In 2131, the remnants of post-nuclear holocaust civilization living in the highly controlled Northern Hemisphere set out to rid Earth of the Ginks, the offspring of chimps and humans, who live in the wastelands of the South. 25,000 first printing. $20,000 ad/promo.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Baker's ( Hell, West, and Crooked ) first work of speculative fiction is a complex and ambitious but ultimately unaffecting thriller. In the 22nd century, the northern hemisphere enjoys high-tech prosperity, while the southern half of the globe is an irradiated desert, peopled by the underground-dwelling mutant Ginks, who are regarded by northerners as subhuman primitives. On a hunting trip to a rare wildlife preserve in the north, a top government official and his teenage son become prey to one of the increasingly frequent animal attacks, and the boy disappears. Evidence of the Ginks' involvement sets off a political firestorm as a radical government faction arises pledging to eradicate the Ginks and all other "uncontrollable" wildlife. The fate of nature itself comes to rest on whether the boy is found alive or dead--and by whom. Though intricately plotted and competently written, the novel's emotional impact is muted by cliched political intrigues and opaque Gink mysticism. The author fails to portray his eco-dystopia effectively, leaving the impression that its worst threat to humanity lies in something akin to termite infestations and a stubborn mold. Overall, this work rings hollow.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
Baker (the story collection What A Piece of Work, 1992, etc.) here weighs in with a hefty but hollow saga of a world in crisis- -with Homo sapiens opposed by virtually every living organism on the planet in a desperate bid for survival. Triggering the final showdown in the year 2131 is the disappearance of teenager Ronnie Draper, lost to civilization while on a hunting expedition meant to render him fit to be a leader like his father. Captured by a scouting party of Ginks, supposedly degenerate humans who occupy wastelands produced by a previous nuclear war--and who are the ultimate game for hunters in Ronnie's society--he quickly learns that they have unimagined powers and organizational skills. Burrow dwellers and cannibals, they draw strength from a union with their shadow selves that enables them to communicate with other creatures. Ronnie becomes one of them after tasting human flesh, while his case becomes a political football back home, prompting top-secret probes to locate and terminate him, plus an all-out assault on the Ginks. High-tech human warfare meets its match in a well-orchestrated resistance by Nature, as Ronnie finds himself heir apparent to the Ginks's wizened spiritual leader and meets his mate--an all-powerful renegade female captured as a child by Ronnie's own people and sent out now with agents to find him. He comes home alive with her, thereby creating the possibility of racial harmony in a newly configured political climate. Sweeping and imaginative, although this promises more than it delivers: a futuristic vision so vast that characters seem lost, with more shadow than substance. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Thought-provoking Environmental Science Fiction,
By A Customer
This review is from: Shadow Hunter: Shadow Hunter (Mass Market Paperback)
I'm surprised to be the first person reviewing this book because it's been out for five years and was quite well-received when it was released, both in the sci-fi and environmental communities. The politics and "atomsphere" do occasionally outweigh characterization in this novel, but they don't detract from the author's purpose, which is to get the reader to think about the ways in which humans live in community with each other and with the larger world. Clearly influenced by the ideologies and thinking of the Deep Ecology movement, Baker imagines a blasted, divided world in which all of "nature" has joined together in a last desperate attempt to bring human civilization into equilibrium with the rest of the natural world. A very engaging read, and one that will leave you thinking about real ideas and humanity's place in the natural order of things. This book is ideal for the sci-fi reader looking for something to read on his or her next hiking or biking trip, or anyone else with an interest in futurology and the outdoors.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Get it if you can,
By
This review is from: Shadow Hunter: Shadow Hunter (Mass Market Paperback)
To find a book that was written in 1994 and having only one other review on Amazon.com is, indeed, a surprise. Particularly since it was a well-received novel. I’ll not stoop to repeat what my fellow reviewer (June 17 1999) has said, since he sums up well the strengths of Shadow Hunter, and you’ve plenty of time to read just two reviews!Will Baker broke the mould with this book – a mixture of political comment and science fiction. His images are deep and lasting, though at times his narrative and introversion is a little too long and tortuous. Nevertheless, Shadow Hunter is a great read for those who like something out of the ordinary. It’s well worthy of four stars which, unfortunately, is more than can be said for the sequel, ‘Star Beast’. If you can get hold of a copy of Shadow Hunter, you should do so before it completely disappears. You’ll find it well worth the effort.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A complicated book.,
By Thortok2000 (Greenville, SC USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Shadow Hunter: Shadow Hunter (Mass Market Paperback)
This book delves into a variety of things: Science Fiction, Nature, Pyschology, and Economics, as well as blends between those subjects. It does this very well. But I, personally, have not been excited by three of those four subjects, so for me, the book was fairly boring. It was well-written, but the page-turning aspect, as well as getting a 'feel' for it and sinking into it, and identifying with the main character...simply didn't happen.A good book, but just not for me. It may be for you.
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