Trying to catch a glimpse of the recently captured False Dragon, Rand befriends Elayne Trakand, heir apparent to the throne of Andor, and her brothers Gawyn Trakand and Galad Damodred. In Caemlyn, Rand befriends an Ogier named Loial. While escaping the city the travelers are separated Rand, Mat, and Thom travel by boat to Whitebridge, where Thom is lost allowing Rand and Mat to escape a Myrddraal. Pursued by increasing numbers of Trollocs and Myrddraal, the travellers take refuge in the abandoned city of Shadar Logoth, where Mat steals a cursed dagger, thus becoming infected by the malevolent Mashadar. To save their village from further attacks, Rand, Mat, Perrin, and Egwene flee it, accompanied by the Aes Sedai Moiraine Damodred, her Warder Al'Lan Mandragoran, and gleeman Thom Merrilin, and later joined by Wisdom Nynaeve al'Meara. The Eye of the World revolves around protagonists Rand al'Thor, Matrim (Mat) Cauthon, Perrin Aybara, Egwene al'Vere, and Nynaeve al'Meara, after their home town of Emond's Field is unexpectedly attacked by Trollocs (the antagonist's soldiers) and a Myrddraal/Fade (the undead-like officer commanding the Trollocs) intent on capturing Rand, Mat, and Perrin. Īfter the release of The Wheel of Time television series, The Eye of the World made the January 2022 The New York Times Best Seller list in the mass market category and was number one on the audio fiction list. The American Library Association put The Eye of the World on its 2003 list of Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults. The former included an additional prologue entitled 'Ravens', focusing on Egwene al'Vere. These were From the Two Rivers and To the Blight.

On 2 January 2002, The Eye of the World was re-released as two separate books aimed at a young adult market, with larger text and a handful of illustrations. Critics praised the tone, the themes, and the similarity to Lord of the Rings (although some criticized it for that). The book was a critical, and commercial success. Upon first publication, The Eye of the World consisted of one prologue and 53 chapters, with an additional prologue authored upon re-release. The unabridged audiobook is read by Michael Kramer and Kate Reading.

It was published by Tor Books and released on 15 January 1990. The Eye of the World is a high fantasy novel by American writer Robert Jordan, the first book of The Wheel of Time series.

The gray wolf throne audiobook