“Wheel of Time” more like waste of time

It’s always nerve-wracking when a beloved book series is being put on screen. You never know how the story and characters are going to be adapted. I suffered through “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” and I never bothered watching “Eragon.”

I know how poorly adaptations can go.

I’ve also heard how well they can go.

Though I never watched it, I heard about “Game of Thrones” and how accurate it was. I watched “Good Omens” and loved every second of it. I was so excited when I heard that “Wheel of Time” was coming to Amazon. Spoilers for the books and show ahead.

The basic plot is three boys, Mat, Perrin, and Rand leave their village after strange happenings and are accompanied by Moiraine, Lan, and Thom, who acts as their guides and protectors. Egwane and Nynaeve, women from the same village join them. They are separated, and journey to reunite. When they do, they quickly travel to the “Eye of the World,” fearing it might be in danger.

I’ll admit, I was apprehensive when I heard it would be live action because while the books took over two decades to write, the story happens in less than ten years.

I became even more apprehensive when I heard the show would focus on Moiraine, who is a side character, instead of the main cast. The reason I became so invested in the books was because of the plot and the journey the characters went through and how they interacted with each other. The books were never about one character. Further, Moiraine wasn’t who the story was about; she was there to guide the main cast until they could manage themselves. She was important in the first three books, and then she faded into the background. The changes the show made to the storyline to add interest to her story negate everything after book one.

Moiraine’s story wasn’t the only one changed. One of the other characters, Loial, is killed at the end of the show. In the books, he starts as a supporting character, offering knowledge and guidance, but eventually becomes a valued friend of the main cast. At one point, his knowledge turns the tide of a battle, saving one of the protagonists and his home village. In the show, he helps the main cast navigate to their next location and is promptly killed in the battle that takes place there.

The first book of a 14-book series, not including the prequel, is bound to be full of foreshadowing. The reveal of the character known as “the Dragon” is masterfully done. There are small bits of information, revealed in dreams and experiences the character and reader don’t fully understand that point to who the Dragon will be. These pieces of information become obvious when the book is reread. The show, however, doesn’t achieve this. Across the episodes, it’s foreshadowed that Mat will be the Dragon, calling out his odd behavior and connecting it to use of “the Power,” the “Wheel of Time’s” magic system. In the last few episodes, Mat stays behind, splitting from the group. When the identity of the Dragon is revealed, it’s Rand, and this reveal feels sudden.

I can manage changes to characters and plot, even though they are what made me fall in love with “Wheel of Time” in the first place. However, changes to the world are endlessly frustrating, especially when there is a companion book full of information and when all fifteen books have an index. In the show, the characters travel to Shayol Ghul, the prison of the devil, something that, in the book, would only happen when the final battle was fought. This prophesied battle is mentioned often in the books. The place they should have been traveling to, the Eye of the World, is where Rand is revealed to be the Dragon and where important artifacts are discovered.

I love these books, as do many, some who have been reading them since 1990, when the first book came out. After hearing about successful adaptations, I know many had high expectations for “Wheel of Time,” hoping it would remain true to the story they love. And it didn’t. It disappointed time and time again.

Lynn Spahr is a freshman in general studies.

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