Wheel of Time: Epic Fantasy Lockdown Binge

Wheel of Time: Epic Fantasy Lockdown Binge

Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time is a fourteen-volume epic fantasy series published between 1990 and 2013 (Jordan died in 2007; Brandon Sanderson completed the final three books). It follows farmhand-turned-messiah Rand al'Thor through a sprawling world of prophecy, magic, and political intrigue — think Tolkien's scope with more braid-tugging and skirt-smoothing. The series spans over 4 million words, making it the kind of lockdown binge that eats entire winters.
  • The Eye of the World, the series opener, was published by Tor Books in 1990.
  • Robert Jordan (born James Oliver Rigney Jr.) died in 2007; Brandon Sanderson wrote the final three volumes from Jordan's notes.
  • The series totals fourteen main volumes plus the prequel New Spring (2004).
  • Amazon's TV adaptation premiered in November 2021, renewing interest in the books.
  • Jordan's worldbuilding includes over 2,700 named characters and a magic system split by gender.
  • The series won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1995 for The Shadow Rising.
This round-up focuses on mid-to-late series entries — the books where Jordan's world stops expanding and starts tightening the noose. If you're already committed to the Dragon Reborn's journey, these are the volumes that justify the slog.

The Shadow Rising — Robert Jordan

The turning point where Jordan stops holding back and sends everyone into the desert to discover they're prophesied for worse things than they thought. Book four is the series' consensus high-water mark. Jordan splits the party — Rand heads into the Aiel Waste to claim his destiny, Perrin returns home to find the Two Rivers under siege, and Nynaeve and Elayne hunt Black Ajah in Tanchico. The Aiel flashbacks (via magic doorway) are some of the best worldbuilding in the series, and the battles feel earned. This is the volume where Jordan proved he could juggle six plotlines without dropping one. The 1995 Hugo win was deserved. Explore our current copy of The Shadow Rising or browse more Sci-Fi & Fantasy books at Patina.

Lord of Chaos — Robert Jordan

The volume where Rand's sanity starts visibly fraying and the phrase "Kneel, or you will be knelt" enters the fantasy lexicon. Book six is famously brutal. Rand consolidates power in Cairhien while Mazrim Taim trains male channelers at the Black Tower, the Aes Sedai fracture into warring factions, and the climax — Dumai's Wells — remains one of the most visceral battles Jordan ever wrote. This is the book where the series shifts from "epic quest" to "political powder keg with magic nukes." The pacing is tighter than books seven through ten (the so-called "slog"), and the stakes feel apocalyptic. If you're bingeing the series, this is the last volume before Jordan's editor stopped saying no. Explore our current copy of Lord of Chaos or browse more Sci-Fi & Fantasy books at Patina.

A Crown of Swords — Robert Jordan

The first book of the middle slog, where Jordan juggles nine POV characters and Rand spends half the book in bed recovering from wounds that won't heal. Book seven gets a bad rap, but it's not without merit. Mat finally becomes interesting, Egwene consolidates power among the rebel Aes Sedai, and the Seanchan invasion of Ebou Dar sets up the next three volumes. The problem is the pacing — Jordan's editor let him sprawl, and subplots that should take fifty pages eat two hundred. Still, if you're committed to the series, skipping this one will leave you confused when book eight references events you didn't witness. Think of it as the bridge between the good early volumes and the payoff Sanderson delivers in the finale. Explore our current copy of A Crown of Swords or browse more Sci-Fi & Fantasy books at Patina.

The Great Hunt — Robert Jordan

The volume where Jordan expands the world beyond the Two Rivers and proves this isn't just another farmboy-saves-village story. Book two is pure momentum. The Horn of Valere is stolen, Rand and the gang chase it across continents, and Jordan introduces the Seanchan, the Illuminators, and the concept of parallel worlds via Portal Stones. The climax — the battle in Falme, where Rand fights Ba'alzamon in the sky while the Horn summons dead heroes — is operatic in scale. This is the book that hooked readers in 1990 and convinced them to commit to a series that wouldn't finish for another 23 years. If The Eye of the World felt too Tolkien-derivative, this is where Jordan's voice sharpens. Explore our current copy of The Great Hunt or browse more Sci-Fi & Fantasy books at Patina.

New Spring — Robert Jordan

The prequel that nobody asked for but fans grudgingly admit is pretty solid — Moiraine and Lan's origin story, set twenty years before The Eye of the World. Jordan published this in 2004, between books ten and eleven, and it's shorter (336 pages) and tighter than anything he'd written in a decade. The novella version appeared in the 1998 anthology Legends; the expanded novel fills in Moiraine's testing for the shawl, her hunt for the Dragon Reborn, and her first meeting with Lan. It's not essential to the main series, but if you're curious how Moiraine became the manipulative schemer who drags Rand out of the Two Rivers, this is the answer. The lack of sprawl is refreshing. Explore our current copy of New Spring or browse more Sci-Fi & Fantasy books at Patina. As of June 2026, Patina's fantasy shelves hold rotating preloved copies of mid-series Wheel of Time volumes — the books Sydney readers grab when they're deep enough in Jordan's world that turning back isn't an option. If you're hunting doorstop epics that justify a winter indoors, this is the series that defines the genre. Shop all Sci-Fi & Fantasy books at Patina Paperbacks →

Can I start The Wheel of Time at book four or do I need to read from the beginning?

Start with The Eye of the World. Jordan's worldbuilding is dense — the magic system, the prophecies, the factions — and jumping in mid-series will leave you lost. Book four is brilliant, but it assumes you know who Rand, Mat, and Perrin are and why the Dark One breaking free is bad news. If you're committed to the series, the first three volumes are the foundation.

How long does it take to read the entire Wheel of Time series?

At average reading speed (250 words per minute), the fourteen main novels take roughly 370 hours — call it two months of solid weeknight reading or one ambitious winter lockdown. Jordan's prose isn't Tolkien-dense, but the sheer word count (4.4 million across the series) is the challenge. Audiobook listeners report similar timelines, though some skip the infamous "slog" (books 7-10) on re-reads.

Where can I buy secondhand Wheel of Time books in Sydney?

Patina Paperbacks stocks rotating preloved copies of mid-to-late series volumes, including The Shadow Rising, Lord of Chaos, and the prequel New Spring. We're Sydney-based and ship Australia-wide — free over $29. Stock turns over quickly, so if you're hunting a specific volume, check the site before it walks.

Did Robert Jordan finish The Wheel of Time before he died?

No. Jordan died in 2007 after completing eleven volumes. His widow, Harriet McDougal, chose Brandon Sanderson to finish the series from Jordan's notes, outlines, and dictated scenes. Sanderson split the finale into three books — The Gathering Storm (2009), Towers of Midnight (2010), and A Memory of Light (2013). Fans generally agree Sanderson nailed the landing, though his prose is leaner than Jordan's baroque style.

Is the Wheel of Time TV series worth watching if I've read the books?

Depends on your tolerance for adaptation changes. Amazon's series (2021–present) compresses timelines, ages up characters, and rewrites major plot points. Some fans love the cast (Rosamund Pike as Moiraine is inspired); others rage-quit over the liberties taken with Jordan's text. If you're a purist, the books are the definitive version. If you're curious how the world looks on screen, the first season is solid high-budget fantasy TV.

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