Book #227 – The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

Originally published in 1990, I’ve known about the series since middle school. We had a book club that met during lunch in the library, and one of the girls kept insisting that we put the Wheel of Time series in the suggestion list. Never happened and we read things like Z for Zachariah instead. But, when I found out the series was part of the Great American Read, I instantly remembered her insistence that the book would be perfect for my fantasy-obsessed teenage self. She wasn’t wrong, I should mention.

The first book of the 14 book series focuses on Rand Al’Thor, Matrim Cauthon, and Perrin Aybara, a trio of lads from the farmlands of the country of Andor. The story starts off in the small town of Two Rivers and follows Rand, Mat, and Perrin as they traverse the country in order to seek an answer to a sudden attack on their home. Some compare the series to a Lord of the Rings knockoff, but I actually found elements of the Sword of Truth series (which actually started 4 years later, but definitely similar).