The epic fantasy novel The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan is must read. It may not be that well known but it has been gaining fame in recent years. With over a dozen books in the series by multiple author, you will be reading for a while. Find out why you should read the first novel as well as the series!
The Eye of the World Summary
The small town of Emond’s Field is home to Rand al’Thor, Matrim (Mat) Cauthon, Perrin Aybara, Egwene al’Vere, and Nynaeve al’Meara. The three boys are pursued by Trollocs and Myrddraals (undead commanders leading the Trollocs). Aes Sedai Moiraine Damodred and her Warder Al’Lan Mandragoran, along with gleeman Thom Merrilin and Egwene, flee and try to seek shelter from Ba’alzamon.
Rand, Mat, and Perry don’t fully trust their savior and guide, the Aes Sedai, Moiraine. The Aes Sedai are known to be liars and manipulative. But they have no other choice but to go with Moraine or will put their village in harm’s way. As the group makes the journey across the country, they see the world as nobody from their village has ever traveled this far out before.
The Eye of the World revolves around the three boys from Emond’s Field and that has also drawn the attention of Ba’alzamon. Their regular country lives are thrown into chaos and they must flee and fight back against Trollocs as they make their way across the country. Where will this journey lead them and how will the Eye of the World change the world as a result?
Commentary
Like many adventure novels, this one is influenced a lot by The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. From the long and tedious journey of a group united by an evil antagonist to an all-seeing and all-knowing guy, this feels like a rendition of the classic novel. There are a bunch of differences but there are even more similarities.
That isn’t a bad thing and when reading it, you will think of The Tolkien novels but this story is different. There is a lot going on in the novel and the more you read, more supernatural elements are added. The world building is great but it does feel overwhelming a lot. There is a lot thrown at the reader and I will admit, it was hard tracking everything.
Conclusion
With that said, I still really enjoyed this series a lot. The characters are decent and the overarching plot is interesting. I can’t wait to read the next novel in the series and will be excited to see the growth of the protagonists from here on out. If you haven’t read this novel yet, I do recommend giving it a try. It may be a long read but the series will give you a year’s worth of reading material!