In continuing to read through Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, I just completed book two The Great Hunt.
While I do not rate this book as high as The Eye of the World, it still has a great story.
In the second installment of this epic fantasy, you really start to see Rand struggle with accepting that he is, in fact, the Dragon Reborn. He struggles with the understanding that he can channel and that this channeling will eventually drive him mad.
All of the major players begin to go through some huge changes in this book. Nynaeve and Egwene go to the White Tower to begin their training to be Aes Sedai. Perrin is accepting his ability to communicate with the wolves, and is beginning to be less ashamed of that fact. Mat's health deteriorates with the loss of the tainted dagger that holds the cure for his illness.
You also begin to question some of the characters you meet. In the first book, you were able to take characters at face value, for the way they were written. In this book, you begin to discover that there is more to each character than immediately meets the eye. The Black Ajah is introduced, and it will immediately have you questioning if this Aes Sedai or that Aes Sedai is of the Black. Only one Black sister is revealed in this book, although you begin questioning the loyalty of one more.
Moiraine and Lan are not prominent in this book. I felt that Robert Jordan was choosing to focus more on the three boys' struggles through this. They are all growing and each of them are realizing that it may be a long time, if ever, until they see their home of Emond's Field again.
By the end of the book, you will learn some important things that I believe are crucial to later books.
I highly recommend this entire series if you love fantasy.
TO BE CONTINUED IN: BOOK 3 - THE DRAGON REBORN
