Reviews

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

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dianna_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

emmedevorak's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

skinnercolin221's review against another edition

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3.0

We kick off with not one, but three hobbits—err, farm boys—from… not quite the Shire, but an equally quaint village. The first 150 pages present us with mysterious Fades as our attention fades (ba dum tss). They seem suspiciously like ring wraiths… oh well, get ready for Bilbo's birthday—wait, no, it's Bel Tine! And who should appear but Gandalf, I mean Moraine, our guide across an intricate medieval world. Don't forget our secret king-in-waiting, Aragorn—err, Lan!

As if on cue, ring wraiths—sorry again, Fades—along with their orcish counterparts—ahem, Trollocs—chase our heroes. But maybe Frodo—sorry, Rand—isn't just an unlikely leader with the fate of the world on his shoulders; perhaps there's more to him that's tied to something powerful and enigmatic: the Eye of the World.

Will there be a breaking of the Fellowship like in LOTR too? Yes! Then Mat will get corrupted not by a magic ring, but by a magic dagger, which is different but serves as an equally effective GPS for the bad guys. What follows is a relentless loop of chases, skirmishes, and hide-and-seek with Trollocs, all punctuated by alternating dream sequences and waking life—rinse and repeat ad nauseam.

And just when you think it can't get any more surreal, they make it to Mount Doom—err, the Mountains of Dhoom. In comes the Green Man, channeling his best Tom Bombadil vibes, to help them defeat two hastily-introduced foes with telekinetic powers. Finally, Rand taps into a magical pool to vanquish not Satan, but Shaitan—the father of lies.

To be frank, I'd be more forgiving of the derivative elements if the book didn't drag on so. The endless interactions with innkeepers and the names of songs for random villagers felt like filler. I've heard these details matter in later books, but they're easily forgotten amid so much other material. The story could've been tightened to half its length without losing its themes, and I would’ve enjoyed it more. Still, the characters needed more depth, and the dialogue could benefit from less exposition, more interaction!

PS there were definitely things I liked, which is why it didn’t get a 1, but the similarities to LOTR were too much to not poke fun at.