Best Robert Jordan Books
Robert Jordan built a world so vast and detailed that finishing it took another author. The Wheel of Time — beginning with The Eye of the World and spanning fourteen volumes — is one of fantasy's most ambitious undertakings: a mythology-dense epic with dozens of major characters, an intricate magic system bound by strict rules, and a cosmology that rewards readers who pay close attention across thousands of pages. Jordan's prose is expansive and deliberate, layering political intrigue, prophecy, and cultural worldbuilding into each volume. The Shadow Rising and Lord of Chaos represent the series at its most confident — complex, immersive, occasionally maddening in their scope. For audiobook listeners, the Kramer and Reading dual-narrator format has become definitional to how this story sounds in people's heads. Jordan is for readers who want to live inside a world, not just visit it.
Where to Start with Robert Jordan
- Best entry point → The Eye of the World
- What readers keep coming back to → The Great Hunt
- Highest rated by readers → Towers of Midnight (The Wheel of Time #13)
Best Robert Jordan Books
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Towers of Midnight
The Wheel of Time • Book 13
by Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson
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Jordan and Sanderson accelerate toward the Last Battle as Perrin confronts his past and Mat faces the Tower of Ghenjei. Character arcs that have simmered for over a decade finally reach their crescendo with satisfying emotional payoffs.
★ 4.48 Goodreads (176.1K ratings) - 2
The Gathering Storm
The Wheel of Time • Book 12
by Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson
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Rand al'Thor teeters on the edge of madness while Egwene works to heal the broken White Tower, setting up the final confrontation between Light and Shadow.
★ 4.44 Goodreads (178.7K ratings) - 3
The Dragon Reborn
The Wheel of Time • Book 3
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Prophesied to save the world by destroying it, Rand al'Thor runs from his destiny as the Dragon Reborn while his friends pursue him across kingdoms. Jordan expands his epic fantasy as the Dark One's influence grows and ancient powers stir in this pivotal third volume.
★ 4.28 Goodreads (326.7K ratings) - 4
The Shadow Rising
The Wheel of Time • Book 4
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While Rand learns the devastating truth about Aiel history in the glass columns of Rhuidean, Perrin returns home to find Whitecloaks hunting him and the Two Rivers under siege by Trollocs.
★ 4.29 Goodreads (263.6K ratings) - 5
The Great Hunt
The Wheel of Time • Book 2
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Rand al'Thor races to escape his fate as the Dragon Reborn while the Horn of Valere surfaces and the Forsaken break free—Jordan's world-building hits its stride.
★ 4.27 Goodreads (358.9K ratings) - 6
The Eye of the World
The Wheel of Time • Book 1
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Three farm boys flee their village when they learn one of them might be the prophesied Dragon Reborn, destined to either save or destroy the world. Jordan builds a mythology so detailed it feels archaeological.
★ 4.19 Goodreads (598.1K ratings) - 7
The Fires of Heaven
The Wheel of Time • Book 5
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The Dragon Reborn Rand al'Thor faces a coordinated attack from four Forsaken while struggling to unite nations for the Last Battle. Jordan escalates both magical warfare and political intrigue as ancient evils make their most dangerous move yet.
★ 4.20 Goodreads (213.4K ratings) - 8
Lord of Chaos
The Wheel of Time • Book 6
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Political maneuvering intensifies as Rand attempts to forge alliances while the White Tower splits and ancient evils stir. Jordan escalates the scope and complexity, building toward confrontations that will reshape his fantasy world's power structure.
★ 4.20 Goodreads (198.2K ratings) - 9
Knife of Dreams
The Wheel of Time • Book 11
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Reality fractures as the Last Battle approaches, with the dead walking and impossible deaths occurring throughout the world. Jordan finally delivers payoffs to storylines that have been building for thousands of pages.
★ 4.20 Goodreads (149.6K ratings) - 10
A Crown of Swords
The Wheel of Time • Book 7
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Book seven finds Rand increasingly unstable as the taint on saidin affects his mind, while Mat dices with nobles in Ebou Dar and Egwene plays politics with the rebel Aes Sedai. Jordan's middle volumes reward patient readers.
★ 4.07 Goodreads (187.9K ratings) - 11
New Spring
The Wheel of Time
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Before becoming the legendary Warder-Aes Sedai pair, young Lan and freshly raised Moiraine pursue Black Ajah conspirators through a city near the Blight. Jordan's prequel reveals how their legendary partnership began while delivering classic Wheel of Time intrigue and action.
★ 4.07 Goodreads (118.4K ratings) - 12
Winter's Heart
The Wheel of Time • Book 9
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Jordan focuses on Rand's dangerous plan to purify saidin while Perrin hunts the Shaido who captured Faile.
★ 3.97 Goodreads (156.2K ratings) - 13
The Path of Daggers
The Wheel of Time • Book 8
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Jordan tightens the noose around his characters as the Seanchan advance, Rand's sanity fractures, and the Asha'man begin displaying signs of madness.
★ 3.93 Goodreads (163.5K ratings) - 14
Crossroads of Twilight
The Wheel of Time • Book 10
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Jordan slows the pace to explore political maneuvering as Mat's kidnapped bride becomes his greatest challenge and Rand's supporters begin questioning his increasingly erratic leadership.
★ 3.77 Goodreads (141.4K ratings) - 15
Unfettered III: New Tales
The Chathrand Voyage #Thasha's cure for cabin fever • Book 3
by Shawn Speakman, Tad Williams, Naomi Novik, Megan Lindholm, John Gwynne, David Anthony Durham, Callie Bates, Jason Denzel, Carrie Vaughn, Deborah A. Wolf, Anna Stephens, Patrick Swenson, Ramon Terrell, Peter Orullian, Terry Brooks, Lev Grossman, Seanan McGuire, Delilah S. Dawson, Mark Lawrence, Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan, Todd Lockwood, Cat Rambo, Robert V.S. Redick, Ken Scholes, Scott Sigler, Anna Smith Spark, Marc Turner
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Benefits medical debt relief while showcasing original tales from Brandon Sanderson, Naomi Novik, Terry Brooks, and other genre luminaries.
★ 3.98 Goodreads (571 ratings)