In Book two of The Wheel of Time Series, The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan, Rand al’Thor pursues Padan Fain and Trollocs to retrieve the Horn of Valore and cursed dagger. New friends and villains cross the hero’s path as he faces off against the Dark One and his forces. Keep reading to find out why you should be reading this epic series!
If you haven’t read the first novel and don’t want any spoilers, then you should stop reading. While I avoided spoiling most stuff, there are some stuff that are integral to the plot of the second novel. Read at your own risk.
The Great Hunt Summary
Our protagonists are at Fal Dara after the events of the last novel, The Eye of the World, deciding what to do next. The Amyrin Seat, Siuan Sanche, visits and meets with Rand al’Thor and Mat’s condition worsens because of the cursed dagger that he has become attached to. An attack by the Darkforces frees Darkfriend Padan Fain and he steals the Horn of Valore and the cursed dagger.
Rand, Mat, and Perrin, along with a group pursue Padan Fain in order to retrieve the stolen goods. Without the horn, Mat’s health slowly starts to deterioate and he will die if the dagger is not back in his possession. Egwene and Nynaeve go to the Tar Valon to receive training to become Aes Sedia.
An unusual event separates Rand from the group and he travels with two companions to retrieve the dagger. He gets dragged into politics and is exposed to the one power and his destiny as the Dragon Reborn. The Dark One has put his plan into motion and will do anything to destroy Rand and his friends. Can Rand and his friends retrieve the Horn of Valore before Padan Fain uses it and save Mat before it is too late?
The Great Hunt Commentary
Book two picks up right where book one ends and it feels like one long novel instead of two. With that said, I will say this novel was much better than The Eye of the World. The pacing was better and there were more fights instead of just running for an entire book. Rand is still conflicted about his identity but the other characters aren’t for the most part.
This novel felt like it was more focused on Rand and everyone else took a back seat. That might have been better whereas in book one, we were led to believe any three of the boys could be the Dragon Reborn. There was still a lot of new information thrown at the reader but a lot of it is prophesies. Everything is repeated a bunch of times and even then, Robert Jordan explains it again when it is relevant.
Conclusion
Rand and the group are pursuing the Trollocs and the bad guys, a reversal from the first novel. Instead of being passive, Rand is taking action and it feels rewarding. We see Rand start to grow into a much more confident person and he is able to fight now with some training under his belt. Book one didn’t get me excited about this series but book two might have gotten me hooked and makes me want to read all fourteen novels. Just saying that is making me nervous!
Book Two is also the book that me fall in love with this series.
It’s top tier fantasy writing. The first one spreads itself too thin whereas this one is more focused on one plot and let’s everything fall in place