Reviews with content warning for Slavery - The Great Hunt

My experience with this book was a bit odd. I started it in March 2020, read the first 250 pages, and then took what was meant to be a short break. I picked it back up in late December in an attempt to clear out my Currently Reading shelf before the new year, and finally finished it on January 1.

I suppose my general feelings can be summed up by explaining why I put it down in the first place. I’m intrigued by this story, but I’m not captivated by it. That’s fine; not every book is or needs to be an exceptional read. But my lukewarm feelings for this book were exacerbated by an underlying sense of dread that, in deciding to pursue this series, I was setting myself up to read fourteen books that I’d only have lukewarm feelings for. My excitement:obligation ratio for picking up the next book in this series is worrisomely low.

But let me give credit where it’s due: when I went back to the book after my eight-month-long hiatus, I didn’t need to backtrack or rely on wiki summaries to jog my memory. The characters and plotlines were all still relatively fresh in my mind and I had no trouble picking right back up where I’d left off. This is the unexpected silver lining of Jordan’s repetitive, meandering, hyper-descriptive prose… it’s a slog to get through sometimes, but it’s obviously effective and memorable.

The writing: Very descriptive and wordy. Fairly readable most of the time, but there were more than a few scenes that I struggled to care about, and the repetitiveness of the characters’ inner monologues makes them collectively less likeable. If this book were written today I don’t think it would make it past an editor without a big slash to the word count. 2.5/5 stars.

The setting and plot: Reads as very “basic” fantasy, but I recognise that’s because so many modern authors were inspired by Jordan. I did enjoy the deeper look at the magic system and I think it’s going to go to some interesting places. 3.5/5 stars.

The characters: Nynaeve’s back must ache fiercely after carrying this entire book. 4/5 stars for her, 2’s and 3’s for everyone else. I don’t think we saw any significant growth from anyone in this book, but I can see where seeds have been planted for some great character moments in the future, so I’m optimistic.

OVERALL: A respectable 3 out of 5 stars. I’ll be continuing on with the series next month but I’m not yet 100% committed to finishing it.

I recommend this to: Everyone, and no one. Reading the Wheel of Time is considered a rite of passage by some fantasy fans, and if you’re anything like me then you likely feel the urge to read the series just to be part of the conversation. But if the synopsis doesn’t catch your attention, then I think you can safely pass this one by. At this point the genre has diversified itself so much that I don’t think any one series is “required reading”.

Are you a Wheel of Time fan? Feel free to try to change my mind! I desperately wanted to love this series, so I’m a little sad that I’ve felt ambivalent about it so far.

Content Warnings

josh__sobel's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

readandfindout's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

4.0

Original rating: 5 stars
Overall rating, 2022 reread: 4 stars

Style/writing: 4 stars
Themes: 3.5 stars
Characters: 4 stars
Plot: 3.5 stars
Worldbuilding: 4.5 stars

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