A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson

I feel like I've been punched in the stomach. The wind is completely out of me, I'm gasping for breath, and I feel surprised and hurt. Part of this is due to the fact that a series I've been following since I was in middle school is now over, part of it is because it didn't resolve anything for me. But anyways, I need to through my usual spiel of this being part of a series. This is the fourteenth and final book in the Wheel of Time series. Start at the beginning if you wish to tackle this mammoth collection of words, do not start at this book.

The Last Battle is here. Everyone who can fight is and they are holding back the forces of the Dark Lord. Rand, meanwhile, has gone to face the Dark One, confident in his ability to destroy him forever. Elayne, Egwene, Mat, Perrin and others all have their own duties and battles to fight. Something must remain if Rand wins his battle, and they have to keep people alive.

I don't know what happened to my beloved characters in this book. Sanderson was doing so well with them (excepting Mat) that it seemed odd he would switch them up at a time like this. They were all shells of their former selves. Perrin was probably the best overall. He at least had interesting things to do and they were believable based on the previous actions of his in the series. Mat, well he's still a gambler, still the comedian, but it's forced and like the previous two books, just not in line with his character as Jordan created him. Egwene was ok, I was disappointed with where the book took her plot-line but at least she's as strong as she's ever been. Aviendha and Min had minimal roles, so I'm still not sure if I'm pleased with their performance or not.

This book was mostly battles. Sure, they were well done descriptions of battles, but it wasn't what I expected a nine-hundred page book to be dominated by. Some unfinished business was resolved, but a lot of it was still open. And the ending? Well, let's just say that it felt incomplete and wrong to me. But I won't give away any more than that. Compared to the other two books that Sanderson co-authored this one lagged a bit in pace because of all those battles. I think a lot of it was extraneous and could have been cut out to provide more time for the important resolution of the series type of writing. We were so eagerly waiting for the end of this series, that it is easy to see why a lot of people would be disappointed by a lot of things. But I do think that a lot of that disappointment could have been avoided by better paying attention to Jordan's tone of the original books. That was something that just wasn't in this one.

I'm probably going to go bury myself in another book just to escape the release of emotions this one gave me. I'm sorry it's over and I almost wish I wouldn't have read the last book so I could still have my own ending in my head. But at least I have some sort of ending.

A Memory of Light
Copyright 2012
909 pages

Towers of Midnight by Brandon Sanderson & Robert Jordan

Towers of Midnight is the thirteenth book in the Wheel of Time series, and the 2nd written by Brandon Sanderson after Robert Jordan's death. If you haven't read the series up until this point, I highly suggest you start at the beginning as you will be hopelessly lost otherwise. For those who have stuck with the series, you've already noticed with the last book, that Sanderson has taken over the Wheel of Time, but he hasn't changed the core of it.

Rand has learned a valuable lesson, and one that will serve him well as he attempts to bring armies together to defeat the evil that is rising in the North. He has a good backing; Perrin, having resolved some of his past issues is starting to learn more about the wolf that is a part of him and Mat, who is a joker by nature but very serious when it comes to the people he cares about, and Elayne, who is ruling from the throne of Andor. Egwene, the new Amrilyn of the Aes Sedai is not necessarily an ally, but someone who understands Rand and the importance of the tasks he will have to face.

I think that Sanderson has done a great job of taking over the characters. Except for one. I'm not sure I like the way he writes Mat. While he's still funny as ever, he seems more of a caricature of himself. A little more light-hearted than the character Jordan made him out to be. I just haven't really resigned myself to this new, not as dark, Mat. Rand and Perrin though, they are much improved and even though I know it was part of the storyline for Rand to be better, I just thought the way Sanderson handled it was well done. The same with the women in the book too. They are more believable and not as prone to fits of temper that seem out of character.

I don't think that this book was quite as good as the twelfth. It still moves the story along quite nicely and has plenty of action, but the characters were maybe a little less of themselves. I also wasn't that fond of the storyline for the Arad Doman General fighting in the Borderlands. I understand all that was going on, and as a background it is important to the story, but I don't think the amount of time that was spent describing it was needed. That time could have been put to better use describing the main characters and their actions. But luckily that seemed to be the only unneeded detail. The rest of it was tying up previous plotlines or setting up for the final book.

I'm eager to see what happens but a little apprehensive on the last book. There are still so many questions to be answered. And it's still a little sad that Jordan is gone and wasn't here to witness the end of his series.

Towers of Midnight
Copyright 2010
861 pages

The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan

I almost feel like it's blasphemy saying this, but I would probably rate this the best book out of the Wheel of Time series so far.  And Jordan didn't write it.  Well, not entirely anyway.  This being the twelfth book in the Wheel of Time series, a lot has happened, and if this is your first visit, you need to go to the beginning.  But anyways, back to my horrible words of this being the best book.  Jordan was a master at creating worlds, but Sanderson appears to be the master at breathing life into them.

Faile is saved but Perrin now has to determine what his next course of action will be.  The end battle is coming near and he is growing into someone he doesn't want to be.  Meanwhile, Mat has many obligations but first he has to get his army to Andor, which is proving difficult with so many Seanchan around.  Rand is harder than ever and securing kingdoms is becoming easier for him, but at a great price.  And he is still troubled by every turn by the Forsaken.  Egwene is still a captive of the White Tower, but she is using it to her advantage, desperate to bring all the Aes Sedai together before it is too late.

Egwene is turning out to be a fantastic character.  She does a lot of things they you just think in your head "you go girl" and she has a resolve that won't be broken.  Nynaeve was quite a bit better in this book too.  Actually, all of the characters were.  You could tell they weren't written by the same author, but it was like Sanderson took the essence of what Jordan was going for and really developed the characters to their full potential.  Yes, they still have flaws, but they grow within the book and they are like real people, instead of cardboard cutouts with repetitive mannerisms. 

The same goes with the storyline.  It is developed.  There is still a lot of detail, but Sanderson handles all the multiple plots and characters with ease but still gets a lot accomplished.  And the pacing is much better as a result.  I think that there still are a lot of mysteries there that could be resolved and haven't been yet, but that's very small compared to what Sanderson was able to accomplish in this one.  He, like Jordan, brings in a lot of characters that we don't necessarily care about, but he also doesn't give enormous lengths of pages to them either.  This story is really focused on the main characters for once, and that helps.  The tone is much closer to what it was in the first book, rather than what the series had turned into.  And while you can tell it is a different voice, it is not disturbing or unwelcome.

I'm very excited to read the next two books in the series (haven't up to this point and decided to reread everything before tackling them).  I know the adventure is almost at a close, but I have to know what happens!

The Gathering Storm
Copyright 2009
783 pages

Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan

This is the last book to be written completely by Jordan in this series.  As you well know by now (at least you should if you've kept up with the series, and if you haven't, go start at book one) Jordan passed away before he complete his series.  Luckily, he left notes and another author took up the reins to continue where he left off, but that is next book.  This one, it is still all Jordan.

Faile is still a prisoner of the Shaido Aiel and Perrin will stop at nothing to save her.  This means he has aligned himself with the Seanchan in order to rescue her, which is much like dealing with the Dark Lord himself in many people's eyes.  Rand is taking care of things in Tear and Cairhien and is still troubled by sickness.  But he too has to deal with the Seanchan as he seeks out an uneasy truce until the last battle.  Egwene is coming into her own as Amrilyn, but something unexpected happens that will force her to reevaluate her battle plans.  And Elayne, well she is still trying to gain the throne of Andor.

I really am not that fond of Elayne.  I can't quite pinpoint why, but I just find her uninteresting.  And all this talk about her pregnancy in the book doesn't help matters.  Sure it's an important thing, but not one that needs such devoted detail.  Nynaeve isn't much a part of this book or Aviendha, and I missed both characters quite a bit.  At least Egwene is always an interesting and redeeming character.  She's strong, stubborn, and quite wonderful at times.  Rand is as weird as ever.  I know he's supposed to be and I know I say this in nearly every review of the book, but I miss the Rand from the first book.  Perrin is also nothing like himself and while I used to like him, I don't in this book.  Luckily for the boys, Mat is as charming as ever and really comes into his own in this book.

The prologue of this book is a hundred pages long.  Just the prologue.  So that should tell you something.  There is a lot of detail here as in all of Jordan's books.  But thankfully, he actually had a little bit of action in this one as well.  Not as much as there used to be in the book, but enough to finally start moving the plot along.  And he even resolved some of the stories that he already had going, which is very rare for him.  That's not to say there aren't still plenty of mysteries though, because there are.  This is one complicated mess of characters and intrigues and it takes some sorting out to keep up. 

It will be interesting to see what the next books hold.  Jordan was a great writer and it's my hope that Sanderson, his replacement, can keep true to his story and world.

Knife of Dreams
Copyright 2005
783 pages

Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan

Again, a book that does nothing and goes nowhere.  Good thing Jordan makes interesting characters or even the faithful fans would duck out of the series after this book.  This is the 10th book in The Wheel of Time series and they should be read in order.  If you haven't read the previous nine in the series you need to turn around and start from the beginning. 

This book actually starts before the events at the end of the last book took place.  So it's going back in time a little bit.  It mainly deals with what everyone else was doing while Rand and Nynaeve were cleansing Saidin.  Mat is struggling to get out of Ebou Dar.  A task made more complicated by his kidnapping of the Seanchan heir to the throne.  Egwene is still leading her army to the White Tower to take back the Aes Sedai seat of power.  And Elayne is still trying to gain her own seat of power on the throne of Andor.

Nynaeve isn't really in this book, which was disappointing to me.  And Rand really wasn't in it that much either.  Perrin was, but he was deadset on one task and didn't have a lot of growth or development to his character.  Mat was really the one redeeming character of the book.  He's always interesting and has a lot of adventure even when he isn't doing something.  He's also probably the most relatable character, at least to me.  And he travels with interesting companions.

For being one of the shortest books in the series (but still well over six hundred pages) you would think maybe the pace would be faster in this book.  But it's not.  There's still a lot of detail, and the characters don't do anything of any importance in this book.  But there's a lot of backstory and world building done and that counts for something.  Even Jordan's bad writing is still better compared to some fantasy authors out there.  So while I'm whining now I still ultimately enjoy the series.  I just wish his editor had held the reins a bit better on him.  And the time line, because it did go back in time a bit was confusing.  It's the only book at this point to really do that.

Well, we're moving into the end of the series, or at least the home stretch.  It should be interesting (hopefully) from here on out.

Crossroads of Twilight
Copyright 2003
700 pages

The Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan

And so we begin the descent into the books that don't do much or go anywhere.  For those of you who have read some of the Wheel of Time series before, you know what I'm talking about.  For those of you who haven't, what are you looking at this review for?  This is the eighth book in the series and they are definitely meant to be read in order.  You're doing yourself a huge disservice if you try to start here.

Having found the powerful artifact that will change the weather, Nynaeve and Elayne have gathered a large amount of women who can channel the one power and plan to use it.  But with the notorious Seanchan close on their tails, using that much power will be a beacon for where they are.  But the world can't survive the drought much longer.  Meanwhile, Rand is settling into his role as King of Illian and also has to take care of the Seanchan invaders.  Having fought them before, he knows what lies ahead, but he's not sure he really trusts anyone on his side to not betray him.  And Egwene too prepares for her own battle.  Having played the puppet on the Amrilyn Seat (Aes Sedai leader position) long enough, she means to show her group that she is a leader, regardless if they like it or not.

Nynaeve's character pleased me in this book.  She's always been my favorite and she seems to be coming into her own again.  That's not to say she doesn't do silly things still; all of Jordan's characters seem to.  Actually all of Jordan's female characters seem to want power or control in some way, it would be refreshing to see one who's just content with her place in life.  Mat didn't appear in this book at all and that upset me a bit, he's also one of my favorites and adds a bit of levity to the series.  Rand is stranger than ever and it appears that Jordan is trying to distance him from anything remotely normal anymore.  Perrin barely appeared but he's so overrun by the women that accompany him that its hard to read about him sometimes.

Not a lot happens in this book.  Sure there are battles and the attempt at the weather change, but compared to the action the books normally have, it just kind of falls flat.  If it were a heart rate monitor it would be rather steady without any dips or lulls or anything exciting.  It's still written well, with plenty of detail, almost too much for some people I would hazard a guess, but it just isn't a book that draws you in like a lot of the other books do.  The detail ranges from battles to dresses (oh a lot of dresses) and I'm still trying to figure out what a slash of color in the dress means.  I can't picture it in my head.  Not that it's a real problem, but every time I hear it, it drives me nuts.

I won't stop reading the books, even though I know the next few are going to be excruciating.  There's still a lot of plot and detail to wade through, but I've got to know how the series ends.

The Path of Daggers
Copyright 1998
604 pages

New Spring by Robert Jordan

New Spring is a prequel to the Wheel of Time series.  Surprisingly, it is not near as massive as most of the books are.  However, you do want to read at least three of the regular books in the series first.  That should be sufficient enough to give you background on this one and the characters within it.

It is nearly twenty years before Rand Al'Thor leaves Emond's Field, and Siuan and Moiraine are just Accepted, doing their best to complete their studies and become Aes Sedai.  However, they are in attendance when another Aes Sedai has a foretelling in which the Dragon Reborn has been born.  This unleashes a series of events that will have the White Tower, home of the Aes Sedai, frantic in its attempt to control events before they go too far.

I liked that we got to see Siuan and Moiraine before they became Aes Sedai.  It really opened up their characters and made the reader understand why they did what they did.  And you were also introduced to a lot of other Aes Sedai that you only saw briefly mentioned in some of the books.  Lan I wasn't as thrilled with.  His personality seemed too different than what it was in the main series.  I just didn't see it matching up with what we already knew about him.

I enjoyed that we got to learn more about the Tower and training that is done for Aes Sedai.  We also learn a lot more about the Ajas, which was interesting.  But I wish he hadn't of put as much as he did in because again, it doesn't line up with the series.  Especially the testing of Aes Sedai to obtain the shawl.  I know that the main series doesn't allow for certain things to happen, but we don't even get a whiff of Egwene, Elayne or Nynaeve training for it and in this book, Siuan and Moiraine are obsessed with it.  It just seemed odd.  I also thought that after the Tower, the book went a little too swiftly.  None of the regular detail was there and it made things a bit haphazard.

Interesting for the background but not among the best of Jordan's work.  Especially when it comes to the Wheel of Time series.  I think he just wanted to get background out there but didn't concentrate on the story so much.

New Spring
Copyright 2004
334 pages

Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan

Being the sixth book in a massive series, it actually comes as a surprise that so much happens.  But, as with all the other books in this series, you need to read them in order.  There's just too much you'd miss if you tried to read them out of order.  And I should warn you, reading this review, that there could be some spoilers, it's impossible to write about it without giving a few, although I try to keep it to things that happen in the beginning of the book.

Rand is in Andor, the White Tower is split, and Met is leading an army.  Things couldn't be any more different than when the adventure first started for the young people from Emond's Field.  But a couple more new twists have been added in.  The Aes Sedai are determined to bring Rand over to their ways and gain control of them, and that is the last thing that he intends to happen.  So he's formed his own school for teaching the power, but he's opened it to all men who can channel, and that raises possibilities and fears for everyone.

Rand is further and further away from what he used to be.  And his sanity, well it's definitely starting to become debatable.  He's an interesting character, but at times I think Jordan is a little heavy handed with him.  Surely not every speck of his original personality is gone.  But it seems that way sometimes.  Mat is still very likable.  He gets himself in a lot of trouble but you can't help but cheer for him and like his gambles.  And Perrin was actually in this book, but not very much, and he's henpecked most of the time that he is.  I admire his calm demeanor but was a little frustrated with him in this book.  At least all the girls were better.  While they still act a little petty they seem to be coming to their senses.  And Jordan didn't write Nynaeve (my favorite character) as badly as he did in the previous couple of books.

With the addition of the men who can channel Jordan opened up a whole new can of worms.  I can't say I like the addition, but it was a logical step to go and his use of them is interesting.  Aside from that though this book contains a massive amount of detail.  It's one of the bigger ones in the series again and a bit too wordy I think.  Some details are important, but there are a lot contained that are just unneeded.  But, as always, there was still enough good story here to captivate me for the most part, even if I did have to shake my head at some of it.

I'm still eager to read the next in the series again (and maybe make it to the end of the series this go around since all the books are out now).  It's one of my favorites and it definitely is a good way to kill a lot of time.

Lord of Chaos
Copyright 1994
1011 pages

The Fires of Heaven by Robert Jordan

It's hard to believe that even with the fifth book, you're still not even half-ways through the massive telling that is The Wheel of Time series. And it's important that they all be read in order, you'd be hopelessly lost otherwise. So if you haven't started at the beginning, you need to go back.

Rand has been declared He Who Comes With The Dawn, The Dragon Reborn and several other titles after he fulfills some prophecies. He's expected to fight the last battle against the Dark Lord, and while he's reluctant, he knows it is destiny. Unfortunately, not all of the Aiel believe in him and they have flooded over the mountains to invade the "wetlanders" as they call them, and he must do something to stop them. But powerful minions of the Dark Lord are about as well, and he must constantly watch his back lest he be destroyed.

Rand is probably the primary character in this book, as he is in most of the books. He definitely is losing more and more of himself though. And he's barely anything like he was in the first book. A lot of that was done intentionally I know, but it would still be nice if he held onto a few glimmers of his original personality. Mat had a smaller role in this book, and while it was nice to see him, I wish it had been more than in just battles. I don't have the attention span for battle scenes and so didn't enjoy his role as much. And Perrin, well he wasn't in this book at all, which was disappointing. All the girls were as annoying as ever. They started out such good characters but Jordan has them squabbling all the time and it's distracting and somewhat insulting. Nynaeve is my favorite character, but what Jordan has done to her makes me seethe at times.

There are so many stories in this book that are weaved together that it can be hard to keep track of them sometimes. And a few are some that I didn't particularly care about. The side story for Min, while probably somewhat important, just wasn't that interesting and I would have rather it be recounted in a few paragraphs than as a primary story. Nynaeve and Elayne were a little more interesting, but as said before, their character traits made it less enjoyable than it could have been. Anything with Rand in it was strong though, and kept the story moving. Jordan has a penchant for detail and he uses it a lot in his books. So much so that this is one of the larger books in the series, and that's saying something. It isn't as much filler as you would expect for it being a middle book of the series though, a lot happens and I appreciated that. Jordan can get bogged down at times but it didn't seem to happen here.

A lot of flaws but still a very enjoyable read. If it wasn't so late I'd be diving into the next book already because I want to continue on with the story. Definitely a series for those who like detail and adventure.

The Fires of Heaven
Copyright 1993
964 pages

The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan

The Shadow Rising is the fourth book in Jordan's Wheel of Time series.  Do not pass this point if you haven't read the previous books, this is a series that is meant to be read in order.  Otherwise you'll be hopelessly lost.

So we all know by now that the Dragon Reborn has returned and holds the Tower of Tear.  And in doing so he has fulfilled one of the prophecies.  But there are others that he must accomplish, and one will send him off to the waste where the Aiel people have lived for hundreds of years in a harsh and unforgiving land.  But the Aiel aren't like the other people he's come across, and what he has to do may take more power than he thought he had.  Meanwhile, Nynaeve and Elayne have to hunt down the dark Aes Sedai that mean to capture a tool that can be used against Rand, even if it means putting themselves in great danger as well.

Rand again is pretty unapproachable in this book.  I'm not sure if it's because he's the Dragon Reborn and supposed to be, or because Jordan just didn't put as much time into him in this book.  Nyneave and Elayne actually got quite a bit of time in this book though and I'm glad of that.  Even if Nynaeve does sniff and pull on her braid too much and act scatterbrained once in awhile, she's still one of my favorite character and I like when Jordan actually uses her strengths and gets her in the mix of things.  Egwene takes a back role in this book though and is lost among the shuffle of the Aiel for a good part of the book, as is Moiraine.  Mat has a small part in the book and as usual, he is entertaining to read about.  But Perrin, Perrin was strong in this book and a good portion of it was devoted to him, and he's one of the most logical (and therefore a pleasure to read about) characters in the book.

I kind of thought of this book as filler again.  It's not that nothing happens in it.  Quite a lot does actually.  But most of the book is detail and Rand being in the Aiel Waste with a lot of talking and planning going on.  So even though there are battles (especially on Perrin's part) it just seemed as if we were getting more of the story and world building instead of the action.  And if you're not fond of detail you might have trouble really sinking into this book.  I even got a little tired of the different veils in Tarabon being described.  After awhile you just don't care how sheer they are.  But still, it was as captivating as usual and made me want to start the next book right away.

An excellent series if you can stand the length.  Lots of detail and different "cultures" built by Jordan in his world.  It's one of those series I can read time and time again.

The Shadow Rising
Copyright 1993
1006 pages

The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan

The Dragon Reborn is the third book in the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan.  This is a series that is meant to be read in order, so if you haven't read the previous two books, stop reading this review and go start at the beginning.

After a great fight that took place in the sky, Rand Al'Thor has been declared the Dragon Reborn by some, although he has not yet fulfilled the prophecies.  Sheltered in a camp high in the mountains he dreams of a sword of light and tries to hold back the desire to channel the one power which will drive him to madness.  But after an attack on the camp, he disappears, and the others realize he is drawn to the sword of light and must follow after him.  Mat, escaping from Tar Valon to deliver a message, discovers that some women from his home village are in trouble and has to decide what odds he wants to take in rescuing them, and Perrin is traveling with an Aes Sedai, and attracting more attention than he would like.  Meanwhile, Nynaeve, Egwene and Elayne have all been raised to the ranks of Accepted with the Aes Sedai, but have been set on a task to seek out darkfriends, which could cost them their lives.

Nynaeve and Egwene got on my nerves in this book.  They used to be stronger characters but they were whining idiots this time around.  Ok, maybe that's a little strong, but compared to the intelligent women they started out as, it just seemed to be a bit of a character change for them.  Rand we didn't see much of, even though the book is named after him, this story was more told from everyone else's perspective.  And he did seem quite a bit mad already.   Perrin is still my favorite.  He is strong, does what's right, and seems to be very patient.  Mat, he's fun to read about and probably has one of the most interesting plotlines.  But really, there are so many characters in this book that it is hard to keep track of them all.

This was more of a filler book than anything.  Not a lot actually  happens until the very end, it's more just developing story.  And that happens a lot in Jordan's books.  Not that it's a bad thing, but those expecting non-stop action might be a little disappointed.  But the characters are intriguing, the plotline sound, and Jordan has a great magic system in his universe so it's a pleasure to read about his world and the different cultures.  He might have been a tad too wordy in this one, but it drove the plot along and made you interested in the next book so no harm done. 

A great series if you're willing to invest a lot of time in it.  The books are all massive and there are plenty of them.  But they're entertaining and well worth the read in my opinion.

The Dragon Reborn
Copyright 1991
700 pages

The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan

The Great Hunt is the second book in Jordan's Wheel of Time series.  If you haven't read the first book, The Eye of the World, you need to go start there.  This is a series that is meant to be read in order or you will be hopelessly lost.

The Eye of the World has been destroyed and Rand and company are staying in Shienar, awaiting their next moves.  Few know that Rand can channel, a man using the power is destined to go mad.  But when the Horn of Valere is stolen, he joins with a few others to go in search of it.  But while he's doing that, more trouble is brewing in the land, with an army landing on the coast and taking over and civil war breaking out in other areas.  Rand just wants to go home, but fate is not going to allow him to sink into oblivion.

Rand is not quite as approachable in this book, and it shows the progression of what he was to what he will be.  But he's still kind and worried about his friends, and that is what drives his motivation to do things in this book.  Perrin is very quiet in this book, and both he and Mat don't really have a large role.  I actually missed them a bit since they were more featured in the first book.  But the girls at least had a little more time devoted to them in this book, and their training with the Aes Sedai was interesting and I look forward to more.  But the bad guys are definitely bad guys, there isn't much grey to be found in this book.

This was a fast paced book even with its length.  It kept you hanging on wanting to know what would happen next.  But the detail can be a little cumbersome at times.  There were a few areas I started skimming because I didn't care about what sword position Rand was using or some of the war positions and diplomacies.  But I didn't skim very often.  Jordan creates a pretty elaborate world with a detailed magic system and cultures that seem believable. 

Another good book in the series and if you've made it past these two books, chances are you'll stick it through the whole massive series.  It's an adventure!

The Great Hunt
Copyright 1990
705 pages

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

I first picked up this book when I was in middle school, got about a hundred pages in and had to stop because I just didn't understand it at all.  A few years later I picked it up again and fell completely in love with the series (even wrote a book report in high school on the use of religion in the series).  That being said, this isn't a series for those that like short stories, it's massive, and this is only the first book, which has almost 800 pages itself.

Rand Al'Thor was just a common sheepherder looking forward to a holiday in town when his world is racked by monsters out of legend attacking the village.  He and two of his friends (Perrin and Mat) seem to be at the center of it and they leave town with a few strangers (Thom the Gleeman performer, Moiraine  the Aes Sedai magician figure and her protector warder Lan) and a couple of stowaway townsfolk (Nynaeve the village healer and Egwene her apprentice) that had come in by happenstance at the same time as the festival.  But danger lurks around every path and it would seem that the Dark One wants Rand and his friends badly. So much that he'll send every dark figure at his disposal to hunt them down wherever they go.

There are so many characters in this book that I think it was what overwhelmed me the first time I tried to read it.  You really have to stop, think about what's going on, and sort them out in your head in order to really enjoy the book.  It's kind of like playing a game with complicated rules that you almost give up out of frustration with at first, but then once you learn the rules, are obsessed with playing.  I actually like Rand, he seems to be the main character in this first book although Perrin and Mat are mentioned quite a bit as well.  They all have unique personalities and while Perrin probably my favorite, he is a little more reserved than the others.  Rand is mainly confused during the whole book, but in a way that is believable while Mat is the goofball of the book.  The women, their characters are interesting but they seem to share a lot of traits.  And they apparently have allergies, they sniff a lot.  But if you can overlook some of the character flaws you do grow to care about the characters and what happens to them.  My only other complaint would be that Moiraine is a little too powerful to be believable.

This is a long book and heavily detailed.  It may be too detailed for some and I actually don't like a lot of detail myself, but in this book I don't care as much because to me it is interesting detail.  I like how Jordan takes the time to say how the clothes and buildings of the different cultures vary and the customs of the people.  It makes it seem very real.  And even with the book being so long the pace is mostly good.  It gets a bit bogged down in the middle, but not as much as you'd expect for a book as detailed as it is.  There was one part in the writing that I noticed was duplicated though and a bit confusing.  While traveling, Mat and Rand encounter two men that say the same thing to them and give them scarves.  I don't know if it was a flashback gone bad or something else, but it didn't flow well in the story.  But otherwise, everything seems to be fairly consistent.  And the magic and fantasy elements in this book are great.  I like the way that Jordan has built his world and incorporated fantasy into it and while not wholly unique, it has a lot of different spins to it than other fantasy writers.

There's really so much more I could say about this book but I think it would be hard to understand without actually reading it.  Just the sheer volume of characters alone is hard to describe and because they consistently pop up through the series it's not as if they are disposable.  If you're looking for a series to read and last awhile, this surely is the one to read.  Especially if you're into fantasy.

The Eye of the World
Copyright 1990
800 pages