The Great Hunt
Like the first book in The Wheel of Time series, The Great Hunt took a little while to get going. Action happened more quickly, but it still felt like everyone was hanging around until Jordan managed to get all his pieces in place. And then it was off and running.
Once the plot really kicked in, the book became pretty thrilling. There's a lot going on in this series. It's not just that there are tons of characters (I looked it up and there are 147 pov characters over the course of the series) with their own subplots. The story really does encompass a whole world.
The bulk of the book follows Rand, Mat and Perrin, as them attempt to recover the Horn of Valere which gets stolen in the early going. Rand does recover it, then it gets stolen again. Meanwhile Egwene and Nynaeve begin their Aes Sedai training, where they meet and befriend Elayne and Min. On top of that, there are two nations at war by the end of the book, and a couple that seem on the brink of it. This story is epic in a way you rarely see, bringing in side characters to keep smaller plots alive around the main thrust of action.
All the shifting story-lines went a long way to keeping me engaged in the story. I kept reading, hoping to push ahead to when another character re-entered. While the characters split up, their stories still remain entwined. They always manage to come back together again, too, if only briefly. It reminded me of one of my biggest frustrations with Game of Thrones, which is that once the characters separate they stay separated. Even when, for example, Jon and Bran end up in the same battle, neither knows the other was there. Jordan has the good sense to let his characters come back together and check in with each other. To shift the groups around and explore dynamics. It keeps the relationships alive and interesting. It also helps keep all the different threads of the story connected.
I was also impressed by how off-balance I felt by this story. I found myself wondering about the trustworthiness about many of the characters. And while my instincts were proven right about some, others remain a mystery. Some of the ones I trust completely now seem like they're targets for corruption later on, Nynaeve specifically and possibly Mat, too.
All in all, this series is really taking me by surprise. I suppose it shouldn't be. It's a beloved classic for a reason, and I know the quality dips some in the middle. But for now I'm really enjoying the ride. More than I expected to. And I just want more from all of the characters. Good thing there are 12 books left. I'm going to have all the more I can handle.
Once the plot really kicked in, the book became pretty thrilling. There's a lot going on in this series. It's not just that there are tons of characters (I looked it up and there are 147 pov characters over the course of the series) with their own subplots. The story really does encompass a whole world.
The bulk of the book follows Rand, Mat and Perrin, as them attempt to recover the Horn of Valere which gets stolen in the early going. Rand does recover it, then it gets stolen again. Meanwhile Egwene and Nynaeve begin their Aes Sedai training, where they meet and befriend Elayne and Min. On top of that, there are two nations at war by the end of the book, and a couple that seem on the brink of it. This story is epic in a way you rarely see, bringing in side characters to keep smaller plots alive around the main thrust of action.
All the shifting story-lines went a long way to keeping me engaged in the story. I kept reading, hoping to push ahead to when another character re-entered. While the characters split up, their stories still remain entwined. They always manage to come back together again, too, if only briefly. It reminded me of one of my biggest frustrations with Game of Thrones, which is that once the characters separate they stay separated. Even when, for example, Jon and Bran end up in the same battle, neither knows the other was there. Jordan has the good sense to let his characters come back together and check in with each other. To shift the groups around and explore dynamics. It keeps the relationships alive and interesting. It also helps keep all the different threads of the story connected.
I was also impressed by how off-balance I felt by this story. I found myself wondering about the trustworthiness about many of the characters. And while my instincts were proven right about some, others remain a mystery. Some of the ones I trust completely now seem like they're targets for corruption later on, Nynaeve specifically and possibly Mat, too.
All in all, this series is really taking me by surprise. I suppose it shouldn't be. It's a beloved classic for a reason, and I know the quality dips some in the middle. But for now I'm really enjoying the ride. More than I expected to. And I just want more from all of the characters. Good thing there are 12 books left. I'm going to have all the more I can handle.
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