Re-Reading "The Great Hunt": "Chapter 9: Leavetakings" and "Chapter 10: The Hunt Begins"
Robert Jordan dials up the horror in a pair of chapters that show just how ruthless and terrifying Padan Fain is, even as Rand begins to show some clear signs of madness.
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After several chapters that amount to a lengthy throat-clearing, the plot of The Great Hunt begins in earnest when Rand, Perrin, and Mat (along with Loial) finally depart from Fal Dara in pursuit of the Horn of Valere and the dagger from Shadar Logoth. As they set off in pursuit, however, they find that their quarry is very adept at avoiding being caught and, just as sinisterly, that they are more than happy to murder and slaughter anyone who gets in their path, to say nothing of those in their own ranks.
These two chapters are also notable for giving us a fair bit of insight into the actions of our dear Bayle Domon, who finds himself caught up in events that he can’t quite grasp. Personally, I’ve always found the Domon chapters to be a bit of a slog, mostly because I always felt like he was a character who could easily have been left on the cutting-room floor. That being said, we do at least get a look at some of the objects that he’s managed to collect over the years, including what appears to be one of the seals on the Dark One’s prison. While this is obviously an important plot point, I don’t necessarily think that we need chapters from Domon’s point of view for it to really land.Â
The scene in which Rand encounters the same scene over and over is, I think, one of the most haunting that we’ve yet encountered in The Wheel of Time. It’s ambiguous as to what exactly is causing it, but it seems more than likely that it has something to do with saidin and with the impact that Rand’s ability to channel is already having on his psyche and on his mental well-being. I continue to be struck by the extent to which this book, even more than its predecessor, explores elements of horror beneath the high fantasy trappings. In addition to being a pleasure to read–who doesn’t love that chill of unease that races up your spine when you read passages like this?--this also gives some extra stakes to their journey
Even more disturbing is the train of destruction, death, and paint that Padan Fain leaves behind him as he takes his band of Trollocs in all different directions. For some time now it’s clear that Fain is something truly reprehensible, his soul so corrupted that one can’t even be sure that he is human at all. Nothing illustrates this more than his ability to nail a Myrdraal to a building (even though it isn’t revealed that he was the one who did it at this point). As terrifying and vile as the Fades are, it’s hard not to feel a jolt of unease at the thought of anyone, whether human or otherwise, being able to hold one in place while nailing it to a building. Whatever Fain has become by this point, it’s clearly something that even the Shadowspawn find worthy of serving (not that they seem to be given any choice in the matter). One can also just imagine what it must be like for the human Darkfriends in their company, who must think that they have fallen into a trap from which there is no escape.
Though I enjoyed these chapters quite a bit, I still found myself getting a bit frustrated with Mat’s and Perrin’s continued avoidance of Rand, Yes, I realize that they're both hurt and upset that Rand treated them so contemptuously and that he still seems to be draping himself in the trappings of nobility but, as so often in Jordan’s work, there comes a point where you just want to shake the characters and tell them to stop acting like idiots. This, I think, is one of those moments. As The Wheel of Time goes on, Jordan will lean more and more into these contrived personal grievances, which I’m afraid does sometimes make the series as a whole something of a slog.Â
The Shienarans, on the other hand, are a pleasure to read about, particularly Lord Ingtar. We don’t really know that much about him at this point, but there are still definite signs of the revelations to come. It’s clear, for example, that he feels the weight of the Dark One’s possible victory hanging over him, a feeling made all the more acute by the fact that he sees so much darkness in humanity’s own history. Most notably, he expresses profound sadness at the way that Artur Hawkwing’s empire fell to pieces after his death, leaving a patchwork of nations, most of whom don’t even control all of the territory over which they claim to be sovereign. For a man like Ingtar, who comes from a proud lineage and a proud people, it must be almost unbearable to see the folly of contemporary peoples, who continue to squabble and tear one another apart while the world around them falls apart. It’s one of those moments that only gains in resonance the longer that time goes on.
All in all, I really enjoyed these two chapters. They help to move the plot forward for a bit, even if the hunt itself doesn’t reach a conclusion just yet. It helps to reinforce just how dangerous an enemy Fain is, and it helps us to see the strain that Rand is going to be under as saidin continues to make its presence felt. Just as importantly, it also shows the extent to which the world has indeed fallen into a rather precarious state. While our impression of this is somewhat distorted by Ingtar and his undeniable pessimism, there’s no denying that things have declined after Hawkwing’s time and that it’s likely that things will continue to do so. Unless, of course, the Dragon Reborn manages to destroy the world in the process of defending it against the depredations of the Dark One. As this book will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt, there’s a very rocky and difficult road ahead for Rand al’Thor.