The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time
Title: The World of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time
Author: Robert Jordan & Teresa Patterson
ISBN: 1-84149-026-1
First Published: 1997
Blurb:
With never-before-told legends, fascinating histories of its peoples and lands, and portents of what may come to pass, this engrossing book, written by Robert Jordan himself in collaboration with Teresa Patterson, takes you on an unforgettable journey through the extraordinary world of The Wheel of Time.
Review:
The World of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time is essentially a reference book that details the history, the important characters, and the countries that make up Robert Jordan’s world. Written collaboratively by Robert Jordan and Teresa Patterson, this book gives a wealth of background information about most of the world.
The book begins with an explanation of what the Wheel of Time is, as well as an explanation of the True Source, in its two halves, saidar and saidin, and the ways in which it can be wielded.
It then continues to the history of the Age of Legends, the Age that came before the Third Age in which the series of novels is set. Though referenced occasionally in the series, there is far more information here than Robert Jordan could squeeze into plots without excessive amounts of exposition. Revealing the advanced technology not dissimilar to our modern technology, we really see what the Forsaken mean when the call the world they wake up in ‘primitive’.
Through reading about the wondrous technology of the Age of Legends, a reader can see a much wider context, and can see exactly how much civilisation suffered with the Breaking. The history of the Age of Legends also reveals why saidin became tainted after the Dark One was sealed away, but saidar remained clean.
Another extremely helpful part of the book is the biography of each of the Forsaken. No longer are the Forsaken mindless evil villains; their motives for turning to the Shadow are revealed, and the reasons behind why they act the way they do is explained.
The geography of the world beyond the continent of the series is further revealed. Again, a wider context is created, and helps build the sense of a large picture that the series finds restrictive to unveil. Explanations of the various complicated class and ranking systems of each nation helps clarify them and cement them in the reader’s head. The class systems are used in the novels, but they are overwhelmingly intricate. The chapters in this book help solve that problem.
There are well-drawn and detailed maps of the world, its countries, and its major cities, as well as historical maps of the time before the novels. These maps are the same as those found in the novels themselves, but could be useful to have an indexed version for easier reference.
The close detailing of each nation does get a little tiresome at the end. Though each nation is different, similarities crop up again and again, and there is much repeated from the novels themselves. However, the knowledge of the political situations can help explain any subtle hints and phrases that Jordan uses to flesh out his novels. The novels can be difficult to read due to the amount of detail Jordan references, but this book enables the reader to read a quick overview.
I would only recommend this book to those interested in the wider context of The Wheel of Time. For those new to the series, it would provide an introduction, but would perhaps be too detailed to hold their interest. Those interested in writing fantasy and creating their own fantasy worlds may also found this book a brilliant resource. The information may be contained in the novels, but it is certainly helpful to have a place where it is collated separately from the complex plot and characters of the series. For long-time readers of the novels, The World of Robert Jordans The Wheel of Time is a fantastic reference that can help aid the understanding and readability of the novels.
Ratings:
Overall: 7/10
Tags: author, book review, fantasy, Review, robert jordan, the wheel of time
