‘The Wheel of Time’ review: A ponderous start before smooth sailings

British fantasy writer China Mieville had some unprintable and apparently anatomically-incorrect things to say about J.R.R Tolkien. Watching the lavishly-produced The Wheel of Time, based on Robert Jordan’s fantasy series, Mieville’s comments on the Tolkein template for fantasy, ring sharp and true. The Wheel of Time Season: 1 Episodes: 8 Creator: Rafe Judkins Starring: Rosamund Pike, Josha Stradowski, Marcus Rutherford, Zoë Robins, Barney Harris, Madeleine Madden, Daniel Henney, Michael McElhatton, Álvaro Morte Run time: 54 to 62 minutes Storyline: The quest for the Dragon Reborn to confront the Dark One continues even as Moiraine and her five charges discover things about themselves and each other Back to The Wheel of Time and putting The Lord of the Rings firmly in the back burner, as mentioned in the review of the first two episodes, the show creaks to a ponderous start before bowling along smoothly on a well-worn track with couplings, love, lust, fear, other-worldly beings, seers and the mandatory bloody battles. With the world plunging into chaos as the Dark One’s power increases, an Aes Sedai, Moiraine, recruits five youngsters— Nynaeve, Egwene Rand, Perrin and Mat. With an inclusive cast that is easy on the eye, excellent production values creating beautifully-realised worlds and gorgeous costumes, The Wheel of Time looks set for the long haul.