The Wheel of Time Crosstalk: Did we enjoy reading The Eye of the World?

COREY: That is entirely intentional. Every single thing that you mentioned wanting more of, you’re going to get and then some. I don’t quite know how I felt at the time, but looking back knowing how the world opens up, I appreciate how little Jordan revealed in Eye. I’d be curious to know how much Jordan planned in advance, because Eye really is a good appetizer for the 14-book course to come.

Eye  will be the easier book for Amazon to adapt, but it will still require significant cuts to bring to screen. How they will manage some of the later books, which go nowhere for long stretches of time, I have no idea, but I don’t envy the writer’s room. On the other hand, I think that the books will benefit from a little trimming here or there.

Again, this was my favorite book of the series so far, and I think it falls most in line with the fantasy tropes we’ve all come to know and love. I was excited to read The Great Hunt after reading Eye, and on some level I appreciate the slow burn that Jordan treats us to. I can only hope that the later books in the series return to the pace that Eye enjoyed.

DAN: We’re getting ahead of ourselves here, but showrunner Rafe Judkins has said that he’s going to be “condensing in the latter middle section of books.” So that might be the answer to your question. I don’t know how slow they get, but it sounds like Amazon will speed them up a bit.

As for Eye, I thought it was a good read. Yes, it was derivative of The Lord of The Rings, but The Lord of the Rings is great, and Jordan is a good enough writer that it didn’t bother me. Honestly, as a fantasy fan, it was probably a plus.

I feel like we could keep talking about the books for a while, but we’re winding down, so I’ll put shoot off a few final points:

• The Tuatha’an, or the tinkers, or the Traveling People or whatever they’re called, are clearly inspired by the Romani people. I don’t think Jordan draws as much from real-world history as George R.R. Martin does for A Song of Ice and Fire, but there’s some stuff in there.
• That attraction between Lan and Nynaeve sure popped out of nowhere, huh? Or at least that’s how I felt. I remember there was, like, a single line about her blushing in his presence early on, and then at the end they suddenly have a tragic but-we’re-from-two-different-worlds star-crossed lovers thing happening and I wondered if I’d missed something.
• Let’s pour one out for Thom Merrilin, who was a fun character. Although we didn’t actually see him die, which in fantasy books is basically a guarantee that he’ll come back at some point, although I can’t see how.
• How did Jordan remember how to spell all these names? So many apostrophes…

Overall, I liked The Eye of the World a lot! If Amazon does a good job with the adaptation, a lot more people could fall in love with it.

COREY: Yeah, it’s easy to read all these criticisms and surmise that I didn’t like the book, but I unequivocally did. It didn’t bother me in the least that it resembled LOTR, and I really can’t stress enough that that comparison fades as the books go on. As for your final points, I’m not quite sure where to start, knowing the next few books as I do. First and foremost, yes, Jordan’s use of apostrophes borders on a crime against humanity. Luckily, everyone tends to go by a shortened version of their names, so it doesn’t pop up as much as you think.

As for the attraction between Lan and Nynaeve, yeah, it was a bit random, and I’m not necessarily sure I buy it even when it gets fleshed out later. Nynaeve spends an awful lot of time thinking and talking about how men are “wool headed” idiots, so for her to immediately fall for Lan felt a little out of character. I’m not sure where it’s headed, but hopefully Jordan has something better in mind than Nynaeve falling for the first genuine badass she’s ever met.

As for your points regarding Thom and the Tuatha’an, I’ll say only that what Jordan does with these elements are examples of why I’m still reading the series. There’s far more than meets the eye to both, and it’s a slow burn reveal that keeps you interested. As for the Tuatha’an being based on the Romani, I’m not sure, but I do know Jordan has a penchant for naming characters and places based on a variety of real-world people and places, with little pattern in terms of geography or ethnicity that I can see.

So in closing, Eye on its own is well worth reading. My only caveat is be prepared for a long-term commitment. The books quickly expand in terms of scope and length, and if you are wanting to see it through to the end, it will be no small drain on your time. In the final book there’s ONE single chapter longer than Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, so don’t think this will be a breezy beach read. The quality is there, but there’s a lot to weed through. Knowing that, do you still want to continue, Dan?

Image: Amazon

DAN: I know this series is a tall mountain to climb, but I am down for the challenge! Time to go on The Great Hunt…

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