The Great Hunt : Book Two of 'The Wheel of Time'

Rating:
Summary: The Humming bird kisses the rose!!
Review: "The Wheel weaves as the wheel weaves." I strongly recommend this book and the EOTW for anyone lookng for pure escapism into epic fantasy if only for a short while. You wont be dissappointed! Great storyline and characters.. once you start you will want more and more.

Rating:
Summary: You've done it again, Rob!
Review: Wow! Not many authors can write a sequel to a fantasy novel and have it match its first volume with flying colors! Robert Jordan is the first author that I have read that was able to accomplish this. I read this book in less time than it took me to read The Eye of the World. It was great, if not better. I highly reccomend that, if you are a fantasy lover as I am, you check out this series. It's the best I've seen, and most likely the best I will ever see. I happen to enjoy writing myself. Robert Jordan is one of my inspirations for writing (although I will never top his work). Once again, thank you, Rob, for an incredible series. And guess what: the third, fourth, and fifth books are just as great as the first two. Read them all!

Rating:
Summary: Bloody Ashes, read this book!
Review: I love Jordan's writing... he is the master of characterization. How can you not like Perrin, Rand, and Mat? The story behind the great hunt for the Horn of Valere is awsome, and it seems stretched until you actually get to the end of the book.

Rating:
Summary: It just gets better!
Review: If you thought Eye of the World was good, you won't be able to put this one down. This book picks up where the surprisingly slow EotW leaves off. Making all the main characters face some of their greatest fears. The trollocs still bug me though, with their unrelenting creatvielessness. Ooh! Let's combine a troll and an orc and put an eagle's beak and goat hooves on him! RJ, you screwed up with that little creation, but I still love ya'. If you can deal with that you can survive the book!

Rating:
Summary: The Weave Is Seen to Be Complex
Review: I love the capability to read and write these reviews! In The Great Hunt, our heroes Rand, Mat and Perrin, and heroines Egwene, Elayne, Min and Nynaeve, begin to understand that their lives are not meant to be simple or uncomplicated. Reluctant as they may be, they are central to the outcome of the great struggle between good and evil. Many others are working to help or hinder them. The story disperses them across the country, across dimensions, across time and many possible lives. They learn some hard lessons about themselves. When finally they come back together it's in a climactic episode that throws in everything but the kitchen sink. Irresistible reading. And it gets better!

Rating:
Summary: This is just an awesome book!
Review: I mean, I read Eye of the world and when I finished I was like "I have to go buy the sequel". This book is just the best I've ever read and Robert Jordan is an amazing author.

Rating:
Summary: The Person Under the Sign Labeled Me Speaks:
Review: My reaction to THE EYE OF THE WORLD was, "Wow, what a great book!" My reaction to this book was, "Hooo, boy, I think I have to read this again!" DON'T BE PUT OFF BY THE SIZE OF THIS BOOK! It's full of action, intensly interesting characters (That sounds humorous, but it's true)and puzzles and suspense. (Puzzle: Why on earth does almost everyone have a name similar to one in the King Arthur legends? Moiraine, Morgaine, Egwene al'Vere, Gwenevere, etc.) Well, anyway, this book is definately one that should be read.

Rating:
Summary: Getting better but going where......
Review: OK, Mr Jordan is improving from the not-so-bad-either beginnings of 'Eye of the World', the scale is suitably epic, the cast varied ('though seriously flawed..) and the detail offered absolutely stunning in its richness and scale. Great fun to read, every single page (although those reader used to 45 minutes 'Xena' episodes and 'soundbites' will be a bit overloaded by the setting and its nuances )- I just have two major flaws to comment upon : First and foremost, Jordan steals, borows and relabels concepts, plots, names and figures without appearant shame or respect from any major epic, pantheon or 'real-world' myth - which on one hand makes the world created by him eerily familliar and convincing sounding, but is everything but original, and rather cheap. Some people aropund this list have complained about other authors 'stealing' from Mr.Jordan - well, folks read around a bit. mke up your minds and shut up ! Few people have copied, pasted in and reworded scenes from other stories like Mr. Jordan !! The second quarrel I have is, that some of the characters go through unexplained major changes (due to their proximity to the ultimate plot device, the ta'veren characters..)in attitude, abilities and goals for reasons of convenience (say Mat Caulthon after this book....) or simply stay one-dimensional sketches forever( How about the 'wisdom' who's major ability is to bully anthing that dares too breathe into submission through simple stubbornness - if that is female wisdom and intellect applied, one can just hope it stays confined to Jordan's creation... Its just ironic that this character is foaming mad at another female character doing just the same...). And the whole cast is at times (when it is required by the plot..) stupid beyond belief (said 'Wisdom' is one of those, I'll just say 'nightly excursions fromm Tar Valon.....) and a sucker for anything...... Besides this, the plot is full of major logical holes and unexplainable occurences (Ok,ok, its the pattern woven by the Wheel in Ages before, what a lucky coincidence !!!), and the villains, besides being labeled 'evil' are almost as harmless as bad weather, especially given the opportunities they miss to wreck _real_ evil. AFter all, these 'forsaken' where among the most powerful, corrupt and clever people of their respective ages - they just are not allowed to show it... The good thing is, one only starts to notice the bad parts on the second reading (and only if one starts thinking about plot coherency..)- until then 'The Great Hunt' (and most of the remaining series ) is fun to read, the showdown is spectacular and touching at the same time, the plots intricately woven ...... even if the whole epic obviously is going nowhere in particular. Recommended reading,but do not call it literature or great art. It IS superior craftmanship - but in no way original, thought provoking or ground breaking. 'nough said !!!

Rating:
Summary: The Best!!!
Review: Of all the WoT books, this is undoubtedly the best. It's a long day, but you won't be able to put this text down. Oh, there are plenty of problems and holes. Jordan spoon-feeds you into submission. You love him and you hate him, because books like The Great Hunt give you so much, and yet promise so much more. I've read the next five books, but this books gives more answers than all the rest put together, with a rare glimpse of genius.

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as #1
Review: I sorta liked the Eye but when I read this book I was sorely dissapointed. Sure it was a great plot but with nothing happening it just plain bored me. The ending was OK but nothing exceptional.