–published 2008
–303 pages, Eos Books
–4.5/5 stars
Hunter’s Run, a collaboration by multiple-award-winning authors George RR Martin and Gardner Dozois, and relative newcomer Daniel Abraham, is a novel whose journey to existence is every bit as ardous as the journey undertaken by the novel’s protagonist.
The story began life 30 years ago as an idea of Gardner Dozios that he and George RR Martin eventually worked into the novella Shadow Twin for Subterranean Press, knowing full well that there was a novel in there somewhere. The presence of writer Daniel Abraham provided a set of fresh eyes to the project and together they built what eventually became Hunter’s Run.
I came to realize as I read this book that I have something of a preconceived prejudice against novel collaborations. Despite the fact that every one of the admittedly few collaborations that I have read were enjoyable experiences, I tend to look at collaborations as representative of an author’s less-than-stellar work. Judging by my enjoyment of Hunter’s Run I have to wonder how many other great reading experiences I have passed over because of this prejudice.
Hunter’s Run tells the story of Ramon Espejo, an unlikeable prospector on the new world of Sao Paulo, whose impulsive and anti-social personality sends him on an unexpected journey of terror and self-discovery. A drunken murder in the back alley of a bar prompts Ramon to set out into uninhabited parts of the new world in the hopes of both avoiding the law and finding the mother lode. What Ramon Espejo finds instead is a hidden alien race who wants nothing more than to stay hidden. Courtesy of a painful biological connection to one member of this alien race, Ramon becomes an unwilling partner in a race to track down another human who has discovered these aliens and is rushing back to civilization to expose their presence.
What follows is a story that is made up of equal parts adventure/survival tale and psychological drama, set against the backdrop of a future world in which man is struggling to survive amidst much more powerful alien races. One of the first things I noticed about Hunter’s Run is that in no place did I feel like this novel was written by more than one person. It flows so well and is written with such consistency that I have to give kudos to these three authors for crafting such a complete story. Hunter’s Run is certainly science fiction in terms of the world it is set in and the presence of aliens and future technology, but those details integrated seamlessly into the background of a familiar and yet well-told tale of self-discovery.
Ramon Espejo is not a nice protagonist. From the very start of the book he is an anti-social and unlikeable character whose vulgar language, self-absorption, and violent nature do nothing to endear him to the reader. Despite the fact that I was hooked by the story immediately, I couldn’t help but wonder how I was going to feel about the character and his story when the book ended. He is that unsavory. What could have happened with a book like Hunter’s Run is that the character could have made a remarkable, and perhaps unbelievable, transformation from being a dark anti-hero into the white knight of the story. Instead the authors used their significant writing talent to craft a story in which Ramon Espejo learns a great deal about himself and about the cultures of the two alien races who feature prominently in this story in such a way that his transformation has a more realistic resonance.
What makes Hunter’s Run an especially interesting read is that every time I was sure that I knew where the story was going the authors would throw in a twist or turn that would take the story in a new direction. The use of memories that flood the mind of Ramon Espejo as he is on the hunt gives a depth and dimension to what could have been a very linear story and at the same time allow the reader to discover more about what makes this character who he is. Not every story is a true page-turner. There are several really enjoyable books that I can read at my leisure, whenever a free moment crops up. By the fugitive nature of its story, Hunter’s Run was a book that I just couldn’t put down. I wanted nothing more than to continue reading it every time I was forced to put it aside for some reason. The timing of my recent surgery couldn’t have been more perfect as it allowed me to read the last 200 pages of this book in one sitting and it made for a rollicking good read.
Hunter’s Run may not be a deep and life-altering work of science fiction. That is just fine. Hunter’s Run turns out to be an interesting psychological drama ensconced in a fast-paced adventure story that more than lives up to the fantastic Stephan Martiniere image that graces its cover. This is collaboration at its finest. If you are looking for an engaging and entertaining read, you cannot go wrong with this story.
Sounds really good!! Glad to see you survived!!
“Instead the authors used their significant writing talent to craft a story in which Ramon Espejo learns a great deal about himself and about the cultures of the two alien races who feature prominently in this story in such a way that his transformation has a more realistic resonance.”
That’s good to hear. That’s often a problem with books in which a less than likeable protagonist goes through a transformation…they are just hard to believe. It’s good that they handled it well. This sounds like a fun book!
Ahhh… now you’re giving me yet another book to add to my “To Read List.” I’m still trying to work my way through the ones I own, and I have a $50 gift card to Borders!!
I haven’t read too many writer collaborations (I like anthologies better) but the ones I have seem to be very well written. I think it takes two really great authors to write a book together. Have you ever read the Stephen King and Peter Straub book Black House?
http://www.randomhouse.com/features/blackhouse/
I love books like this “an interesting psychological drama ensconced in a fast-paced adventure story”. They’re just what I need sometimes and I’ve had my eye on this one. I thought that this one was only published through Subterranean and I wasn’t going to shell out the money for it. Glad to hear that there’s another edition and glad to hear it’s good!
Chris: I actually prefer the look of this one to the Subterranean version. The only disappointment is that one has an interview with the three authors in it that I would love to read.
Ladytink: I have heard of that book, but have not read it. I’ll take a look at it.
Shannin: Lucky you, gift cards are wonderful, aren’t they?
Nymeth: this was a really fun read. It is nice when you find yourself sucked into a story and this one does that quite well.
Stephanie: Yes, I am surviving quite well. A bit sore, but good nonetheless.
Carl, I finished Mary Modern! Thanks so much for reviewing it, I really liked the cover but didn’t want to buy a hardcover book based on the cover! I am just happy to actually FINISH a book this month. Anyways, I have to ask you something, but it is a bit of a spoiler. I think I will probably email you it, so I don’t ruin it for others. But, anyways, thanks for the rec!
hm, as to this book, it didn’t really interest me before, but maybe it looks more appealing now. I am trying not to buy books lately (so far succeeding), but when I take that ban off I might have to pick this book up.
Now, I think I might want to post on my own blog so that people don’t forget about me! Cheers!
Between you and Chris there isn’t much that either of you read that you don’t totally enjoy. (which is a darn good thing considering how much books cost!) You can’t tell me that blogs like yours don’t help the authors! You really should get paid for your reviews!!
I’ve been on the fence about this one after the mixed reviews the earlier version (from a couple of years ago) received, but I think I’ll give it a shot now that I’m seeing a bunch of positive notices.
Wow, Carl, I am very impressed with the amount of reading and reviewing you have completed over the past couple of months. Thanks to you, I am currently enjoying Ender’s Game. Keep the reviews coming.
Mary: glad you are enjoying Ender’s Game. You need to get Speaker for the Dead next. Jeff is listening to it now and loves it and I am sure you will as well.
David: I could see you liking this one just from what little I’ve read of your blog and my guesses on what you would like. Give it a try.
Deslily: I am probably in a large majority, but I don’t generally read books that I don’t end up liking. I generally feel some sort of attraction to a book that makes me pick it up in the first place and nine times out of 10 that instinct pays off for me. The trick is in trying to differentiate in a review between what I like and what I LOVE.
Kailana: I’ll be checking my email. Glad you enjoyed Mary Modern. It will definitely be a reread for me.
I finished Hunter’s Moon last night and LOVED it. After the first 50 pages I commented to Carl about I just couldn’t see how I was going to love this book with a main character I was really despising. I’m glad I was so wrong. Little by little these 3 authors crafted such a great story that by the last page all I could do was smile. Great book. I would rate it just as highly as Carl did. Awesome Martiniere cover as well.
I keep going back and forth on my rating on this one. I certainly had a 5 out of 5 star experience reading it, as I did with The Accidental Time Machine, but for some reason…maybe out of comparison to other books I have read thus far this year and rated highly…I am holding back a bit. I certainly would encourage everyone to read this book and I think ultimately that is what a rating between 4 and 5 means for me.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it as much as I did Jeff. I think the reason I couldn’t rate it a 5 was that during the first third of the book I felt like the authors threw in the word ‘chupacabra’ too much. It was like they discovered this Spanish word that they loved saying and kept having to put it in the story as often as they could. I realize the creature plays a part in the story, but it seemed overused to the point of distraction for me early on. It is a small quibble, but one that stayed in my mind during the rating phase of my review. In the end it certainly doesn’t take anything away from this being an exciting novel.
Chupacabra. LOL. I agree. Whenever they said it I kept thinking of that bad looking Scifi channel movie with the big fish creature I kept seeing on the commercials. 🙂
I agree with your rating. I would rate it a 4 to 4.5 in my view. I only think of 5’s as something like The Time Traverlers Wife or Stardust. Something that connects with me on a deep level but that’s just my opinion. I think your feelings are right on. You said everything I wanted to with your review.
Oh man. This sounds like another fun one…I could really see myself being pulled into this whole sci-fi world completely. Never knew what I was missing.
Just an fyi, Debi, this is one that is certainly NOT appropriate for Annie. 😉
shit… this sounds super cool. i really like the premise.
like you i am very prejudiced against collaborations. and its just that, a prejudice. i think i can come up with some plausable and rational reasons as to why i feel this way, but they don’t quite rationalise we extreme reservations with regards to collaborations. so i can totally relate.
hopefully i can get around to this one too and dispell some of those prejudices…!
This one is getting some pretty hefty praise out there in the sci fi community, JP, so you certainly don’t have to just take my word for it. If ever there was a time to let go of that prejudice, if only for awhile, this book is that time.