The Eye of the World

The Eye of the World (abbreviated tEotW) is the first book in The Wheel of Time series. It was published by Tor Books and released on January 15, 1990. It is 814 pages long.
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==Plot summary==
Upon first publication, The Eye of the World consisted of one prologue and 53 chapters, with an additional prologue authored upon re-release.
===​Prologue: Dragonmount===
The Eye of the World is unique in the series in that its prologue, "Dragonmount", is set during the Age of Legends, roughly three millennia prior to the events of the series. The later novels give an overview of a large number of characters in the time period in which the series is set.
The prologue introduces Lews Therin Telamon, the Dragon, victorious commander of the forces of Light in the war against Shai'tan, the Dark One. His victory came at a cost, however; as a result of the tainting of saidin, - the male half of the True Source - which was the Dark One's final act before his imprisonment, Lews Therin has gone insane and murdered his family. He is confronted by Ishamael, one of the Dark One's chief lieutenants, who restores his sanity. Faced with the magnitude of his crimes, Lews Therin commits suicide, creating Dragonmount.
===From The Two Rivers to Shadar Logoth ===
The early chapters of the book are set in and around the rustic village of Emond's Field in the Two Rivers region of Andor, where most of the primary characters reside.
On the eve of Bel Tine (an annual festival celebrating the arrival of spring), an unexpected attack by bestial Trollocs and fearsome Myrddraal seems to target Rand al'Thor and his two friends, Matrim Cauthon and Perrin Aybara, specifically. Hoping to spare their loved ones and village from further attacks, the three young men resolve to flee the village by night, accompanied by Moiraine Damodred, an Aes Sedai, and her Warder, al'Lan Mandragoran. As they attempt to leave, they are discovered by the innkeeper's daughter, Egwene al'Vere, and a wandering gleeman, Thom Merrilin, who join them. (Prologue: Ravens - Chp. 10)
Chased by Trollocs, Myrddraal, and Draghkar, the seven companions make their way to the nearby city of Baerlon, where they encounter Min Farshaw, a young woman gifted with prophetic visions, as well as Dain Bornhald, an officer of the Children of the Light. They also find Padan Fain, a peddler who was presumed dead after the Trolloc attack on Emond's Field. Also in Baerlon, Rand and his two friends begin experiencing dreams in which they are taunted by an arrogant man who calls himself Ba'alzamon. Shortly before they depart, Nynaeve al'Meara, the village wisdom of Emond's Field, arrives to retrieve the four villagers. When Rand and his friends refuse to return with her, Nynaeve joins them to ensure their continued safety. (Chp. 11-17)
Pursued by ever-increasing numbers of Trollocs and Myrddraal, the travellers are forced to take refuge in the ancient, abandoned, and deadly city of Shadar Logoth, a place even Myrddraal are reluctant to enter. While Rand and his two friends foolishly try to explore the ruined city, they meet a strange man named Mordeth. He first offers them riches in exchange for a small favor, then attempts to kill them when he learns that their companions include an Aes Sedai and that their eventual destination is Tar Valon, the home city of the Aes Sedai order. The three barely escape, and only reach their companions just before nightfall. (Chp. 18-19)
===From Shadar Logoth to Caemlyn ===
Myrddraal and Trollocs enter Shadar Logoth during the night, forcing the eight companions from their warded quarters. As they try to avoid the search and leave the city, Mashadar, the evil of Shadar Logoth made manifest, separates them from each other. (Chp. 20)
After leaving Shadar Logoth, and with Trollocs close behind, Rand, Mat, and Thom stumble across a moored ship on the nearby River Arinelle. The captain, Bayle Domon, reluctantly grants them passage to Whitebridge. During the journey downriver, Ba'alzamon continues to haunt Rand's and Mat's dreams, and Mat becomes strangely reclusive and suspicious of strangers. Rand discovers that Mat has kept a ruby-hilted dagger from Shadar Logoth despite Moiraine's earlier warning, but fails to connect this new acquisition to Mat's changed behavior. (Chp. 20, 24)
In Whitebridge, the trio are confronted by a Myrddraal in a crowded square. Thom apparently sacrifices himself to buy Rand and Mat time to escape, and the two continue alone on the road toward Caemlyn, earning meals and lodging along the way by playing Thom's flute and juggling. As they near Caemlyn, however, they begin to encounter darkfriends in nearly every town who seem to be able to recognize them by sight, and Mat's paranoid behavior becomes more debilitating. (Chp. 26, 31-34)
Once in Caemlyn, Mat confines himself to his bed and seeks to avoid all contact with outsiders while Rand makes the acquaintance of an Ogier named Loial and embarks on an unlikely adventure. Logain Ablar, a recently-captured False Dragon, is being paraded through the streets of Caemlyn. While seeking to catch a glimpse of him, Rand climbs a wall and accidentally falls over the top into the palace garden, where he meets Elayne Trakand, heir-apparent to the throne of Andor, her brother Gawyn, and her half-brother Galad Damodred. (Chp. 35, 36, 39-40)
When Rand's presence is discovered by the palace guards with Galad's help, he is taken into custody despite Elayne's protests and brought before Queen Morgase and her Aes Sedai advisor, Elaida. Elaida prophetically identifies Rand as a dangerous individual, but Queen Morgase decides that she does not have sufficient evidence to imprison him. (Chp. 40)
Meanwhile, Egwene and Perrin plan a route that should take them from Shadar Logoth almost directly toward Caemlyn. Along the way, they meet Elyas Machera, a man who can communicate with wolves; he tells them that their current route would not take them anywhere near Caemlyn and decides to accompany the two youngsters at least for part of the way to Caemlyn. Elyas tells Perrin that he, too can communicate with wolves, but Perrin shows little interest in that possibility. They travel for a few days with the Tuatha'an, a nomadic, pacifistic people, before striking out on their own when the wolves witness one of Perrin's dreams featuring Ba'alzamon. (Chp. 22-23, 25, 27)
After fleeing from massive swarms of ravens and crows sent to mark their movements and kill them, they run afoul of a legion of Children of the Light commanded by Geofram Bornhald, father of the officer encountered in Baerlon. After witnessing the death of a wolf at the hands of a Whitecloak, Perrin, whose talent has developed despite his efforts, goes temporarily insane and kills two of them. Elyas escapes, but the Children of the Light hold Perrin and Egwene prisoner, planning to execute at least Perrin as soon as they reach Amador. (Chp. 29-30)
Moiraine, Lan, and Nynaeve rescue Egwene and Perrin from the Whitecloaks just as one overzealous individual is contemplating their premature execution. Together they travel to Caemlyn, where they are reunited with Mat and Rand, who has only just returned from his adventure at the castle. Moiraine immediately diagnoses Mat's "sickness" as the corrupting influence of the ruby-hilted dagger, and she uses her powers to diminish its effects, although she cannot heal him completely or break his attachment to it. (Chp. 38, 41-42)
===From Caemlyn to the Eye of the World ===
Loial warns Moiraine of a threat to the Eye of the World, a threat independently corroborated by a story heard by Perrin and Egwene while among the Tuatha'an and by the dreams of Rand, Mat, and Perrin. Moiraine decides that in order to reach the Eye of the World in time to stop the Dark One, they must take the Ways. The group is guided along the dangerous Ways by Loial and emerge in Shienar, where they meet Lord Agelmar Jagad and Ingtar Shinowa in the fortress of Fal Dara, on the eve of an expected battle against a Trolloc army.
Padan Fain is found climbing the walls of Fal Dara. He is taken into custody and interrogated by Moiraine and Lan, who discover that Fain is a Darkfriend whose mind has been specifically molded to find the Dark One's quarry; it was he who aimed the attack on Emond's Field. Following that attack, he was forced into the Myrddraals' pursuit of the companions, only escaping them in Shadar Logoth. Even separated from the Myrddraal, however, he was still the Dark One's bloodhound, and he followed the companions to Caemlyn, through the Ways, and to Fal Dara. (Chp. 42-47)
The group enters the Blight in search of the Eye of the World. The Eye is revealed to be a pool of pure, untainted saidin—created by a hundred male and female Aes Sedai after the Dark One tainted saidin. It is protected by the world's last living Nym, Someshta (the fabled Green Man). Moiraine brings the party here in hopes that it will reveal which one of the three ta'veren can channel, thus revealing which one of them is the Dragon Reborn. 
When the companions exit they are confronted by two of the Forsaken, Aginor and Balthamel, having apparently escaped the Dark One's prison at Shayol Ghul. Balthamel is killed by the Green Man and the group scatters. Rand battles Aginor for control of the saidin inside the Eye of the World—channelling consciously for the first time—but Aginor is consumed by it and defeated. Then, guided by blind luck and instinctive knowledge, Rand uses the supply of saidin to decimate the Trolloc army in the battle of Tarwin's Gap and finally to face and defeat Ba'alzamon for the first time. (Chp. 48-51)
Afterwards, Rand wakes and realizes to his horror that he channeled the One Power, and that he is condemned to a fate of insanity and rotting death. He finds his way back to the site of the Eye where he finds an uninjured Egwene and Nynaeve and a recovering Moiraine. Mat, Perrin, and Loial emerge from the cave of the now empty Eye with a chest containing the Horn of Valere, shattered pieces of one of the Seals to the Dark One's prison, and a white cloth revealed to be the Dragon Banner of Lews Therin Telamon.
The book ends with Moiraine's ominous statement to herself that, "The Dragon is Reborn." (Chp. 52-53)
==Plot developments by character==
Rand al'Thor begins to channel while fleeing the Dark One's minions, but remains unaware of his talent prior to confrontations with the forsaken Aginor and Balthamel.
Mat Cauthon takes a cursed dagger from Shadar Logoth, which infects him with hatred and paranoia. Moiraine Sedai heals him partially, but she is unable to completely break his link to the dagger.
Perrin Aybara meets Elyas Machera and learns he is a Wolfbrother, a human who can communicate with wolves.
Egwene al'Vere learns (from Moiraine) that she has the ability to channel and begins learning how to use it, so that she can become an Aes Sedai.
Nynaeve al'Meara learns (from Moiraine) that she has the ability to channel. However she stubbornly refuses to admit it even to herself at the time.
== Re-releases==
On January 2, 2002, The Eye of the World was re-released as two separate books aimed at a young adult literature market, with larger text and a handful of illustrations. These were From the Two Rivers and To the Blight. The former included an additional prologue entitled "Ravens", focusing on a nine-year-old Egwene al'Vere. 
The audiobook of The Eye of the World was re-released on November 16, 2021, narrated by , who plays in the television series.
==Graphic novel==
A graphic novel of The Eye of the World was produced by Dynamite Entertainment in six issues. They were adapted by Chuck Dixon, drawn by Chase Conley, colored by Nicolas Chapuis, lettered and designed by Bill Tortolini, with covers by Chase Conley and Seamas Gallagher. 
==Ebook Format==
In a joint release with The Gathering Storm on 27 October 2009, The Eye of the World was re-released again in e-book format. A new cover, by David Grove, depicts Rand al'Thor aboard Bayle Domon's ship, the Spray, with the Tower of Ghenjei in the background.
==Statistical analysis==
:See also the full statistical analysis for this book.
The Eye of the World contains 53 chapters and 2 prologues, of which:
POV 	% 	Chapters
Rand al'Thor 	79.60 	Ch1 through 19, 80% of Ch201, Ch24, 26, Ch31 through 36, Ch39 through 52, and 96% of Ch53
Perrin Aybara 	12.60 	20% of Ch20, Ch22, 23, 25, 27, 29, 30, and 38
Nynaeve al'Meara 	3.70 	Ch21, 28, and 37
Egwene al'Vere 	3.22 	Prologue: Ravens
Lews Therin Telamon 	0.76 	90% of Prologue: Dragonmount
Quote 	0.08 	10% of Prologue: Dragonmount
Moiraine Damodred 	0.04 	4% of Ch53
1 Chapter 20 has three points of view, two of which are from Rand al'Thor's POV. His first is 30% of the chapter and his second is 50% of the chapter.	1 Chapter 20 has three points of view, two of which are from Rand al'Thor's POV. His first is 30% of the chapter and his second is 50% of the chapter.	1 Chapter 20 has three points of view, two of which are from Rand al'Thor's POV. His first is 30% of the chapter and his second is 50% of the chapter.
==Glossary==
:See also the full glossary for this book.
The Glossary is at the end of the book and contains 162 terms.
==Cover gallery==
File:EOTWCover.jpg|The American cover
File:The Eye of the World UK.jpg|The British cover
File:TEOTWa.jpg|The American From the Two Rivers cover
File:TEOTWb.jpg|The American To the Blight cover
File:TEOTW Ebook cover.jpg|The ebook cover
File:The Eye of the World 1 - Japanese.jpg|The Japanese cover for issue 1
File:The Eye of the World 2 - Japanese.jpg|The Japanese cover for issue 2
File:The Eye of the World 3 - Japanese.jpg|The Japanese cover for issue 3
File:The Eye of the World 4 - Japanese.jpg|The Japanese cover for issue 4
File:The Eye of the World 5 - Japanese.jpg|The Japanese cover for issue 5
File:The Eye of the World 0 Cover 1.jpg|The cover of The Eye of the World 0 comic.
File:The Eye of the World 0 Cover 2.jpg|The cover of The Eye of the World 0 comic.
Swedish_NK_01.jpg|The Swedish cover of Farornas Väg, the first half of The Eye of the World.
Swedish_NK_02.jpg|The Swedish cover of Tidens Hjul, the second half of The Eye of the World.
Locchiodelmondo.jpg|The Italian cover
FrenchEOTWCover.jpg|The French cover. Bragelonne editor
The-eye-of-the-world.jpg|link=https://www.dymocks.com.au/book/the-eye-of-the-world-by-robert-jordan-9780356503820|UK/Aust cover
Ofthalmos tou kosmou1.jpg|The Greek Cover
300x0 pasaules acs.jpg|The Latvian cover. Pasaules Acs
File:The wheel of time book 1 cover (show tie-in).jpg|Show tie-in cover for The Wheel of Time: The Eye of the World (1990).
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