Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

The first book in the epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time, the Eye was originally published in 1990 and the 14th and final book is due out on January 8, 2013 with author Brian Sanderson finishing the series after Jordan's death in 2007. The book centers around three young friends who are forced to flee their isolated village with a mysterious woman who believes they are the key to saving the world from an ancient evil.

I am rereading the series in anticipation of the release of the final book in the series. In many respects the first book is probably one of the weakest. Most of the first book is told from the perspective of the main character Rand al'Thor, while the later books are told from the perspectives of a number of characters. Going back through the book it is clear that Jordan has a very clear vision of his world and the things he wants to do later, but with some of the following books it is also clear that he doesn't really know how his world works. It fits together later as the books have a much broader and sweeping story, but early it seems awkward at times and the characters have relatively little depth. Still it is a good start for a long and complex series that is well worth the time to read.

Pages: 782