Rand al’Thor wants nothing more to do with Aes Sedai. He is sick of being manipulated, tired of being hunted by Ba'alzamon's servants and wants nothing more to do with resisting the Dark Lord’s plans to break the Wheel of Time once and for all. He is unsafe to be around and, after great consideration, decides that he must leave his friends behind him before they come to harm.
But Rand’s plans are shattered when the Horn of Valere—a relic from the Age of Legends that brings heroes back from the dead—is stolen by the foul Darkfriend, Padan Fain. Rand cannot leave the Horn in Fain's and reluctantly joins the quest to retrieve it.
On Lord Agelmar's behest, Rand, his friends and Lord Ingtar pursue Padan Fain and his Darkfriends as if they were heading straight to Shayol Ghul itself, following a swathe of death and destruction. But trollocs and Myrddraal are the least of the heroes’ worries as Fain’s powers grow. Even Ba'alzamon has underestimated the corruption that lies in the gleeman’s heart and, touched by madness, Fain challenges Rand to end their great dispute in Toman Head – a peninsula that’s being invaded by the Seanchan, the direct descendants of Artur Hawkwing. The Seanchan bring strange magic and monsters with them; seeking to own all and enslave the Aes Sedai to their terrifying will.
The Good
Robert Jordan has outdone himself again in The Great Hunt. The story is every bit as imaginative as its predecessor (The Eye of the World) and he builds upon his mythology well, creating a vivid, detailed world with a well-established history. Jordan also continues to steer clear of ‘conventional’ monsters and uses those of his own invention as antagonists. This makes for an interesting read and really helps the book stand out in a genre that’s full of goblins, trolls and orcs!
Jordan’s characterisation is also exceptional and he has managed to give his entire cast their own unique voices and thought processes. This adds a sense of realism to The Great Hunt and allowed me to really relate to certain characters. It was also interesting to read about their motivations and how these influenced their actions throughout the book. Despite many of the characters being in the same place, with the same intent in mind, very few are there for the same reasons.
The plot of the book was also quite good. Admittedly it was simple, with much of the book being based around Lord Ingtar's men pursing Padan Fain as they tried to retrieve the Horn of Valere, but Jordan has written it well and The Great Hunt never became stale. He has also taken the time to lay the groundwork for things that will presumably happen later in the series and begins to unveil aspects of certain characters’ pasts.
The Bad
To be honest, there wasn't really anything I disliked about The Great Hunt and it more than lived up to the standard set by its predecessor, being exciting and extremely interesting throughout. One thing that did stand out to me though, was the book was very heavily focused on Rand as the 'point of view' character. The Eye of the World was written from the perspective of several characters with different story arcs and I felt as if Jordan neglected many of his characters overall. Hopefully, this is something he remedy's in The Dragon Reborn and I'm looking forward to a more complex story too!
My Thoughts
I have to say that I was very impressed with The Great Hunt and it lived up to expectations. Its settings and cultures were as rich and detailed as those seen in The Eye of the World and Jordan continue to develop his characters and story. Once again, I recommend that you read the book (or begin The Wheel of Time) as it's certainly worthy of its status as a masterpiece of fantasy!
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