Reviews

I gave the Wheel of Time a last chance with this book, because I heard that the storytelling changes after the first one. Well, I didn't notice any of that. I read one paragraph to my boyfriend and he commented that it was exactly what you'd expect if you told ChatGPT to write a generic fantasy novel. Couldn't have said it any better. Wannabe oldtimey language, characters that don't make sense, unnecessary loredumps. To my knowledge this is considered a classic and the most popular fantasy book/series after the Lord of the Rings and A Song of Ice and Fire, and for the life of me I don't get it.

sarazeen95's review against another edition

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4.0

Book 2 is when the tale starts to get into the meat of the matter, in a manner of speaking. It’s also where we are properly introduced to Siuan Sanche, one of the all-around coolest characters in this ultra-cool series, so The Great Hunt automatically gets points for that.

Again, Jordan likes to take his time with things, so unless you’re a (very!) patient reader, this book is around when most casual perusers are likely to give up. We’re all used to trilogies where the protagonist becomes insanely powerful within half of Book 2, so if that’s what you’re hoping for, it’s not going to happen. Rand begins to come into his own from Book 4, so you’re in for a long but worthy wait. And boy does Book 2 set it off nicely!

Padan Fain, a minor character encountered three, maybe four, times in The Eye of the World reveals himself to be as much of a danger as the Dark One himself, foretelling some of the events that will shake the world to its roots. Rand realizes that the powers he’d briefly discovered at the end of the last book are likely to kill him or get him killed, and he panics. Mat and Perrin join the hunt for Padan Fain, who’s stolen the Horn of Velere, with Rand and a band of Sheinarans. We’re also reintroduced to Ingtar, a hero-type character with all the makings of a great man — but with a shocking twist at the end of the story that left me gaping at the words for a full hour. Nynaeve, Egwene, Moiraine and Lan troop off to the White Tower, but the last two leave soon to learn more about the legends surrounding the Dragon Reborn.

Rand, Loial and a hilarious Shienaran half-bloodhound-half-adorkable guy called Hurin are soon separated from their party and lands in the midden of an alternate dimension. Lanfear (you gorgeous killer-lady, you) helps them get back to their own world, though. Rand is reunited with Thom (my darling gleeman, thought killed in the last book), but this spells disaster for the latter. Rand, Loial and Hurin meet up with Ingtar’s group, along with Mat and Perrin, and break into a nobleman’s house to recapture Fain and get the Horn back.

A side-note: Mat is almost dying because of the cursed dagger’s influence, a fact that preys on Rand’s mind. Perrin, in the meantime, has become a wolfbrother, meaning he can communicate telepathically with wolves, an ability which becomes vital to Rand’s struggles later.

Fain escapes to the other side of the continent (Toman Head), which is currently in the hands of the invading foreign army, the Seanchan. Nynaeve, Elayne and Min are lured there by the Black Ajah member, Liandrin (I hate this girl so much, ugh), where they are captured before Rand and the rest arrive in the port-city.

All the main protagonists converge on tiny, significant little Falme, and the world is shown the face of the Dragon Reborn for the first time: the Seanchan and the Whitecloaks attack each other, trapping our heroes in between, forcing Mat to blow the Horn and call legendary heroes from the grave to the fight while Rand enters into a terrifying battle with Ba’alzamon up in the air above the city. This is where Rand receives a wound that will trouble him for a long, long time afterwards. At the end of the book, the world is finally made aware of the presence of the Dragon Reborn, a fate which Rand is just beginning to accept as real, opening declaring himself the Dragon Reborn for the first time.

Despite being just Book 2, The Great Hunt truly begins to reveal just how epic the scale of this story is. We’re shown glimpses of a deeper history, antagonists who seem borderline un-killable and heroes who have to truly earn their places. We’re also introduced to some of the “cooler” characters (Siuan being my favorite), and it becomes very obvious that these three ta’veren will gather enough power to truly change the world. I’m giving The Great Hunt a cool 4/5, striking off a point only because of how much I loathe Padan Fain. Otherwise, it’s a worthy addition to this series