Robert Jordan’s 1990 novel, The Eye of the World, is the first work in the epic Wheel of Time saga. Jordan completed the first eleven novels of the planned twelve book series before he unfortunately became ill and died last year. The series is slated to be completed by Brandon Sanderson next year. That being said, the first novel of the series, The Eye of the World, was rich with adventure, magic, and character development.

I might just be a sucker for a hero tale, but I found The Eye of the World to be a very exciting read. It was also a fairly quick read, despite its length. The novel is basically a Tolkien-esque, escapist, fantasy adventure, but it is not exactly run of the mill and very enjoyable nonetheless. As per usual, the novel follows an unlikely hero, Rand, and a group of friends as they are plunged into the middle of a fantastic adventure of growing up where they begin to learn of their greater destinies.

Jordan’s world, like Tolkien’s, is full of swords, sorcery, and fantasy creatures. The novel also includes well developed characters, imaginative locales, and a suspenseful plot. The novel is largely character-driven, though it has an excellent plot, which adds a lot of depth to the story. Jordan seems to be very good at writing characters, which is good, because there are a lot in the story. Not only is the adventure party rather large, but as the adventure unfolds, they encounter a number of additional characters that play some part in the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Eye of the World and I’m looking forward to reading the next novel in the series. When I picked up the novel, I had just finished the third book in Stephen King’s Dark Tower saga. I needed something a little more positive and The Eye of the World was a perfect fit.