The Great Hunt Review (WOT 2)

[@DanielGreeneReviews]

20+ minute review of The Great Hunt and never mentions our sniffer Hurin. You did our gifted boy dirty Merph 👃

[@Dhowlan]

LOL.

[@jeremydanchuk1897]

That journey through the world of dreams with Rand, Loiel and Hurin is one of my favorite parts of the book.

[@briangallagher3106]

Jeremy Danchuk The chapter where Rand lived through loads of lives and Be’alzamon defeated him every time. Incredible

[@soumyaranjankanr306]

@@parsifal7300 Close but no Cigar, Hurin nose best!! ;p

[@irpdsirpds311]

i love hurin, too... perrin's nose is no match :)

[@MrT115]

Robert Jordan writes with a tight 3rd limited POV. Since the characters are unaware about a lot of stuff it also means that we are just as unaware. They are just as confused as you.

[@boxbo7926]

Stubble McShave what I love is they get it wrong too! They have suspicions and ideas, and they get it it wrong. They miss important details too. It’s great!!

[@zel3888]

Some of the best of these "limited knowledge" scenes are those featuring Pedron Niall. He tries to make sense of the chaos in the world around him without knowing all the information, and gets it wrong alot of the time. I just love his thinking. I really loved him as a character.

[@alexsamurai1230]

Selene was one of those mysteries that just clicked straight into place for me. I remembered that Lanfear was introduced as 'Lady of the Moon', or something similar in the blood-wall writing in the early pages. Then when Selene turns up I just thought 'Selene, thats a Greek moon goddess... ahh must be Lanfear then' and carried on.

[@elanor2006]

Selene=Lanfear was very obvious for me too....I mean why talk about Lanfear in detail in the beginning of the story if she's not gonna become important later....And her obsession with Rand....well she was in love with Lews Therin....it clicked right away

[@ganondorf797]

Yeah same for me, the traitors were pretty obvious in this book, I had made the Black Ajah AS as well pretty much immediately (however, I appreciated that it could not have been as obvious to the characters)

[@ganondorf797]

Oh i did *not* see it coming with Ingtar though.

[@xandara75]

@@ganondorf797 I am reading it again after 13 years and I was surprised by Ingtar being a darkfriend again.

[@insouciantFox]

Lanfear was/is called “Daughter of the Night” in “Blood Calls Blood”.

[@davidpeacock8276]

Also, when Turak revealed the heron marked blade I literally spoke out loud in my bed "oh shit is about to go down" lol.

[@RiseeRee]

The interesting thing about the WoT series is that when you look back, you notice that RJ actually puts sooo many clues or sometimes characters even blatantly say something (in passing) that ends up happening...10 books later though 😂

[@RobChristianson]

Risee I LOVE that about WOT

[@RexusprimeIX]

When Logain, a character I originally thought was a done and gone character, mentions a simple laugh that happened 5 books ago. I sat up straight and thought "Alright, this author is not messing around". Even something as unimportant as a laugh had some kind of backstory that is not just a one off scene.

[@iamthemarshmallow7695]

I am immediately guessed who Selene was as soon as we got her description I guessed AND I WAS RIGHT

[@stefvanroey8191]

SAME! I was like yeah that sounds a lot like that *spoilers* person people were talking about...

[@pedrosernagiotto2577]

@@stefvanroey8191 100%, she appeared right after the Daughter of the Night being brought up and she even starts talking about how Rand was always like that a couple chapters after she appeared, like, she only knew him for a few hours at that point at most, it was clear with the Daughter of the Night being the Dragon's ex-lover it was her...

[@my_cousin_mose9782]

@@pedrosernagiotto2577 I just finished book 2 and that caught me completely off guard haha. I knew she was bad news but I had no idea how bad.

[@YagamiZero]

I never thought rand was bland, but since book 3 onwards he is definetly to me the more complex character of the series. Maybe I'm biass because he is my favorite character but i always loved his inner conflicts.

[@abel2farago453]

At the the beggining he was a bit bland, maybe. In the Shadow Rising I started to like him again, due to his inner conflicts and the fact that how he started to accept&acknowledge that he is the Dragon Reborn. [maybe spoiler? Yes,a bit] I especially liked how he started to like Aviendha because she disliked Rand al'Thor, not the Dragon Reborn or the Caracarn.

[@kissofarose100]

I love him also since the first volume actually 😊

[@MrT115]

I'm surprised that you didn't comment on Hurin's tracking ability as well as on Ingtar's Boromir-like scene. You will get a lot of awesome stuff with Mat and Perrin in the 2 upcoming books.

[@soumyaranjankanr306]

Ikr That last reveal got me (About Ingtar)

[@ALX112358]

Lanfer was briefly explained in the start of the book. She is one of the forsaken and former lover of Lewis Thenin. Her appearance was foreshadow in one of the prophecies, was referenced as "daughter of the night" (or something like that).

[@merphynapier42]

Oh! Thank you so much!

[@Huebz]

I’m in middle of a reread right now of WoT and remembering my favorite part of Loial is that he lives so damn long, but he’s mildly jealous of all the things humans do in their lives. I always find it fascinating that to him, humans accomplish so much more in their short time than Ogier do in their long-lived lives.

[@saidin1991]

Regarding Selene/Lanfear and Galad (who I assume you referred to as the guy with Egwene) it is mostly that they are insanely good looking rather than anything else. While other characters like Egwene, Gawyn, Elayne etc. are certainly attractive, those two play in a completely different league. While Mat didn't treat Rand well by any means, I think many readers tend to underestimate the fear and stigma associated with male channelers in this world. Imagine your friend telling you that they have a nuclear bomb in their chest that might go off at any time without warning and you essentially have how most people view male channelers.

[@Huebz]

I do agree that the stigma is underestimated by readers, but I still can’t give Mat a pass because he was a giant douche from the start of the book. Rand says one thing to make him mad and he’s just like “fine. I’ve known you my whole life, but you said one mean thing and now I’m done with you”

[@revan0890]

Don't forget that Matt is still under the daggers influence, had visited Padan Fain a couple of times, and Rand was being an ass for a few weeks.

[@michaelxz1305]

Lanfear had it all insanely good looking and insanely powerful, she should be the poster child for that hot/crazy correlation scale

[@davidpeacock8276]

It is also worth mentioning that this isnt a time of models in magazines or instagram. Egwene is like the hottest girl in your school and that is the most you've ever seen. Same for Rand ( everybody wants a piece of that Rand). Then all of a sudden you see Beyonce. Or Scarlett Johansson. Or J Lo. Or whatever your standard of absolute beauty is. It is more than just another league, its more beautiful than you could ever had imagined. And youre just out of your teenage years. It would be jarring and would through you way off your game.

[@KingBowserVlog]

Was I the only one that understood Mat's perspective and didn't blame him at all? Sure, it hurts cuz they've been friends since they were kids but at the same time like a commenter said, it's like realizing your best friend has a nuke inside him that could blow up any second

[@Maya_Ruinz]

Just finished book 2 myself, really great book and incredibly dense with activity. I think I loved the most Rands little adventure through Cairhien and just how fun it was watching him, Lioal and Huron get up to shenanigans in the city.

[@quastor749]

No the second we meet Selene I was like yap she’s eeeeeevil

[@FirewolfKnight]

I was all eeeeeeeeeeeevvvvviiiiiiiilllllll. Didn't figure out it was Lanfear. I just thought she was a psycho evil power crazy gal.

[@pedrosernagiotto2577]

@@FirewolfKnight Dude, the second she appeared i thought it was Lanfear and when she talks about Rand always being like that, it was clear she knew the previous Dragon and I dont even pick that much detail, I thought everybody knew all along...

[@FirewolfKnight]

@@pedrosernagiotto2577 I know right?

[@pedrosernagiotto2577]

@@FirewolfKnight Dude, I was even mad for the entire time that Robert Jordan was having Rand doing something so dumb as trusting her while he had already made sure who she was, I was grumbling all the time thinking "Come on, if you are gonna have your MC do something so stupid at least make it a mysteries who she is or her real motivations, making it so clear she is a forsaken just mess up my enjoyment"

[@wpaunan]

I thought her name was a play on Serene, or siren, the women who lured men to their deaths.

[@joakimnyback1931]

Robert Jordan is all about the characters and the relation between them, their experiances and growth. The world is secondary, you’ll learn about it in the same pace as the characters does.

[@DanielGreeneReviews]

Rand - great character, kinda shit dude. IMO that doesn’t change much throughout the series. He’s not a bad guy, but certainly kind of a douche often. My favorite description of Mat ever now is your saying “Mat you ignorant buffoon”. Lol

[@BrendaVFitness]

Do you think that Jordan kept Rand as "kinda a shit dude" (LOL) on purpose because of the fact that he could go either way? Dark or light? I mean of course the reader hopes this is the final lifetime and he does good and saves the day but this way he always keeps the path to the dark side open?

[@kayleelockheart8208]

I do think Rand being a butt is justified by how much pressure is placed upon him by the pattern, and how much more he places upon himself because asking for help is hard, and he doesn't want anyone else to get hurt. SPOILERSISH Just keep in mind how long it takes him to accept that other people are allowed to be heroes too. I dont really hold it against him that he is such a butt because I feel like many of us would make similar decisions because we dont want to show weakness, or risk our loved ones, or out ourselves as something people hate even though it's completely out of our control.

[@jefferyskeenan]

Rand - normal simple person thrust into the most impossible pressure. Chosen one. Savior. Most of the story is has to wait for everyone else to catch up to him. Rand is probably one of my top three developed characters ever. (Jordan does this with all the main protagonist to varying degree's which is amazing in and of itself). Empathy is completely needed to fully grasp Rand Al'Thor, which is why the ending of the books is so great *no spoiler* Mat - The reluctant hero, and so completely true to character that his journey makes him the best liked characters of the story (next to Egwene imo). Perin - The alpha male trope turned into something uniquely alpha male. The protector, the gentle giant. Jordan is a master, and all of us are humbled by his soul as it touches us :)

[@WhatTheFunct]

I am currently about 30% of the way through the Dragon Reborn and... I hate Rand. He's (in my opinion) the worst of the three Emond's Field guys. He doesn't think for himself, he constantly tries to fight fate no matter how many times he's been shown that he can't (which, while understandable, is obnoxious *purely* because of how much he blames on the Aes Sedai despite the fact that Ba'alzamon is LITERALLY APPEARING TO HIM IN DREAMS), and he cannot seem to abandon his ideas about how the world operates based on the stories he heard as a child, even when he's shown actual firsthand evidence that contradicts the things he was told. Not to mention, despite being an objective oaf of a man, every woman just seems to throw herself at him in the series - Egwene, Min, Elayne, "Selene"... it's kind of absurd. Anyway. I am not a Rand fan at all at this point. To me, he reads as a hardcore Mormon incapable of thinking for himself and incapable of challenging literally any worldview he was taught ages 1-10. I hope he improves and I can definitely see potential - he has had some growth (finally) even in the tiny bit I've seen of him so far in the Dragon Reborn, but I'm still a skeptic. The other two Emond's Field guys are far more interesting, and the women are *far* more interesting than any of them.

[@bluelight17]

@@WhatTheFunct Not sure at what point you are now, but Rand has an amazing character and story arc, both in a good and bad way. The older i get the more i love Rand and just want good things for him. I disagree with Daniel's description of him, he can be a douche at times, but the guy has a LOT going on and there are characters that don't go through half of what he does that have way worse attitudes.

[@Oniric2704]

Hello! I am also reading the series for the very first time and I want to share an advice a friend gave me that is helping me a lot with the confusion. Even though I am doing most of my “reading” thought audio books, he suggested that it would be better if I also owned the physical copies. Why? Because of the glossary. Even Robert Jordan knew that the books contained too much information to keep track at all times, that is why he did a very extensive glossary at the end of each book. What is great about the glossary is that it contains only the information you had access at this point on the series so you do not run the risk of being spoiled which may very well happen if you look for that information online. For example, the book talks about Lanfear very briefly on a single paragraph a few chapters before Selene was introduced. It was important information that was really easy to miss. If you look for Lanfear at glossary it will only tell you what the book exposed about Lanfear so far and nothing else. Hope that helps!

[@SkidMcmarxx]

I once read a comment that sums up rand in this book perfectly. It went something like: Prophecy: "The dragon reborn will be a ginger dude with a heron-marked blade from the two rivers who's best friends are called mat and perrin." Rand: "That could be anyone."

[@christianrapper]

LoL

[@Cableguy15]

This is why I didn't like Rand very much until the end of book three. He spends way too long in denial and it's not really justified. If he had seen a bunch of signs that he wasn't the dragon, it would have felt a bit more earned that he spent two books telling himself the same thing over and over. I didn't watch the Wheel of Time show, but I've heard that they tried to give red herrings that Rand isn't the dragon and that ended up annoying fans of the series, so what do I know? lol That said, Rand became my favorite character in book four because he'd finally moved on to more interesting internal conflicts.

[@rossj4755]

Great review! The “I’m gonna make the people I care about mad so they are fine with me leaving them” trope comes up again. Several times haha. Sool-dom and dah-mah-nee

[@rossj4755]

Also, Robert Jordan definitely does slow-play reveals and info that you’ll learn.

[@DragonWorksOfficial]

You'll see the who Selene is clues all over the first/second book in your first re-read, they're easy to spot once you know what to look for, but it's mostly crafted so that in their first read the average reader would be only 75-90% sure about who Selene is, based on the hints. You'll definitely miss some of the hints for other characters too and make false theories - WoT has just as many theories and guesses as Game of Thrones, some are great guesses, some are great theories, some are interesting but quite impossible. :) It's part of the whole experience tbh, checking your theories and guesses vs what's really happening/happened etc. :)

[@Mikus011]

I love seeing first reactions to the series. I consumed all 14 books in about a year and didnt have many people to share it with so I like seeing people's reactions to it... and laugh a bit when their predictions are either spot on or just way waaaaaay off 😉

[@whitejar79]

Yes! 😆

[@rossj4755]

Your Mat predictions are interesting

[@Phinehas9]

Indeed.

[@nunaballona6434]

"He's the wild card." LOL yes.

[@mattyspice30]

Nynaeve and Rand are pretty similar when you talked about her arc of what she’s going through, both are rejecting what great things they could become, Rand isn’t as headstrong but other then that they do have some striking similarities

[@WrekitRoush]

Your descriptions of the characters were great! Personally I rate: Matt - your description of him as a “wildcard” is spot on. Rand - it was the best of times; it was the worst of times. Nynaeve - Amazing character imo. Top 5 character for me. Lan - The G.O.A.T. Egwene - I’d rather spend a day with the Dark One than Egwene. You can pick which Dark One from which series. I will say some of her story arc is pretty cool though.....eventually. She’s still the worst though. I'm excited what you think of the next few books. They are some of the best in the series imo.

[@JivkoBS]

@@kayleelockheart8208 I know, right? Love this line.

[@sidhedanu]

Egwene is the absolute worst.

[@henriktronstad7050]

Egwene is in my top 3 favourite characters. Yup.

[@noahhildebrandt1298]

Egwene starts off okay, but turns into one of the most unbearable characters I've ever read in any series. During the "slog" books, I was most in danger of quitting the series in the books where she was the primary focus.

[@Mr73172]

I have read the series through a few times and I am loving seeing your new reader perspective. You will go through loving and hating many characters in this series. Thank you for the uploads. I am really enjoying seeing your journey

[@JivkoBS]

Love these books ... And on some of the characters: Matrim Cauthon - Just keep reading. One thing i like about his character is that he is no hero. By any means. And he does not want to be. He just wants to be let alone with his simple pleasures. But that never happens and everything with him seems just awkward and kind of funny at times. And he is a great friend ;) His arc is awesome later on. Lan Mandragoran - One of the best side characters i have ever seen in books. But you will see to what extend much later. Rand Al'Tor - I never liked him. His character is too confusing at times. Perin Aybara - His arc really is one of the best. Just wait :) Lanfear - If your friend did not tell you much, i won't either. Trust me, you don't want to be spoiled :) But yes, she's really a bad one.

[@Yveld]

I keep coming back each time I finish one of the books. All I can say is I loved the darkfriend raid on the fortress, Egwene being able to sense minerals/metals in the ground and rip them up, and of course, Hurin for being a genuinely good guy. Love the reviews, I'll be back for the Dragon Reborn.

[@angelagualtieri5699]

I just finished my first read of this. I really like “Selene” and the concept of her characterization. I picked up right away something was off. I also loved the parts in the white tower. Min and Ewgwene grew a lot on me as characters. I want to see more Lan and Morianne in the next book. I had the same reaction as you for the last 100 chapters. I’m also not used to the pacing in these books yet so I’m hoping that gets easier for me going forward.

[@jeremydanchuk1897]

I have re-read the eye of the world at least 6 times and still fined new things that foreshadow the last books.

[@errtu123]

"Selene kept pushing Rand into direction he didn't want to go" - so exactly like Moiraine does all the time.

[@SatoruwaFeng]

Yeah but Moiraine actually cares about Rand, Selene just cares about Lews Therin and how he will take over the world.

[@michaelxz1305]

@@SatoruwaFeng I'm not so sure.. Moraine has an agenda and wants to see it through

[@SatoruwaFeng]

@@michaelxz1305 Yeah, but that agenda is seeing Rand get to the Last Battle in one piece. Selene is in love with a copy of a copy and will burn down the world to make her otp canon. Moiraine on the other hand, just wants the TV show she has stakes in to reach its season finale. I'm not arguing they aren't similar, I'm arguing that I'd rather have Moiraine trying to push me with words, rather than Selene using Compulsion on me. On that note though, the fatal flaw in Compulsion weaves is super stupid, and frustrating when you think about it.

[@josies1604]

Agree with what others say, that you probably wouldn't know Salene is Lanfear if you hadn't been told. But as far as who Lanfear is, check out Verin's description in chapter 7 Blood calls Blood (pg 107 in my copy). It will make more sense going forward. Knowing what Morraine knows about Lanfear, and paying attention to what Salene says to Rand, it becomes really obvious that that's who she is.

[@magichat2924]

I have to say I love your reviews. Just started a reread of the series recently and looked around for some discussion. Your enthusiasm for the series is really contagious. You remind me of the first time I read the books, head swarming with questions and confusion. Look forward to more content on the rest of the books. Have fun!

[@reecenaidu6020]

Rand won me over by the end of this book. I had felt him too generic before, but I think him and his world has established itself enough for me to see him apart from the hundred other Rands I've read before. I loved the climax of this book. It was far clearer than book 1 and that helped me to feel moved by it. I think I enjoyed the girls' thread more though. Egwene has always been a case, but I didn't mind when she got some revenge on Renna. Nyneave is best girl, though. She's softer and fluffier than she admits, but also hard as nails. Best character in book

[@Dr.Rankinstein]

The exchange between Egwene and her leash holder after egwene was freed was the moment I went “oh no this isn’t another generic fantasy series”

[@breezy3392]

"Mat, we have no idea. He's a wild card" YES. That is exactly what Mat is!

[@DragonWorksOfficial]

My advice is for you not to check additional stuff on Selene/Lanfear at until you're 20% into book 3, because you get to learn heaps more about her and Rand's past/current relationship in that interval. Also - I'm not sure if any of your WoT-loving friends have shown you, but the site Encyclopaedia WoT is priceless for keeping track on things - it has all characters(main, side, POV, non-POV, big, small, relevant, irrelevant) by alphabetical order, with the info that you learn about/from each, in which book/chapter, what they're doing or what they've done in particular chapter, how that correlates with things in previous books, etc. So checking where and by whom Lanfear is mentioned in the first 2 books is a walk in the park. It also has information about anything else world-building or plot related, in case you need an additional hint/elaboration. :)

[@nickywal]

Sool-dam, da-man-ee, you've definitely heard of Lanfear before just saying. More Lan and Perrin is coming enjoy that. Galad? Everyone has that reaction to Galad everyone

[@llamallama1509]

I've not read The Wheel of Time in years. Your enthusiasm and excitement is making me want to revisit the series

[@shaz5200]

Your review on The Eye of the World convinced me to reread the series and I'm now on The Great Hunt. Thanks for making me remember why I love the series!

[@captainwilhelm9657]

Lanfear is one of the Forshaken who were channelers who joined the Dark One in the Age of Legends and is Lews Theirn's ex-girlfriend.

[@merphynapier42]

Thank you!

[@captainwilhelm9657]

@@merphynapier42 You're welcome

[@revan0890]

You mean crazy ex-girlfriend

[@carterdahl9654]

Halfway through the book I remember thinking "I can't wait till Rand flies the dragon banner for the first time." Little did I know.

[@wpaunan]

Yea. Got oddly emotional.

[@zachbrehany2253]

Decided while reading Wheel of Time I'll watch your videos instead of Daniel Greene or Mike's Book Reviews' videos because your reaction is similar to mine. Glad you pointed out the ending with the woman the way you did. It's rare for me to cheer during a book and Nyneave basically going all revenge centric and the fog that starts the ending battle is what won me over to Jordan. Beautiful built-up, beautiful self reflection of the situation by the characters, and dread inducing over what this power can do. Easily the highlight so far.

[@tmjd79]

Yes, that's exactly it. Jordan peppers things in so subtly that subsequent reads are a completely different experience. It's impossible to see everything the first time through, or even the second time through. These are books that you can enjoy and rediscover again and again through the years. The pacing can be very frustrating at times, but hang in there. I think you are really going to love the next three books.

[@kayleelockheart8208]

Yea, there's that scene in book 1 in Baerlon where Mat knocks over the barrels and splashes mud on the whitecloaks. It wasn't until my third time through that I realized what Rand was going through.

[@Cam5FC]

Regarding the women in WOT, I'm only 4 books in, but the characters are fantastic. Love their character build. The only thing I don't like is what seems to be the universal belittling of the men and their choices and methods. Not a fan of that, but on an individual level, Jordan created some great characters.

[@joshtargo6834]

fun to hear reviews from someone new to the series (I've been through them many times.) Don't be scared to get the audiobook versions. Amazing voice acting and accents. Michael and Kate feel like the actual characters to me.

[@wpaunan]

I'm listening to the Rosamund Pike audiobooks and they are great!

[@matthewletexier]

I'm reading these for the first time, and then watching these reviews. They really help me keep my thoughts in order after such hype endings. I get on hype trains easily and these keep me sane. Thanks for what you do!

[@apoorvajangale9667]

You will get to know a hella more about selene, in the next book.

[@merphynapier42]

Good!!

[@kylejohnson3105]

One thing I didn't quite like was the whole liandrin luring and capturing nyneve and egwene. It just seemed unrealistic. If nyneve and egwene were a threat (not sure how they are more a threat than full trained Aes Sedai) they could have had easier ways of disposing of them.. Surely she could have collared nyneve (she's the bigger threat) at any point in traveling through the ways. It also just seemed that they gave up capturing Nyneve so quickly. And it just seemed like the only reason Egewene was captured was to give Rand a reason to stay, fight, and rescue Egewene.

[@DaneofHalves]

I love your enthusiasm for the Wheel of Time! Subbed!

[@hafiz7611]

The "Daughter of Night" thing in the Fade prophecy in Fal Dara made the connection click immediately when Selene was first introduced. It basically confirmed it when Moiraine asked about Lanfear to Verin; Robert Jordan was good with foreshadowing events that occur in the same book (and even moreso events/people in later books after doing a reread).

[@mattkrause1573]

Just finished this. Had a hard time getting through these was thinking oh it'll happen. And yes. The beginning of the 'final act' involving the women got me going. Nyneave might be my fave right now. Series is growing on me.

[@punkguitar4974]

I’m glad I’m not the only one who isn’t sold on Rand yet. Like I love the chapters that focus on him since they really are huge to the plot, but his motives and reactions to things aren’t super unique or fleshed out yet. But I LOVED the pacing of The Great Hunt!! The first book was way too slow, but made up for it with the pay off at the end. Book 2 though had so many huge events happen, but only explained in small doses. So when the pacing would slow back down it was much needed time to mull over and look for clues in whatever big event had last happened!

[@kayleelockheart8208]

I also think you're right about your comparison between Galad, and Selene. They're as beautiful as beautiful gets.

[@Dhowlan]

Keep reading them Merphy. I finished the series a while ago, and can't praise it enough. I'd read other fantasy novels, but when I began The Wheel of Time, it was as if all those others were just so-so. This was the masterpiece by which all similar works would be judged. It wasn't the story alone (as if that wasn't enough), but the way Jordan wrote it. I felt his style of writing changed from book three, "The Dragon Reborn". I loved the first two books, but I think his method of writing improved from the third book, and remained that way thereafter. It was as if he'd moved up a gear. That may be my imagination. Hopefully, you'll continue the series, and form your own opinion on that. I'm enjoying your Wheel of Time videos, especially seeing your combination of frustration and wonderment, as the tale unfolds. As you say, Jordan reveals titbits. I loved that about him. You were never sure if a character or event were unimportant, moderately important, or majorly so. Possibly, several books later, you'd remember something you'd read way back and think, OMG. :)

[@clarkkentnaruto4322]

Hey there Murphy. How are you? Thanks for another great review. I am actually currently re listening to the Great Hunt, and I am for sure discovering lots more than I did before. Also, it's funny, but when I re listened to the Final Empire Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson, I wound up loving it way more the second time listening to it than the first time. So, I am with you on the topic of re reads. Also as someone who uses audio books to read, since I am legally blind, thank you for being a narrator. You help me gain access to books much easier. Thanks again.

[@BrendaFOBRocks]

lmfaooo i was drawing and i put this on for background noise because i wanted to hear your thoughts and i thought for the first seven minutes you were talking about The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins instead and I cannot explain to you how lost and confused I was lol

[@TheBookRefuge]

100% agree about Lan and Perrin. If not for Nyneave in this one I would have been missing all my faves

[@schwartzbrick]

“He’s the Wild Card” HA!!!

[@johnyarbor007]

Be thankful you have all the books. There were years between releases. I've read the books 4 times and constantly listen to them on audible. Learn more every day about them.

[@indy_go_blue6048]

RJ later wrote a prequel which mostly involves Morraine and the Aes Sedai. If you're seriously interested in the series, it would answer for you a lot of the questions MN is asking.

[@terry1381]

I really love the attention this series has gotten now.I first found out about R.J. from his contributions to the Conan novels,which has many tremendous writers,but Jordan’s talent stood out to me.Then when Eye of The World came out he was already an author I respected so I purchased it without much debate.lol,that was over thirty years ago.Seeing all the positive comments from people who are just starting this epic journey and thinking about how long this series ran,losing R.J.,Sanderson picking it up for the finish and now an actual adaption not only reignited my interest in W.O.T it also warmed my heart immensely.

[@leamonreynolds]

Im reading the series right now and your videos help me recap, so thank you for that!

[@blueninegs]

"Mat, I have no idea, he is a wildcard" LOL

[@ashutoshmohapatra7320]

Love your insights and reactions on these books. It puts such a huge smile on my face whenever I watch your videos. It is very exciting to see someone reacting to these books for the first time. I am sure you would enjoy book 3 too.

[@newyorkmeable]

one of my biggest annoyance with these books is that I don't necessarily want reading a series to become a lifestyle with the amount of energy it takes to memorize a fake history lol.

[@noshei21]

Great review, can't wait to hear your thoughts on the rest or the series.

[@Fubbjubbler]

Love how accurate your prediction for Matt is and Perrin I do love the how his character develops.

[@mjtingle1]

I love how I somehow went from hating nynaeve like what is her problem. By the end of the book she just jumped into the top for me. She's literally an aes sedai version of the hulk and I can't get enough.

[@jaysheth1541]

I am on Book 6... Book 2 was the best for me. I loved Books 4,5 & 6 immensely... But TGH is special. First love is always going to feel special. I loved that chapter titled... The Blademaster 💖

[@abel2farago453]

I totaly get what you mean by not understanding stuff. Jordan barely tells you sg straight-up. That's why I decided after the Great Hunt to only read wot until I finish it ( and because I could barely put it down :).) I'm at book 11 and there are stuff that I only just figured out, even though it happened in book 4! That's mainly because I have been only reading WoT since January, so I remember a lot more and I'm really focused on it. Another very useful thing is that dictionary thing at the back of the book which contains a ton of information about the world, like about the sul'dam, the seanchan, the Forsaken and a lot more. I don't know whether you have this at the back of your copy, but if not, you should get a picture of it or sg. It helps immensly! My feelings towards the female characters have changed a lot through the series. I liked Egwene, than hated her, and now I like her, at least more than at the beggininig. Almost the same goes for Elayne and Nynaeve. They are all very good characters with personality and all, but the women in general are often extremly annoying. All three of them had their share in being annoying/jerk. I still dislike Elayne, although she is a solid character, to say the least. Not to mention the aes sedais. They were the worst! Luckely they are not as fustrating now, but they were just nerve cracking! It's not nice I know, but I was just rooting for the bad guys to kill some of them. They were sooooooo arrogant which makes sense and I think they are well written but there is a level where it is too much for some people to accept, even though it is well written.

[@caydenpomeroy8657]

abel2 Farago A wise man stops chewing when he reaches bone, but so far, the Seanchan have had their meat sliced thin before they reached for it. I intend to give them a tough shank to gnaw. More, I have a plan to make them snap so fast they'll break their teeth on bone before they have a mouthful of meat.

[@randalthor2859]

Sul'-Dahm Dah-Mayne 16:24 yes! That! :) You do a good job with the majority of the pronunciation, I'm actually pretty impressed. There was an old PC game that my father played (when I was a kid) that gave me a benefit of hearing a lot of pronunciation which helped. I'd have butchered Aes Sedai pretty badly to say the least xD

[@dyse13]

This series has been a godsend... I read WoT maybe 15 years ago (bk 1 - 10) and while I've always wanted to reread the books coz I was such a kid then... The lack of time, Rj's pacing in some books and just who huge the whole series is has been daunting... Now I feel like I can kinda enjoy the books through you :).

[@mitchgriffin2611]

Just found your channel from Daniel Greene, really enjoy your videos

[@farid1406]

Great review Merph! Awesome to watch someone experience so much of what I did when I read these books years ago. Btw, I always hear Insterstellar Matthew McConaughey screaming "MURPH" in my head when I see your name

[@samuelmelnik7722]

Lanfear(selene) was Laws Therines lover and a former Aes sedai

[@amaarakhan180]

I can't believe how much detail completely flies over your head in the first read. Its really funny listening to you be like " I don't understand please explain to me" . I felt the same when I read it the first time. I went back over the portions which I didn't get until I understood then I moved on to the next book. That way i got a lot of it the first time around. I'm reading it the second time now and I'm hoping that I'll learn new things that I missed.

[@briangallagher3106]

I just finished this book about 20 minutes ago and I’ve been dying to watch your review, I’m aiming at passing you out on this series. I’m starting book 3 today too. I love your videos, greene Daniel too. He was obviously the catalyst for me to pick up the series.

[@shanejames13]

When Mat said that to Rand, it really hurt.

[@christopherrousseau1173]

The women in The Wheel of Time are very unfairly judged. People say it is a sexist view where the women are always waiting on the man to save them is totally false. The women are all strong, powerful, and do many things for themselves. Who saved Egwene? It wasn't Rand or Matt or Perrin. It was Min and Nynaeve.

[@xandara75]

I agree. They are strong female characters. They have courage and spirit, they have their own dreams and goals and they grow and change throughout the series. They neither aren't perfect and all have their own flaws and all of them are a bit headstrong wich is to be expected in a matriarchal society for woman who are getting trained to be queens, wisdoms or powerful mages (they are literally groomed to be leaders in the social circles they will move in even on a village scale). I understand why people don't like them but I don't understand why they are badly written. I personally love them especially Nynaeve. And considering the times this was pretty progressive.

[@Mirekluk]

You guys are right that this is the Strong Female Character trope, but actually done right.

[@apoorvajangale9667]

Yess I thought the same when mat was acting like a git towards rsnd, but he says something similar to him again when perrin is around and I think he was trying to joke about it (the 2nd time atleast) and yes all the females I love them in this book egwene, Nyaneve and elane too.

[@TheJudge442]

I would have bet big bucks that Selene was in fact suan (the armlyn seat)

[@sejan8812]

I made a drinking game off this book. Take a shot when: -Rand is horny for Selene but goes nooo i’m in love with Egwene” -Rand goes through the inner “I won’t be a puppet for the aes sedai” monologue -Siuan makes a fishing analogy. -anyone says “the wheel weaves as the wheel wills” -Matt speaks before he thinks

[@Highcastle_of_Tone]

Love your take on these books. These characters and arcs spark so many different reactions in the readers, it's one of the best qualities of the series. Most of my opinions about characters were altered in sometimes unexpected ways as the series developed. I wouldn't say it was quite as stark (NPI) as it was with some characters in ASOIAF, but I definitely ended up liking and respecting some characters more than I did initially. As others have said, foreshadowing is used frequently and often missed until subsequent re-reads. I'm still catching new details after four readthroughs.

[@ehellstrom7127]

It has been fun seeing someone going through these books for the first time. I just find it disappointing that certain elements were spoiled for you. When I read the series, each book was brand new and it was so much fun to speculate on what was happening.

[@degotas]

I can say all though I stopped at book 9ish (it was at release so 20 years ago).Matt is my favorite character. He's no Vlad Taltos but he is a fun BA.

[@rogerhuggettjr.7675]

I agree on Mat. Rand was changing while Mat was in a stupor. Maybe he could have taken some time to get up to speed and think of what word Rand would go insane might do to change someone, hmm? This is just a sign of the biggest problem with an otherwise great series; no one is allowed to get closer and trust each other. Even close friends distrust each other based on their sex, use of magic, etc. Actions that should strengthen alliances are looked at cynically and this mistrust is verbalized to make sure the point of ingratitude isn't missed.

[@dsaillant811]

INSTANT click. This is my favorite WoT book by far.

[@robbomegavlkafenryka6158]

0:40 his soul is still being pry-barred out of his body. I give him a pass.

[@allknee852]

You get the intro to who Lanfear is, in the blood writings in the dungeon.

[@relightthespiral]

So glad I’m not the only one who is so confused reading this book but still likes it a lot

[@bennymartinez5532]

I loved all the women characters in these books. Especially naynaeve

[@vatsdimri3675]

I also liked Perrin more than Rand and Mat and rest assured the next two books are filled with Perrin. As for the friendship between boys, I hate to disappoint but the friendship between boys is only part of the first book, Although there are some good friendships between girls in later books. In my view, romance is one of the weakest part of WoT, especially for Rand.

[@jefferyz9271]

Enjoyable review. Keep up the good work. Jordan has a real talent for battle/action scenes.

[@Riz_]

I struggled with the beginning of this book but really got into it part way through. Unfortunitly I agree that it's good to have someone who has read the books because I still have no idea what is going on half the time. ** Spoilers ** I really don't like how most of the main female characters seem to be facinated with Rand. I can understand Iguain because of their past but still, didn't like how they spent so much time wondering about Rand.

[@joshmccarty8800]

Twot characters have to be understood from the perspective that Robert Jordan was trying to write realistic characters that you would find in the small town he is from. At one point swan tells Matt who is trying to get the hell out of there that he reminded him of her uncle that couldn’t be tied down and loved to gamble but died saving children from a burning building. And then Matt immediately goes back to how do I get away from these people. The characters are kind of meant to be normal bland and reluctant but if you chain them down until the time they are needed they will save the world.

[@joaoalbertodefaria8234]

"A whole book of Aes Sedai" oh you sweet summer child.

[@adrianarango8320]

Cant believe she says rand is bland. I found pretty fun the evolution from insecure farmboy to capable leader and lord. Also I didnt found confusing what lanfear/selene was, if you paid attetion you would know. They clearly said she was a Forespoken, which they explained what they were (and fought 2 of them) in the first book, and they even reminded us what they were in the beginning of this book, when verin and moirane are discussing the prophecies. Also it was kind of hintede selene was lanfear with all the "Daughter of midnight" and her sygil (moon and stars), and hoy lanfear was lews therin past lover. I dont think RJ keeps so much his cards to his chest, he gives yoh the information, you just have to pay attention

[@gilbro_]

"Mat is the Wild Card" Yep

[@phlatbrim2732]

Just discovered your channel. Its interesting to watch/listen to a 1st time book reader as they progress through series.

[@Star1412s]

I also had a really strong "she's obviously evil" reaction with Selene.

[@beageler]

Wait, Rand doing what he is forced to do means he accepts it? That's kinda like saying slaves working means they accept being slaves.

[@jaycievictory8461]

Love how much you love these books 💛💛 They so deserve it. Patience, grasshopper, the revelations will come. But we won't learn them until the protagonists do. But it's so worth the pay-off 😃😃