The Great Hunt

Book Two of The Wheel Of Time

By: Robert Jordan

Narrated by: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer

Length: 26 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Now an original series starring Rosamund Pike as Moiraine!

Robert Jordan’s number one New York Times best-selling epic fantasy series, The Wheel of Time®, continues as Rand al’Thor and his companions set out to retrieve a powerful magical artifact from The Dark One’s Shadowspawn in The Great Hunt.

For centuries, gleemen have told the tales of The Great Hunt of the Horn. So many tales about each of the Hunters, and so many Hunters to tell of....

Now the Horn itself is found: the Horn of Valere long thought only legend, the Horn which will raise the dead heroes of the ages.

And it is stolen.

In pursuit of the thieves, Rand al’Thor is determined to keep the Horn out of the grasp of The Dark One. But he has also learned that he is The Dragon Reborn - the Champion of Light destined to stand against the Shadow time and again. It is a duty and a destiny that requires Rand to uncover and master magical capabilities he never imagined he possessed.

Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time® has captivated millions of readers around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters. The last six books in series were all instant number one New York Times best sellers, and The Eye of the World was named one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read.

The Wheel of Time®
New Spring: The Novel
#1 The Eye of the World
#2 The Great Hunt
#3 The Dragon Reborn
#4 The Shadow Rising
#5 The Fires of Heaven
#6 Lord of Chaos
#7 A Crown of Swords
#8 The Path of Daggers
#9 Winter's Heart
#10 Crossroads of Twilight
#11 Knife of Dreams

By Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
#12 The Gathering Storm
#13 Towers of Midnight
#14 A Memory of Light

By Robert Jordan
Warrior of the Altaii

By Robert Jordan and Teresa Patterson
The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

By Robert Jordan, Harriet McDougal, Alan Romanczuk, and Maria Simons
The Wheel of Time Companion

By Robert Jordan and Amy Romanczuk
Patterns of the Wheel: Coloring Art Based on Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

Listen to more books in The Wheel of Time series.

©1990 The Bandersnatch Group, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Jordan creates a lush, sprawling tapestry of a novel in the tradition of Tolkien and Eddings." (Library Journal)

Great continuing intro

I'm adding my review as a pure review, and to encourage others. I've read the series four times and have just completed the first two audiobooks. Jordan has created a world that is similar to ours in many ways, in fact each 'major' nation is modeled after an actual nation, at some point in history. Jordan does borrow some ideas from other literary sources, but does a better job than other authors of actually explaining aspects of his world. The One Power, the Trollocs, Myyrdraal, Forsaken, and Aes Sedai; Jordan actually lets the reader in on how the Power works, as opposed to just saying, "These people are magicians. Deal with it."
To David in MA, who seemed a little bored with the series, I have one word of encouragement. Without going into specifics, Matt MUST be hated during the first two books, as you will find out in The Dragon Reborn. Things have happened to him, mostly self-induced, that you won't understand until Book 3, at which point he becomes one of the most interesting and likable characters in the series. If it helps, the first 3 books in the Wheel of Time are essentially foreshadowing the rest of the series. Every dream, side-remark, and ellipsis-ended comment really mean something. Having read the series as many times, I can tell you Jordan has woven so much into each book that I learn something new each time.
The Wheel of Time is long and not easy to read, but to date the most well thought-out and written series I've ever read. The Great Hunt has the best ending-sequence of any of the books, 1-10 so far. I hope this helps.

Wow! Engaging intricate world with deep characters

Reading a novel like this I feel I should be kissing Jordan?s feet. How anyone can create such an immense intricate world filled with such deep, diverse characters is just mind blowing. I?ve listened to the first two books in this series and can?t wait for audible to come out with the rest. I was happy to find that this second book started right where the first left off with all the same characters to whom I had grown attached in the first book. Listen to The Eye of the World first.

After the incredible experience and the shattering end of the first book, Jordan expands on this world, having introduced many parts of the world in the first book which play a bigger part in this story. It makes the reader feel they have an intimate connection to the world as the stories that were introduced in the first book are explored in further detail here. New villains and old ones, betrayal and treachery, make you fear for the characters you feel close to.

Be forewarned that if you hate mental narratives, this book is probably not for you. You will spend long periods of time in minds of different characters, each giving you unique perspectives on the world and other characters. Like the first book, this book has some of the most thrilling action sequences I?ve encountered in my reading. In fact, there is a bit more action than in the first, though Jordan doesn?t neglect to continue developing the characters and world.

The readers are superb! There are two readers, a man for scenes where you?re following a male character and a woman for when you?re following a female. They capture perfectly the emotion of each character and scene. I?m relatively new to audio books, and these reader make a great case for how listening to a story is so far superior to reading one. Their voices paint the world with a clarity not possible when reading (written word is so primitive, huh?).

Great books! Can?t recommend highly enough.

Great listening - detailed description

If you could sum up The Great Hunt in three words, what would they be?

Freedom meets prophecy

What other book might you compare The Great Hunt to and why?

Its a style on its own.

What does Kate Reading and Michael Kramer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I like that they take various voice and intonation for the various characters. Makes the story more alive. Kudo's for a great reading on their part.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Sad a few place. Poor guy fighting against a destiny towards madness and death. "Duty is heavier than a mountain"

Any additional comments?

Get this, its a good listening.

Needs updated narration

I think I was spoiled by Rosamund Pike's narration for the first book in this series. I was disappointed in particular by Michael's performance; specifically he struggles with maintaining unique, distinct voices for key characters. The voices also sound like they were recorded twenty years ago (googling it, it looks like they were, give or take a year!). It may be time for a new recording with a contemporary narrator.

Great book

Would love to see Rosamund Pike read on all these books, she’s an amazing talent.

A Grand Adventure

The Great Hunt opens up much more of the world to the listener. New cultures and empires are introduced that provide conflict and support to our main characters. We learn a lot more about the one power and how it has been controlled between civilizations. The ending is a great lead in to book 3 and while not a cliffhanger, many will be compelled to start the next book to continue the epic journey.

Stubborn Eamon's Fielders

I really enjoy the story and characters but I want to shake Rand, Matt, and Nynaeve for their pride.

Second is better!

After a hohum start to the series, I was not expecting much. However, the story expands is rich and interesting ways. Thoroughly enjoyed the story and, unlike the first book, the dual narrators worked.

Better And Better

Would you listen to The Great Hunt again? Why?

I will certainly listen to it, again...most likely a time or two after that. The books that I had read in the series (I stopped before New Spring, and am making my way back through them) are some of my all time favorite books.

What did you like best about this story?

Character emotions. Very rarely does an author truly make me feel empathetic toward a character, but Jordan does so quite frequesntly.

What about Kate Reading and Michael Kramer ’s performance did you like?

Both performers are very eloquent, and can somehow make the fact that half of the words they say are made up not noticeable.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

"The grave is no bar to my call..."

Great!

Loved it. Having a male and female reader makes a huge difference in story telling.