The Eye of the World (Book One, The Wheel of Time)

Rand al'Thor, the son of a farmer, lives in Emond's Field, a town in the Two Rivers region of Andor. The Two Rivers is a peaceful place, filled with people living out their lives mindful of each other, mostly, and no one really ever wants to go off adventuring. His mother died when he was very young and has been raised by his father, Tam, living an otherwise perfectly normal life. That all changes when he sees the black rider. On the evening of Bel Tine, the spring festival, Rand spots a lone black horseman following him. Afraid, Rand compels Tam to turn around to look. Nothing! The rider had disappeared into thin air. Later that night, three visitors arrive in their town. The first is a Gleeman, a traveling performer, of whom word travels fast. The other two are far more mysterious -- a beautiful woman in blue and a burly man in armor, seemingly escorting her. When Emond's Field suddenly comes under attack, the two almost singlehandedly defeat the force. The duo reveal themselves to be Moirane and Lan, an Aes Sedai (basically a mage) and her Warder (protector). Most Two Rivers folk believe that Aes Sedai are servants of the Dark One, the eternal evil, and soon distrust the newcommers. However, Moirane reveals that now is not the time for prejudice. The assailants were creatures known as Trollocs, half man half animal, servants of the Dark One. She believes that the Trollocs, for unknown reasons, were sent to capture Rand and his two friends, Mat and Perrin. She seeks to take them to the city of Tar Valon, seat of Aes Sedai Power, to discover what the Dark One could want with the three. Rand accompanies her with his friends Mat and Perrin.  They are joined by Egwene, Rand's lifelong friend, who demands to come along and the Gleeman, Thom. They set out on a journey that will change Rand's life, and the lives of all around him, forever.

I haven't been this exited about a series for months, maybe even a year. It is everything I search for in a book, action, an ultimate evil, an ancient prophesy, love, magic, and glowing eyes. The Eye of the world was made in 1990 and has been a classic ever since. There are fourteen books in the series. The author, Robert Jordan, died after 11 and Brandon Sanderson wrote the last three. The fourteenth is scheduled to be released in January, 2013.