daniellepalmer1988's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed “The Great Hunt” more than “The Eye of the World” but not enough to bump up the rating from 3 stars... it’s just soooooo wordy!! I don’t feel anything of importance happened the first 200 pages however I like the direction the series is going and I am becoming more invested in the characters!
myc_w's review against another edition
4.0
If The Eye of the World feels like a bit of a prologue, then The Great Hunt is where the story really begins. Several characters have their arcs truly get underway, and the foundations for what comes in future books are laid carefully, like the corner pieces of a puzzle, framing the whole of the story. This novel has one of the best climaxes in the series and is probably my third favorite of the first half of the WoT series, followed closely by the next two, The Dragon Reborn and The Shadow Rising. This is where the series really starts find a flow that carries it for three books before steadily descending into a bit of a mire that Brandon Sanderson saves with books 12-14.
I haven’t reread the full series all at once—I picked books up slowly along the way and would sometimes have to refresh myself on what had previously happened in the intervening years. But now I’m hoping to read the whole series this year. We’ll see how far I get before I want to tug my hair out like a certain al’Mearaen Wisdom.
Like the series opener, there’s still a very 90s feel to this brand of fantasy—a particularly Tolkienian literary tradition that is all binaries and prophecies. And that’s completely fine. But the whole of the story moves both at once too slow and too quickly. We go from the dark creatures hunting the chosen ones, to political turmoil bubbling under the surfaces of dying great nations, to an all out invasion by the armies of a legendary king who act as a hammer with a group of religious zealots being the anvil. And in between, bits of prophecy, and pointed moments when it get specific mentions about how much the characters have changed—even when it’s obvious they haven’t, really. Truthfully, it’s all a bit much for one book, even a thick epic fantasy. But it sets the stakes for what’s to come.
Jordan wrote the quintessential, by-the-numbers modern fantasy—he defined the field. This isn’t to take any shots, though. What was innovative 30 years ago isn’t as much so today, and in these rereads, it becomes apparent how other authors learned from, and even surpassed, what Jordan originally set out to do.
If you’re into modern fantasy, WoT is still a good starting point, and this is the book that truly seems to set the course of the river.
I haven’t reread the full series all at once—I picked books up slowly along the way and would sometimes have to refresh myself on what had previously happened in the intervening years. But now I’m hoping to read the whole series this year. We’ll see how far I get before I want to tug my hair out like a certain al’Mearaen Wisdom.
Like the series opener, there’s still a very 90s feel to this brand of fantasy—a particularly Tolkienian literary tradition that is all binaries and prophecies. And that’s completely fine. But the whole of the story moves both at once too slow and too quickly. We go from the dark creatures hunting the chosen ones, to political turmoil bubbling under the surfaces of dying great nations, to an all out invasion by the armies of a legendary king who act as a hammer with a group of religious zealots being the anvil. And in between, bits of prophecy, and pointed moments when it get specific mentions about how much the characters have changed—even when it’s obvious they haven’t, really. Truthfully, it’s all a bit much for one book, even a thick epic fantasy. But it sets the stakes for what’s to come.
Jordan wrote the quintessential, by-the-numbers modern fantasy—he defined the field. This isn’t to take any shots, though. What was innovative 30 years ago isn’t as much so today, and in these rereads, it becomes apparent how other authors learned from, and even surpassed, what Jordan originally set out to do.
If you’re into modern fantasy, WoT is still a good starting point, and this is the book that truly seems to set the course of the river.
alunike's review against another edition
adventurous
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Quite a decent pace with lots of character developments. There are some parts that felt out of place but it all makes sense by the end of the book.
riiice's review against another edition
4.0
Seemed like it is setting up something huge (logically since there are still 12 books left) but the story contained in the book itself wasn’t *quite* what I hoped.
krakentamer's review against another edition
5.0
In my review of [b:The Eye of the World|228665|The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time, #1)|Robert Jordan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1337818095l/228665._SY75_.jpg|2008238], I mentioned that unless this one captivated me I was going to bail because of the ridiculous names. Well... consider me captivated. This one went DARK and I loved it. There was a specific point in the book where I said to myself that some characters were undergoing something that was so much worse than death. And at that point I realized that I was in it for the long haul. Keep 'em coming!
christopher_shiprack's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
astrocat42's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
vellichor_core's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75