The Great Hunt + Montana Skies

The crisp fall air is filtering through my window right now, and it makes me feel ready to curl up in a cozy sweater, with a blanket, a book, and a cup of something hot. Today, we will be reviewing Robert Jordan’s second installment of the Wheel of Time series, The Great Hunt, over a cup of herbal tea.

Tea Review

This week’s tea is called “Montana Skies.” It is a black and herbal tea blend with some distinct licorice notes. I’m not a fan of Anise in my tea, but the lightly floral flavor of this mix was surprisingly pleasant.

Anise is a mild laxative, has anti inflammatory properties, and is an anti-spasmodic. Because of this, it is great for settling upset stomachs. The flavor is similar to licorice (which is why I find it so unappealing), but the other flavors in this blend cover it up enough so it isn’t over powering.

The Great Hunt: Review

I really love the way Jordan handles the plots of the first few Wheel of Time books. Things start to get more complicated really fast, but Eye of the World and The Great Hunt are so streamlined in a way that I really admire.

In The Great Hunt, most of the story revolves around retrieving the stolen Horn of Valere, with the exception of one or two side plots — most notably with the girls in Tar Valon. The way Jordan wraps up so much foreshadowing and so many undercurrents into one main plot is masterful — and definitely not easy. In a lot of books (my own included), the plot derails and the action shifts focus at least once. There’s nothing wrong with this. It’s natural for a story’s plot to change as events progress.

For example, in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the book starts with Harry’s terrible life with the Dursleys, then shifts focus to the mysterious letters and Harry learning he is a wizard, then again to getting ready for Hogwarts and attending school, and so on.

In The Great Hunt, they are hunting for the horn. That’s it. But somehow Jordan manages to work so many twists and turns and complications all into that one simple framework. The mastery you need to have to pull off something like that is really amazing.

This book is relatively clean, though it is the first in the series where some more…um…suggestive elements begin to show up. Most of this stems from the new character Selene, who is hauntingly beautiful — and frequently uses seduction to get what she wants. The worst parts of this book consist predominantly of Jordan’s (rather frequent) descriptions of his female character’s clothing choices, and the thoughts of the male characters about said choices. It never gets bad enough to necessitate skimming or skipping sections, and all in all I would still recommend this book to most (discerning) audiences.

The Great Hunt: Discussion

I find this book fascinating because Rand is still relatively innocent, but he is beginning to know what he is.  The way he deals with this is really fun to read. I find both his denial and his strong desire to protect his friends from himself both heart-wrenching and endearing. I mean, would we really want the Dragon Reborn to want to be what he is? I didn’t think so.

Can we take a moment to talk about Lan in the beginning of this book? I love the way he takes Rand under his wing — continuing to train him in swordsmanship, advising him to leave the city when the Amrylin Seat shows up, and even going against Moiraine to some small degree. The “pep talk” and advice Lan gives Rand before his audience with the Amrylin is the best (speaking of which, I’m just going to leave this here).

“You can’t escape, but maybe you can hold your own for a while, and perhaps you can keep your pride, at least. The Light burn me, I am probably wasting my time, but I’ve nothing better to do. Hold still.” From his pocket the Warder produced a long length of wide, fringed golden cord and tied it around Rand’s left arm in a complicated knot. On the knot he fastened a red-enameled pin, an eagle with its wings spread. “I had that made to give you, and now is as good a time as any. That will make them think.” There was no doubt about it, now. The Warder was smiling.

Rand looked down at the pin worriedly. Caldazar. The Red Eagle of Manetheren. “A thorn to the Dark One’s foot,” he murmured, “and a bramble to his hand.” He looked at the Warder. “Manetheren’s long dead and forgotten, Lan. It’s just a name in a book, now. There is only the Two Rivers. Whatever else I am, I’m a shepherd and a farmer. That’s all.”

“Well, the sword that could not be broken was shattered in the end, sheepherder, but it fought the Shadow to the last. There is one rule, above all others, for being a man. Whatever comes, face it on your feet. Now, are you ready? The Amyrlin Seat waits.”

For a moment, Lan’s stoic exterior seems to crack and we see him, not just as a hardened warrior, but as a friend. A friend that — in that instant — Rand really needed to have.

Another part of this book I wanted to talk about is Ingtar’s last stand. In the final scenes of book two, Ingtar is revealed to be a darkfriend — a small moment that I had completely forgotten about from my past read-throughs. This time around, however, I found the moment incredibly powerful.

There are very few instances of darkfriends returning to the Light — in fact, Ingtar is the only instance I have read so far. This moment proves that the Dark One’s reach is not infinite.

“It is every man’s right, Rand, to choose when to Sheathe the Sword. Even one like me…One man holding fifty at a narrow passage. Not a bad way to die. Songs have been made about less.”

-Ingtar Shinowa

It also shines light on the real world, and on our battle against sin. It reminds us that, no matter what we have done, all is not lost.

Salvation is possible. As Ingtar discovered, while life remains, hope prevails.

Discussion Questions

In case it wasn’t obvious, I love discussing books! Have you read The Great Hunt? Let’s talk about it! Here are a few question to get you started.

1. Who is your favorite character in The Great Hunt? Why?
2. How do you think The Great Hunt compares to Eye of the World?
3. If you used the wrong Portal Stone and saw every possible variation of your life, what would you see?

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts (regarding the questions above, or anything else). Let me know what you think in the comment section below. If you haven’t read it, I’ve also written a review/discussion of Eye of the World. You can read it here. Have a great week!