way. It’s been such a time since I read a book like this that I’d somehow forgotten this is one of my favorite tropes. I’m so overjoyed to be reminded of it, and have many more books of it to look forward to.

I am so invested in this amazing cast of characters, so hopeful they can all come through this safely, if not also relatively unharmed. I know my wish can’t possibly be a reality, but I’m still hoping things turn out well for them all in the end. Of course, I can’t love them all equally; Egwene really rubbed me the wrong way for a good chunk of the start with her insufferable know-it-all attitude, but she did grow on me by the end. And Mat, oof! That boy is such trouble :P But in all seriousness, this is such an excellent cast of characters, all with their own struggles and hopes, all of whom have this latent potential in this pending fight for the ages. I can’t wait to watch them all grow into those varied possibilities as the series continues. And maybe, just maybe we’ll see those romances blossom that were budding in The Eye of the World. I was definitely rooting hard for the one of them.

“...for a time, at least, part of the world will shape itself around you, perhaps is even now shaping itself around you.”

Despite the girth of this tome, I was burning through huge swaths of it in a sitting. While it does follow the style of a grand epic, it is a fair bit less prose heavy than the likes of Hobb’s or Tolkien’s works (whose heavy prose I do quite enjoy, don’t get me wrong). It does make it easier to read it that much faster, which considering how long this series is, is a very good thing indeed. Thankfully, I have the sequel on my shelves ready to dive into immediately, which is all I desperately want to do. My tbr is just going to have to wait a little while longer as I see how long I’ll stay immersed in this world before coming up for air.

Okay, I’m off to journey through The Great Hunt… 

“...riders whose eyes and hearts shine with their sacred quest. The Great Hunt of the Horn rides forth, rides to seek the Horn of Valere that will summon the heroes of the Ages back from the grave to battle for the Light. . . .”