The Eye of the World

Book One of The Wheel of Time

By: Robert Jordan

Narrated by: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer

Length: 29 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

"These veteran narrators keep the plot moving and the narration fresh" (AudioFile Magazine)

This program is read by Audie Award-winning narrators Michael Kramer and Kate Reading, and includes a bonus interview with the author.

Now an original series starring Rosamund Pike as Moiraine!

The first novel in Robert Jordan's #1 New York Times bestselling epic fantasy series, The Wheel of Time®.

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

Moiraine Damodred arrives in Emond’s Field on a quest to find the one prophesized to stand against The Dark One, a malicious entity sowing the seeds of chaos and destruction. When a vicious band of half-men, half beasts invade the village seeking their master’s enemy, Moiraine persuades Rand al’Thor and his friends to leave their home and enter a larger unimaginable world filled with dangers waiting in the shadows and in the light.

Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time® has captivated millions of readers around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters.

The Wheel of Time®
New Spring: The Novel
#1 The Eye of the World
#2 The Great Hunt
#3 The Dragon Reborn
#4 The Shadow Rising
#5 The Fires of Heaven
#6 Lord of Chaos
#7 A Crown of Swords
#8 The Path of Daggers
#9 Winter's Heart
#10 Crossroads of Twilight
#11 Knife of Dreams

By Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
#12 The Gathering Storm
#13 Towers of Midnight
#14 A Memory of Light

By Robert Jordan and Teresa Patterson
The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

By Robert Jordan, Harriet McDougal, Alan Romanczuk, and Maria Simons
The Wheel of Time Companion

By Robert Jordan and Amy Romanczuk
Patterns of the Wheel: Coloring Art Based on Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

Listen to more books in The Wheel of Time series.

©1990 Robert Jordan (P)1996 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Jordan has come to dominate the world that Tolkien began to reveal." (The New York Times)

Great Adventure Fantasy

Though I would have enjoyed much more Kate Reading and less Michael Kramer -- his tone, at least at the beginning, was distant from the action, and I enjoyed the story despite his narration. He got better (or I got used to him), so five stars!

Great background and character development.

Would you listen to The Eye of the World again? Why?

Yes, just listened to it for a second time, and seemed even better this time. I would even listen to it again. After getting through the rest of the books, It's fascinating to see the characters early on and the subtle hints of future happenings that are missed when reading the series for the first time.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The first book is hard to have a favorite character. Despite having great character development they all have fun and fascinating personalities and abilities. Though, in the first book Perin was my favorite, later on, Mat ends up being the coolest character.

What about Kate Reading and Michael Kramer ’s performance did you like?

Kate Reading bugged me at first, but was easy to get used to. As for Michael Kramer, he is an excellent narrator that creates individual voices for each character and is easy to listen too.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The wheel weaves as the wheel wills.... or Ages come and go.

Great start to the series

What made the experience of listening to The Eye of the World the most enjoyable?

This is by far my favorite series of books that I have read. I first started reading the WoT series when the EotW was published in 1990. I read the hard copy a couple times and hearing Kate Reading and Michael Kramer give voice to the characters was what I liked best about the audio version.

Who was your favorite character and why?

In this book, Rand is my favorite. Perrin is a good side story, but the main character is the best imo.

Which scene was your favorite?

It isn't so much a scene as a section. I like the time when Rand is in Caemlyn. He meets Loial, Elayne, and Gawyn and has quite a little adventure until he is re-united with the other Emond's fielders.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

At the end of the book when Rand realizes he has touched the power and believes he is fated to go mad.

Any additional comments?

Since joining Audible I have re-listened to the book several times; every time a new book came out actually. I just recently listened to the entire series in order for the second time. These are like old friends to me. I will probably re-read the series again in a couple years.

So Far, So Good

I've heard a bazillion great things about this series and as a major Brandon Sanderson fangirl, I started this knowing it was gonna be awesome. So, first book, not necessarily awesome, but really good. I already bought the second book and will be starting it immediately. I can see the potential for this series and can't wait to really get into the meat of it.

Lots for the money but...

I have just completed the Wheel of Time series for the second time. The first was just prior to the death of Robert Jordan and obviously prior to the final ending of the series by Sanderson. This time of course with the series finale. I offer this review for the entire series for the reader/listener s evaluation prior to the large investment of time and money involved.
The Pro's: WOT gives a great deal of material for the money. It could easily take a year to fully read/listen to the entire series of books. Using credits, the cost vs. quantity in hours of listening is a great deal. Robert Jordan does indeed provide a wonderfully detailed view of his world and characters. The narrators perform wonderfully with very clear diction and voice changes for the different characters not to mention pronunciation of some very weird names.
The Con's: Obviously this is subjective on my part... The story is extremely convoluted. There are literally hundreds of characters all seemingly doing their own thing progressing the story so slowly that one is unable to sense any story progression often for volumes at a time. Back in the day prior to Jordan's death. Readers and critics had reached a point where the author was being generally accused of milking to story for profit. After Jordan's death, it took Sanderson literally three large volumes to tie up all of the loose ends and provide a satisfying end to the saga. On the side of the protagonists, we find perhaps 10 main characters. The lead characters are rural kids with chips on their shoulders unskilled and not particularly clever but happen to be able to draw magical power under limited circumstances which combined with an amazing set of coincides are able to pull themselves out of their childish blunders. You may find yourself rooting for the Dark friends and the Trollocks as the only characters who seem to have their act together.
Books 1-5 are great as they open the story and the world. Books 6-8 One begins to notice a story pattern. Character refuses to take advice, gets mad, stomps feet, does something stupid, gets captured, gets rescued in the nick of time. The girls endlessly bicker like children and compete to get the hero's attention. Books 9 -11 Read the WOT SUMMARY and decide of you can skip these. Books 12-14 Sanderson takes over the story , brings order, ties the ends and concludes the story in a way worthy of your listening efforts and time.
Before you start the series, print WOTSUMMARY.com and List of Wheel _of_time_ characters from wikipedia. You will need this as a score card.

Kept me occupied in middle school

I was thankfully introduced to Robert Jordan's WHEEL OF TIME series while in middle school. These books helped me through many classes as I read and re-read them. The narrative is extremely detailed, full of colorful characters, cinematic dialogue, and squirm-inducing action.

My criticisms are that every character seems to have a "special ability." I just wanted to meet someone who was an interesting character rather than their ability to this or that. This particular novel introduces readers to a world where a young man discovers he's one of the few men who can wield The One Source and the toll it takes on those around him. It's an epic fantasy that spans more books than I think were necessary, but this is still one of the most accessible 1000+ page books for people who "don't read fantasy." During the 90's, it was easy to find people who read these books despite their length and genre.

Michael Kramer reads the majority of the novel since most of the books focus on the boys. For the moments that the female characters are in the limelight, Kate Reading picks up. I'm not sure this is the best choice for the production, but it didn't bother me to much. The dialogue is so good, however, that a full cast recording would be really interesting.

These books are a good gateway to larger (and richer) works like THE SONG OF ICE AND FIRE. Whereas those books are for adults, I would recommend this book -- and hence the entire series -- to mature young readers willing to jump into a fantasy world full of adventure.

Characters brought to a new light

I have been a big fan of this series for years. I already own the entire collection in hard cover and have been through the series several times. When I saw that the most recent book became available here I decided to listen this time around. It was well worth it! I would never give up my hardcover books for this but there were parts that made me see things in a different light. Having 2 narrators was a good thing. They were both wonderful at bringing the characters to life. When the Moraine tells the story of Manetheran it gave me chills! Highly recommended!!!

Nice Epic Journey

I have been looking for a great fantasy book for a while to kinda pique my interest. Something epic along the lines of a LOTR to hold me over until A Song of Ice & Fire series continues.

This was the 'fix' I was looking for and it was done exceptionally well. The character development was done very well and the storyline leaves much to be explored while giving you enough to stand on it's own. The book was also bittersweet in places but also left open ended in those same places to allow for some semblance of 'hope'. There are a number of subplots that have not been explored which I expect to be explored in the later books. You can see the influences from other books as well but it was done in a unique way.

The narration was done extremely well but to me really didn't add much to the story, It was above average though and borderline perfect. I think especially for the male voice, a better narrator could have been used.

best series of all time

What made the experience of listening to The Eye of the World the most enjoyable?

i heard things that i missed or didnt remember from the 3 times i read the series and back then i was waiting for each book from 6 on

What did you like best about this story?

the story line is top notch

What does Kate Reading and Michael Kramer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

just by there tone of voice i can tell what character they are just great

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

the relationships between men and women how it is so different from the forsaken to the tinkers and the different areas just awsome

Any additional comments?

if you have never heard this i beg you try book one. i listen a work all day. i almost want to keep working to keep listening. some time there are other people in the area and most of the time they are asking me what i am listening to

The WOT books are incredible. The show is garbage

Read the books. Don’t watch the show- it is a terrible “adaptation. The show is trash.