“The Great Hunt” is the second book in the long “Wheel of Time” series, a series that influenced many modern fantasy writers, with classic tropes and characters and intricate magic world. It was written by James Oliver Rigney Jr. under the pen name, Robert Jordan. This second novel continues with the heroes from the previous: Rand, Mat, Perrin and Egwene, as they face new challenges and new threats. New characters come into the picture, including Lan Mandragoran, who takes on the role of Rand's instructor, preparing him for his new role as Dragon Reborn.
This time, Rand and his friends jump into the time, and find themselves in an alternate world, similar to theirs but different, and have to face some new but also old enemies. Rand is also struggling with the burden of his new abilities, including saidin.
The novel explores the themes of evil and corruption, time travel and alternate universe, as well as friendship and bravery. A lot of the series' themes pull from religious and other beliefs, the most prominent example being the figure of shaitan, which is an allusion to the Islamic religion. It is heavily inspired by "The Lord of the Rings", with all the classic fantasy tropes, and it enjoyed a similar success.
