Customer Reviews

Hunter's Run

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this book because I love George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series (who doesn't? -- see A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1)) and his student Daniel Abraham's excellent Long Price Quartet (see A Shadow in Summer (The Long Price Quartet)). I was not familiar with Gardner Dozois.

Do not expect either series. Sure, this is sort of a science fiction book, in that it takes place on a colonized planet, has an alien race that shuttles humans around, and vehicles that hover. This is the story of one man's flight from his crime, his discovery of and capture by another alien race, and his struggle to get free -- all the while having to come to terms with who he is, what is right and wrong, and where and how things belong. The evolution of this character in his struggle to survive is fascinating -- and while it sounds like a very introspective story, it's still a solid adventure.

This is a bit of a brainy book - folks who like Fantasy or Science Fiction for fast paced action may not like this. This is for people who like serious character and story development. And, of course, Martin just happens to be a master at that.

Highly recommended.

Usually a collaboration, and still more a three-way collaboration, is less than the sum of its parts. These three have produced a book as seamless and fresh as one by an individual writer -- and a very good one. It's an intriguing modern-space-opera setting, combined with a frontier tale and a 'first contact' story with some very intriguing aliens. But the hero (or given his character, the protagonist) steals the show even from the strange world aand stranger aliens. Bravo!

"Hunter's Run", by George R. R. Martin, Gardener R. Dozois and Daniel Abraham.

It has been a long time since humanity discovered it wasn't alone. Humanity has also discovered that a lot of the more desirable planets for colonization have been claimed by other races. Since humanity still hasn't bridged the technological gap between itself and the other alien races that would allow it to travel between stars or at speeds faster than light, many have agreed to help the Enye to begin colonizing new worlds that are slightly less desirable in exchange for being transported. Ramon Espejo, a mineral prospector, is amongst a group who was transported to a planet named São Paulo. Ramon finds himself in trouble after an altercation at a bar and decides it is time to leave town for a while on a prospecting mission only to find himself in more trouble after an unlucky discovery.....

"Hunter's Run was an interesting story though I wouldn't place it at the same level as "A Song of Fire and Ice". The concepts and characters overall were well written and enjoyable to read and the "Self examination from the outside" idea of the book was interesting. The book was also well paced and never really seemed to slow anywhere.

The Good: As stated, the concepts and ideas of the book were all well thought out and well written. The book was paced well and was enjoyable overall.

The Bad: The only real problem that I had with this book was that I never became emotionally involved with or attached to the main character because I just didn't like him. He was well written and well defined but I just couldn't root for him because he was unlikable.

Overall: If you are a fan of Martin's or any of the other writers who contributed you will likely enjoy this and should give it a try, just don't expect it to be as good a "Song".

This is another book that I bought based solely on who wrote it. I love Martin and Abraham is also a great writer, though I had never heard of Dozois prior to this. I didn't know what I would think, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. Hunter's Run has action, drama, humor and bizarre aliens; just about all you could ask for in a great sci-fi book. Is it a masterpiece? I still can't quite decide...

My favorite part of this book is what most reviewers seem to dislike the most: the main character. Ramon Espejo is a pretty despicable human being. He's a murderer and a criminal, but I'll be damned if he doesn't provide an entertaining point of view. Maybe I've gotten to the point where I've read too much typical fiction with do-gooder protagonists that an a**hole is just what I needed. And even if he is an a**hole, he is funny and has some great dialogue, especially with his travelling companion/captor (who for the sake of not spoiling, I will not reveal here.) And as the story progresses, even though he is still sort of despicable, he does have an epiphany of sorts that changes him as a person. On the basis of how he thought and how he acted, his decisions were believable and I thought his progression as a character was really well done.

The actual story, which I can't speak much on because I'd give it away, is also well done. It is a nice tight plot that flows well from start to finish. There is some good action and some crazy situations, but given the circumstances, there is nothing unbelievable. By the end of Hunter's Run, I was left a little disappointed that it had ended but in no way dissatisfied with the ending. There are no loose ends and it is its own complete story.

This really teeters on the edge between a 4 star and a 5 star book. I'd have to say I'll give it 4.5 stars and curse Amazon once again for not having a more intricate rating system. Pretty much the only reason I gave it 4 and not 5 is that considering the prose of Martin and Abraham, the writing could have been better. Don't get me wrong, the writing isn't bad, it's just not on par with Song of Ice and Fire or Abraham's very eloquent style in the Long Price Quartet. Toward the beginning of the story, the writing seemed a little lazy and hurried, like there were more details that could have been included. But as the story progressed and the main character began to develop, the writing almost seemed to get better, so perhaps all of this was intended. The same can almost be said about the story. It's rare that the reader actually wants more time to be spent in the development of the characters and setting before the story really gets started, but I felt at the beginning it moved a little too quickly. Once the story gets moving however, I forgot all about that. I think the only other thing that keeps it out of 5 star territory is that it's not quite as grand nor the scope quite as great as some of the books that I consider 5 star.

I'd really be interested to know how three authors actually piece together a book like this, what the writing process is. (Okay, so let's take a drunken a-hole down on his luck, a backwater prospecting planet, and some really bizarre aliens... go!) In any case, the outcome is great. Despite my somewhat indecisive misgivings, I'd recommend this book to any sci-fi fan.

Hunter's Run it's above average indeed. Just see who are the guys who collaborated for a couple of decades to bring us what I like to call a "COOL RIDE".

Pure SciFi from the first page to the somehow "unfinished" end.

Here we are humans!!! all over the universe trading with superior alien races who dominates only God knows how many galaxies. In the colony of New Sao Paolo we find a character Mr. Ramon Espejo one tough explorer or miner. A Drunk with a really short temper, also involved in a rather sick relationship with his "girlfriend".

One good day Mr. Espejo gets drunk and knifes down a top Embassador in a clouded bar fight. Off he goes to the northern part of the planet to avoid authorities and perhaps make a little money off mining and then of course........he is kidnaped, cloned, chased down by his own clone and a rather big alien with a terrifying past.

A extremely well written story with tons of profanity and Gang Slang language all over the place. A great piece of work.

Highly recommended.

Cheers!!!!!

"Hunter's Run" is a Sci-Fi quasi-space adventure written by three well known authors Gardner Dozois, George R. R. Martin and Daniel Abraham. The paperback is 304 pages in length while the Kindle e-edition is a 453 Kb download.

SPOILERS

This tale takes place in the relatively new colonized planet of Sao Paulo; a planet that is rich in minerals, contains vast areas of uninhabited territory, has various new species of animals (both harmless and dangerous) and a mix of Portuguese and Spanish citizenry that teeters on the edge of civilized behavior and lawlessness.

Our hero is a down-on-his-luck prospector, Ramon Espejo. He is on the run, trying to avoid capture for a crime he has committed. He flees to the to unexplored and desolate northern area where he proceeds to prospect for minerals while things blow over back home. His blasting of an unusual rock formation reveals a hive of aliens. Thus the story begins to unfold.

END SPOILERS

The Pros:
1.) a terrific story, well told. [but see Cons: 1.) below]. In fact the story became better as it went along, becoming very hard to put down as I approached the end.

2.) many subtle twist and turns that were realistic within the context of the story being related...many things that are gradually revealed. Each development shedding new light and a different slant on situations that weren't readily apparent at first.

3.) a simple but good map. This Kindle map is legible (many aren't) in both normal size and expanded forms.

The Cons:
1.) there was a point where (spoiler) about a third of the way when Ramon met the aliens, that the story became secondary to their attempts to communicate...language issues, backgrounds, a differences in ideological thinking between the species, all made for a section of the book that was a labour of perseverance to get through. I could have given up this book at any time through this section...in fact I had to force myself many times to pick up the book to continue on. However, after this section the book improved immensely and I was very happy I finished it.

2.) swearing...the f-word & the s-word. Used excessively by our hero during the initial human-alien encounters. Probably not unrealistic given the nature and background of our human hero and the frustrating circumstances he found himself in. BUT still I wondered if the overuse of such language didn't in fact, reduce the quality of this otherwise engrossing tale...obviously a personal and subjective opinion.

Conclusion:
Looking back, despite some minor concerns, I really liked this stand alone book and its unusual tale. 4 1/2 Stars.

Ray Nicholson

Saw this hard cover book on sale for $2.99 at the Supermarket. Thought I'd give it a try. Well, It's worth TEN TIMES THAT AMOUNT! Love the story. Read it in 2 days. Hoping for a sequel. I'm a fan!

I have 2 main interests in reading: Sci-Fi and History. This book does such a great job of mixing the 2 - with the classic "settlment" story combined with the strange ideas of what could happen when one battles against himself (both psychologically, and in this book, physically).

It was good to see and hear a character who definitely has more problems than the vast majority of us "cultured" types. I can definitely understand how many could be turned off by Ramon's issues, but I felt it gave a great feeling of what it would be like to be a man who drinks, curses, and fights too often, due to a SERIOUS anger disorder. Yet, similar to the old guy who smokes too much in "The Andromeda Strain", our man Ramon actually benefits from his condition (even if it kills him - lol!).

A great read - hoping for a movie and/or more adventures in book form...

I would have thought that this book would be a mess with three authors. But it was surprisingly good. What made this Sci Fi book stick out above the vast crowd of merely decent genre books, was strong character development. In fact, I would go so far as to say that this might be the most engaging bit of sci fi writing I have yet to come across that was all about the character.

To top it all off you have a man on the run scenario that rings true along with secrets that are worth keeping.

Well... this might not come even close to being Martins best work. But it does entertain, and give one room to think. I would highly recommend it.

Hunter's Run is a unique gem of a book. It has a wonderfully well-rounded tale: politics, enviroments, aliens, people, adventure. Much as a good cold-weather coat is part shell, part liner, part stuffing, but is only of value due to the effective stitching together of all the bits, Hunter's Run is an excellent cohesive whole. Martin, Dozois, and Abraham manage to keep the balance just right throughout the story: very short (287 pages) but fully explored, a fast read but not too light, and easy to grasp while never lacking in complexity. I consider this one of the best SF books ever written. I'd easily put this book up there with Pohl's, Niven's, and Asimov's works. Hunter's Run is an engaging joy to read; truly a work of great worth written by 3 masters. I would love to see the authors write another book, but I fear this could not be matched.