[A quick note: This series is a beast. At fourteen books and each book between 250,000 words and 300,000 words, it’s going to take me all year to get through them. But I’m already really invested so I love that I’ll get to “live” in a world for so long! Now I just wish there was more bookish merch for this series!]
“𝘿𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙖 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙙𝙪𝙩𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣.”—Robert Jordan
The hero must always face what he is. Rand cannot hide forever. When the legendary Horn of Valere goes missing, he sets out with friends Mat and Perrin to retrieve it, on what turns out to be the greatest hunt of a lifetime.
The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills. Strong characters. Women who don’t need men to save them. Cool magic. Epic adventure. A great hunt. All of this was woven together across a tapestry, or in this case, yarns on a Wheel. It’s epic fantasy at its finest. The Great Hunt was packed with excitement. I adored it more than the first book, and not just because I was attached to the characters and comfortable with the world building. I’m sooo hooked on this series now!
In The Great Hunt, we see the Emond’s Field characters split up, going separate ways for a time. Mat, Perrin, and Rand go with Ingtar Shinowa and a group solders to hunt the horn, while Egwene and Nynaeve go to the White Tower to become Aes Sedai. I loved that each group faced its own struggles, and that we got to see some of what goes on in the tower.
While the plot of these books feels convoluted at times, a little long at times, and could potentially be shortened, I don’t mind it. These books feel like a meandering river rather than rocky rapids. And that’s okay. I read them to escape and relax. I don’t need heart-pumping action that speeds me down railroad tracks at 100mph. I am find taking my sweet time. I’m fine being immersed in the world.
“𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨, 𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙛𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙. 𝙍𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙩.”—Lan (Robert Jordan)
Rand’s confrontation with who and what he is was fulfilling. This was something he struggled with through the whole book. But at the end, there was no more running. This moment felt like the inciting incident for the rest of the series.
“𝙈𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙪𝙡𝙚. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚. 𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙪𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙧.”—Egwene (Robert Jordan)
Both Egwene and Nynaeve are characters I’m coming to love, to adore. Two strong women who must fight their own battles. Egwene’s struggles in the last ten chapters! OMG. WOW. When she comes face to face with the leash holders and leashed ones...that made my stomach churn. It made my blood boil! I was so emotional reading that. What she went through, what Nynaeve, Min, and Elayne went through in those last chapters, that was the most exciting part of the book for me.
I can see why people love this series. It’s obvious why Amazon has chosen to make it into a show. And I’m ohhhh soooo excited for that! Especially since the first season covers most of books one and two. So I’m caught up, and I’m ready! I will hopefully be starting the third book in the next few weeks. Can’t wait! 𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: 𝟰/𝟱⭐️