Better than Lord of the Rings (Wheel of Time Series - Robert Jordan in general)

Member Name: cjkace

Product:	Wheel of Time Series - Robert Jordan in general
Date:	15/05/01 (98 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good writing style, very descriptive and involving

Disadvantages: When's it going to end?

I've loved fantasy novels since I read The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King, in the early eighties. From that one book I have now collected nearly two hundred fantasy novels of which I rate Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series one of the best, easily bettering Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.

The Wheel of Time consists of nine novels at present (the rumour is that it will finish at thirteen). To write an opinion on each title would entail going over the same ground in each op so I've decided to do this one op on all of the current books and will update when the tenth book is released.

Book 1 - The Eye of the World - 1990
Book 2 - The Great Hunt - 1990
Book 3 - The Dragon Reborn - 1991
Book 4 - The Shadow Rising - 1992
Book 5 - The Fires of Heaven - 1993
Book 6 - Lord of Chaos - 1994
Book 7 - A Crown of Swords - 1996
Book 8 - The Path of Daggers - 1998
Book 9 - Winter's Heart - 2000

The books are originally published in the US by Tor books and by Orbit in the UK.

The series starts in a little place called the Two Rivers where we are introduced to five of the central characters - Rand, Matrim, Perrin, Nynaeve and Egwene. Other central characters (including Elayne, Min, Aviendha) are intoduced later, usually upon introduction to the other five.

Rand, Matrim and Perrin are what is known as ta'veren (focal points of history) by the Aes Sedai (female users of the One Power - magic). The One power has a female side (saidar) and a male side (saidin), but the male side has been corrupted by evil's taint and prolonged use drives men insane. Nynaeve and Egwene are found by the Aes Sedai to be strong in the One Power and are taken to be trained in the home of the Aes Sedai - Tar Valon. Any men found using the One Power are 'stilled' (cut off from the source of the power) by the Red Ajah (a sect of Aes Sedai dedicated to finding and capturing men who can us
e the One power (channel). The problem is that prophecy says that a man who can channel will be needed to face the Dark One at the final battle. He will be the Dragon Reborn (the first Dragon was called Lews Therin and he literally broke the world when he fought the Dark One first time around)

From this humble beginning is woven an incredibly detailed narrative. From book one to book five it rushes along, enthralling the reader. It has to be said that books six, seven and eight do slow down a lot but the pace returns with book nine. It is difficult enough to give an opinion on one book, without spoiling it and to give an opinion on an entire series is even more difficult.

Robert Jordan describes the world on which the Wheel of Time is focussed, in very rich detail. Different cultures, politics and races are explored, making the world seem very real. His description of the characters is also just as good. You get so involved with the books that you genuinely care about the characters and can visualize the scenes in which they find themselves.

As with most fantasy novels the story is about the battle between good and evil, in this case the good being called the Dragon and the bad the Dark One. The difference is that the battle has already been fought before and for good to triumph, the world was broken and peoples scattered. It's always at the back of your mind that this could happen again, and that although good might triumph the cost will be phenomenal.

I cannot fully describe the depth and scope of this series. It could quite literally run and run, going as high as twenty books, because of the multiple plot lines that run through the series. If you've read anything by Feist, Eddings, Brooks, Gemmell or Goodkind and haven't read any of the Wheel of Time books then read them. While Jordan writes in a different style to any of the other fantasy authors, it is seldom boring and ultimately more fulfilling. If you'v
e never read a fantasy book and want to know where to start, then there isn't a better place really.

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