The Great Hunt

By: Robert Jordan

Narrated by: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer

Length: 26 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's Summary

The Wheel of Time turns and ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the age that gave it birth returns again.

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.

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)

Even better than the first!

The narration was great although the two readers do pronounce something differently. The switching off between the two was annoying to me at first but I quickly saw the merits of it. After finishing this book, I wouldn't have it read any other way!

The story really kicks off here. It's not the best ending but certainly not worth less than 4 stars. A great read and a faster pace than book one.

17 of 18 people found this review helpful

Great

It was a great read and just as fun listerning to is as a re-read! Good build up of characters and a smooth, gripping story.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Better than the first

I just finished this one in the series and it was more exciting that the first book. I can't wait to get started on the next and the next and the next. It is a great series.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Great Series, Great Readers

I am overjoyed to find audible choose to carry this Unabridged series. It is pretty much the only place anywhere you can find this extraordinary Unabridged audio series. The abridged version of this series is horrible; however this version is a true and rare audio gem. I have listened to literally a few hundred audio books in my life, most of which were either sci-fi/ fantasy and this series stands out as one of the best I've heard. It has exquisite readers both Michael Kramer and Kate Reading are among the best audio readers I've ever heard. As anyone who has heard audio can probably relate to, the quality of the reader is vital to the experience of the book and these are simple two of the best in the business. They capture the characters perfectly and draw you in like few other readers can. Another great and fairly unique thing this audio reading does is when the books comes from the perspective of a female character Kate gives you the female voice to match, where as if you are in the head of a male character Michael reads to give you that male feel. This makes a big difference in the whole experience and how much the reading brings the character to life and draws you into their books world. Speaking of which, Robert Jordan's WOT world is one of the most vivid, complex and original world I have experienced in fantasy. The world's complexity continues to grow throughout the huge epic series. It makes you want to know what is going on in different lands almost as much as what is happening with different characters. In the first half of this series each book is better then the one before as the main characters, the world and the adventure expands. If you get a chance, please request that audible carry the rest of this Unabridged series. As of now they carry book one (The Eye of the World) and two (The Great Hunt). I guess that's about it. Enjoy, I hope you have as much fun with it as I did.

68 of 77 people found this review helpful

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.

19 of 22 people found this review helpful

Michael Kramer!

Best narrator(s) I've encountered, amazing story and audiobook. A great experience listening in.

13 of 15 people found this review helpful

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.

22 of 26 people found this review helpful

Long but good

I do agree with some that this is a long drawn out series, and you have to really enjoin it to want to finish. But as I came late to it when there was already ten books out I did not have to wait as long as some for the conclusion. Even though the books are long, they are well written. Keeping your attention through out to the end. Jordan does a great job holding you in the story, if a bit long winded when sometimes describing things. After reading most of the series, I then read some of the reviews. Those that compared it to The Lord of the Rings stood out to me. I have read both series, and fine it funny that people think there wouldn't be simulates. All books have a common theme, good verse evil, but to compare the two is laughable. The stories are vastly different. The only thing similar about the two is that they are both fantasy books that are well written, and a good read.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

Main character is a little too stupid

It's OK for the character to have a temper or even be stubborn but he's just a little too Scooby doesn't learn from his mistakes makes the story kind of frustrating

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Too chessy and slow.... why so many good reviews?

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

A better story to start. Nothing is exciting and most of characters are not even likable. The whole story just do not quite make sense.

Has The Great Hunt turned you off from other books in this genre?

I didn't like the first book, at least the first three quarter of it. Finally some excitments by the end. Hoped for the best then bought the second because of the high reviews. What a disappointment! Truly don't understand why the reviews are so good, while the book is just boring.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Kate Reading and Michael Kramer ?

Kate and Michael are ok, but their tones are flat. It is like they are truly just "reading", not narrating.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Boredom and a little bit of anger. For the money and time I lost. Seriously, how could something like this become a top seller with so many good reviews? Just because it is long?

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

As good as the 1st!

The Great Hunt takes up the reigns where the Eye Of The World leaves off, absorbing me into it's story and once again leaving me eager for more!

A story in it's own right, you could probably jump into this book without reading the first - but what a waste that would be!

Think 'Lord of the Rings' and you'll have an idea of the sort of book this is. Full of rich detail, complex, interesting, and exciting. The plot seems to twist and turn and unlike other books I've read the ending isn't transparent from the start.

Never a dull moment!

Excellent!

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

great but flawed

What did you like most about The Great Hunt?

the underlying story is conceptually great and engaging, very impressive. I just find the character models very basic...the interplay between men and women can be frankly irritating and somewhat juvenile. That aside the books each drive forward well, with each book marking a distinct step towards the end.

Who was your favorite character and why?

i guess Matt, just because he's the gambler/rogue type. Perrin is too much the boyscout, and Rand too much the brooding hero. Matt seems able to have a little irreverent fun.

Have you listened to any of Kate Reading and Michael Kramer ’s other performances? How does this one compare?

i have and they read them as well and professionally as others i've heard. I'm not particularly a fan of either's style, particularly Kate's to be honest...a little too stilted and dry, but that's a personal taste and isn't disliked enough to put me off.

Any additional comments?

these books are great, but let down a little by too many character threads that are never tied up and closed off, and poor female/male interplay/dialogue.
I've read all the books and am just re-listening to them at work in the background, as i don't need to pay full attention, already knowing the story...the books leave me occasionally enthralled and sadly sometimes annoyed.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Average

Done it! Listened while working through the whole 14 books. Not bad - not brilliant either. Too much describing of what are people wearing, limited dictionary of dialogues and male-female relationships/interactions painfully similar, predictable -boring (Mr Freud would find it certainly interesting though :)

Maybe because English isn't my first language, maybe I'm spoiled by other writers or maybe Robert Jordan just isn't my type of author but haven't I been working at the time of listening I would considered it time wasted.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Seanchan Rising

This 2nd book is where Jordan really starts to take the reins in this series. Much like Paolini does with his sequel to Eragon. The first Paolini book was written like a 16 year old, learning the craft of writing for the first time. In Jordan's case the first book had parts that were very much written as if an exercise in fantasy writing. With Paolini, the 2nd book read like it was written by a different author! So much better! In this case, you still know it is Jordan, but the ending of the first book could easily have been turned to stand on it's own, though clearly Jordan wanted the series to continue. One might be reminded of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on TV. The first series was only half a series, designed to play out as it was, and if it did not continue, then so be it. Clearly a beautiful forray into TV story arcing resulted, and here the 2nd book in Wheel of Time is where the story really starts moving.
Rand needs to accept he is the chosen one, but really struggles with this. Forced into helping Mat save his life, bound to the fate of the Horn of Valere and the Ruby Hilted Dagger from Shadar Logoth, we see forsaken rise into the story, and visit old friends thought lost in the first book. And the battle on Almouth Plain towards the end with the Seanchan weaves the crossover to book 3 perfectly. As with all Wheel of Time books, this one can surely be listened to separately, but you should do the obligatory context thing, and not lose out on such a brilliant series. Book 14 comes out this year in April (2012), and you should either read, listen or both all of the books through 13!!

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Really enjoyable

A fitting sequel to the Eye of the world, the Great Hunt carries the tale to new depths of imagination.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

love it

Love this book. The same as the first, I couldn't stop listening. And I can't wait to start the next one!

Very good fantasty story

The story continues and does not disappoint.
If you like epic fantasy books this saga is for you.

loved it

an incredible continuation of an incredible story. can't wait to hear the next part... and the next

Wow awesome story

book two and what a follow on. starting dragon reborn right now !!!!! can't wait

brilliant

Another great book from the wheel of time story. Well read as always. Would recommend