Wheel of Time - an Overview

I’m a huge fan of this massive series.  I started reading it in high school, and have tried to read the entire series every time a new book was released; this means I’ve read the series about 10 or 11 times in my life.

On an aside, I don’t think I’ve read the Bible that many times, and it seems wrong to me that my reading priorities are that way....  Aside over.

I was on DJP’s blog and a reader there asked if there was a Christian perspective on the books.  I searched and there really wasn’t anything as good as I’d recommend, so I’m going to try to do one myself.

Now, a few caveats:
1)  This series is (so far) 13 giant books long.  There is no way I could be comprehensive and exhaustive in this review.  You’ll not find many quotes or page numbers.  I’m going to generalise;
2)  The cast and crew of this series is ridiculously huge, and the world is incredibly diverse.  I would never be able to properly dissect each aspect of the world (affectionately referred to as “Randland” by the fans);
3)  On a personal note, while I do try to be careful about the things to which I am exposed, I am a mature enough Christian that when characters wantonly sin, I am able to recognise that and not stumble in my own walk.  This is not always true for others, so please use discernment in everything.

Alright, on to the meat.

Pros:
The Wheel of Time is often compared to some combination of Lord of the Rings, and Narnia.  The world created is huge, the characters are diverse and show incredible growth over the course of the books.  If you want to get lost in a series, this is an excellent one.  There are a dozen cultures, and they’re each fleshed out with traditions, manners of speech, fashion, and values.  There are a wide array of fantastic creatures - the Trollocs, Myrdraal, Ogier, Wolfbrothers, for example - but the best characters are the ordinary ones who find themselves in extraordinary situations, and rise to the challenge.  Robert Jordan’s worldbuilding is simply second to none.

The plot is immersive to the point of keeping me up until 4am because I just couldn’t put the book down.  His sense of pacing is frustratingly good, making me unable to stop reading.

There is a definite understanding of right and wrong.  There is good, and there is evil.  In the end (Jordan admitted), good wins, because that’s how things should be.  Compare that with the way the Bible records the end of evil, and there’s agreement there.

Lascivity (what there is of it) is discreet, with many a “fade to black” sort of situation.  This is sadly not the norm in many fantasy books.  It is also not generally acceptable behaviour in Randland.

There is no profanity as we recognise it.  Jordan crafted his own (“Blood and ashes!” for example), and people generally don’t approve of that sort of talk.
 
Cons:
Jordan incorporated a number of taoist principles in Randland’s understanding of right and wrong.  There is a concept of yin and yang, as well as reincarnation of souls into new bodies.  The Wheel of Time itself is a concept that old things pass, new things come, but at some point the old things come back in some form.  This isn’t Biblical.

One of the cultures has polygamy as its practice.  It’s neither condemned nor suggested by the author.  There is a hint of something happening with the main character and three women, but there’s nothing solid about how that sort of thing will actually look.

Violence is a large part of the series.  This is a war, ultimately, between good and evil.  While not overly graphic, it is more obvious than not.

“Magic” is wielded by men and women, and (except in very rare circumstances) has the same source, no matter whether the person is using it for good or evil.  It’s rather more like using the Force in Star Wars than incantations.  You’ll note that I don’t care that there is a magic sort of system, but that the source is the same.

There’s this weird euphemism that many people suspect refers to lesbianism in an all-female school; it’s really just hinted at with an innocuous slang term, but it’s left so vague that I think it’d be hard to make a case that this is something the author even really cares about (ie: many writers throw in their favourite causes to show how “normal” they are, and I don’t get that impression from Jordan).  No mention of male homosexuality that I can recall.  Additionally, while “sex scenes” are “fade to black,” many characters engage in sex outside of marriage, with the decision to do so more strongly motivated by feelings.  This is contrary to the Biblical standard to which Christians are called.  Still, it’s not the point of the books, either.

Overall:
I love these books.  If you’re a fan of fantasy, I can’t imagine that you wouldn’t either.  The way that mythologies are woven into Randland is seamless, but definitely present for the discerning reader (Jordan's included a lot of Norse and Arthurian myths).  
There are books that are drier than the others - one of them spends a lot of time talking about the fields the characters are in, and I was puzzled and annoyed by that - but overall, it’s excellent.  Just, make sure you know that this isn’t a sprint; the series will reach 14 books by the time it’s done.  So, settle in, and enjoy!