The Great Hunt

Fantasy

Print length: 653 pagesTor, 2012

Description

The legendary Horn of Valere, said to summon the dead heroes of earlier ages, has been found—and stolen. Rand, Mat, and Perrin join Shienaran soldiers in a dangerous pursuit to recover it while prophecy and the Shadow tighten their claims on the world. Elsewhere, Egwene, Nynaeve, and Elayne travel to the White Tower at Tar Valon to train in the ways of the Aes Sedai, entering an institution shaped by formidable power and divided loyalties. As these paths separate, an unfamiliar army lands on the western coast and begins imposing its own order. The novel expands its age-spanning fantasy through parallel journeys, political upheaval, and the pressure placed on young people whose private choices are becoming part of history.

Reading profile

About this profile

Collected’s assessment, not reader ratings. Complexity runs from 1 (least demanding) to 5 (most demanding).

Writing: How much attention the sentences and language require.
Ideas: How much interpretation or abstract reasoning the book asks of you.
Structure: How much you need to keep track of speakers, timelines and connections.
Background knowledge: Prior knowledge needed to follow the book, beyond what it explains.
Emotional intensity: Emotional pressure, from gentle (1) to intense (5). Separate from difficulty.

Writing style

Atmospheric · Descriptive · Direct

Pace

Variable

Tone

Atmospheric · Dark · Earnest · Tense

Structure

Braided · Linear

Focus

Character · Plot · World

Emotional intensity

4 / 5

Reading complexity

1–5 · higher means more demanding

Writing: 3 / 5
Ideas: 3 / 5
Structure: 4 / 5
Background knowledge: 3 / 5

Themes

Coming of ageFriendshipIdentityOppressionPowerWar

About Robert Jordan

Robert Jordan wrote epic fantasy on a continental scale, using direct, descriptive prose to keep elaborate histories, cultures, and systems of power legible. His characteristic structure begins with pursuit or quest, then divides the cast among parallel journeys whose consequences gradually meet. The Eye of the World moves from the rural Two Rivers into a larger struggle through flight, separation, and reunion, establishing his habit of revealing the world as his characters cross it. In The Great Hunt and The Shadow Rising, private choices become entangled with prophecy, institutional loyalties, and competing versions of history. As The Wheel of Time expands, rulers, armies, religious orders, and channelers all try to guide or contain Rand al’Thor, while other protagonists acquire distinct political and personal burdens. Jordan often builds momentum by alternating travel, negotiation, training, siegecraft, and sudden violence rather than driving toward a single uninterrupted action line. His earlier Conan the Barbarian novels show the adventure-writing foundation beneath this broader method, with danger and movement carrying readers through dense world-building.