The Eye of the World

Book One of The Wheel of Time

By: Robert Jordan

Narrated by: Rosamund Pike

Length: 32 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

A 2023 Audie Award winner for Best Female Narrator!

"Rosamund Pike brings a fresh narration to the first book in the beloved Wheel of Time series. At 33 hours, this audiobook is no small undertaking, but Pike's impressive performance leaves listeners wanting more."—AudioFile (Earphones Award winner)

“Through her smooth, dramatic performance, award-winning actor Rosamund Pike amplifies the new audiobook of book one in Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series.”—BookPage

A #1 New York Times bestselling audiobook!

The Wheel of Time is an original series on Prime Video, starring Rosamund Pike as Moiraine!

This program is read by narrator Rosamund Pike, star of the hit Prime Video original series.

The Eye of the World, the first novel in Robert Jordan's #1 New York Times bestselling epic fantasy series, The Wheel of Time®, follows Moiraine Damodred as she arrives in Emond's Field on a quest to find the one prophesized to stand against The Dark One.

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.

When a vicious band of half-men, half beasts invade the Two Rivers 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 fans around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters. The last six books in series were all instant #1 New York Times bestsellers, and The Eye of the World was named one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read.

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

©1990 Robert Jordan (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“His huge, ambitious Wheel of Time series helped redefine the genre.” —George R. R. Martin, author of A Game of Thrones

“Anyone who’s writing epic or secondary world fantasy knows Robert Jordan isn’t just a part of the landscape, he’s a monolith within the landscape.” —Patrick Rothfuss, author of the Kingkiller Chronicle series

“The Eye of the World was a turning point in my life. I read, I enjoyed. (Then continued on to write my larger fantasy novels.)” —Robin Hobb, author of the award-winning Realm of the Elderlings series

Impressive production

The range of voices that Rosamund Pike can do along with the emotion and inflection in voice is amazing. I was drawn in and captivated. Please please please do the rest of the series!!!

Refreshing

I do like Michael Kramer and Kate Redding, but it seems that all my audiobooks are narrated by them. Rosamund Pike does an amazing job and has a very soothing voice. I usually listen to audiobooks at 1.5 speed, but like this narration so much I’m listening to it at regular speed. It’s a big ask, but I hope she narrates the whole series.

Rosamund Pike is brilliant!!

I read this years ago, but Rosamund Pike breathes new life into it! The story is not perfect; I would give it about 4 1/2 stars because of her performance (4 for the story, 5 for her performance) The story is interesting and entertaining. She, however, does a fantastic job with the characters - so much so, that I even found listening to Egwayne and Nyneave to be less irritating, and that's saying something! (Don't get me wrong, I love Nyneave's character arc... she's amazing by the end of the series, but at the beginning she and a quite a few of the other women in this story drive me insane!)

Speaking of that, I suppose that's one of the flaws in these books - one wonders about RJ's perceptions of typical female behavior. Most of the women come across as bossy, overbearing, petty, or generally obnoxious. I've heard it said that this is because this is a world where women hold most of the power, and power tends to corrupt. it's an interesting theory. I will say that it
makes for some very unlikable protagonists (early on, at least) if that's the case.

However, the world is intriguing, and most of the characters do have fascinating story lines and character development. The writing isn't nearly as beautiful as, for example, JRR Tollkien's, but this book is still a really good story as both an homage, and a jumping-off point into something new and epic in scope. If you are on the fence, I would still suggest it, because Pike's performance is just superb!

Can't wait for next book, narated by Rosamund Pike

It's my third reading of The Eye of the World. Narators performnce made third time so much enjoyable

Rosamund Pike is a Shapeshifter

The only thing that could possibly make Robert Jordan's book better is Rosamund Pike's voice. The emotion that she breathes into the character's is compelling and powerful, and she somehow manages to create a unique voice for every single character in the story. Truly incredible performance, and one of the best fantasy books I've listened to. This book has heart.

Skilled narrator for a great story

Please have Rosamund Pike narrate the entire series!
Narration was clear, dynamic, and engaging. Listening never felt tiring or strained. She brought each character alive with the range of emotion in their voices.

The story is epic in scale and in history like the Lord of the Rings, but with rich character development. Definitely a must read for any lover of high fantasy!

Loved it!

My only regret is losing the wonderful reading performance of Rosamund Pike. I hope we hear from her again and I look forward to all the other books.

EXCEPTIONAL

Started these books after seeing the Amazon series Wheel of Time. I purchased 2 and 3 and while I love this series, I purchased the other 2 with the original narrators. They are brilliant narrations but I see that Rosamund Pike has now narrated them and when I say I listen to hundreds of narrated books, and I mean 100's, and my favorites are duet with very specific narrators...Rosamund Pike's skills in acting on screen is no different in listening to in narrated books. She is so talented! I hope she narrates the rest of these books and I will wait to purchase anymore just so I can hear her.

Phenomenal performance

Rosamund Pike did a phenomenal job narrating this novel. Her accent and tone variations gave the characters more depth than the writing alone. The story itself was entertaining and quality of the writing was decent. Although, in my opinion, I would not call it a page turner or in this case a story with a gripping plot. However, I did enjoy the ride and I would like to continue the series to see where book 2 takes me.

She has a soothing tone, but ...

First, of course, the book itself is absolutely amazing. I originally read it when it first came out, but of course with the show now being on prime, I had to listen again.

I enjoyed the narrators voice, but she REALLY mispronounces several words, multiple times and it's kind of nagging. A good example would be the word "Skeletal" which she pronounces as ske-LEE-tal. There are quite a few more, but it's a small complaint for such a long book.

Overall, very well done!