BOOKS: The Eye of the World: Robert Jordan

Jan. 1—It's rare I put a book down.

But I have put down Robert Jordan's "The Eye of the World" twice.

I know it's the first book in "The Wheel of Time," an international series of bestselling books. I know it has adoring fans who love it. I know it has inspired "The Wheel of Time" television series that, judging from social media commentary, those adoring fans hate.

The Amazon Prime series led me to purchase the first book. I picked up "Game of Thrones" after reading an article about the HBO series about a decade ago. Loved the "Song of Ice and Fire" books and read all of the ones available.

So, perhaps, I would have a similar experience with "The Eye of the World" and "The Wheel of Time."

Nope.

The first 150 pages left me bored and my mind wandering.

I put it down, read another book, picked "The Eye of the World" back up, read 15 more dull pages, looked at the length of the book at about 850 pages, scanned again the number of books in the series which numbers 14 books with a co-author for the final three volumes, a prequel novel and two companion books. So I put "The Eye of the World" back down and read another non-related book, then another non-related book, then another non-related book, etc., until I realized I wasn't returning to "The Eye of the World."

Essentially, the story is a group of people work an agrarian village. A group of violent beings wreak havoc on the village. A magical woman shows up, intrigued by three young men who live there. She believes one of the young men might be "the long-awaited and reviled Chosen One, the Dragon Reborn," according to the blurb on the back of the book. And so on ...

I have enjoyed other Robert Jordan books, such as his Conan novels. I am not intimidated by thick books, complicated plots or series with multiple volumes. The concept of the novel as described in the blurb is the type of book that would normally grab my interest and keep it.

But not "The Eye of the World."

I know there's something here because so many people love these books. But I did not find it on this outing. I may try it again one day, perhaps sooner rather than later; perhaps never. What I read has also left me with no interest in watching the TV series.

It's a rare thing for me not to finish a book but life is too short and there are so many other books to read.