The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time Series #1)

a great start to the best fantasy series

even if you do not read another book in the wheel of time series, the eye of the world is quite satisfying as a self contained masterpiece as well. that being said, read the whole series! you will not regret it. the sweeping scope, masterful writing style, and epic story are unrivaled. from the first paragraph you will find yourself drawn in, and the fleshed out characters will keep you hooked. robert jordan takes a genre that is often not taken seriously and gives it literary credibility. though he pays homage to his predecessors, like tolkien, in some of the imagery used, jordan not only makes the world of fantasy his own, but sets a new standard and quality at which it can be enjoyed. get it.

19 out of 19 people found this review helpful.

Slow, Poor Plot, Poor Writing

You may have seen "the first 100 pages are slow" in another review. The first 1550 pages of the 1847-page eBook are slow.

Nothing really happens, it's really a basic tale of a journey from here to there with people chasing you. Further, there was no rhythm to the story. By that I mean there weren't exciting, nail-biting parts in between the slow parts. I kept waiting for something to happen. The last 150 pages completely changed pace and too rapidly (for the pace of the other ~1600 pages) completed the book. It was like the author thought, "well, I've written a lot, now I need to end this book."

I didn't really identify with any of the characters, a rarity for me when reading fantasy, until probably 2/3 of the way through the book, when the nature of a character changed (but not the protagonist). The characters are fairly well-developed, but for me at least, uninteresting, thus I wasn't "rooting" for any of them.

Finally, it's really important in the fantasy genre for the author to be able to paint scenes with words, so the reader has a clear image. The author failed miserably in that regard. Often, I was left wondering, "where did that come from?" Also, many of the sentences are awkwardly-formed, with strange placement for dependent clauses.

And at least in the eBook, the dialog isn't split into separate paragraphs (and at the same time intermixed among multiple characters and narrative), so it is sometimes difficult to tell who's speaking.

Oh, and the first 100 pages...almost all narrative.

6 out of 43 people found this review helpful.

I looooove this world.

This series of books is one of my all-time go-to regular reads. What I really like about this world Robert Jordan (may the Light illumine him :) made is the women. Usually, fantasy books and hero journeys are Brave Young Men with ancillary women who nurture them, tempt them or occasionally heal and clean up after them. In this series, the women are heroines with equally thrilling arcs and journeys, too. Perfect series to start on vacation or snowbound weekend. Those of you who are re-readers like me, this series, beginning with this book, is a great addition to your stash. The cover art is silly, and I encourage you to ignore it.

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Great Book

When I first picked up this book, it didn't look thrilling or anything like the type of book I would enjoy reading. When I first began reading, it dragged a bit at the start but as the story progressed, so did my enthusiasm to read.

Some parts of this novel are slow and seem to drag on, but it is still a worthwhile read. I am now on the 3rd book in this series and it seems to be getting better and better as the series goes on.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Force your way through the first 100 pages...It is so very worth it!

The first 100 pages or so are incredibly boring.

That being said, there are over 8,000 pages in this incredible epic. You know the saying "Be prepared for late nights"

Well, once you fall into this incredibly complex world, this will be your state for at least a couple of months.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Amazing series all the way through!

The eye of the world is the beginning of a 12 book series that will end with one last book. The author died before finishing the last one, but gave extensive notes and verbal recordings of the plots and characters for the author who was to finish the series. Another fantasy autor, Brandon Sanderson, will complete this amazing saga. This first book, (not counting the prequel) starts out small, compared to the levels the others reach. That said, it is still a must read for any true fantasy fan. The scope of the characters and plot is enormous throughout the entire story. You will find yourself pulled into the story and wanting to finish all of the wheel of time books.

5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Scooter's Opinion!

The world starts out in full color. Every detail in character and environment is taken into consideration. It's hard not to be able to visualize anything that Jordan writes. He's very graphic in scenery, character, and thankfully emotion. He spares no detail. The plot is straightforward in this one. Kinda like just being put on a path that has no forseen ending. (Hopefully by book 15!) If you like any of the Tolkien or other fantasy writer books, then I urge you to take a good, long look at this here book. I can almost guarantee that you'll be buying the Great Hunt in no time! And thanks for reading Scooter's Opinion! :)

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Why torture children?

I was enjoying the story until I read a thousand pages dedicated to terrifying and torturing children. I have read 2400 pages of the e-book and they are still being tortured. I think I will skip to the end. There are wonderful characters in the story like Moraine and the Warder and Thom and many others. Just too much time and emphasis on terrifying the youngsters for my taste.

2 out of 11 people found this review helpful.

Book Review

This book is exactly the kind of thing I'm into. The plot, the action, the dark, mysterious-ness of it. I just love it all! I can never put the book down once I start reading it and I'm really looking forward to the rest of the series all summer!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Guthix.

An excellent but long book series. It is the best fantasy fiction books series that i have read and i am an avid fantasy book reader.

potential to be a good series

I'm a new arrival to this writers work. I think this was one of the writer's first books. I like a wide variety of books including urban fantasy and world building books that have good character development, and that move at a fairly fast pace.

I liked the characters in the book early on and found the plot interesting. My biggest complaint was there seemed to be pages and pages in which nothing was happening in regards to the main story. Those parts of the story added little in terms of cleverness, humor, or character development. I had to force myself to keep reading. This is not what I want to have to do when I read.

Having said that I understand this was one of the writers first books, and I think this is a long series- so maybe the slow bits get better as the writer develops.

The eye of the world

A good book. Looks like it could be a good series.

Read and read again

I have read this series over a dozen times and each reading brings about a deeper appreciation for Jordans unmatched skill as a writer, no, creator of a world so complete ta you fall into it and neer wis to leave again.

Best book in a while

Loved the story! Racing for number two in the series!

Best series ever

I really enjoyed reading the wheel of time series. Since I started reading this series in 2002 I have gotten 6 others hooked, and half of them are not science fiction readers. The best part about this series is that Robert Jordan does not distroy the characters like Goerge R.R. Martin does in his Song of Ice and Fire series.

Adventure

Great story of adventure.

G

G

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Book

Awesome!!!!!

Getting the next one!!!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE IT! I'm not done and I don't care how it ends. Its awsome!!!

Highly Recommended

This was a Christmas gift for my son. He loved it!