From the Bookshelf of Baltimore County Public Library Summer Reading BCPL SRC …

[close] "The Great Hunt" is the second volume in the Wheel of Time series that began with "The Eye of the World." It begins where "The Eye of the World" ended, with Rand, Mat and Perrin still in the company of Moiraine and Lan in Fal Dara after the defeat of two of the Forsaken.

At the end of the "The Eye of the World," group of travelers find the Horn of Valere. While resting in Fal Dara, Padan Fain manages to escape prison and steal the Horn and the ruby-hilted dagger that Mat took out of Shadar Logoth. The rest of the book details (some in overly exacting detail) the true Great Hunt for the Horn as Rand, Mat and Perrin travel with Lord Ingtar of Fal Dara to recapture the Horn and the dagger. Mat requires the dagger to able to be free of it. The Horn needs to be at the last battle, so the prophesies say.

New characters in this book include Lady Selene and the Seanchan. Lady Selene is not who she seems and the Seanchan may very well be Artur Hawkwing's armies returned from over the Aryth Ocean. Wherever they are from, the use Aes Sedai to help in fighting their battles.

We learn more about some characters that were introduced in the first volume of the Wheel of Time series, including Min, Lord Ingtar of Fal Dara, Liandrin Sedai the Amrylin Seat and Verin Sedai. You won't be to terribly surprised by what you find out about Liandrin. You will be shocked by what you discover about Ingtar. All those that came from Emond's Field are there also, including Egwene and Nynaeve.

Jordan tells this story very similarly to the way he wrote "The Eye of the World." He uses a lot of description, which sometimes is very helpful in allowing the reader to visualize the scene and sometimes seems to be just a bit too much. While I was interested in the story, there were times that I needed to put the book down and pick up something else to read for a hour or so. This is not the first time I have read these books, but I keep seeing similarities between this series and other that I have read, particularly the Sword of Truth novels by Terry Goodkind. I'm not sure which author wrote first, but there are quite a few similarities between them. Sometimes, I have to stop and review the stray thought and make sure that it belongs with the "Wheel of Time" series and noth the "Sword of Truth."

Overall, this is volume two in a fourteen volume epic that anyone who says that they like fantasy really must read in order to call themselves well-read in this sub-genre.