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The Eye of the World : Book One of 'The Wheel of Time'

The Eye of the World : Book One of 'The Wheel of Time'

List Price: $59.95
Your Price: $37.77
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Don't read unless you intend to finish
Review: While reading other reviews, I couldn't help but put in my opinion. As a 14 year old, I think The Eye of the World, and the first five books in the Wheel of Time are great. They're action-packed, adventurous, detailed, romantic, magical, etc. Then, six and seven are . . . eh. I'm in the middle of the eighth, and unlike the first five, where I read each book in a few days, this one I've been working on for a few weeks.

The Eye of the World is great though. Rand al'Thor, a simple shepherd in the Two Rivers, who thinks his whole life is set before him, suddenly encounters a whilrwind of change. Trollocs attack his town, though only his farm, and his two friends' are attacked. Why only them? They are ta'veren, meaning the time must weave around them, instead of placing them in the pattern. In order to save his town, Rand, his friends Mat and Perrin, the Aes Sedai (in other words, a witch or sorceress) Moiraine, her warder Lan, Rand's unofficial fiancee Egwene, and the town wisdom, Nynaeve, leave for Tar Valon. On the way, each encounter strange things, different destinies, new powers, etc.

After you've read maybe the first one hundred pages, you can easily guess who Rand is. And by the time you've hit the eighth book, you start wishing he had never found that little secret out....

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great book
Review: Very good description with incredable and unexpected twists in the plot. I found this book theroughly enjoyable and would recomend it to anyone. Now I can not put the series down.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Fantasy? Yes. Great Literature? Please!
Review: This book, like all the Robert Jordan series is a story, more fleshed out than an MTV springbreak segment, far more deeply detailed than our 7 second attention-span-limited culture can handle. The story lines are myriad, the milleu is complex and rich in history. The characters are deep enough, but in the end: This is a fantasy story, not Shakespeare. Don't rail because human myth is wrapped in it and that seems plagiaristic. It helps the story resonate realism within a fantastic setting.

Yes, it's loooooooonnnnnnngggggg and complicated. So are 7 course meals. If you want brevity, read short stories, Pierce Anthony or such. This is a good read, full of interesting twists and turns. I highly recommend the entire series.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: the eye of the world
Review: fantastic book, keeps u involved the whole way thru, one of the best i have ever read. the series as a whole is incredible reading, i strongly recomemned it to anyone who enjoys adventure, fantasy and highly developed characters.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Eye Of the World
Review: I would defiantly give Robert Jordans Eye of the World a 5/5 stars. As you read, the book picks up speed as a snowball flying down the side of a mountain. The storyline develops more thouroughly than any other book I have ever read, defying even Tolkiens vain attempts at harnassing the world of Fantasy. This is a MUST READ for anyone who likes Fantasy.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Long and complex, yet still fast and fun.
Review: I'll only add one comment to all the other excellent and useful reviews posted for this title. I am someone who usually isn't crazy about either the fantasy genre OR really long books. As "The Eye of the World" is clearly both a fantasy novel AND a long book, I was skeptical when a friend in the office began pushing me to read it. Well, I finally capitulated (gotta build those bridges with your colleagues!), and was happily surprised that the book was not the ordeal I dreaded. On the contrary, the story was fast-moving and laced with interesting characters, full of depth and complexity yet always adventurous and fun. As of this writing, I have moved on to the other titles in the series and am already halfway through the entire "Wheel of Time" saga after less than a year. Give "The Eye of the World" a shot. If a non-fantasy fan like me can get hooked, I think anyone can!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great start to a massive series
Review: Well, I almost stopped reading this book 100 or so pages into it. That would have been a mistake. It really picks up the pace after that, and the action is terrific, the characters are terrific and the world is amazing.

The only negative about the series is that there is no way you can just pick it up in the middle of the series. But, this is a great place to start!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Better than I expected...
Review: Being a rabid Tolkien fanatic, I am reluctant to read other fantasy without a good reason. However, two different people suggested that I read this series, and I decided to try it. I have to admit, it greatly exceeded my expectations. It's not as good as Tolkien, of course, but I liked it, and I am now enjoying the second book. I recommend "The Wheel of Time" to all fantasy fans.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The good and bad of Tolkien's genre is all here
Review: J.R.R. Tolkien did not invent the genre of epic fantasy, but it should go without saying that "The Lord of the Rings" is the standard by which all such works are judged. All the common ingredients of the genre can be found in "The Eye of the World"--naive rural folk thrust into a world of adventure and intrigue; innumerable characters who are (inevitably) more than they seem; powerful and magical forces of good and evil, and politically motivated people who confuse one with the other. Those who always love this sort of thing (as there are readers who love romances, or mysteries) may as well stop reading this review right now--this is exactly what you're expecting, and Jordan delivers "the goods."

If, however, like me, you tend to dabble in epic fantasy and don't read every trilogy (or octology--it should be noted that Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series, of which this is the first volume, stands at eight books now and shows no signs of letting up), there are other considerations to make. First, are his characters interesting? Certainly, enough of the blurb-writers on the book jacket think highly of Jordan's characterizations, but anyone familiar with good mainstream fiction will recognize the stereotypes from which all of his characters are built. While not exactly cardboard cut-outs, neither are these living, breathing characters with which we as readers can empathize.

Second, is the plot engaging? This has to be Jordan's biggest failing. His narrative is entirely paint-by-numbers, which is to say that he moves linearly from one event to the next. He makes no choices as to what to show and what not to show--everything that happens is presented in equal measure. His few attempts at nonlinearity are clumsy and irritating. The events themselves rely on "deus ex machina" more often than I was able to count; Jordan paints his characters into hopeless situations over and over, then extricates them with miraculous rescues or fortuitous coincidences. In the context of the fantasy, he can perhaps fall back on "so the Wheel has weaved," or in the main characters' magical powers, hidden or not, but too often my disbelief couldn't be suspended and Jordan's plot points seemed like cop-outs.

That said, as in most epic fantasies the world Jordan has created is far more of a living, breathing creature than any of his characters, and might be worth experiencing, at least for one book. Also intriguing is the unusually strong role played by women in Jordan's world. If you have a taste for epic fantasy, this book will remind you all too often of Tolkien, and the comparison does not favor Mr. Jordan. Still, this author has thought things through enough to maintain some interest.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Interesting world, boring characters
Review: I just started reading this series and have finished the first book. Well, I know everyone is fanatical and such about The Wheel of Time, but I just don't see what the big deal is. It's the same as any other fantasy book I've read. The world is really interesting and well thought out, but the characters are absolutely annoying. Not one of the three main characters takes initiative in anything. They sit around complaining about everyone else (not out loud, but in their head), and every decision they make is stupid. They show no emotion except "I don't trust the Aes Sedai" even though the Aes Sedai help them out endlessly, or "I am scared of the bad guys". These guys are supposed to save the world? And every time the characters talk, it is rarely about anything except to tell facts that move the story along. There are no casual conversations that develop the characters. I wonder how any of the other characters know anything about each other, since they hardly talk. The other thing I found funny was Lan. He is my favorite character in this book, along with Moiraine and Nynaeve, since they are the only ones who take initiative. What was funny about Lan was that he was supposed to show no emotion, but whenever he says something, he says it "as though he was very sad, but you couldn't tell because his face was as hard as a rock". That gets old. Just tell us he is sad, or angry, or whatever. I will continue reading the series though, as my friend promises it gets better, so I have already started The Great Hunt, and it does get a little better. Stuff actually happens in that. The Eye of the World is basically a big chase scene, and every bit of it is predictable and derivative. Read it if you have nothing else to do. Just don't expect a masterpiece, as everyone calls it.


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