WOT: The Great Hunt

Well, I finished re-listening to The Great Hunt. What do I think? Well, I'm going to skip the intro and just talk about it character-by-character.

Rand: Rand was a frickin' idiot in the first part, with the whole "I'm going to chase away my friends to protect them" BS that not only I hate, but it seems to never lead anywhere. Mat and Perrin find out before he disappears, and Loial forgives him instantly, so...why?

Other than that, I see him as just someone reacting to things. He's still this guy who just wants to get out of this mess he's gotten himself in. His development comes into the future books.

Mat: I hated Mat in this book. Yes, he has a right to be pissed at Rand, but come on, it never occurred to him that someone who's been friends with him for so long wasn't interested at all in helping him? And when he finds out Rand can channel, he abandons him? Leigh Butler, in her reread of the series, noted that it had something to do with him just not having a big inner relation yet, but he still lost points with me. He's still a load here, so... ugh.

Perrin: Still awesome, though he doesn't do much here. This books just wasn't really focused on him. When it is, he just angsts over being able to speak to wolves. This is resolved better in the next book.

Egwene: Still not a lot of development. She trains, get caught by the Seanchan, then gets rescued. If she was hardened by her slavery, it doesn't show here.

Nyneave: I like her better here. She's kind of snippy, but considering everything, I excuse her. She's more compassionate, and her journey to through the Accepted ceremony was cool. Seeing her lead Elyane was awesome, especially since she stuck it to the Seanchan.

Elyane: More of a role, but never really got here character. I guess they were setting her up for future books.

Loial: Still love him. Love how he had to adjust to violence in this book, love how he sticks by Rand, love him. Keep it up Loial.

Hurin: He annoyed me. Not as much as Mat, but all his insistence at making Rand a lord annoyed me.

Liandran: The only reason she's not the character I hate the most in this book is because the Seanchan are in it. I am waiting to see her get was she deserves in the next book.

Seanchan: I. HATE. THEM. That whole sequence with Egwene being enslaved was just so painful to read, and seeing them get their comeuppance was gratifying. I hope they get wiped out later in the series.

Padan Fain: Man, I'm telling you, I'm having a hard time matching him up with the peddler from the first book. I guess that just shows how much he's been corrupted.

All in all, liked it, waiting for book three.