It’s a good time to be a fantasy fan, with TV adaptations of everything from The Lord of the Rings to The Witcher either streaming now or on the way soon. Of the shows yet to be released, one of the most hotly anticipated is the upcoming Amazon Prime Video adaptation of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time novels.
Indeed, while principal photography only kicked off in September, fans are already eager to see how faithfully showrunner Rafe Judkins and his cast and crew recreate the exploits of Rand al’Thor, Mat Cauthon and Perrin Aybara in live-action. Of course, it’s impossible to say at this stage whether Judkins has captured the spirit of The Wheel of Time – but if he manages to nail these key aspects of Jordan’s sweeping saga, we’re confident everything else will fall into place.
The One Power
Magic in the Wheel of Time universe is a complicated beast. For instance, the One Power has both primal–it’s comprised of the five basic elements – and scientific qualities. Thanks to this depth, the books are filled with vivid descriptions of “channelers” performing astonishing feats at least as impressive as those seen in the Harry Potter series.
Judkins could probably get away with falling back on tired, traditional portrayals of magic that audiences have seen countless times before. But if he can make the distinctive visual of different elemental “weaves” being combined as described by Jordan, the results should be visually spectacular.
Unwieldy Subplots
We love The Wheel of Time books – otherwise, this list wouldn’t exist. But if we have one criticism of the series, it’s that certain subplots drag on far too long for their own good. Y’know, stuff like the Rand’s internal struggle with the disembodied voice of Lews Therin Telamon and the murky machinations of supporting antagonists the Forsaken, not to mention the whole business with Slayer.
Yes, fans enjoy a good mystery and it can be fun trying to piece together the clues Jordan (and later Brandon Sanderson) has scattered throughout the saga’s 15 volumes. However, several convoluted plot threads could have been tightened up somewhat – making this an area where the Amazon show could actually improve upon the source material!
Wolfbrother Telepathy
In the Wheel of Time mythology, a “wolfbrother” is someone born with an otherworldly connection to wolves, sharing their keen senses and communicating with them via telepathy. To be honest, we’re a bit nervous about how well this aspect of the canon will play out in the Amazon series, as it has the potential to be kinda silly.
It’s not wolfbrothers’ trademark golden irises that have fans worried – between contact lenses and digital effects, this should be child’s play to achieve on screen. No, lovers of the novel are more concerned about how talking animals will come across in the show’s otherwise restrained fantasy setting. Indeed, the unintentionally goofy telepathic dragon scenes in Netflix’s divisive new series The Witcher illustrate just how carefully Judkins will have to handle human/wolf interactions in The Wheel of Time.
Daes Dae'mar
Given their shared fantasy trappings, comparisons between The Wheel of Time and Game of Thrones are inevitable, but misguided. To be honest, it’s a bit like contrasting Grey’s Anatomy with Scrubs just because both take place in a hospital! For example, the two properties differ wildly in how well they tackle the politics of their fictional realities.
See, Game of Thrones is at its best when focused on court intrigue and shadowy maneuvering, whereas this is an area where Wheel of Time is arguably at its least effective. That’s not to say that Judkins should abandon the concept of Daes Dae’mar entirely – “The Game of Houses” is crucial to both the world and the wider narrative. We just recommend he balances out the bureaucratic chicanery with some good ol’ fashioned escapism, is all.
Aes Sedai Agelessness
The Aes Sedai – an all-female organization of channelers who hold considerable sway in the world of The Wheel of Time – are memorable for more than just their proficiency with the One Power. Take their uncannily youthful features, which is a disconcerting phenomenon frequently remarked upon in the novels.
This same effect will need to be applied to every Aes Sedai who shows up in the Amazon series, including Rosamund Pike’s Moiraine. It won’t be an easy task, either: although Pike is an undeniably beautiful woman, she’s now in her early 40s – so convincingly depicting her agelessness without resorting to extensive (and expensive) CGI will be tricky. Still, if anyone knows how to make somebody look unnaturally younger, it’s the fine folks in Hollywood…
Tel'aran'rhiod
Tel'aran'rhiod isn’t the name of a virus you contract on an exotic overseas holiday, but rather the fancy name for the World of Dreams in the Wheel of Time universe. As you’d expect, it’s a pretty surreal place: gifted “Dreamwalkers” can reshape Tel’aran’rhiod to suit their whims, and – following similar rules to the Matrix franchise – if they kick the bucket here, they suffer the same fate in the waking world, as well.
It goes without saying that the World of Dreams brings with it considerable opportunities for mind-bending set pieces akin to those of Inception or Doctor Strange. Yet Judkins and his visual effects wizards need to do better than just rehashing familiar dreamscapes – the Unseen World is a haunting, ethereal and even sinister realm, and the version seen in the Amazon TV show must reflect this.
The Backstory
When we refer to the backstory, we don’t mean lead protagonist Rand al’Thor’s origins, or even the lore surrounding the Dragon Reborn – there’s simply no way these facets Wheel of Time continuity won’t be present on some level. Instead, we’re talking about the wider series timeline, which Judkins needs to incorporate in order to deliver a truly satisfying adaptation of Jordan’s novels.
Obviously, we don’t insist on the Amazon series referencing every single past event touched upon in the books. On the contrary, as with HBO’s Game of Thrones, some of this material should wind up on the cutting room floor to ensure the plot maintains forward momentum. All the same, key flashpoints like the Age of Legends and the decline of King Arthur stand-in Artur Hawkwing deserve a shoutout if newcomers are to understand the full context underpinning the main narrative.
Min’s Visions
In the Wheel of Time books, Elmindreda "Min" Farshaw possesses the unique ability to perceive visions and auras around people, which lends her a degree of clairvoyance regarding their futures. Robert Jordan does a fine job of describing Min’s extrasensory skills on the page, but what works in prose doesn’t always translate well to the screen.
Done too literally, the sight of the Amazon series’ actors encircled by psychedelic colors and random iconography could come across as a tad hokey. Here’s hoping that Judkins and his conceptual artists can avoid such a scenario by devising a more grounded approach to rendering Min’s visions that nevertheless captures their essence.
The Horn Of Valere
Strictly speaking, this entry isn’t about the Horn of Valere itself, but rather the occasion when the fabled bugle is finally sounded. A major moment in the second book in the series, The Great Hunt – which earmarks it for Season 2 of the Wheel of Time Amazon series – this mystical summoning of the most legendary heroes throughout the ages is similar to the “Portals” scene during the Avengers: Endgame finale.
Sure, Season 2 is a while away yet – which means there’s no point in fans getting too anxious just yet. Even so, the Horn of Valere scene is hands-down one of the most iconic in the entire 15 instalment cycle, so we’d still like to flag upfront that getting it wrong on the small screen just isn’t an option, no matter when it happens!
Tarmon Gai'don
If the previous entry was an example of us getting too far ahead of ourselves, then this entry is us well and truly going off the deep end. Seriously, though: the entire show (like the novels that inspired it) will be building towards Tarmon Gai’don – the Wheel of Time mythos answer to Armageddon – right from the get-go, and fans could really do without another Game of Thrones-style let down.
That’s fans have their fingers crossed that Rafe Judkins has already started to map out how he’ll tackle The Last Battle when it comes time to realize it on the small screen. He’ll certainly have his work cut out for him: the final showdown between Rand, the Dark One and their respective forces constitutes an entire, 202-page chapter in the final book, A Memory of Light!