WHEEL OF TIME

BY: Malcolm Cooper

It’s a great time to be a fantasy fan again. Ten years ago, the general public met with wild acclaim a world outside of time, a fantasy landscape filled with treachery, battles, and of course, dragons. Seeing as how Game of Thrones was adapted from a series of novels, the stars aligned when the source material provided enough action and content to keep the series entertaining for years. But as Game of Thrones became more and more successful, the formula didn’t seem to translate well to other series; aside from the Witcher series, many shows attempting to cash in on the Game of Thrones adaptation of fantasy books stalled in development or were never fully realized by creators. Shows such as The Shannara Chronicles showed promise in terms of depicting epic fantasy tropes, as well as the creation of a compelling world, but the characters and their (somewhat missing) complexities prevented the show from relating to a general audience. And even The Witcher, the closest thing to Game of Thrones since its finale, struggles sometimes with character development — the action is there, the magic is good enough to be believable, but what it misses is that human connection between character and audience.

Robert Jordan started his Wheel of Time series in 1990 and never looked back: He wrote twelve novels in the next thirteen years before his death in 2013. Published by Tor, the famous tried-and-true publishing house for fantasy novels, the books were praised by critics for their attention to detail, their realistic characters, and the influence that European history brought to the story arc; some critics even called the series the direct predecessor of Lord of the Rings. Although Brandon Sanderson, a fantastic fantasy novelist in his own right, helped to finish the final three books in the 14-part series, the continuity of the story and characters were preserved with great skill. In the Eye of the World, the first novel in the series, the entire plot is presented to us, and it’s comforting in its familiarity: The farmer’s son Rand al’Thor must flee his village with his companions when it is overrun by hideous half-human, half-animal creatures called Trollocs. Accompanied by Aes Sedai (a magic sorority) Moiraine Damodred, the fellowship embarks on a true road journey to escape capture at all costs. And then there is the Dragon Reborn, the savior of the world, who is, in fact, among the crew.

The rights for the Jordan series were picked up in 2017 by Sony Entertainment, and in November 2021, Prime Video will air the series. Rosamund Pike, the Academy Award-nominated actress from Gone Girl, will play the Aes Sedai Moiraine Damodred who guides the young adventurers across the dangerous landscape. Principal photography on the series began in September 2019 but was halted by COVID. Finished in May of this year, the second series already began in July. The source material of this series, an all-time classic of the genre, will ground the production and present to us a rich world filled with compelling characters. In November, Amazon Prime Video will be the premier source for old-fashioned fantasy entertainment, replete with swords and monsters, road journeys, and hidden magic. Get ready.