Like so many others, Ramon Espejo ran from the poverty and hopelessness of the Third World to the promise of a new world--joining a host of lik... read full description
reviews
Aug 10, 2008
Michael
rated it: 
I did not like the protagonist of "Hunter's Run" at all. Of course, that was the point. By the end of the book I did find myself respecting and rooting for him, but still not liking him.
The sci-fi elements of this book don't get in the way of the story, as they do with some books in this genre. (I'm not a huge sci-fi fan, really, so when it devolves into nothing but aliens and future technology my brain shuts off for some reason.) This is a twisted tale about a character ge More...
The sci-fi elements of this book don't get in the way of the story, as they do with some books in this genre. (I'm not a huge sci-fi fan, really, so when it devolves into nothing but aliens and future technology my brain shuts off for some reason.) This is a twisted tale about a character ge More...
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Oct 18, 2011
Joseph
rated it: 
When humanity took to the stars they found the universe already taken by older, more advanced races. But mankind had found a niche, sending colonists to tame inhospitable dangerous planets. Sao Paulo is one such planet that has been colonized for only 40 years. Ramon Espejo is a tough, misanthropic mineral prospector hoping for that one strike that will make him rich. After he kills a foreign diplomat Ramon heads out into the unexplored wilderness to wait for the heat to die down. He acciden
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Jul 23, 2011
Linda
rated it: 
This is really not my kind of book but it was interesting in some aspects. I prefer to have my main character in a book to be a woman. The man character was Ramon Espejo who lives on a colony planet of Sao Paulo. Basically, this man gets into a fight in a bar with another man and kills him. Now that he is a murderer Ramon is on the run and he takes off to the wildnerness where he discovers aliens hiding beneath this mountain. Well, the aliens capture him (well actually they take the shot off fin
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Jun 17, 2009
Patrick
rated it:
I enjoyed this book, and if I could would probably rate this 3 1/2, rather than just 3 stars. It is a collaborative work between three authors, and was done without any messiness I was expecting from the cooks. I enjoyed the characterization of the main character, who is an off-earther inhabiting a colony made up of mostly Mexican immigrants. This guy, Ramon, is a macho, scruffy tough minor, who after a "run-in" decides to fly his van off the grid in search of mineral deposits and a re
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May 14, 2009
Guy
rated it:
Uninspiring shovelware. For starters the protagonist is an anti-hero, which never works particularly well for me: I'd rather be inspired by a character who is better (smarter, braver, more ethical...) than I am than examine the twisted psyche of an uneducated criminal.
Then the larger picture seems like it might be intriguing... but it is never fully revealed or explained clearly because the POV is limited to the brutish main character.
Lastly the authors make the cla More...
Then the larger picture seems like it might be intriguing... but it is never fully revealed or explained clearly because the POV is limited to the brutish main character.
Lastly the authors make the cla More...
Jul 12, 2010
Jack
rated it:
Too many see the name George R.R. Martin and think, "Song of Ice and Fire!" While those books are incredible, Martin, Dozois, and Abraham all have an impressive resume with other works. This book should be considered among them. The story of Ramon Espejo, and his journey through the wilderness with Maneck and beyond is certainly a compelling one. The world of Sao Paulo and the backstory of this universe is all expertly crafted, but like other works by these authors, the character is th
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Nov 06, 2011
Ryan
rated it:
I don't know how much Martin contributed to this book (I haven't read the other two authors), but if he ever finishes his current fantasy series, he might do well as a sci-fi writer. Far from being another space opera, Hunter's Run is written in a gritty, Hemingway-esque style that builds psychological drama on top of simple scenes involving one or two characters. It also includes some aliens who really are rather alien, and the writing's pretty effective for sci-fi.
The story would wor More...
The story would wor More...
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Jul 27, 2011
hunter's run is a readable character-driven scifi about a clone, hunting his original self at the beck and call of an alien slave driver. it is an intricate tale of changing loyalties and values and the survival of the fittest amongst unforgiving alien locales. supposedly it took almost 30 years to get to the hardback version here reviewed, having sat on Dozois and Martin's desks for 2 decades alternately.
Anyways, it is nicely written - all the author's are great prose writers however, the book More...
Anyways, it is nicely written - all the author's are great prose writers however, the book More...
May 14, 2010
Brian
rated it: 
George R.R. Martin is quite possibly one of the greatest fantasy/science fiction writers of our time, and his name is what prompted me to read this book. I found it while investigating a different title by co-author Daniel Abraham.
Summary (vague spoilers) at my blog.
To popular culture, this book doesn't have much going for it. It's science fiction, the premise is hokey, and the characters aren't sympathetic. Did I mention it's science fiction? Give it some credit, though. More...
Summary (vague spoilers) at my blog.
To popular culture, this book doesn't have much going for it. It's science fiction, the premise is hokey, and the characters aren't sympathetic. Did I mention it's science fiction? Give it some credit, though. More...
May 20, 2009
Bruce
rated it:
I have to appreciate this book for its solid accomplishments. It manages simultaneously and old school hard slog in the outback vs the aliens while at the same time being perfectly in tune with more recent(ly publishable as sci fi) notions about self identity and political correctness.
Don't go thinking this is some heavy shit-- it's just deep enough to satisfy a modern middlebrow reader. Very bad bath and beyond level sf. This too is quite an accomplishment.
Like all mo More...
Don't go thinking this is some heavy shit-- it's just deep enough to satisfy a modern middlebrow reader. Very bad bath and beyond level sf. This too is quite an accomplishment.
Like all mo More...
Feb 05, 2009
In music, supergroups of established artists are rarely greater than the sum of their parts. The same often goes for science fiction, but critics agreed that these three authors beat the trend by producing a tight, consistent novel. Whether because of Martin's decades of collaborative work, Dozois's long career as an editor, or Abraham's fresh prose style, every reviewer said the book seemed as if it were written by one person. The only complaint came from reviewers who had read an earlier, nove
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Mar 27, 2011
Rafal
rated it:
Znakomita powieść fantastyczno - przygodowa z wyrazistym antybohaterem w roli głównej. Wartko tocząca się akcja nie przyćmiewa jednak głębszych podtekstów natury filozoficznej i psychologicznej, które wprowadzone zostają w treść sprawnie i bez zadęcia. Sama fabuła i klimat przywodzą na myśl film "Mój własny wróg" z 1985 roku, z Dennisem Quaidem w roli głównej. "Wyprawa łowcy" niesie w sobie również spory potencjał filmowy...
Ponadto książka jest zadziwiająco spójna, More...
Ponadto książka jest zadziwiająco spójna, More...
Jul 31, 2011
Tim
rated it:
Another science fiction/fantasy story, written by three apparently accomplished sci fi writers, of whom I know just one, barely.
George RR Martin teams up with a Gardner Dozois, and a Daniel Abraham to work up a story about an uprooted emigrant from planet earth who lives a raw life usually on the dark side of the law on a freshly colonized planet. He does this, and that, meets some aliens, gets caught up in a larger web of conspiracy, and eventually survives it all to live on...
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George RR Martin teams up with a Gardner Dozois, and a Daniel Abraham to work up a story about an uprooted emigrant from planet earth who lives a raw life usually on the dark side of the law on a freshly colonized planet. He does this, and that, meets some aliens, gets caught up in a larger web of conspiracy, and eventually survives it all to live on...
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May 27, 2011
David
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jul 20, 2009
Jesse
rated it:
I picked this book up for two reasons: 1)I had been saying for months now that I needed a good hardcore Sci-Fi read (after a very long stretch of Fantasy and its various sub-genre's) and 2) because it was co-authored by George R. R. Martin (one of the few authors I can say are "My all-time favorite writers", check my shelf of that name to see who they are).
This book wasn't exactly what I was searching for when I thought of reading a hardcore Sci-Fi novel, but it ended up fi More...
This book wasn't exactly what I was searching for when I thought of reading a hardcore Sci-Fi novel, but it ended up fi More...
Jan 25, 2011
Douglas
rated it:
I really enjoyed this book except for the vulgar language, I generally think of curse words as the sign of a weak writer, but in this case I know for a fact that Dozois and Martin, at least, are not weak writers. I am certain that they would explain as a character trait of Ramon, and I understand that having known people who do speak that way. Still, it was off-putting while reading and is what kept this book from being a five.
What I did enjoy was exploring the question of what it More...
What I did enjoy was exploring the question of what it More...
Aug 23, 2011
Alex
rated it:
A character study of first encounter between human and alien - a blend of sci-fi and psychological drama, a great plot and overall great story that left me thinking of it long afterwards.
It now sits among my books as one of the most interesting tales with a sci-fi element.
I noticed most reviewers on here openly disliked the main protagonist, and true enough, he is portrayed as quite the anti-hero, an unpleasant character and someone you'd rather never hang out with. And all the bette More...
It now sits among my books as one of the most interesting tales with a sci-fi element.
I noticed most reviewers on here openly disliked the main protagonist, and true enough, he is portrayed as quite the anti-hero, an unpleasant character and someone you'd rather never hang out with. And all the bette More...
Mar 15, 2010
Russ
rated it:
I picked up this book because of my enjoyment of both George RR Martin's and Daniel Abraham's other books. This was not a disappointment. The three authors together create a vivid world with a good back story. The characters are well developed and sympathetic. There are chase scenes, fight scenes, and other drama with more than enough twists mixed in. It was a very, very good book, though it did seem like something was missing. This might have been a little too much story for the size of the boo
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Sep 19, 2011
Kristin
rated it:
As the description to the books states, a man’s worst enemy can be himself. In Hunter’s Run, this is doubly so when Ramon discovers he was made from the finger of his Twin, who is frantically trying to return to civilization after a prospecting run gone bad.
What I found fascinating about this book was the story is told from copy-Ramon’s point of view, not the original. The reader gets to watch as copy-Ramon struggles with identity and survival. Who should live and who should die More...
What I found fascinating about this book was the story is told from copy-Ramon’s point of view, not the original. The reader gets to watch as copy-Ramon struggles with identity and survival. Who should live and who should die More...
Aug 29, 2008
Josh
rated it:
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 c More...
My favorite part of this book is what most reviewers seem to dislike the most: the main c More...
Jul 09, 2011
Claudia
rated it:
Not my kind of story,but I ended up with it in my pile of library books.It was pretty good.I could see a few of my male friends reading/enjoying it.Sci-fict. alot of gritty images,aliens living in the middle of our earth,men on the run,trying to keep out of the clutches of these aliens,all in all ,kept me entertained.3 writers involved,you would think too many cooks spoil the broth,but it turned out to be a good read. Cannot say I will search for any other books like this,but no regrets.
Sep 05, 2011
Algernon
rated it:
[7/10] Solid adventure in the beginning with some good riffs later in the story on the themes of identity, responsibility for your own actions and morality. A little bland in style for the first chapters, but short enough and interesting enough in the later developments. The afterword and the end interviews do a good job of explaining why it needed 3 authors and 30 years to come to print.
It could be said to share some elements with Enemy Mine and with Left Hand of Darkness
It could be said to share some elements with Enemy Mine and with Left Hand of Darkness
Jul 13, 2011
Tyrone
rated it:
It's a shame that I think a book written in part by one of my favourite authors, George R. R. Martin, would be flawed and rather flimsy. Given that this book was actually written as a novella and then expanded in collaboration with two other authors though, one has to wonder if the original idea was lost somewhere along the way. It does feel like that though as this book felt more like it was about transporting the reader into a rainforest-like trek set in a colony world, than it was for the adv
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Jan 11, 2012
Robin
rated it:
This book is interesting. Not pleasing, but interesting. The protagonist is a monster, but he's comfortable with that by the end of the book, and so was I. It's not very space operatic, though it is about defeating aliens. Truly an interesting read, though not jolly, and not sad either. It's not very engaging emotionally, but I was very curious as to how it would end. Plus, being a whitebread granny type, I learned a few new bad words. That was almost fun.
Aug 09, 2011
Elizabeth
rated it:
An interesting character-study set in a convincing world of oppression, examining on a manageable scale questions of identity--both individual and as a species--and how our errors create us. The main character is hardly a likeable one, but he is, as he frequently remarks, one tough sonofabitch, and as his story and circumstances unfold, he can even be sympathetic. The adventure is inventive and the questions raised leave the reader with food for thought.
Apr 29, 2009
steven
rated it:
Despite what the info on this book says here on goodreads, this is actually co-written by three authors. I'm not sure how they broke it up -- was it a chapter per person, alternating? Some kind of joint idea that Martin took and ran with? Hard to say. I want to say I could tell a slight difference between chapters, but that might just be my imagination.
It's an OK story: loner anti-hero goes out into the wilds of a new planet, finds aliens hiding from some big bad, and goes on the run More...
It's an OK story: loner anti-hero goes out into the wilds of a new planet, finds aliens hiding from some big bad, and goes on the run More...
Sep 17, 2010
Brian
rated it:
From the liner notes this novel was more than twenty years and three authours in the making, and yet it hangs together as a single piece really nicely.
Even though it's a quick read, straight forward adventure tale, it's not just that. There is a lush background ecology and civilization that's lush and interesting, and characters that seem real.
It's hard to say too much without spoiling the plot, so I'll just say it's certainly one of the most unique ways I've seen of pr More...
Even though it's a quick read, straight forward adventure tale, it's not just that. There is a lush background ecology and civilization that's lush and interesting, and characters that seem real.
It's hard to say too much without spoiling the plot, so I'll just say it's certainly one of the most unique ways I've seen of pr More...
Jul 20, 2009
Chris
rated it:
This story examines identity, and how people can change. There are a couple mechanisms in the plot, but they're pretty feeble / after-the-fact, so it unfortunately becomes a meandering rumination on human malleability, soaking in an exploration of (self-)dislike.
Ramon starts out super-macho, and aware of morality but totally disinterested. His girlfriend Elena is well known to be insane. At the end, they're totally different people, and there's no longer any reason they every would h More...
Ramon starts out super-macho, and aware of morality but totally disinterested. His girlfriend Elena is well known to be insane. At the end, they're totally different people, and there's no longer any reason they every would h More...
Feb 14, 2010
Cris
rated it: 
I didn't like this book. The protagonist was an irritating, nasty, little piece of shit. (And all the cursing was annoying and repetitive. Yes, I understand the authors were trying to convince me with Ramon's vulgar and repetitive speech patterns that he was pretty stupid. But I'm not. And I got it! Move on already, please, dear authors.)
I'm sure I was supposed to find Ramon repulsive at the beginning, but I expected a fairly extensive character improvement. I didn't get it. I still More...
I'm sure I was supposed to find Ramon repulsive at the beginning, but I expected a fairly extensive character improvement. I didn't get it. I still More...
Sep 10, 2011
Lucius
rated it:
A cross of Blade Runner and Predator, I enjoyed this book for going deeper and examing the character's ability to think outside of himself. The alien creations were exciting enough to make me think that they could be menacing and the description of the action was done well. I don't know how the three authors collaborated, but it comes across as a seamless novel that covers all the bases.
