Kearsten says: In this second book of the Wheel of Time series, Rand al'Thor and his friends are in Shienar at Fort Fal Dara, recovering from a battle with several of the Forsaken - channelers of the One Power from the Age of Legends who turned from the Light and joined with the Dark One in the hopes of earning power and glory above all others. Trapped at the sealing the Dark One's prison just before the breaking of the world, the Forsaken are fighting free, as the seals holding the Dark One are weakening as the Last Battle approaches.

Rand is slowly coming to realize that he may have a destiny far beyond becoming a shepherd like his father, and his friends from the same small village in the Two Rivers are also realizing their paths have changed. Egwene and Nynaeve are headed to the White Tower to begin their training in the One Power, Mat is in dire need of being reunited with a dagger, one tainted with an evil so poisonous him that he will die if parted from it before being healed at the White Tower, and Perrin is fighting his becoming a "wolf brother" - a human who can communicate with wolves.

When the Horn of Valere - prophesied as necessary at the Last Battle in order to aid the Dragon Reborn in defeating the Dark One - is stolen from Fal Dara keep by Trollocs and Darkfriends, Rand and his companions must follow to retrieve it before it is used by the Darkfriends. All paths seem to lead to Toman Head, though, where a mysterious invading army has come ashore...

Thrilling and epic - I love this series, and feel like I've come to know the characters practically like family. My daughter and I listen to this in the car, and she's become as captivated as I. The characters must make difficult decisions, especially Rand, and it's wonderful to see the good guys grappling with moral dilemmas (and choosing the right paths). The characters care about each other, and those from the Two Rivers time and again reject "glory" to do the right thing, despite the seductiveness of that glory...

The readers are wonderful, and thought it's sometimes a bit of a jolt to go from a male narrator to the female (she narrates all the chapters from the female characters' points of view, which aren't as often as the male, unfortunately :}), and the two narrators don't always use the pronunciations, I still very much enjoy the telling.

Highly recommended. ( )

In this second book of the Wheel of Time series, Rand al'Thor and his friends are in Shienar at Fort Fal Dara, recovering from a battle with several of the Forsaken - channelers of the One Power from the Age of Legends who turned from the Light and joined with the Dark One in the hopes of earning power and glory above all others. Trapped at the sealing the Dark One's prison just before the breaking of the world, the Forsaken are fighting free, as the seals holding the Dark One are weakening as the Last Battle approaches.

Rand is slowly coming to realize that he may have a destiny far beyond becoming a shepherd like his father, and his friends from the same small village in the Two Rivers are also realizing their paths have changed. Egwene and Nynaeve are headed to the White Tower to begin their training in the One Power, Mat is in dire need of being reunited with a dagger, tainted with an evil that has so poisoned him that he will die if parted from it before being healed at the White Tower, and Perrin is fighting his becoming a "wolf brother" - a human who can communicate with wolves.

When the Horn of Valere - prophesied as necessary at the Last Battle in order to aid the Dragon Reborn in defeating the Dark One - is stolen from Fal Dara keep by Trollocs and Darkfriends, Rand and his companions must follow to retrieve it before it is used by the Darkfriends. All paths seem to lead to Toman Head, though, where a mysterious invading army has come ashore...

Thrilling and epic - I love this series, and feel like I've come to know the characters practically like family. My daughter and I listen to this in the car, and she's become as captivated as I. The characters must make difficult decisions, especially Rand, and it's wonderful to see the good guys grappling with moral dilemmas (and choosing the right paths). The characters care about each other, and those from the Two Rivers time and again reject "glory" to do the right thing, despite the seductiveness of that glory...

The readers are wonderful, and thought it's sometimes a bit of a jolt to go from a male narrator to the female (she narrates all the chapters from the female characters' points of view, which aren't as often as the male, unfortunately :}), and the two narrators don't always use the pronunciations, we still very much enjoy the telling.

Also, my daughter just recently told me she's been playing "Wheel of Time" at school recess, and she almost always plays "Rand". I love that she wants to be the hero, whether the hero is male or female!

Highly recommended. ( )

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. ( )