Multiple threads were expertly woven into this story, through a myriad of POVs. We have our primary cast of characters in the form of the five Emond's fielder's (Rand, Mat, Perrin, Egwene, and Nynaeve), but sprinkled throughout the book we also get small glimpses into the lives of men and women spread out all over the continent. We see things from the perspective of a ship's captain that we met in book one; we get a POV from the perspective of a general among the religious elite. Moraine, the Aes Sedai, gets some air time. Even the villain has a POV in this book, which was an excellent inclusion, and really added a lot to the book. The first book didn't have a villain beyond "The Dark Lord", who we know nothing about. November 17th of 2009 sees the ebook release of The Great Hunt. The artwork is by Kekai Kotaki. Depicted is the scene where Rand al'Thor recovers the Horn of Valere from Trollocs. With Rand is Loial and what appears to be Selene.

The Great Hunt was an epic sequel. It improved on the things that I thought were not done as well in The Eye of the World, but on the flip-side it came with it's own fair share of mishaps. I can't wait to see what will happen in The Dragon Reborn. The Great Hunt is a concept that can be found in numerous mythologies, but (not surprisingly) my favorite versions have always been the ones with Fae roots. I sweated (literally) through the last few chapters and when I finished and relaxed, all my muscles hurt, lol. A lot is happening at the same time and even if I knew the outcome, I was still there 100%, reading with my heart in my throat. Jordan's world building continues to be excellent and it was good to see and learn more of the kingdoms. The addition of the Seanchan invasion force and their crazy ways also gave the story a whole new dimension. The world continues to get a little bigger for our group from The Two Rivers. There are new people, customs, places and danger seems to be EVERYWHERE. It seems that most of the book is about Rand since he seems to be the very reluctant and ridiculously stubborn hero. Temptations abound as various characters try to pull him into their machinations including a new beautiful woman Selene. I hated her immediately and seriously why does every woman (except Nynaeve of course) need to be in love with Rand??? Why can’t Perrin or Mat find someone interested in them??? I was sure I knew who she really was from the beginning and that can be nothing but trouble for Rand so I hope all the stubbornness pays off in the end.

Right. So in addition to that, they've tamed monsters (like grolm: bear-sized, three-eyed beasts with grayish green, lizard-like, impossible to penetrate with things like swords or arrows, hide, and sharp, hooked beak-like mouths) to the point of riding them like horses. NOTICE: this reread is in preparation for finally biting the bullet and reading book 14. That means I HAVE NOT read book 14 yet. Please be mindful of this in the comments, both for me and for others who may or may not have progressed past this point in the series. Thank you. SO. We have a Dragon Reborn and a Wolfbrother, but what's behind door #3? *raises hand* b/c I know, I know! *sighs*

I normally don't enjoy books that are mainly travelling books (looking at you Feast for Crows), but while travelling from Point A to Point B was in large part what this book was about, the concepts were original enough and the characters engaged enough to the point where that didn't really matter. While the first Wheel of Time book was good, I thought it suffered from being too similar to The Lord of the Rings. This book feels like Robert Jordan began to write his own story and diverge from where the first book took the reader. The first ring transports her to a giant maze, where she battles a facsimile of Aginor, the Forsaken, and almost wins, but leaves the vision before finishing him. The next two of her visions are painful because she knows that they are also fake and she has to leave them, but she doesn't want to abandon them. One of those visions is of herself in her hometown, Emond's Field, which is in trouble and needs her help, but she has to leave the vision by leaving the village, which makes herself feel as if she truly had left Emond's Field to its fate. Another vision is of herself in the future, married with children to the man she loves, Lan Mandragoran, but once again she must leave the vision by running away from Lan, the last thing she wants to do. After this, she is made an Accepted, a rank in the White Tower just below Aes Sedai and above novice, the lowest.Does not care that the Dragon Reborn is a completely different, maybe twenty-years-old model, when she herself probably had a couple of centuries under her belt before she was sealed inside the Dark One's prison for several thousand years. The expansion of the magic system was something that I thought was done in a great way. I loved all the scenes with Nynaeve and Egwene in the White Tower. I really want to spend some more time there and to dive deeper into the Ajahs. Bringing Elayne and Min to the fore-front was also a great choice. They both had only a chapter or two in book 1, but here they were main characters and I just came to really really enjoy their perspectives! The story features young heroes Rand al'Thor, Mat Cauthon, and Perrin Aybara, who join Shienaren soldiers in a quest to retrieve the Horn of Valere. At the same time, Egwene al'Vere, Nynaeve al'Meara, and Elayne Trakand go to the White Tower in Tar Valon to learn Aes Sedai ways. Finally, an exotic army invades the western coast. The world-building is really great, as we get to know a lot of new places, including The White Tower. New adversaries are introduced – the Seanchan, who have a very intriguing culture. We also learn more about The White Cloaks, Padan Fain, The Forsaken, and get some glimpses into The Age of Legends. New characters appear, the old ones are growing. The Pattern draws one to the other more closely. Rand is far from the sheepherder he used to be even if he still denies what he is, Perrin is finally accepting his Old Gift, Mat is still linked to the Shadar Logoth knife, but he doesn’t abandon his friends and has a big surprise for us.

Excessive pre-determinism is one cardinal flaw I truly detest about the overall premise of this series. Rand’s struggle who is trying to control his life is pointless: the Wheel of Time weaves the pattern using the lives of men for thread and even if you want to alter your life and your destiny, you can do so much as fart. If you are part of the prophecy, it must be fulfilled at all costs, pushing you along the path you have not chosen and this way it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that all you can do is to follow. This circular way of thinking encapsulates the Wheel of Time tautology logic for me (although the worlds and lives that might have been sequence was terrific). I couldn’t help thinking that Daes Dae’Mar played in Cairhien, the Game of Houses, makes A Game of Thrones a child’s play. Maybe it was the inspiration for GRRM? Don’t know and don’t care, to be honest. The story, the writing, the action, the worldbuilding, the pace here are levels up compared to ASOIAF, in my opinion. Fortunately there are more than enough interesting supporting characters to read about: Geofram Bornhald, such a rarity as a benevolent Whitecloak commander; the beautiful and mysterious lady Selene, encountered by Rand and Loial in a different world; Bayle Domon, Verin Sedai and many more.The Forsaken Ba'alzamon presides over a clandestine meeting. In addition to Forsaken and Darkfriends, Ba'alzamon's known subordinates, the meeting includes two Aes Sedai. I must go now, Nynaeve mashiara. The Amyrlin wishes to leave before midday, and there is much yet to be done. Perhaps we will have time to talk on the journey to Tar Valon.” He turned and was gone, striding down the hall. Nynaeve touched her cheek. She could still feel where he had touched her. Mashiara. Beloved of heart and soul, it meant, but a love lost, too. Lost beyond regaining.

This book really did it for me. In The Eye of the World, Jordan spends a lot of time laying foundations for the characters, and for the plot as a whole, which made for a very slow experience that required a lot of patience. The worldbuilding and character development, while still very good, was done at an extremely gradual pace that left me wondering if it was ever actually going to take off. The story felt slow and poorly paced as a result, even though I still thought it was a great book. Still a fantastic installment though. PLUS, *whispers* I may not have mentioned it, but WoT #3 brings ALL KINDS of awesome, so gird your loins, little fishy . . . and keep on swimmin'.Ultimately . . . the reason she joined the dark side is b/c hell hath no fury . . . YES, seriously . . . Best word I can think to describe the nature of the story in this book is multi-faceted. Originally, the overall plot of the series seems almost too simplistic in nature, and by the end of book one we don't really have anywhere near a full scope of what to expect. That changed pretty drastically in this book, and the change was a very positive one. Gawyn scratched his head, then shook it. “Well, if it has anything to do with Rand al’Thor, be sure you don’t let Elaida hear of it. She has been at me like a Whitecloak Questioner three times since we arrived. I do not think she means him any—” He gave a start; there was a woman crossing the garden, a woman in a red-fringed shawl. “ ‘ Name the Dark One,’ ” he quoted, “ ‘and he appears.’ I do not need another lecture about wearing my shirt when I’m out of the practice yards. Good morning to you all.” Even this was hard for me. It has been 8 years since my last read, and I have lost some of my patience for epic fantasy. There is so much build-up. I remember The Great Hunt as a wild ride, but it's... not?