The Eye of the World
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.
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.