The best chapters from every Wheel of Time book
By John Fallon
Credit: Tor Books
The Great Hunt: “Blademaster,” “To Come Out of the Shadow,” “The Grave Is No Bar To My Call”
"It has to be at the Last Battle. Nothing says it can’t be used before then. Nothing says it can’t."
Robert Jordan loved to separate his point-of-view characters at the beginning of his books only to bring them together again in a climatic ending. These three chapters at the end of The Great Hunt are the climax of the book, depicting the chaos at Falme. This is Jordan’s first attempt at bringing multiple viewpoints together, and it’s very successful.
The book has followed parallel paths: on one, Rand, Mat and company hunt for the Horn of the Valere, all while Egwene, Elayne, Nynaeve and Min journey to the White Tower and eventually run into the dreadful Black Ajah, who gives two of them over to the slavedriving Seanchan. With the horn in reach, Rand finds himself in a swordfight with the High Lord Turak, a blademaster of the Seanchan, at the same time Egwene is rescued.
The heroes try to get away from the city, but are surrounded by enemies on all sides. Seeing no other choice, Mat blows the Horn of Valere, bringing back the shades of long-dead heroes to their aid. It is epic, and that’s before the swordfight in the sky between Rand and Ba’alzamon, one of the Forsaken. In the sky!