The writing has been a pleasant surprise. This is the first book since The Lord of the Rings that gives me that same sense of adventure and world‑building. Like Tolkien, Jordan takes his time describing the world and what’s happening around the characters. It’s definitely a slow read, but I’m all for it. The detail makes the world feel lived‑in, and I love getting immersed like that.

Now that I’ve read far enough to see how the story actually starts, I also understand why fans of the books were so put off by Amazon’s Wheel of Time series. They changed a lot. Perrin already being a blacksmith with a wife, Mat having a whole troubled family backstory, Rand and Egwene making out (in the inn that her parents own!), the Gleeman not traveling with the group, none of that happens in the book, and I’m already past the part where they leave the Two Rivers. The show leans more adult, while the book feels like it’s written for a general audience.

Not that the show was bad. I watched all three seasons and enjoyed them for what they were. But now that I’m reading the source material, I get why longtime fans weren’t thrilled. It's like they took the characters and overarching plot-line, and decided to create their own mini-stories in between. It’s a very different take on the same world.

#TheWheelOfTime