The Eye of the World
by Robert Jordan
Book One of The Wheel of Time
Where did I get this epic fantasy novel? I don't remember if I bought it in a second-hand bookstore or if someone gave it to me. Why did I read it? It started with a bout of insomnia that found me in my office around midnight, looking for something light to get lost in.
Did I like it? Well, I read the whole thing and got quite caught up in it, even though it had too many characters and scenes ripped straight out of Tolkien.
One of the blurbs on the back cover says "Women have a stronger role than in Tolkien."
Yep, Gandalf is a woman, served and protected by a Strider-a-like character. We also have the village bumpkin heroes, one of whom carries a special sword. We have Orcs (Trollocs), we have wraiths, we have a Dark One, we have a talking tree....
There are twists and additions to the tale, and it's not badly written, it's just unfortunate that one keeps muttering "this is just like Tolkien" too often for comfort.
Will I venture into the rest of this series that began to be released in 1990? Tough call. I have dozens of other books piled up unread that would probably be a more valuable use of time.
Posted by Paul at February 24, 2004 09:11 PM