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The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time, Book 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

Robert Jordan
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2,100 customer reviews)

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Book Description

November 15, 1990 Wheel of Time (Book 1)
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.

Frequently Bought Together

The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time, Book 1) + The Great Hunt (The Wheel of Time, Book 2) + The Dragon Reborn (The Wheel of Time, Book 3)
Price for all three: $21.57

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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The peaceful villagers of Emond's Field pay little heed to rumors of war in the western lands until a savage attack by troll-like minions of the Dark One forces three young men to confront a destiny which has its origins in the time known as The Breaking of the World. This richly detailed fantasy presents a fully realized, complex adventure which will appeal to fans of classic quests. Recommended.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Jordan has come to dominate the world that Tolkien began to reveal."--The New York Times

"Jordan is able to take ... familiar elements and make them his own, in a powerful novel of wide and complex scope. Open religious and political conflicts add a gritty realism, while the cities and courts provide plenty of drama and splendor. Women have a stronger role than in Tolkien.... Each character in this large cast remains distinct.... Their adventures are varied, and exciting.... The Eye of the World stands alone as a fantasy epic."--Locus

"Robert Jordan has created a fantasy world as tangible and credible as history. He has a fine eye for detail and a vivid sense of drama."--Morgan Llewelyn

"Robert Jordan's The Eye of the World proves that there's still plenty of life in the ancient tradition of epic fantasy. Jordan has a powerful vision of good and evil-- but what strikes me as most pleasurable about The Eye of the World is all the fascinating people moving through a rich and interesting world."--Orson Scott Card

"Jordan's world is rich in detail and his plot is rich in incident. Impressive work, and highly recommended."--ALA Booklist

Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 832 pages
  • Publisher: Tor Fantasy; 1 edition (November 15, 1990)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0812511816
  • ISBN-13: 978-0812511819
  • Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2,100 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,340 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert Jordan was born in 1948 in Charleston, South Carolina. He taught himself to read when he was four with the incidental aid of a twelve-years-older brother and was tackling Mark Twain and Jules Verne by five. He is a graduate of The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina, with a degree in physics. He served two tours in Vietnam with the U.S. Army; among his decorations are the Distinguished Flying Cross with bronze oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star with "V" and bronze oak leaf cluster, and two Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses with palm. A history buff, he has also written dance and theater criticism and enjoyed the outdoor sports of hunting, fishing, and sailing, and the indoor sports of poker, chess, pool, and pipe collecting.

Robert Jordan began writing in 1977 and went on to write The Wheel of Time(R), one of the most important and best selling series in the history of fantasy publishing with over 14 million copies sold in North America, and countless more sold abroad.

Robert Jordan died on September 16, 2007, after a courageous battle with the rare blood disease amyloidosis.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
291 of 313 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A Tremendous Start, But Beware November 8, 2002
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The Wheel of Time is probably the best-known and most widely read fantasy series other than The Lord of the Rings.
When this book was published in 1988 or 1989, it created a sensation -- a tremendous first volume that had the usual good-evil battle and tons of action but also was filled with magic, history, politics, sociology, cultural background and realistic characters. When I re-read the first five books, I was amazed at the details of history and politics that Jordan provided in his world. Jordan also has numerous protagonists, not just one or two primary ones like many other fantasy writers.

Moreover, Eye of the World features strong men and, through their magical abilities and powerful personalities, stronger women. Jordan has been rightly lauded for the prominent and powerful roles he created for the female characters.

The Great Hunt, The Dragon Reborn, The Shadow Rising and The Fires of Heaven followed and created a tremendous series such that The New York Times noted that Jordan had come to dominate the genre that Tolkien made famous.

In Eye of the World, the writing is smooth, the various characters and their motivations work well, and there's action aplenty. The sense of innocence and mystery that correspond to the heroes' relative lack of knowledge of their surroundings and the world at large is palpable and realistic.

Unfortunately, starting with Lord of Chaos (book 6), Jordan's creation became unwieldy. Instead of concentrating on following the themes and story-threads of books 1-5 (which combined are more than 3500 pages, hardcover), he created new storylines, bogged down the narrative and halted the pace of the epic. Book 8 in particular is an unmitigated disaster -- 650 pages (hardcover) of wheel-spinning (pardon the pun) with almost no progress to the story. Book 9 began to jump-start the narrative once again.

The series is at 10 books (the tenth will be published in about two months from now) and growing (13 total possible -- it's a common numerical theme in the books), thus the last volume will be published in 2006, at the earliest.

The Eye of the World is great, as are the next four in the series. They are, however, addictive, so know what you're getting into.

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92 of 102 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars An original, fantasy epic December 18, 1999
By Beowulf
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This book was recommended to me by the manager of a brick and mortar store nearby. I have read a great deal of science fiction/fantasy, and after a while, it all starts to feel the same. You know what I mean: how many times can we revisit Tolkein-esque charcaters like elves, dwarves, and orcs? I was very pleased to discover an entirely new world.

Robert Jordan has created a landscape of magnificent proportions. Accents, legends, superstitions, politics...His amazing attention to detail allowed me to become fully immersed in the story. Even more surprising is that the quality of his writing is maintained throughout the book's length of 782 pages. I couldn't put this novel down, with the result that I finished it well inside of a week.

This is the first book of a series, and the reviews for some of the later books aren't as glowing. However, I feel that this book is a great read, and can stand on its own. It is not uncommon for series to degrade over time -- take a look at "Wishsong of Shannara"by Terry Brooks, "The One Tree" by Stephen R. Donaldson, or "The Sorceress of Darshiva" by David Eddings. All three of these books fail to live up to the quality of others in their respective series, but that doesn't mean you should avoid the series altogether.

"Eye of the World" provides us with an epic that is also refreshingly new. Robert Jordan presents us with a world that is the most richly colorful since Tolkein. If you're a fan of fantasy, then don't miss reading this book.

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44 of 47 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars How to Read the "Wheel of Time" series June 4, 2008
Format:Mass Market Paperback
In 1990, I picked up a book by a writer named Robert Jordan, who was mainly known among fans of fantasy for the Conan novels he penned, which were among my favorites at the time. I bought it without a moment's hesitation and loved it. The Eye of the World followed the classic formula high fantasy had been treading since Tolkien wrote of hobbits leaving the Shire with Nazgul in pursuit.
Getting to the end of the book and realizing it was the first in the series was icing on the cake of a thrilling, fast paced fantasy read. I couldn't wait for what I assumed would be the conclusion, the third book in the series. After all, nearly all high fantasy before the 90's were trilogies.
Alas, Book 3 did not wrap up the story, and in a pre-Internet world, I had no way of knowing that Jordan intended for 12 books. By the time book 6 came out, I was tired of waiting for closure.
So I got stuck at book seven for several years. Last year, I began listening to Book 7, sure that I'd be using it to augment my actual reading of the book. I'm not sure I've picked up a Jordan novel since. But I am about to begin Book 11. And I'm looking forward to the posthumous collaboration of Jordan with Brandon Sanderson. So, to all those who have given up on Jordan, and wished they hadn't, or to those who are thinking about starting but have heard too many negative reviews, here's how I recommend reading Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series.
1. Understand that Jordan loves detail. He describes clothing in so much detail, that if "Wheel of Time" ever gets optioned for film or television, the costume designers will be able to go for a lot of coffee breaks. He is fond of giving elaborately detailed descriptions of every character, even minor ones.
2. The repetition of previously established plot elements in subsequent books is for people traveling on planes who pick up book 5 in the airport. It allows them to enter the world enough to get through the read. It's a device publishing companies use with bestselling series like this to ensure that the series remain a bestseller. While I have never started any series mid-way through, some people apparently do, and these passages are for them.
3. Jordan likes to weave intricate plots with a cast of characters so large it necessitates a glossary at the end of each book. Many of the books are entirely character based, and so seem to have "no action" taking place. This is because many readers want someone to storm a tower, engage in a climactic battle, or throw a ring into a fiery pit. Jordan is too busy marrying characters or introducing a new plot thread to bother with such things. And while he may not talk about a character for one book, he almost always returns to them.
4. I started thinking about "Wheel of Time" as a television series. It's long enough to sustain several seasons, and the cast is basically the OC meets LOTR. We watch TV one episode at a time. I began to view the chapters in each book as "episodes" of "Wheel of Time" as a television series, and each book as a "season." I don't like every episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and there are some seasons I like better than others. Some of my favorite episodes are in my least favorite seasons. But I love the characters, and I want to see what happens to them. I love the characters in Wheel of Time. I want to see what happens to them. So I keep "tuning in."
5. I got over the reasons I quit. Simply put, they were my reasons. I had expectations of Jordan he never intended to fulfill. I expected him to wrap it up in a trilogy. He didn't. I expected him to snap Rand out of his sullen funk. He didn't. I expected him to stop telling me about the embroidery on coats or dresses. He didn't. I expected him to bring a certain major character back from the dead. He didn't. And finally, I expected him to finish before he passed away. And he didn't.
It was that last one that really galvanized me. When I heard he had terminal cancer (many years after it was a reality), it got me thinking about the legacy the man would leave on this earth. An epic bestselling fantasy series. And I realized that, to quote Elvis and Sinatra, he'd done it his way. I might not like some of the choices Jordan made, but I love the world he created and the people walking through it. And I want to know how they fare in the end.
So that's my journey to Book 11 of "Wheel of Time" and I share it because I want new readers to know what to expect, but also to let go of those expectations, and know that the journey is worth taking. Especially if you want to be there when the final novel is released next year.
Me? I'll be starting book 1 again this fall and listening to all the previous "Seasons" of "Wheel of Time," one per month, in anticipation of the final installment. The Wheel of Time turns...and I'll be "turning pages" with it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Read!
I will agree with other reviews I've read by saying Jordan pays extreme attention to detail, and the effect is enthralling to say the least! Read more
Published 1 day ago by J. Schiappa
4.0 out of 5 stars Slow start, but...
Slow start, but sucks you in as you get through. You'll end up reading all of them! The complexity of the plot lines are immensely impressive.
Published 2 days ago by Jadeddust
2.0 out of 5 stars Won't be reading further
I picked up this book on recommendation but will not be continuing with the series. Although the action is continuous, it is also repetitive and exhausting with an unsatisfying... Read more
Published 4 days ago by winkandsmile
5.0 out of 5 stars The Eye of the World
The Wheel of Time series is an amazing piece of story telling. Robert Jordan develops his characters and plot with multiple storylines and great detail. Read more
Published 6 days ago by Mariane Robinson
5.0 out of 5 stars Wow!
Wow! great read, with sub plots galore and anticipation of the eventual unfolding...
If fantasy is you, this will satisfy
Published 7 days ago by WKB 808
5.0 out of 5 stars I'm hooked!
This is a great fantasy much like The Lord of the Rings but much more detailed and many more characters. Read more
Published 8 days ago by Coffeebrewer
4.0 out of 5 stars Wheel of how much time?
A good fantasy travel log and good intro into the wheel of time. I am torn about reading this series in that I dont see myself sticking through so many massive books, however I... Read more
Published 10 days ago by Lincoln Dewey
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Series
This series starts out great and only gets better as it progresses. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys this type of story!
Published 13 days ago by Cassandra Stevens
3.0 out of 5 stars A mishmash of elements from some classic fantasy/sci fi books with a...
The bottom line is i enjoyed reading it and bought the next one. If you're looking to start a new series of books, EOW won't let you down. Read more
Published 14 days ago by Jeffrey W. Miller
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
I've always loved this series. I own the entire collection on paperback and decided to pick them up on Kindle as well.
It is a great buy. Read more
Published 15 days ago by IsaiahD
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Tolkien vs Jordon vs Martin
Wow, no explanation, just a condescending statement.

I have read all the works of WoT and found the books that people complain about (6 - 10) are riddled with payed off promises from the early books and story arcs pointiong towards future payoffs. If you could not find those then too bad for... Read more
Jul 18, 2011 by Pastor Temple |  See all 23 posts
Robert Jordan's The Eye of the World
If you go to the official wheel of time fansite www.dragonmount.com it talks about the release schedule for the ebooks. They're going to release each book of the wheel of time series in ebook format one novel per month. I am unsure if the newest book will be available in ebook format on its... Read more
Oct 26, 2009 by kem |  See all 12 posts
Welcome to the Eye of the World forum
Hi, umm... I was told there'd be cake here.
(long pause)
Is there cake? Anywhere?
Sep 19, 2009 by Poisoned Blade |  See all 3 posts
Why so much? Be the first to reply
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