48. The Eye of the World

The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time #1) Robert Jordan. 1990. Tor. 814 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose in the Mountains of Mist. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning.

Premise/plot: The Eye of the World is the first book in the Wheel of Time series. Three young lads are at the center of this misadventure which has good and evil facing off once again. Rand, Perrin, and Mat are country boys--farmers, sheep farmers, villagers. They never planned or wished for this adventure to befall them. And, truth be told, the excitement wore off quickly. But it's literally all or nothing for their lives are at stake--no, the future of the world is at stake.

They are not alone. There is a fellowship of sorts. Two young women--also from the same community (Emond's Field)--Nynaeve (the village wisdom) and Egwene (her apprentice). Egwene wanted to join in the adventure and is seeking a little something more to life. Nynaeve is distrustful and hesitant. Her mission is to get them all back home safe so life can return to NORMAL. (Well, that's her mission at first). The adults along for the ride are from the outside. There is a gleeman, Thom Merrilin, an Aes Sedai, Moiraine, and her warder, Lan. They also pick up one more along the way, notably Loial. (Would they have made it without him???)

So what should you expect: a tedious journey with a near impossible mission to complete on their quest. Tedious not for the reader--necessarily--but for those actually on the journey. It is full of hardships and literal nightmares. Night and day they must find the strength to keep on keeping on and resisting evil at every single turn.

My thoughts: This is my third time to read The Eye of the World. I really do love it. I forget just how much because I see it on my bookshelf--along with all the OTHER books in this massive series--and I find a plethora of reasons not to read the series....just yet. But I have an oh-so-faithful friend who encouraged me to pick it up again, that now is the time. She had more faith in me than I had in myself. I thought there was no way I could read it in a week, and, she thought YES YOU CAN. She was right. By the third day it was almost easy how right it felt to just read the one book. 

Expect world-building: introducing the world, introducing the cultures and traditions, introducing lore and legends, introducing characters, the formations of relationships--friendship and possibly romantic.

My advice for those that are intimidated by the prologue and perhaps the first few chapters is to keep on keeping on. Don't try to understand/comprehend the WHOLE world at once. Go with the flow and absorb the world at your own pace. 

My review from 2014.
My review from 2012.

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