The Wheel of Time turns, and an intriguing world comes to life

“The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legends fade to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again.” is how my favorite fantasy series begins. In other words, I couldn’t come up with a good first line to hook you in, so I stole one. In my defense, how does one start an article singing praises about a series 15 novels long, counting 4.4 million words and 2700 characters?

While everyone can debate which fantasy world or setting is the best, very few would disagree with the opinion that the world of the Wheel of Time is the most complete. The author, Robert Jordan, was an absolute genius at world building, with only a handful of peers. As a wannabe writer, I find his worldbuilding an inspiration. I can think of far worse legacies to leave behind.

While it’s never named, it’s heavily implied the Wheel of Time happens on Earth. The Wheel of Time is an 8 spoked wheel, with the seven spaces between being the seven Ages. The First Age would be our time, and only the barest fragments remain by the present time of the series. The Second Age is also called the Age of Legends, a time more advanced than our own, where men and women used the One Power to perform great feats and usher in a Utopia we could only dream of.

Like most dreams, it became a nightmare. The Breaking of the World brought the Second Age to an end, along with civilization as people knew it. The remainder had to rebuild, and they struggled to do so over three thousand years. Prolonged conflict brought civilization down to the medieval level, and had climbed back into the Renaissance level by the time the events of the series occur.

So why do I consider this the best fantasy world? Because I haven’t finished mine yet!!! Ha! No, I could only dream of being at that level, but I couldn’t resist. It’s not the most beautiful, I would consider Middle-Earth the most beautiful. It’s not the most alluring, I would consider Harry Potter’s world more alluring. I certainly wouldn’t want to live there, they did not have flushing toilets! The world of the Wheel of Time is the most human. It’s beautiful and ugly, comforting and terrifying, and people are still a pain in the ass.

It’s also one of the easiest to immerse yourself in. To use my previous examples, which were put into my head after reading the description for this contest, it’s more difficult with those worlds. Tolkien is unsurpassed when it comes to creating languages, but the words are so different from what we’re used to it pulls you out of it sometimes. JK Rowling’s Potter series is alluring, like I mentioned, but pulling off the “hidden world within a world” can be difficult. I could list examples but I do not wish to sound critical. I can say though, that every time I read or watched Quidditch I saw myself riding that broomstick, then on the ground rubbing my ass saying “ow! ow! ow! never again!”

It seems more difficult to get pulled out of the Wheel of Time. There is a lot of thought candy there, and a lot of room to make your own head canon. The First Age, our time, ended in a nuclear war. What events led to that war? And how did the rebuilding lead to the discovery, or re-discovery of the One Power? The One Power is the energy source that “powers” the Wheel, it has two halves, men can draw from one half and women can draw from the other half.

One of the main themes of the series was that the male and female magic-users, called “chanellers,” could perform great feats alone, but only by working together could they achieve their greatest accomplishments. It was a theme that applied to all aspects of life, balance and cooperation. For all intents and purposes, they managed to create a fully integrated utopia where there was no want, no hunger, and no thirst.

One channeler discovered a power source equal to the One Power that could be accessed by both men and women. Who knew what they might achieve with that. They sensed this power in a place where the Pattern was thin. The Pattern is basically the fabric of reality, containing the Wheel and all of Creation. The channelers, called Aes Sedai, drilled a hole through this thin part of the Pattern, hoping to reach this power. Unfortunately, that power was the Dark One, named Shiatan (i.e. Satan), and the hole they drilled allowed him to influence the world from his prison once again.

There was a worldwide war, with people swearing themselves to the Dark One in exchange for promises of power and glory. After years, with hope dwindling, Lew Therin Telamon, greatest of the male Aes Sedai, led one hundred male channelers to seal the hole and fully imprison the Dark One again. They succeeded, but at great cost. The Dark One’s counterstrike tainted the male half of the One Power, driving all who used it insane.

Lew Therin and the remaining channelers went insane on the instant, and over the following years all the male channelers went insane. They became, for lack of a better term, walking nuclear weapons. Populations were wiped out, oceans drained, continents moved, and everything broken before all the male channelers were killed or died.

By the time of the events of the series, the female Aes Sedai were in power on the continent the story takes place on. They ran things in a way very similar to the Catholic Church in the middle ages, where kingdoms danced to their tune. They were much more subtle about it, and in this world the Devil is real.

The stories had a multitude of female characters, many in positions of power. Many nations were ruled by women, and filled many positions of power. Since the Age of Legends was a worldwide integrated population, most if not all countries already had a diverse population, clearing certain topics off the table.

Religion was also unique here. This was a traumatized population that knew the Creator was real, and knew the Creator said “you made this mess, you fix it.” They also knew the Dark One was coming, and it was on humanity to fight it. So there wasn’t much in the way of organized religion. They were very spiritual, but it was very different from what we are used to. Thought candy!

I hate to sound dated, but I read the first book when it came out, back when I graduated from High School, and read each new novel as it was released. I read the whole series again in my thirties, and currently on the tail end of a re-read in my forties, in anticipation of the forthcoming television series. Each time I read this monstrosity I was in a different stage of my life, with different perspectives and, well, levels of energy.

In my twenties I didn’t know shit and I could change the world! I enjoyed reading these books, they started with the traditional fantasy tropes, which I wasn’t burned out on yet, then turned them all on their ears. I could take it more “seriously” and get swept up in it. I could even picture myself in it…….well, myself twenty pounds lighter…..

I mean, seriously, if I’m gonna do a self-insert I’m gonna look good doing it.

In my forties I don’t give a shit, and I know the world needs a change…..of diapers. It’s like we all live in whiny-bitchville these days. So I take it less seriously, and I admire the skill behind the writing, and understand more of what the story is trying to accomplish. I can remember the feelings I had when reading them the first time, while enjoying my broader perspective on the narrative.

And I can still picture myself in it…….well, myself forty pounds lighter…..

Did you know if you walk 4 miles you only burn off one double quarter pounder with cheese? According to my walking app.. That’s not right……….that’s just not right…….

But I digress, I can’t help it, it just hit me, all these wonderful magic worlds filled with wonder and possibilities that can only be imagined, and not one of them has a slimmification spell? Seriously? I’d whip up a Weight Watchers spell and set myself up for retirement.

Channelers are treated differently depending on the area of the world they are in. Male channelers are gentled (cut off from the magic, losing the will to live), sent to die honorably fighting evil, turned into breeding stock then killed, or straight up executed. Female channelers run the show in most of the world, both overtly and subtly. Unfortunately, on one continent, in the Seanchan Empire, female channelers are enslaved.

Indeed, slavery is institutionalized in the Seanchan Empire, and it’s not a pretty picture. It’s not intended to be. We don’t need the Dark One to be evil. At the end of the series it’s heavily implied that ending that institution would be a major goal for the channelers. We don’t need the Creator to be good ourselves. The difference between them is the Creator knows this and encourages it. The Dark One cannot understand choice or change.

All the primary cast are strong characters. They have flaws, and they all have their trials to overcome, and they all grow. You become invested in them, and with some of the secondary characters as well. On re-reads there isn’t a huge rush to finish because there’s so much to enjoy in the fantasy world.

I will be curious to see how the upcoming TV show is portrayed. Since we have very little about the story actually confirmed, I will not go into it. I will say, however, that as far as I am concerned the show is a success. I say this because I sent a link to the trailer to one of my oldest friends, and she was so impressed with the trailer she picked up the first novel, The Eye of the World!

I worried it may not keep her interested, she’s an avid reader but fantasy isn’t usually her first choice. Then she messaged me complaining she was super tired and it was all my fault! Why? I asked indignantly, only my ex-wives blame me for everything in the universe, after all. She raged that she had gone with little sleep the last two nights because of the book and she was irked she didn’t finish it!!

Okay, she didn’t rage, but I found that to be the best reason for a friend to be mad at me…...EVER! So for every person the trailer inspires to read the books is a gift for us all.

I can almost hear the entire fan-base whisper in a chorus “ah…...welcome.”

And so my friend gave me the ending for this article. The fanbase. I was unaware of the fan-base until recently. Oh, I knew they existed, of course. And thanks to Youtube I got to listen and see many fans' opinions on the Wheel of Time. You can find them in any social media setting, but some of these videos are intriguing.

Like the characters in the series, the fans span the world and fit almost every mold. I have had interesting discussions with a woman from India about the series. Same with a woman of color in S. Korea, who brings a unique point of view to the table. I’ve watched and listened to fat, middle-aged, white guys like me. I’ve watched and listened to those with various identities bring their own point of view to the table. Everyone is welcome there.

Except flat-earthers. Sadly, the world of the Wheel of Time is also round. There is hope, though. If you become a Darkfriend and pledge your soul to the Dark One, he will make the world flat as a reward for your servitude.

Welcome friends, to escapism at its finest.