The Wheel of Time Reread: Book 2 - The Great Hunt
Find the full list of posts in my full re-read of the series HERE
I was pleasantly surprised by The Great Hunt. For some reason, I recalled this one being one of the weaker books in the series. Looking at it now, I think I thought this was because, in many ways, the plot is a reflection of the first book. In The Eye of the World, Rand and the others run across the world from something, and in The Great Hunt, they run back across the world running to something. But this time around, I found a lot better than I remembered it.
Before I get into Book 3, can we just take a moment to appreciate the terrible, terrible, cover art?
I tried so hard to find a hardback copy without these original “fantasy” portraits. I've always hated these covers. They utterly fail to convey the characters or the feel of the books. The way Egwene (I assume) is looking at Rand (I assume) with simpering adoration? Urgh! It's sickening. How anyone saw these covers on the shelves and actually wanted to read these books, I’ll never know.
Taking time with the protagonist
The main arc of The Great Hunt is Rand growing into the role destiny has woven for him. And it's an arc that honestly needed the time it's given here. It's an all too common fantasy trope for the innocent to become the prophesied hero with no warning or reason; it's a deus ex machina rather than character development. Instead, Jordan shows us Rand refusing his destiny but taking the actions that lead him towards it anyway. Not because of destiny, but because they are simply the right thing to do.
I really like this being the main drive behind his growth. Being a hero is about doing the right thing no matter much it scares you or how much you don't want to. And it plays nicely into how the character develops in later books, taking this positive concept and twisting it to become more and more toxic.
I’ll be taking about world-building a lot
We're still to the world at this point, but Jordan is already showing his talent for world-building. As their journey reverses back across the continent, we get to see more countries and cultures, as well as glimpses of the history behind all of them. And the way Jordan shows this is what makes him a master at this. You're left with a real sense that this is a living, breathing world that stretches far beyond our protagonist's limited world experiences.
A great example here is the arrival of the Seanchan (who I'd forgotten turned up this soon). We're never told the full story of who they are and where they come from. We're simply given enough pieces of the story to put it together ourselves, which draws us into thinking more about the other elements of the world's history. Jordan gives us just enough to work it all out ourselves and feel smart about doing it.
Although I suppose it could be that this is my third read-through of the series, and I know what I'm looking for.
Right, now, on to The Dragon Reborn.