Robert Jordan: The Great Hunt

Hi

This is the second book in The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan.
I am slowly rereading the whole series and I plan to read one book every other month.
This one has 701 pages.

* SPOILERS AHEAD! *

First of all, the prologue was really enticing.
 After that, it got boring. The first half of the novel reads fast, but nothing really happens.
Fortunately, it does pick up.

The characters are better worked out in this novel. Most of them are more realistic and human. Though Matt is still an idiot and Nynaeve can be a sulking child. And everyone is still stubborn. But we know more about them and they are more than stubborn, proud or smart.
The sheer magnitude of the world becomes apparent in this novel. The different races, cities, countries, customs etc. are amazingly brought. I love a good, solid, wide world in Epic Fantasy. This is a world I can believe in. Especially with all the details we get, and I love the details! It makes it so much more real.
The simple prose makes it easy to read. It’s almost too simple, but it doesn’t feel like I’m reading a YA or children’s book, it’s just very fast and easy to read.

Rand’s point of view is almost non-existent and this makes you wonder where he is and what he is doing.
I loved reading from Fain’s point of view. He’s so different from every other ‘bad guy’ and that makes him very interesting.

Reading this for the second time takes away the surprise. But not as much as you might think. This is such a huge series so it has been a few years since I read it. I forgot a lot of the minor plot elements, I forgot about a lot of the characters where their loyalties lie (darkfriend or not) and I forgot about specific scenes.
The biggest pro of rereading this is understanding the foreshadowing and hints Jordan gives us. And there are a lot of those.

I am enjoying this reread a lot.

Happy reading!
Helena

My husband's bread pudding and a book.