From the Two Rivers: The Eye of the World FROM THE PUBLISHER
For Rand al'Thor and his pals, life in the sleepy village of Emond's Field has been pretty dull. Until the appearance on festival night of Moiraine, a mysterious woman who claims to be an Aes Sdeai--a magician who can wield the One Power. Soon after, the village is attacked by Trollocs--a savage tribe of half-men half-beasts. Rand's father is nearly killed. But for Rand, the news gets worse. It was not the village the Trollocs were after, Moiraine tells him. It was you, Rand.
Rand and his friends are forced to flee. But his escape will bring him face to face with the Dark One...the most powerful force of evil in the universe.
FROM THE CRITICS
Gale Research
Set in a world where two kinds of magic exist, one female and the other male, the Wheel of Time series features the hero Rand. Rand is on an epic quest to unite the diverse peoples of his planet against the Dark One, who threatens to destroy their world. His quest takes him through a series of complex and well-delineated alien cultures. Jo-Ann Goodwin in New Statesman and Society calls the Wheel of Time books "high fantasy that demands to be taken seriously. . . . [Jordan] has been rightly praised for creating an entirely convincing and compelling alternative world, complete with social systems, cultural differences and competing motivations."
Publishers Weekly
Starscape, a new imprint, launches a list of science fiction and fantasy titles aimed at readers aged 10 and up, adapted from acclaimed adult titles (see details in Children's Books, Jan. 21). Among them are Robert Jordan's From the Two Rivers and To the Blight, adapted into two volumes from his adult title The Eye of the World: The Wheel of Time, Book 1. Kid-friendly additions include a new prologue, larger print, a glossary and a smattering of illustrations. (Jan.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Children's Literature - Norah Piehl
For Rand al Thor and his best friends Mat and Perrin, life in the small town of Emond's Field is safe and predictable. Danger is only as menacing as the wolves that roam the countryside, and adventure is only as exciting as the arrival of a traveling peddler or gleeman. All this changes the night before the winter festival of Bel Tine, when a horde of fanged beasts called Trollocs attack the village. What's more, their attacks seem hardly random�their targets are the homes of Rand, Mat, and Perrin. Guided by the mysterious stranger Moiraine and her menacing companion Lan, the boys flee the village to save their friends and family from the evil forces intent on killing or capturing these young men. Although the plot's pacing is occasionally uneven, the book's characters are developed gradually but steadily�this early volume hints at powers and skills that these young heroes may use in future installments. Prophecy figures largely in the plot, and readers enamored of Tolkien-style high fantasy will stay tuned not only to discover the meanings of these prophecies, but to also continue to absorb the richly imagined fantasy setting. This is a repackaged version of the first half of the opening volume of the "Wheel of Time" series, including several illustrations, a glossary, and a new prologue that introduces the characters as children, several years prior to the main action.
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