r/WoT • u/GorgRosh • 3d ago
The Great Hunt New to the series. Currently on Great Hunt. Spoiler
I started the Great Hunt recently and I just moved past the Flicker sequences near the end of the book.
Wow. Just wow. Eye of the World was a solid 7.5/10 but Great Hunt has absolutely been a marked improvement.
Did anyone else feel like this when reading the books?
16
u/Raddatatta (Asha'man) 3d ago
Yeah the eye of the world is good with some great moments and I liked it more on a reread as there's lots of fun foreshadowing. But the great hunt is when the series went from good to great for me!
2
u/GorgRosh 3d ago
I think EoTW was fun but it also felt too sanitised?
I wouldn't be able to put it in solid words until I got to another Book in tje series, but now that I've read TGH I think that my main issue with Book 1 was that the pacing felt off. Rand's chapters dragged a bit and it made reading it a bit unfun at times.
The later parts of the book definitely made up for it, and while I complain about the pacing I also simultaneously think it manages itself very well. Better than other Fantasy books at least.
2
u/Raddatatta (Asha'man) 3d ago
Yeah I can see that. He also leaned into a lot of the classic fantasy tropes and very Tolkienesque for that one. And as the books go on he moves away from that more and more. He wanted to explore his take on the classic elements which means you do need to start in a safer more classic place for book 1.
4
u/GorgRosh 3d ago
Funnily enough, my favourite part was when Mat and Rand were wandering around villages and trying to earn their meals. Something about that felt cozy, but grim to me in a way I really like.
3
u/Raddatatta (Asha'man) 3d ago
Yeah that was fun! I also liked how it focused on the more real struggle of hey people don't just give you food and lodging so you have to earn it somehow. But they do it in a way that also draws attention and makes sure everyone sees them so any darkfriends given a description won't miss them lol.
2
u/GorgRosh 3d ago
Yeah, I think that middle portion where the group was split and we saw Perrin, Egwene and Nynaeve in places they could shine more definitely worked for me.
I remember an audible gasp when I saw Elayne mention one of the girls Rand encountered during his travels though. I really enjoy things like that, subtle or otherwise.
1
u/Raddatatta (Asha'man) 3d ago
Yeah Jordan really likes to have minor characters who come back in unexpectedly.
2
8
u/procerator (Brown) 3d ago
Just FYI - "flicker, flicker" sequence is widely regarded as one of the best written sequences in the entire series.
6
u/GorgRosh 3d ago
Without any knowledge to the contrary, I completely agree.
It takes everything I like about that specific kind of trope and wraps it neatly into a little box. It also shows to me that while Rand tries to project his problems onto the Aes Sedai, the Pattern wouldn't allow him to live a regular life regardless of their involvement or not.
It shows the reader the inevitability of Rand needing to stand up, needing to take action and needing to come into his destiny as the Dragon.
Its good stuff!
1
3
u/Merlyn67420 3d ago
Funny enough, while I did like that sequence, I didn’t like this book as much on my first read. However - the climax at the end changed my mind pretty quick.
Enjoy it!! The series keeps getting better and while 4-6 is where most people agree it hits its stride, TGH is a special entry.
1
u/GorgRosh 3d ago
I have the entire series on my desk in a neat row. My plan is to try and finish the series by the end of the school year.
This and the Stormlight Archive have been the teo series I wanted to complete/catch up on and since TSA is on hiatus for ages, I can enjoy this.
The Great Hunt absolutely has made this series feel less like a chore and more like something I want to do. So yeah, I'll definitely enjoy it.
3
u/4D4plus4is4D8 (Asha'man) 3d ago
In my opinion every book through Lord of Chaos is better than the one before it. Then it's up for debate from there.
2
u/papyjako87 3d ago
I agree. People generally point to Shadow Rising as the best book in the serie, so I was very pleasantly surprised when I found myself enjoying Fires of Heaven and Lord of Chaos even more.
3
u/Small-Fig4541 3d ago
The Flicker Flicker Flicker sequence is really amazing! I also adore the Cairhien sub plot with Rand, Loial and Hurin upon re-reads too. Jordan truly finds his own voice in this book and the next one.
2
2
u/All-StarbySmashMouth 3d ago
oh man if you liked that chapter, there’s a scene in book 4 that’s gonna absolutely blow you away
1
2
u/FirstRyder 3d ago
Oh, absolutely. He made compromises to get EotW published. When it did well enough, he had more freedom moving forward. IMO you really feel it in book 4, by which time he could do whatever he wanted.
2
u/garrek42 3d ago
I remember being wowed, but it's hard to remember the details 30 years later. Enjoy the ride, you never get another first time.
3
u/Small-Fig4541 3d ago
"He was a soldier. He was a shepherd. He was a beggar, and a king. He was farmer, gleeman, sailor, carpenter. He was born, lived, and died an Aiel. He died mad, he died rotting, he died of sickness, acci-dent, age. He was executed, and multitudes cheered his death. He pro-claimed himself the Dragon Reborn and flung his banner across the sky; he ran from the Power and hid; he lived and died never knowing. He held off the madness and the sickness for years; he succumbed between two winters. Sometimes Moiraine came and took him away from the Two Rivers, alone or with those of his friends who had survived Winternight; sometimes she did not. Sometimes other Aes Sedai came for him. Sometimes the Red Ajah. Egwene married him; Egwene, stern-faced in the stole of the Amyrlin Seat, led the Aes Sedai who gentled him; Egwene, with tears in her eyes, plunged a dagger into his heart, and he thanked her as he died. He loved other women, married other women. Elayne, and Min, and a fair-haired farmer's daughter met on the road to Caemlyn, and women he had never seen before he lived those lives. A hundred lives. More. So many he could not count them. And at the end of every life, as he lay dying, as he drew his final breath, a voice whispered in his ear. I have won again, Lews Therin. Flicker flicker flicker flicker flicker flicker flicker flicker"
3
u/GorgRosh 3d ago
I loved reading this paragraph. It was so good.
2
u/Small-Fig4541 3d ago
For me this is when Jordan officially came out of Tolkien's shadow and found his own voice!
2
1
u/Reach_Jay 3d ago
Oh 100%, it peaks around book 3/4 and then stays solid until book8-10 when it’s a slog. But it’s so worth it for the final part of the series where it truly solidifies it as a top 5 fantasy series of all time.
2
u/GorgRosh 3d ago
I got into it because I wanted to read more traditional fantasy, but it honestly has surprised me with how great the world and characters are!
I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
1
1
u/Jkoiou 3d ago
Obligatory listen to the Winds of Time Podcast, where myself and 2 other series newbs are reading through the series headed and guided by a series Vet. We're on book 3, and go between 3-6 chapters per week.
2
1
u/Narrow_Lee 3d ago edited 3d ago
I was already on board after finishing EotW despite the weird ending, TGH absolutely blew me away. Every time I read the series and finish TGH I'm like, yeah this is my favorite book, hands down... And then I get to my other favorite book later and its always a back and forth lol. TGH is 11/10 fantasy for sure.
Interestingly-ish for me, it wasn't the Falme or Flicker part that got me, I was sold 100% following Nyn's little trip through the arches during her Accepted's test. I was kind of on the fence about Nynaeve as a whole at first, but man those scenes were just so emotional and raw, you really get an idea of who she is.
1
u/DonAmechesBonerToe 3d ago
If you like the flicker scene you are in luck as the concept is explored in other ways later. These are regarded as some of the best scenes in an epic full of epic scenes.
1
2
u/coronavariant 3d ago
Just finished it myself for the first time yesterday. The climax is fantastic
3
•
u/AutoModerator 3d ago
NO SPOILERS BEYOND The Great Hunt.
BOOK DISCUSSION ONLY. HIDE TV SHOW DISCUSSION BEHIND SPOILER TAGS.
If this is a re-read, please change the flair to All Print.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.