“The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.”
This book follows a group of adventurers, starting with the perfectly normal sheepherder Rand, who delves into the world of adventure after encountering the strange beings entering his town. Enlisting the help of his friends, they begin traveling around the world, collecting more strange people in their ragtag group, before stumbling upon a strange kind of extremely dangerous magic. Thus begins an adventure over 14 books.
The Eye of The World is the first book in the famous Wheel of Time series, which was written during what I consider to be the renaissance of fantasy novels/series. To be perfectly honest, this series had been sitting on my bookshelf for years, and eventually I just forgot it was there. Then my stepfather started our very own ‘nerd book club’ and he insisted I read this series. I didn’t understand his insistence until I picked it up to humor him, but this series transported me to a fantasy world brimming with intricate lore and the classic 90’s fantasy feeling. Due to my reading of many other famous fantasy series for our book club, the similarities between this book and some other classics were very clear, such as the Lord of Rings, Song of Ice and Fire, and more. It was maybe not the best fantasy ever written, but a great idea for lovers of the classical series of the 90s and 00s, or just classic fantasy lovers in general! This book follows a group of friends on a quest that feels straight out of a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, complete with long keysmash names such as Lan Mandragoran and Egwene al'Vere. The story has classic fantasy hijinks, and fun new creatures and races (my favorite part of any fantasy world). Maybe not the best read for people getting into fantasy, as some parts can drag on and be largely confusing for people not well versed in the craziness of fantasy worlds, but for return lovers of fantasy, I would recommend! 4 out of 5 stars.