The Great Hunt

The Horn is a legendary artifact that, when sounded, calls the spirits of dead heroes back to fight alongside the living. Its theft drives the book's central quest, and its existence raises the stakes for the coming Last Battle.

The Seanchan are a vast empire from across the ocean who regard women able to channel as dangerous creatures to be controlled. They use a device called the a'dam, a collar-and-leash ter'angreal, to enslave them as weapons. Their arrival expands the world far beyond the first book.

Many readers consider it a step up, with a broader world, higher stakes, and a stronger climax. It introduces several elements, including the Seanchan, the White Tower, and key prophecies, that become central to the entire series.

Yes. Both The Eye of the World and The Great Hunt were published in 1990, the first in January and the second in November, an unusually fast follow-up for an epic of this scale.

It names the quest to recover the stolen Horn of Valere, sometimes called the Great Hunt of the Horn, a legendary pursuit that draws hunters from across the world.