Ready for streaming on November 19, 2021, Amazon Prime Video's highly anticipated series is adapted from one of the most successful fantasy series in history: The Wheel of Time. This epic was created by the late Robert Jordan, who wrote most of the books in the series until his death, when the saga was continued by acclaimed author Brandon Sanderson. The completed series spans 14 novels, plus a prequel, and totals more than four million words.
At the beginning of September, Amazon Prime released the first teaser trailer for the show. Though just slightly over two minutes long, it gives a thrilling cinematic overview of the first season, set in a time where the reincarnation of a savior walks the world and a special group of women wield magical powers to keep everyone safe. And they're going to need all the help they can get because the Dark One is coming—and he looks really formidable with all those rows of teeth! We are also introduced to several of the actors starring in the show, including Rosamund Pike, Josha Stradowski, Zoë Robins, Sophie Okonedo, and Marcus Rutherford.
There's magic, romance, adventure, and a truly terrifying villain—you can’t ask for much more than that! If you’re as excited as we are, read on. This post will give you a basic understanding of the Wheel of Time books, as well as everything you need to know about the upcoming Wheel of Time television series.
Warning: The following post contains spoilers for The Wheel of Time series.
What is The Wheel of Time series about?
The Wheel of Time series is a classic story of the battle between light and darkness: in an unnamed land, a group of women, the Aes Sedai, have the ability to channel magical powers. (The magic used throughout the series is called the One Power, which is drawn from the True Source. Magic can be used by channelers, whose powers are tied to the Five Elements.) They are searching for the latest reincarnation of the Dragon, the savior of light. It is said the Dragon will save them from the Dark One, who is the biggest source of evil in their world.
But the Aes Sedai are not the only ones looking for the reincarnation of the Dragon—the servants of the Dark One are also on the hunt. One of the Aes Sedai takes a group of young people (one of whom may be the Dragon reincarnation) on a quest to escape the forces of darkness and, along the way, unite more people and different kingdoms in a fight against the Dark One.
Their journey is fraught with peril, complications, and many adventures. They also have to be careful, as it is possible that the new Dragon will bring about chaos and destruction to the world instead of the peace they seek.
What exactly is the "wheel of time" in The Wheel of Time series? It represents the great seven-spoked cosmic loom that weaves the pattern of the universe by using the lives of people as threads. (Basically, it's like one colossal craft project.) The Dark One, the main antagonist of the series, seeks to loosen those threads and ruin the lives of all the inhabitants of the world.
Is The Wheel of Time appropriate for children?
Though the series is published as adult fantasy fiction, it is age-appropriate for a slightly younger audience. The Wheel of Time series is suitable for kids in their mid-teens and up. That said, there is some violence, gore, and dark situations in the audiobooks, so parents should use their discretion in listening alongside their families.
Where is The Wheel of Time series set?
The series takes place on Earth in an unnamed land, which fans of the series often refer to as Randland, named for the main character (and possible Dragon reincarnation) Rand al’Thor, or simply as the World of the Wheel. Because time is a circle, cyclical in nature, The Wheel of Time series is set in both the distant past and the distant future. The time in this storyline is the Third Age.
How long is The Wheel of Time series?
There are 14 books in the series, plus a prequel. In print, the complete Wheel of Time series, including the prequel, adds up to a whopping 11,898 pages in paperback and 10,173 in hardcover. (The books average 826 pages each.) How long is The Wheel of Time audiobook experience? Well, all said and done, the audiobooks total 19 days, 5 hours, and 25 minutes of material. (Sounds like the perfect reason to take a month off, if you ask us.) Making the listening experience even more incredible are the narrators: Kate Reading and Michael Kramer. This award-winning, wife-and-husband narrator team performs the whole series—yes, all four million-plus words!
What’s the best order to listen to The Wheel of Time series?
If you want to have a good understanding of the continuing storyline, it is highly recommended that you listen to the Wheel of Time series in order, in one of two ways. You can choose to listen by publication date, which means listening to the prequel, New Spring, between Crossroads of Twilight and Knife of Dreams; or you may prefer to listen to the whole series in chronological order, which means diving into New Spring first. Either way works.
Here are 15 brief summaries of the audiobooks in the series. (Tread lightly if you have not listened before, for there are minor spoilers ahead.)
New Spring tells the story of the birth of an infant who will be of great importance. Meanwhile, a young Moiraine Damodred and Lan Mandragoran, a soldier, cross paths in a time of turmoil, which will lead to the quest to find the Dragon Reborn that begins the events of The Eye of the World.
When the village of The Two Rivers is attacked by the beastly Trollocs, five villagers flee their homes. Among them may be the reincarnation of the Dragon, who will save the unnamed lands from the Dark One, the biggest source of evil in the universe. In addition to this beloved edition, read by Kate Reading and Michael Kramer, a new version narrated by Rosamund Pike, who stars in the Amazon Prime original series, was recently released.
The Great Hunt of the Horn has been a thing of legend for centuries, a tale told of the Hunters and the Horn of Valere. But when the horn is actually found—and then stolen—the power to raise the dead heroes of the ages may be in the wrong hands.
The cold winter has stopped the war of the Third Age, but still the soldiers are calling for the return of the Dragon. Rand al’Thor is traveling to the great fortress to find the sword Callandor, which can only be wielded by the Champion of Light. If he can use it, he will know he is truly destined to battle the Dark One.
With the seals of Shayol Ghul weakening, the Shadow is rising to cover the world, and the Dark One grows stronger. Min sees portents of doom, the Whitecloaks search for the Dragon Reborn, the Seanchan armies set out to return to the mainland, and the Lord Dragon plans his next move.
In Shayol Ghul, the Dark One continues to grow stronger, while Rand al’Thor plans his next moves. He must keep his plans from everyone, even Egwene and Moiraine. Meanwhile, forces of both light and darkness are making their own plans to ensure their victory.
The Myrddraal swords have been forged in Shayol Ghul, while an unexpected visitor with the potential to change the fate of the world seeks an audience with Rand Al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, in Caemlyn. Meanwhile, the next moves in the fight between good and evil are plotted across the lands.
Elayne, Aviendha, and Mat work to reverse the world's endless heat wave and restore its natural weather, while Egwene gathers Sea Folk, Windfinders, Wise Ones, and other women with the ability to channel. With a fight of his own, Rand goes up against the Forsaken Sammael in the shadows of Shadar Logoth.
Nynaeve, Elayne, and Aviendha encounter a dreaded enemy on the way to claim Elayne's rightful throne. On separate but ultimately connected paths, Rand continues his fight in Illian, Perrin faces grave danger in Ghealdan, and Egwene struggles to reunite the Aes Sedai.
Rand and Min are on the run and Cadsuane is determined to find them, while Perrin is desperately trying to find Faile. Meanwhile, a man called Slayer stalks Tel'aran'rhiod and the wolfdream, and a marriage told of in a prophecy may come true.
Mat Cauthon flees Ebou Dar with the kidnapped Daughter of the Nine Moons, while Perrin tries to free his wife, Faile, from the Shaido. As the Aes Sedai creep closer to reunification, Rand al'Thor, who has removed the Dark One's influence from the male half of the True Source, must figure out if some of his friends may really be his enemies.
As the reality of the world destabilizes, the dead once again walk the lands. All signs point to the inevitable showdown between Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, and the Dark One—before all of humanity is lost forever. (Knife of Dreams is the last book in the series written solely by Robert Jordan before his death in 2007.)
Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, struggles to reunite kingdoms in preparation for Tarmon Gai'don, the Last Battle, while fighting with a terrible, growing darkness inside himself.
The Last Battle has started, the Dark One's prison seals are crumbling, The Pattern is unraveling, and the armies of the Shadow have begun to swarm. Towers of Midnight raises the chilling question: Is this the end of the Third Age?
The fates of many beloved characters of the Wheel of Time series, as well as the fate of the Third Age itself, hang in the balance in A Memory of Light, the satisfying conclusion to the best-selling epic fantasy series.
Who are the main characters in The Wheel of Time series?
Since there are more than 2,700 distinctly named characters in The Wheel of Time series, that's a pretty daunting question! However, we've narrowed the answer down to the six players widely considered to be the central characters of the series, with a spotlight on the diverse and talented young cast set to portray them in the upcoming Wheel of Time television series. (Minor spoilers follow!)
Rand al’Thor
Discovered to be the Dragon Reborn spoken of in the prophecies, the defender of the Light in the fight against the Dark. He is destined to face the Dark One.
In the Amazon Prime Video adaptation, Rand al’Thor will be portrayed by newcomer Josha Stradowski.
Perrin Aybara
He is a strong ta'veren, a wolfbrother, and is exceptional in dealing with the Tel'aran'rhiod, the parallel world where all the possibilities of the Wheel of Time connect.
Another rising star, Marcus Rutherford, will play Perrin in the Wheel of Time television series.
Egwene al’Vere
The Amyrlin Seat, the leader of the Aes Sedai, women who can channel the One Power and have been trained in the White Tower of Tar Valon.
Australian actor Madeleine Madden will lend her talents to the character of Egwene al’Vere in the screen adaptation.
Matrim Cauthon
Mat, as he is usually called, is a powerful ta'veren, the people around whom all surrounding life-threads of the Wheel of Time are specifically woven.
Mat will be brought to life by Barney Harris in the first season of the show; it was recently announced that Dónal Finn will take over the role for season two onward.
Nynaeve al’Meara
An Aes Sedai of the Yellow Ajah, Queen of Malkier, and one of the most powerful living female channelers.
No stranger to the fantastical, Power Rangers: Ninja Steel alum Zoë Robins will play the dynamic Nynaeve al’Meara in the Prime series.
Elayne Trakand
Queen of Andor and Cairhien and and a powerful channeler of the Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah.
You'll have to wait for season two of the show for Elayne's appearance. She will be played by Ceara Coveney.
Other Wheel of Time characters who will be appearing in the first season of the television series include Moiraine Damodred (Emmy winner Rosamund Pike—who’s also among our favorite celeb narrators), Min Farshaw (Kae Alexander of Game of Thrones and BBC’s Collateral), and Siuan Sanche (Tony winner Sophie Okonedo, known best to movie buffs for Hotel Rwanda).
Who wrote the Wheel of Time series?
Two authors are given credit for the Wheel of Time saga: creator Robert Jordan and his successor, Brandon Sanderson.
Robert Jordan was the pen name of James Oliver Rigney Jr., a fantasy writer from South Carolina. Before the success of The Wheel of Time series, Jordan was best known for his work on the Conan the Barbarian stories in the 1980s. His first original novel, Warriors of the Altaii, went unpublished for more than four decades; it was released by Tor Books in 2019.
Jordan began work on The Eyes of the World, the first book in The Wheel of Time series, in 1984; it was published in January 1990. From then on, he continued working on the series, creating 11 installments, until his death in 2007, at age 58 of complications from a rare blood disease. Prior to his death, he was working on what he thought would be the final Wheel of Time book, A Memory of Light. Jordan gave his family extensive plot details so the Wheel of Time series could be completed after he died.
Brandon Sanderson is a New York Times best-selling fantasy author from Nebraska. After reading his novel Mistborn: The Final Empire, Robert Jordan's widow, Harriet McDougal, personally chose Sanderson to complete her late husband's masterwork. Sanderson was given Jordan's notes for the end of the series—but he decided there was too much story left to cram it all into one book. So, he wound up telling it over the course of three: The Gathering Storm, Towers of Midnight, and A Memory of Light.
Before he died, Jordan had mentioned the possibility of more prequels and a trilogy after the completion of the main series. Sanderson, however, felt there was too little material left for him to try and expand on The Wheel of Time in a way that would honor the late author.
How did The Wheel of Time make it to the small screen?
In 2017, it was announced that Sony Pictures had picked up the screen rights to the series and would produce it in association with Red Eagle Entertainment and Radar Pictures. In October 2018, Amazon Studios signed on to produce it and greenlit the series. Rosamund Pike was the first actor cast for The Wheel of Time series in June of 2019, followed by several more cast members in August of 2019. Filming was started in Prague in September of that year, but production was halted in March 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic, pushing the release date to late 2021.
When does The Wheel of Time television series release?
The Wheel of Time TV series release date is November 19, 2021. The first three episodes will be available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video that very day, with the rest debuting on a weekly basis until the season finale on December 24, 2021. Amazon has already renewed the series for a second season.
