Book Reviews by Leslie O'Donald for viewzone

Share This Site The Wheel of Time Book 2 The Great Hunt continues the story of the Emond's Field villagers and their adventures across the land. You learn more about each character as the group is split and reunited various times throughout their new adventures.

The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan, Copywrite 1991

"The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and are long forgotten when that Age comes again. In one Age called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past..."

This is the start of the first chapter of each book with slight changes. In The Great Hunt it continues,

"a wind rose in the Mountains of Dhoom. The wind was not the beginning . There are neither beginnings or endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning."

At the end of book one though dying the Green Man defeats Balthamel, the Bordermen win at Tarwin's Gap while Rand's defeat of Aginor takes place in the sky above. Rand's use of the One-Power shows the group that he is the Dragon Reborn. The Eye of the World is no more but the Dragon Banner and the Horn of Valere are now back in the world and the Last Battle is not far off. Spring is finally arriving and the Blight is slowly fading.

At the start of The Great Hunt Rand, Mat, and Perrin, Nynaeve, Egwene, Moiraine, and Lan back from the Blight, are recuperating from their fight with two of the Chosen -- Aginor and Balthamel. Rand keeps deciding to leave to protect everyone but then stays just a little longer, not wanting to leave his friends. Egwene visits Padin Fain in the dungeons. He is worse than the Dark Friends and all the Shadow put together but she wants to try to bring him back to the light. Moiraine is ignoring Rand and Lan is teaching him the sword. Too late for Rand to leave now the Amyrlin Seat, leader of the Aes Sedai has arrived in the borderlands and the gates to the city have been sealed.

The Amyrlin and only a couple of trusted sisters know who Rand is. She is here to visit and speaks with all the Emond's Field villagers. Lan shows Rand how to act like a borderman when he is called to an audience with the Amyrlin. Meanwhile Fain escapes killing two guards injuring Egwene and stealing the Horn and Mordeth's Dagger. The Amyrlin heads back to Tar Valon with Nynaeve who finally realizes she loves Lan and Egwene who finally realizes she does not love Rand. To Rand's surprise he is allowed to go with Mat, Perrin, Loial and Ingtar to retrieve them and bring them back. Once out of the city he is informed that he is the second in command and Moiraine has secreted the Dragon Banner in his supplies.

Ingtar, his men, Hurin the sniffer who can smell the trail of violence, and the boys leave to follow Fain and some how only just stay close instead of catching up to him. They camp one night and Mat and Perrin see the banner and decide to sleep away from Rand. Hurin and Loial stay near him resting near a stone pillar and when they next wake they are in a different world. One of the many worlds of the Wheel. Ingtar Mat, and Perrin realize the three are gone but do not know how. Verin Aes Sedai catches up to them but to late. They decide to keep following the trail that Perrin can find with the wolf's help. He says he is a sniffer like Hurin.

This world is very washed out and disorienting but Hurin can still smell the trail very faintly and they decide to follow it. Rand rescues Selene and she tells him about the stone and how they were used in the distant past. She helps them get back to their world, find Fain, retrieve the horn and the dagger and stop in the city of Cairhien. Selene leaves suddenly before reaching the city and Rand looks for her but cannot find her. While waiting for at the inn Rand keeps getting invitations from the different houses in what is called the Daes Dae'mar a long standing political game. At first he destroys them but on urging from Hurin he saves the last two. Verin and the rest show up just as Rand looses the Horn and dagger again.

They realize Fain took them and followed him to the house of a dark friend to which one of the invitations belonged. They arrived at the party found that Fain went through the way gates and that Thom is alive. Rand tries to follow Fain through the gates but the Machin Shin, the Black Wind is there waiting for him and seems to be controlled by Fain. Verin decides that they have to use the stone pillar to catch Fain and knows Rand can channel. She pretends that she is the one to do it and they are transported to Falme. Here they find the Horn and the dagger once more to try and save Mat.

Meanwhile Nynaeve, Egwene accompany the Amyrlin to Tar Valon where they meet Min again. They also meet Elayne The Daughter Heir, Gawain her brother and Galad her half brother. They raise Nynaeve to Accepted and all start their training. Liandrin Sedai has Nynaeve and Egwene follow her to "save the boys" and Elayne and Min decide they are going to go along. They realize to late that Liandrin is of the Black Ajah and she has brought them to the Seanchan in Falme who collar women that can channel.

Egwene and Min are captured and Egwene is collared and learns how to destroy things with the Power. Threats keep Min nearby as she tries to figure out how to save Egwene. Then she runs into Nynaeve and Elayne and they hatch a plan to rescue Egwene. They learn that the leash holders can also channel. During the rescue Egwene and Rand each think they have seen each other but dismiss it. Seeing the mass of Seanchan and the Children of the Light Mat blows the Horn and calls fourth the ones bound to it. Rand provides the Dragon Banner needed for the heroes to fight along side them against the Children of the Light and the Seanchan.

Ingtar give his life to save Rand and the other men. Rand has a blazing fight with Ba'alzamon and defeats him with the aide of Moiraine who arrived in Falme. Nynaeve and the other women find them and once again our group is together but only for a moment. Rand with the wound that will not heal, Perrin, Min, Moiraine, Lan and the border men are in one group and Nynaeve, Egwene, Elayne, and Verin head back to Tar Valon with Mat to help save him from the Dagger.

So ends The Great Hunt.

Stay tuned for a review of The Dragon Reborn!

Send your comments or questions to us at: monjeaumojo - at - yahoo.com

Enjoy reading,
Leslie


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