The Great Hunt is the continuation of an epic adventure that every fantasy literature fan has heard of.
Book Review: The Great Hunt
- Author: Robert Jordan
- Series: The Wheel of Time #2
- Publisher: Tor
- Pages: 705
- First published: November 15, 1990
- Edition: Mass Market Paperback
- ISBN: 9780812517729 (ISBN10: 0812517725)
- ASIN: B005IGPUMY
- Language English
- Available in Electronic Format (ePub, PDF, etc.)
I read somewhere that the first and second books were originally planned to be one volume, and I’m glad Robert Jordan decided to split them.
At first, I thought The Great Hunt would simply be the middle ground in my rating scale, but the author quickly reinforced the reputation of the series and gave me much to reflect on.
Brief Summary
The story begins about a month after the events of The Eye of the World.
Rand meets the Amyrlin Seat for the first time and finds himself even more entangled in the webs of the Aes Sedai, despite his wish to flee and protect his loved ones.
Fal Dara is attacked, and the Horn of Valere, along with the dagger from Shadar Logoth, is stolen by a group of Darkfriends and Trollocs led by Padan Fain.
Mat’s life depends on recovering the dagger, and the world is at risk if the Horn falls into the wrong hands.
Thus, a group of Shienaran soldiers, along with Rand, Mat, Perrin, and Loial, set out to pursue the Dark One’s servants.
At the same time, Egwene and Nynaeve embark on a journey to Tar Valon to begin their training to become Aes Sedai.
Their path proves no less thrilling as they face betrayal and must confront a new threat: invaders who spread fear and devastation through Queen Morgase’s lands, seeking revenge for ancient broken oaths.
Analysis and Evaluation
This was a strong continuation of the series.
Initially, I didn’t find it as gripping as The Eye of the World. It felt slow for about 50% of the time, but as the story progressed, the world expanded, and the conflict deepened, my opinion changed.
The Seanchan, and the storyline of Egwene and Nynaeve, brought me a lot of anxiety.
I think the appearance of this new threat and the mystery surrounding them held my attention firmly.
These two girls definitely became dear to me.
Now, I eagerly await how the friendship between the four girls (I won’t name them to avoid spoilers, but several characters from the first book reappear) will develop, along with the conflict that Robert Jordan intensified through the revelations about the Black Ajah.
Rand somewhat disappointed me and even got on my nerves.
Denial, stubbornness, and whining were his predominant states throughout the book.
However, given that this was the author’s intention, I believe Jordan portrayed it successfully. After all, even the prophecy says that Rand must not seek glory…
My biggest surprise was Padan Fain, who assumed the main villain role in The Great Hunt.
What Jordan does with Fain shows that this story will never be a simple hero vs. villain tale but a complex, multi-layered, and tangled narrative.
I am impressed by how the author steadily introduces new characters.
Sometimes it’s through rumors and legends; other times, through meetings and encounters.
In this second book, faces we briefly met in The Eye of the World return and clearly establish themselves as major parts of the ongoing story.
As in the first book, we are introduced to even more characters, some of whom may fade into the background but won’t be forgotten, while others, I am convinced, will become catalysts and key players in future storylines.
Personal Impressions
I eagerly look forward to continuing the series and seeing how far the story will go.
The Forsaken are loose, the Horn of Valere has been found and the Dead are rising from their dreamless sleep. The Prophecies are being fulfilled – but Rand al’Thor, the shepherd the Aes Sedai have proclaimed as the Dragon Reborn, desperately seeks to escape his destiny.
Rand cannot run for ever. With every passing day the Dark One grows in strength and strives to shatter his ancient prison, to break the Wheel, to bring an end to Time and sunder the weave of the Pattern.
And the Pattern demands the Dragon.
