The Eye of the World
by Robert Jordan
★ Top 5 book of 1990 · #3 on Best Books of 1990
This opening volume of the Wheel of Time series sets out a world where Ages rise and fade, and history slips into legend and myth. In the Third Age, an era of prophecy, the world and time itself teeter on the edge of the Shadow.
Best for: Epic fantasy fans ready to start a long, myth-heavy series
The Eye of the World is #3 on BookWard's Best Books of 1990, out of 39 1990 books that cleared our data bar.
What The Eye of the World is about
In the quiet village of Emond's Field, monstrous Trollocs attack. A visiting Aes Sedai named Moiraine warns that servants of the Dark One are hunting for one of three young men from the village: Rand, Perrin or Mat. With her Warder, Lan, she leads them and their companions out of the only home they have known, and the road ahead tests each of them in different ways.
Along the way they pass through the ruined city of Shadar Logoth, reach Caemlyn, and meet allies, among them an Ogier and a man who can speak with wolves. Their journey points toward a place called the Eye of the World. Robert Jordan opens his long Wheel of Time series with themes of destiny, prophecy and growing up far from home. Readers who enjoy classic quest fantasy, and are interested in a book whose similarities to The Lord of the Rings drew both praise and criticism from critics, will find a generous place to begin.
The Eye of the World on the Best Books of 1990
The Eye of the World came out in 1990. Of the 39 books first published in 1990 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #3 on our Best Books of 1990 list.
Why it made the list: 3,557 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.9 out of 5 (231 ratings); 320 are reading it right now. The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
It earns Being read right now.
Nearby on the 1990 list
- Good Omens Terry Pratchett, #1
- Jurassic Park Michael Crichton, #2
- The Witching Hour Anne Rice, #4
- Flow Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, #5
See all Best Books of 1990 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 1991.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 2,878 want to read it, 320 are reading it now and 359 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 3.9 out of 5 from 231 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 100 | 55% |
| Reader love | 49 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 100 | 20% |
Questions about The Eye of the World
When was The Eye of the World published?
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan was first published in 1990.
Was The Eye of the World one of the best books of 1990?
The Eye of the World is #3 on BookWard's Best Books of 1990, out of 39 1990 books that cleared our data bar. 3,557 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.9 out of 5 (231 ratings); 320 are reading it right now.
Why is The Eye of the World on the Best Books of 1990 list?
3,557 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.9 out of 5 (231 ratings); 320 are reading it right now.
More of the best books of 1990
- Good Omens Terry Pratchett, #1
- Jurassic Park Michael Crichton, #2
- The Witching Hour Anne Rice, #4
- Flow Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, #5
- The Things They Carried Tim O'Brien, #6
- Little Girl Lost Drew Barrymore, #7
See the full Best Books of 1990, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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