Hunter’s Run has an interesting evolution, having taken more than 30 years to be completed and published. Three men worked separately and together to bring this sci-fi novel to life.
Synopsis:
The main character, Ramon, left planet earth because he had prospects working to develop a new planet for habitation. He is carried on an alien spaceship to this new planet, 1000 years pass during his trip, and he becomes a prospector on the new planet when he has arrived. Ramon is a man who is quick to temper and violence, and when he murders a man he is forced to run into the wilderness. Few prospectors or humans have explored the wilderness, there are massive and frightening creatures, there are thousands of animals that haven’t been discovered, and the land has not really been charted. This is when he stumbles upon an alien race hiding from the aliens who brought Ramon to the planet. This is when Ramon begins an unlikely and psychologically interesting adventure.
The themes:
This novel will surprise and delight the science fiction reader. Using a new twist, the authors explore the idea of identity and how experiences can change and affect the ways that we perceive and interact with our world. This novel intersects the themes of guilt, fear, anger, and redemption to create a tightly woven novel that brings you full circle from beginning to end.
The writing:
These men spent decades pouring thought and care into their writing and story craft. And, to be fair, it is decent writing for the science fiction genre. This is not a literary novel and should not be judged as such. The writing does not become tangential or wander unnecessarily (which is one of my complaints with many science fiction novels). All-in-all I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the science fiction genre. I think it would make a good movie for the Sy-fy channel.
The ending:
Endings are so important. I have to say that I wasn’t thrilled with the ending. It felt abrupt and I wasn’t ready to put the book down (which is probably a compliment). The thing is, the afterword was facing the final page of the novel. This was jarring. While I like afterwords, I think it’s best if they have at least one blank page between them and the final page of the story. This will give the reader a moment to pause, reflect, and digest the story that they’ve just spent hours reading.
George R. R. Martin’s Website
Gardner Dozois doesn’t have a website, but here’s the Wikipedia page about him.
Daniel Abraham’s Website
A Writer's Reading Room 