The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
Series: The Wheel of Time (#1)
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.
*SPOILER FREE*
You know that thing that happens with your favorite series? You know, that thing. Someone either asks you about it, or you sit down to try and write a review for one of the installments, and all you say or type is dying animal noises. Kinda like this:
“Navessa, what did you think of this book?”
“AAAAARRRRRRRHHHHNNNNNNNNNAAAAACCCCC”
“Um…are you okay?”
“AAAAARRRRRRRHHHHNNNNNNNNNAAAAACCCCC”
“Are you having some sort of fit right now? Do I need to call someone?”
“AAAAARRRRRRRHHHHNNNNNNNNNAAAAACCCCC”
That’s me with this series. I’ve actually made that noise at people. In public.
I don’t think this can technically be called a brain fart, because that only applies for when you’re drawing a blank. We need a new term. How about brain constipation?
Brain Constipation: when you have so much to say that you can’t get anything out.
Yeah, I think I like that.
Okay, so here’s me trying to type past my desire to hit caps lock and slap at the keyboard like some sort of hysterical sea lion.
This series, without a doubt, is nothing short of a masterpiece. This is (by far) the most richly imagined world I have ever come across in literature. And the way it all unfolds is so organic that you don’t even realize you just read twenty pages of world building, because it happens mostly through conversations, because you learn about this world as the main characters do.
They hail from a tiny town as far away from civilization as you can get. When the book begins, they know next to nothing about the outside world other than rumors. Everything changes for them one spring evening, and before they know it, they’re brought face to face with creatures that they thought only existed in stories used to frighten children into behaving.
This book follows the same pattern that most of the books in this series do. It’s told mostly through the perspectives of our main characters, half of whom are male, and half of whom are female. Nearly 90% of it is made up of world building, character building, plot twists, and traveling, while the last 10% or so is dedicated to the climax. Throughout this series you learn about the unique cultures and peoples of each country the MCs travel through, their customs, their politics, and their everyday lives.
I know that seems pretty daunting, but Jordan adds the perfect amount of action and intrigue to every single chapter, balancing out the world building so that it never feels like you’re reading an info-dump. Quite a feat when you take into account that the books in this series are all over 600 pages long.
In short, this series is nothing more than a masterpiece. A staggering one. It actually makes me feel a little bad about myself. Because my imagination is a small, sad thing compared to what Jordan’s was.
Leave a Reply