We are more than halfway through the first season of Amazon Prim’s The Wheel of Time series and the show seems to be building a solid viewership. Season 2 is already confirmed (and in production, I believe) so we know this story will continue.
But, as with any screen adaptation of a long series of novels, there have been numerous changes, some subtle, others significant. We will take an in-depth look at the series once season 1 wraps up on before the end of the year, but we wanted to write up a quick article that looks at some of the changes from the books.
We’ll include some spoilers below, also involving what we know from the books that we can expect to happen in the series… or maybe not?
Who is the Dragon Reborn?
In the Amazon series, one of the biggest variations from the books is the extreme uncertainty and clues about which main character is the Dragon Reborn. First off, the show expanded the possibilities beyond the books, where only men could be the Dragon Reborn. In the show, the characters of Egwene and Nynaeve are included as potential Dragons, whereas in the books they were extremely powerful channelers and future Aes Sedai.
Spoiler - Rand is the Dragon Reborn in the books and we assume he will be in the show as well. However, the show has given us hints that just about any of the main characters could be the Dragon. Mat might be going mad, meaning he is already channeling.
Nynaeve blazed like a radiant sun when she finally channeled, a description Moiraine gave to Logain about what the Dragon’s power would look like. Egwene can channel, although her attempts have been limited. Perrin has some sort of powerful magic connection to wolves, could that be a form of the One Power? Rand broke down a door that should have been unbreakable. Was that the One Power?
The addition of more potential Dragons was an interesting choice. Making it possible that the Dragon is male or female plays up the mystery a bit. But, it also creates some issues with the story from the books. One of the main reasons everyone fears the next Dragon in the books is because as a man who can channel, he is inherently dangerous. The male half of the One Power was tainted by the Dark One, so even if the Dragon Reborn wants to save the world, he will also go mad, potentially destroying it.
If the Dragon Reborn can be a woman, then this entire part of the legend becomes less important. A woman Dragon Reborn would just be an immensely powerful Aes Sedai, with no likelihood to go insane. To me, this change takes away one of the main points of the books. If female characters in the books were somehow relegated to lesser, weaker roles, I might understand this attempt to level the playing field. But, the women of the books are incredibly powerful and certainly on equal footing with men. So, I just don’t know that it was a necessary change.
Rand’s Character is Largely Unexplored
In the books, Rand is pretty clearly the protagonist from the beginning. While each main character gets plenty of focus, we understand that Rand is the true main character. We learn more about him and his backstory, how his father taught him certain mental disciplines that are used by master swordsmen and also channelers.
The reveal that his father was a master of the sword and former soldier is important to the story in the books, but is ignored in the series. In the show, we saw an early look at Rand’s father’s sword and the heron mark on the blade, but nothing has been made of it since.
Again, this was an important part of Rand’s story and how he begins to wonder who he really is. By early in the book, Rand’s heredity is in question, as his father reveals that he brought him home from the wars and he isn’t really Tam’s biological son. This is all part of Rand unraveling his own story and eventually that he is the Dragon Reborn.
By removing all this backstory, I’m not sure how easily Rand will fit into the role, once (we assume) he is revealed to be the Dragon Reborn by the end of season 1. Will the series suddenly shift focus to him, revealing more about his past, and perhaps more about his adopted parents? It’s hard to say. But this is another major change from the books, at this point in the series.
The Main Character Ages
In the books the main characters are all teenagers, just emerging into adulthood. In the series, the characters are all in their 20s and are young adults. In the books, this allows Rand and the other main characters to act their ages. They can be both perceptive and a bit petulant, as 16 or 17-year-old kids can be.
But, in the TV series, they sometimes act very young (like teenagers) and yet at other times are clearly older. Everyone once in a while this strikes me strangely when watching the show. I understand that having the characters aged up a bit makes it easier to tell certain parts of the story, but I’m still not entirely sold.
Perrin is Married
Along with the character being aged-up, Perrin actually has a wife and what appears to be a child on the way. This is a huge departure from the books. Perrin then mistakenly kills his wife in battle. This creates an entirely new storyline for the series about Perrin’s guilt. To date, I”m not sure where this storyline is really going. If it doesn’t have some serious importance to the plot of the TV series, then I really wonder if there was any point in making this change. We’ll have to wait and see, but to date, this one rings hollow for me as an unnecessary change.
The One Power
Depicting magic onscreen is always interesting to watch. In the books, the One Power can be used for many things from healing to literally shooting massive blasts of fire at an enemy. In the show, we’ve seen the healing and the ability to move objects by grabbing them with the tendrils of the One Power.
But, we haven’t seen any really advanced magic, that was evident in the books from earlier on. Moiraine once mention that another Aes Sedai (Kerene) could take on an entire army herself. But, she is killed in what seems on-screen to be a fairly small battle. Basically, we’re missing the more impressive types of magic that the book describes. Things may change in the upcoming episodes, but what we’ve witnessed doesn’t really explain how the Aes Sedai would become so powerful.
Overall, I’m enjoying the series, but can’t help but notice the changes from the books and wonder at the decision-making behind the scenes that led to some of them.
