Descriptions:
Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time is a story that takes place both in our past and our future. In his fantasy world, the Dark One, the embodiment of pure evil, is breaking free from his prison. The overall plot is about a man who learns that he is the reincarnation of the world's messiah and is once again destined to save the world from the Dark One -- but possibly destroy it in the process.
Often compared to The Lord of the Rings, this series differs in some key elements. First, The Wheel of Time is significantly longer than LotR. Humans are the main focus, although there are other intelligent races; if far fewer than what J.R.R Tolkien envisioned.
The books begin very simply, but they quickly escalate into one of the grandest epic sagas ever written. With a cast of characters in the thousands, Jordan weaves together dozens of plot lines, all of which eventually come back to the basic story. He deconstructs our own myths and cultures by showing how they might have actually happened and still become known by how we know them today. A former nuclear engineer, Jordan creates a world that is goverened by complex rules, but all of which have logical consequences, even if they are hard to predict.
