The Eye of the World

The Eye of the World - Robert    Jordan This book shares a problem that so many terrible DnD campaigns have: it's composed of constant traveling. Every time something interesting looked like it was being set up--nope! Time to go to somewhere completely different!

Didn't really help that the main character has the personality of a brick. A brick which many interesting and exciting things happen to, yes, but a brick nonetheless.

I probably would have liked it better if I were a decade younger and not as tired of many of the fantasy clichés that appear in the story. I guessed almost all of the major plot twists well in advance, which was a bit disappointing considering how hyped up the series is by its fans. I just hope the later books are better, assuming I even bother to read them.

However, even with these major annoyances, the book wasn't a bad read. Being predictable doesn't mean it's terrible, after all. The first half was actually quite good, as a matter of fact. If nothing else, Jordan was a master at effectively building a unique world, and the book really captures a sense of cultural loss that the world has suffered because of the Dark One and his minions. I burned through most of the book in two days simply because I wanted to see more of the world, as well as all the strange and dangerous artifacts, people, and monsters within it.

I'll probably re-read it again just to look for all the little details that I missed the first time around. It's definitely one of those books that's earned its place on my bookshelf, for better or for worse.