The second installment in the Wheel of Time series has all the power of the first. ( )

Book 2 of the epic, and the characters are already growing into themselves. Some who only took minor roles in the first get more major ones in this, while others take more of a back seat. Again the book heads towards a major climax that looks like it could be the saving of the world, but obviously there's more to come. I may not bother reviewing the rest of these properly :). See book 1 for longer review. ( )

The struggle between Light and Darkness is escalating, gaining powerful momentum in this second book of the Wheel of Time series. The young Emond's Fielders continue their strange journey through legend. False Dragons are cropping up everywhere, but only a few know that Rand al'Thor is the true Dragon Reborn - an unnerving title and burden to carry, to say the least. Half the world will worship him, the rest will try to kill him. This book sees Egwene and Nynaeve, along with Elayne, beginning their Aes Sedai training in Tar Valon, while the boys Mat, Perrin, and Rand travel the land. The Great Hunt for the Horn of Valere has been declared, but only a handful of people know it is already found. Rand is struggling with his newfound powers, afraid he will suddenly erupt and hurt (or kill) those closest to him. Mat and Perrin struggle with their own destinies - like Rand, they are ta'veren and destined for greatness. ( )

In my continuing reread before the next release of book 12, I have new thoughts and opinions about The Great Hunt. Still this series remains something that if I have to take one thing with me to that dessert island, then this would be the series. But now I can see where in the earlier material, Jordan has switched from what we have in the later material.

It has always been clear, since I have been with the series from its first publication, that Jordan was amazed by his success with it and began to record more and more to keep the coffers filled. Anything anyone else says is just wrong, and as Jordan would say RAFO. That is probably one of the biggest disservices he did to those who read him, Read and Find Out.

Because it is clear that he wrote and as all writers tackling something that grows after you wrote the earlier work, he didn't have it all mapped out. The Great Hunt is clearly the second book of the trilogy.

Previously I said that The Eye of the World could have stood on its own, with just another few pages added to it. Clearly a book that could have wrapped up the battle between good and evil in one novel.

So in trilogy format we have book 1, our hero finds out that he is the hero and of course does not want to be it. Here in the second book, he finally gets training to confront evil and stands forth to say he will. His buddies have grown strong enough and the dead heroes of legend stand ready to help out in book three.

We even have found an entire world changing army, or two, that can be the enemy. But as they are defeated here at the end of book 2, then we just need to concentrate on the evil we discussed in book 1, Trollocs and Fades and Forsaken.

Somewhere after this is published the 'Phenomena' factor kicks in big time and there will be more then 3 books. Money to be made. No longer publish the books in trade paperback, after all we are giving up real dollars by doing that. No the Mercenary of Robert Jordan emerges and has possibly always been there.

But the book and story are good. Aside from a few quibbles, that dealing mostly with Jordan allowing the story to grow bigger that he could not keep track of everything he did, such as Portal Stones. We have the Ways to travel, but we decide to add another type of travel that we will soon forget about and never use again. Or Aiel at a Steadding but lets just move right through that, or how stupid the Children of the Light are because while the whole world hears about Seachan, they want to think of them as darkfriends, and even let that color the next book.

So there is minor suspension of disbelief as Jordan starts transforming to a much bigger work. But for all that we get one of the meatist series we have ever had. I have reread the series now more than half a dozen times and expect will do so as many again once it is complete. Characters continue to grow, and more are added, but unlike George RR Martin where there are so many cross purposes making it more complex then the real world of 2009, Jordan is able to focus on Good vs. Evil with some shading around the edges. Well worth any fantasy fans time but not as a stand alone book, only really as part of the series. ( )

In my continuing reread before the next release of book 12, I have new thoughts and opinions about The Great Hunt. Still this series remains something that if I have to take one thing with me to that dessert island, then this would be the series. But now I can see where in the earlier material, Jordan has switched from what we have in the later material.

It has always been clear, since I have been with the series from its first publication, that Jordan was amazed by his success with it and began to record more and more to keep the coffers filled. Anything anyone else says is just wrong, and as Jordan would say RAFO. That is probably one of the biggest disservices he did to those who read him, Read and Find Out.

Because it is clear that he wrote and as all writers tackling something that grows after you wrote the earlier work, he didn't have it all mapped out. The Great Hunt is clearly the second book of the trilogy.

Previously I said that The Eye of the World could have stood on its own, with just another few pages added to it. Clearly a book that could have wrapped up the battle between good and evil in one novel.

So in trilogy format we have book 1, our hero finds out that he is the hero and of course does not want to be it. Here in the second book, he finally gets training to confront evil and stands forth to say he will. His buddies have grown strong enough and the dead heroes of legend stand ready to help out in book three.

We even have found an entire world changing army, or two, that can be the enemy. But as they are defeated here at the end of book 2, then we just need to concentrate on the evil we discussed in book 1, Trollocs and Fades and Forsaken.

Somewhere after this is published the 'Phenomena' factor kicks in big time and there will be more then 3 books. Money to be made. No longer publish the books in trade paperback, after all we are giving up real dollars by doing that. No the Mercenary of Robert Jordan emerges and has possibly always been there.

But the book and story are good. Aside from a few quibbles, that dealing mostly with Jordan allowing the story to grow bigger that he could not keep track of everything he did, such as Portal Stones. We have the Ways to travel, but we decide to add another type of travel that we will soon forget about and never use again. Or Aiel at a Steadding but lets just move right through that, or how stupid the Children of the Light are because while the whole world hears about Seachan, they want to think of them as darkfriends, and even let that color the next book.

So there is minor suspension of disbelief as Jordan starts transforming to a much bigger work. But for all that we get one of the meatist series we have ever had. I have reread the series now more than half a dozen times and expect will do so as many again once it is complete. Characters continue to grow, and more are added, but unlike George RR Martin where there are so many cross purposes making it more complex then the real world of 2009, Jordan is able to focus on Good vs. Evil with some shading around the edges. Well worth any fantasy fans time but not as a stand alone book, only really as part of the series. ( )