Author: Robert Jordan

Title: The Eye Of The World - Book One of The Wheel Of Time

Published: 1990

Available in Finnish as "Ajan Pyörä". (aika = time, pyörä = wheel)

 

In Finnish, this series has almost 30 parts. I've read most of them, but I never got my hands on the first (called Vaarojen taival, could be translated as the journey of dangers). This series is what lit the desire in me to write my own book. Jordan's books are... epic. There's no other word for it.

The book is set in a world where Light and Darkness confront each other in an eternal fight. The Wheel of Time is very significant in the world Jordan created, and I'll quote from the glossary: "Time is a wheel with seven spokes, each spoke an Age. As the Wheel turns, the Ages come and go,..." Another important terms are Great Pattern ("The Wheel of Time weaves the Patterns of the Ages into the Great Pattern, which is the whole of existence and reality, past, present and future."), the Creator and Shai'tan, the antithesis of the Creator and the source of all evil.

...Actually, by quoting most of the glossary, one would probably get a hang of this series without even reading the book. The terms are many, and they're all connected, so by explaining only a few, I'll only leave you all confused. So, let's forget about it, right? It's a battle between good and evil, and three boys, sheepherders, from a remote town are drawn into that battle. One of them especially is to become something important, something the world has been waiting and fearing for... They all deny it more or less till the end of Book One, but eventually... well. READ YOURSELF.

I really love Jordan's style. He's descriptive without being overly so, the plot is intriguing and the relationships between the characters... oh my, they're--- My favourite (possible) couple ever is Lan and Nynaeve. ...But that won't happen until... later. And the names of the places and characters and and things. They're all well-made, well-thought; not too ordinary and not too difficult either. 

One thing about the glossary. In this English version, it has pronunciation instructions, which I found hard to follow. I've read these books in my native, and there were no instructions, so I pronounce them in my head like I would pronounce Finnish. Which is the very wrong way, apparently. Anyway, it was a fun addition, and once again it was shoved on my face that Finnish pronunciation is very much different than English. Thank you for reminding me.

The font of the book is rather small, and there are 782 pages, and this count does not include the glossary and the prologue preview thing of Book Two. But if you have the time and interest, READ THIS.

 

Started: Feb 21, 2011

Finished: Mar 8, 2011

Recommended for: friends of fantasy. <3