The Eye of the World was my first introduction to epic fantasy. Even before Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.
Must be one of the many reasons why I have a soft spot for it.
Plus the world building, heroes’ journeys, the concept of energy manipulation wielded by magicians gone insane, last battle shenanigans, culture clashes, wolf-brothers, myths of various gods and religions woven into heroes and villians, katana based sword play, humor and word play, war, love, betrayal, redemption, corruption, revolution and everything else one could ever want.
Some folks say the books dragged in the second half of the series.
But I don’t care. WoT will always be my number one in my book. Pun intended.