Book series: Wheel of time
The Eye of the world by Robert Jordan: A book review.
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The Wheel of Time(WOT) is a 14-book long series of epic/high fantasy novels. It is set in an unnamed world, at the end of the "Third Age" in a fractured world, with people ignorant of and living in the shadows of great exploits and civilizations of times past.
The cyclical nature of Time is one interesting concept in the WOT series.
"The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become a legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. ... There are neither beginnings nor endings to the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning."
Every major era and event in this world has happened before, is occurring currently, and will still happen again in the distant future. The force of evil, the "Dark One" or " Shai’tan" always wins just before the new age rolls in. Will the new-age heroes succeed in breaking this cycle of inevitability?
The magic system in the series is also well developed with magic ( known as "Channeling" of the One Power) being practised almost exclusively by women. The male aspect of the One Power- saidin had been tainted at the end of the Age of Legends, causing any male channelers to go insane and die. The female aspect of this power- saidar, is the only pure source left. While male channelers are usually stronger, female channelers are better at "linking" to one another, an act that exponentially increases their magic output.
Channelers are given different receptions in different places, while they are feared and respected in some cultures, they are hated in others. Female channelers are usually rounded up and trained at the White Tower to become Aes Sedai. This is an organisation that considers itself the custodian of the Channeling gift. There are seven groups or ajahs within this organisation, all tasked with different things ranging from seeking knowledge to hunting down male channelers. There are many other interesting concepts in this series like the matriarchal nature of a lot of cultures, the varying and complex political systems but I won’t be able to mention or discuss them all, lest this review becomes a book.
Book one revolves around Rand al’Thor, Matrim Cauthon, Perrin Aybara, Egwene al’Vere and Nynaevae al’Meara, residents of Elmond Field, a backwater village that was suddenly and unexplainably thrown into chaos by minions of the Dark One. With the help of an Aes Sedai, Moiraine Damodred, her Warder, Al’Lan Mandragoran, and some other allies, they were able to escape. As Moiraine would later come to know, each of these children had gifts, some of which had been lost since the Age of Legends. To cap it off, one of them was discovered to be the prophesied Dragon Reborn, a male channeler that was fated to reincarnate over and over again, fated to choose between joining the Dark One or destroying him while trying not to go mad and eventually destroy himself and his loved ones.
I know right, that’s one unenviable burden.
All in all, this is a very good read and it definitely ranks up there as one of the greatest fantasy novels ever. For those whose interests may be piqued and decide to start the series, it might interest you to know that fan-favourite Brandon Sanderson( Author of Mistborn Series, Stormlight Archives etc) had the honour of writing the last three books in the series (Robert Jordan left detailed notes on how the series was to end and the work was transferred to Brandon after his death).
So, get in there. You won’t regret you did.
Dr Adenike Adegeye (MBBS, Ibadan)
