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The Eye of the World

The Eye of the World

The Wheel of Time - 1
ComicEpic FantasyFantasy
Pages
752
Published
1990
Language
English

Synopsis

In the sheltered village of Emond's Field, life has changed little for generations, until the night monstrous Trollocs descend from the north and burn through the Two Rivers. Three young men, Rand al'Thor, Matrim Cauthon, and Perrin Aybara, learn that the creatures came hunting them, though none can say why. They flee into a wider and far more dangerous world, guided by Moiraine, an Aes Sedai who wields the One Power, and her Warder, Lan. With them go the village Wisdom, Nynaeve, and Egwene, a young woman bound for a training of her own. Pursued by servants of the Dark One and haunted by a figure who walks their dreams, the company travels toward a refuge that may not exist, while one among them edges toward a power that has driven men mad for three thousand years. The first volume of The Wheel of Time establishes a world where time turns in cycles, prophecy binds the living, and the line between legend and history has worn thin. It opens on deliberately familiar ground before widening into one of epic fantasy's largest and most detailed settings.

Prose complexity
7/10

Vibe

AdventurousDarkMysteriousHopeful
Chosen OneQuestComing of AgeMentor FigureReluctant HeroFound Family

Genres

Epic Fantasy Fantasy High Fantasy Comics Graphic Novels Science Fiction

About the author

R
Robert Jordan

Born in Charleston, South Carolina, James Oliver Rigney Jr. (1948-2007) wrote under the pen name Robert Jordan and became best known for the epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time. He served two tours as a U.S. Army helicopter gunner in Vietnam, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Bronze Star, then took a degree in physics from The Citadel and worked as a nuclear engineer for the Navy. A fall and a long convalescence in the late 1970s turned him toward writing full time. Before fantasy...

Characters

Rand al'ThorProtagonist

A shepherd from the Two Rivers whose ordinary life ends the night the Shadow comes hunting; the central figure of the series.

Ba'alzamonAntagonist

The menacing figure who stalks the young men through their dreams, claiming to serve the Dark One.

Matrim CauthonSupporting

Rand's quick-witted, luck-prone friend, a reckless prankster who is drawn unwillingly into the wider world.

Perrin AybaraSupporting

A thoughtful, powerfully built blacksmith's apprentice and friend of Rand, deliberate where Mat is impulsive.

Egwene al'VereSupporting

The Emond's Field innkeeper's daughter, strong-willed and ambitious, who leaves home to seek training of her own.

All characters in The Eye of the World

Frequently asked questions

  • Is The Eye of the World just a Lord of the Rings copy?

    The early chapters deliberately evoke Tolkien, with a quiet rural home and a sudden flight from dark creatures, and Jordan acknowledged using that familiarity to ease readers in. The series quickly diverges, trading Tolkien's theme of renouncing power for an extended study of how power is used. The resemblance is a starting point, not the destination.

  • What is the 'Ravens' prologue and why haven't I read it?

    'Ravens' is an extra prologue told from the viewpoint of a young Egwene al'Vere. It appears only in the 2002 young-reader edition titled From the Two Rivers, not in standard printings, so most readers have never encountered it.

  • What does the title actually refer to?

    The Eye of the World is a pool of pure, untainted male One Power hidden deep in the Blight. It safeguards objects vital to the struggle against the Dark One and becomes the goal of the characters' journey.

  • Are the Arthurian name parallels intentional?

    Yes. Jordan said Arthurian legend was the mythology most recognizable to his readers, so he half-hid the echoes throughout. Egwene al'Vere recalls Guinevere, the city Caemlyn evokes Camelot, and several other names follow suit. The parallels reward attention without announcing themselves.

  • How many books are in The Wheel of Time?

    The main series runs to fourteen volumes, from The Eye of the World to A Memory of Light in 2013, plus a prequel, New Spring. Robert Jordan wrote through book eleven, and Brandon Sanderson completed the final three from Jordan's notes after his death.

  • Is this book appropriate for younger readers?

    It was reissued in 2002 as two young-reader volumes, and its early tone is accessible to teens. The wider series grows darker and more adult in its later volumes, with battlefield violence and mature themes.

  • What is the difference between saidin and saidar?

    The One Power flows from a single source in two halves: saidin, wielded by men, and saidar, wielded by women. In the world's previous age the male half was tainted, dooming men who channel to eventual madness, which is the engine behind much of the series' conflict.

  • Did The Eye of the World win any awards?

    It was a finalist for the 1991 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, the year Ursula K. Le Guin's Tehanu won. It did not take the prize, but it launched one of the best-selling fantasy series ever published.

  • Is this book the best place to start the series?

    While a prequel novel exists, this book is the intended starting point for the series as it was the first one published and establishes the primary narrative foundation.

  • Does this book have an official adaptation?

    A television series adaptation of the books exists and is available on Amazon Prime.

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