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Huntress
All her life, the young lioness Leya has dreamed of becoming one of the karanja, the proud huntresses of her people. But there's more to being karanja than just learning to throw a spear. Life among their tents means giving up family, safety—even love. How much is Leya willing to sacrifice for a place in the sisterhood? Does she truly have the heart of a huntress?
Author Renee Carter Hall takes readers into the veld for this coming-of-age anthropomorphic fantasy for teens and adults. This edition includes the novella "Huntress" (nominated in the 2014 Ursa Major Awards and Cóyotl Awards), as well as three brand-new short stories set in the same world.
Author Renee Carter Hall takes readers into the veld for this coming-of-age anthropomorphic fantasy for teens and adults. This edition includes the novella "Huntress" (nominated in the 2014 Ursa Major Awards and Cóyotl Awards), as well as three brand-new short stories set in the same world.
214 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2015
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347 people want to read
About the author
Renee Carter Hall
42 books56 followersRenee Carter Hall writes fantasy and science fiction for adults who never quite grew up, with occasional excursions into dark fantasy, poetry, and stories for children and teens. Talking animals slip into her stories whenever they get a chance, and her work has been influenced by storytellers from a range of media, including Steven Spielberg, Ray Bradbury, and Jim Henson. Her most recent book, the anthropomorphic fantasy Huntress, received the 2014 Cóyotl Award for Best Novella.
Renee lives in West Virginia with her husband, their cat, and more books than she will ever have time to read. She can be found online at reneecarterhall.com and on Twitter as @RCarterHall.
Renee lives in West Virginia with her husband, their cat, and more books than she will ever have time to read. She can be found online at reneecarterhall.com and on Twitter as @RCarterHall.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 29, 2016
This book is as beautiful as a poem, or a centuries old tale passed down in oral tradition. The author has drawn on the style and language of various African traditions but built a whole new fabric of them. We hear the life stories of two young women, one a lion and the other a painted dog. Each has a traditional life path or what we would call a "career" to fulfill, and those paths are rigidly limited by the customs of their people. Each eventually reaches a crossroad, a point at which she must decide whether to follow her heart and conscience or follow the tradition as expected, nay demanded of her.
I will not say what happens, but will let you read the book to find out. It's a journey well worth taking, and the flow of the language is a joy to travel with. By the end I felt that I knew both Leya and Ndiri as personal friends, and respected them very much. Leya is the title character, the young lioness who chooses to reject the possibility of marriage and family in favor of becoming a dedicated huntress but comes to doubt her choice. Ndiri is the painted dog, a shaman and spiritual leader trained by her grandmother, and whose path was chosen for her "by the gods" and sometimes as she finds, against her own will.
When the two meet, they become teachers one to another, and each grows from the sharing and caring. The tale is one of joy and sadness, loss and gain, with a hint of melancholy that undoubtedly would appear in the music that Ndiri composes and plays on her wooden flute.
Read this. I think you'll like it. I certainly did.
I will not say what happens, but will let you read the book to find out. It's a journey well worth taking, and the flow of the language is a joy to travel with. By the end I felt that I knew both Leya and Ndiri as personal friends, and respected them very much. Leya is the title character, the young lioness who chooses to reject the possibility of marriage and family in favor of becoming a dedicated huntress but comes to doubt her choice. Ndiri is the painted dog, a shaman and spiritual leader trained by her grandmother, and whose path was chosen for her "by the gods" and sometimes as she finds, against her own will.
When the two meet, they become teachers one to another, and each grows from the sharing and caring. The tale is one of joy and sadness, loss and gain, with a hint of melancholy that undoubtedly would appear in the music that Ndiri composes and plays on her wooden flute.
Read this. I think you'll like it. I certainly did.
October 6, 2015
I first encountered Huntress in the anthology Five Fortunes. I felt it was easily the strongest story of the five, and I'm delighted it has been given a chance to shine alongside three new stories set in the same world.
The world is a fantasy Africa populated by anthropomorphic predators and, conveniently, non-anthropomorphic prey species. In the title tale, young lioness Leya escapes the traditional expectations of her people - a husband, cubs - to join an elite cast of female hunters, only to discover she has swapped one set of rules for another. She has both a figurative and a literal journey to make, and the characters she meets, along with the rituals and customs she observes, are fascinating and convincing.
In the new stories we revisit Leya, and also the two painted dogs with whom she forms a friendship. Wise old Ndiri and the puppy Mtoto were perhaps my favourite thing about the original novella, and it was a pleasure to have a story of Ndiri as a pup, and one about the adult Mtoto.
The world is a fantasy Africa populated by anthropomorphic predators and, conveniently, non-anthropomorphic prey species. In the title tale, young lioness Leya escapes the traditional expectations of her people - a husband, cubs - to join an elite cast of female hunters, only to discover she has swapped one set of rules for another. She has both a figurative and a literal journey to make, and the characters she meets, along with the rituals and customs she observes, are fascinating and convincing.
In the new stories we revisit Leya, and also the two painted dogs with whom she forms a friendship. Wise old Ndiri and the puppy Mtoto were perhaps my favourite thing about the original novella, and it was a pleasure to have a story of Ndiri as a pup, and one about the adult Mtoto.
September 9, 2019
The path you take in life, and the path not taken. This is the theme of the stories in Huntress. Leya doesn’t like normal girl things as a child and yearns to become a huntress, one of the group who live for the hunt. And yet she can’t help but wonder what might have been had she chosen to be a wife and a mother. For most of her life, she finds reminders of the path not taken, and she wonders what might have been, and when the enthusiasm of the life she yearned for dies, she has no idea what she wants. Concepts we all can identify with, and some we all live with well into old age. Leya’s story comes to a satisfying end, and I felt for her the whole way, especially at the beginning, when she yearned to be a huntress but seemed to be so bad at it. Watching her improve with time and become what she always wanted to be, only to be let down by it later, felt just right.
June 12, 2019
I'm not entirely sure just how I managed to stumble across this book, but I'm very glad I did! It's rare to find a fantasy world that feels so real, filled with characters so very lifelike.
This collection of stories takes place in a fantasy world inspired by indigenous African culture, in a lush, wild setting. The characters are anthropomorphic animals, and they all felt very human. The first story (and the longest), titled Huntress, was my favorite. It followed Leya, a young lioness who undergoes many trials and discovers many unique characters in her quest to find herself. The story was touching, powerful and lyrical.
The following stories told tales of supporting characters, and while they were shorter, they were no less powerful. The author truly knows how to tell a beautiful and stirring tale.
This collection of stories takes place in a fantasy world inspired by indigenous African culture, in a lush, wild setting. The characters are anthropomorphic animals, and they all felt very human. The first story (and the longest), titled Huntress, was my favorite. It followed Leya, a young lioness who undergoes many trials and discovers many unique characters in her quest to find herself. The story was touching, powerful and lyrical.
The following stories told tales of supporting characters, and while they were shorter, they were no less powerful. The author truly knows how to tell a beautiful and stirring tale.
August 10, 2016
I thought this was a really well-written book, with a detailed and interesting world created around the stories within. I found myself enjoying the three short stories at the end better than the main piece though, possibly because the shortness of them meant a tighter, more focused telling.
September 9, 2024
Set in a world of anthropomorphic animals, this book consists of the titular novella plus three short stories. ‘Huntress’ follows young lioness Leya, who wishes to become a huntress, a sacred calling. Females who become “karanja” must cut off their breasts and swear never to marry or breed. Leya thinks this is what she wants, but her feelings for a male friend complicate matters.
Two of the other stories follow Mtoto and Ndiri the African wild dogs, who appear in the novella, and the third is a tale of the mythological huntress Kamara, who is venerated by the karanja. These were decent enough, but not as good as the main novella.
I enjoyed the stories, but the animal characters were too human for my taste. I’m fine with tales about bipedal, intelligent animals, but I prefer their societies to be based on the behaviour and biology of those species rather than on humans. This book could easily have been about humans if you removed the references to fur and tails. The characters think and behave like people, and most of their customs were clearly based on various African cultures. The males and females were called men and women, and the females had breasts and periods. They cooked their meat, and baked bread and ate fruit despite being carnivores. Lions, polygamous animals in reality, had monogamous marriages.
Note that this book is only available as an ebook on Amazon and most other sites. I did find one site selling it in paperback, but they wanted three times the book’s price in shipping costs!
Two of the other stories follow Mtoto and Ndiri the African wild dogs, who appear in the novella, and the third is a tale of the mythological huntress Kamara, who is venerated by the karanja. These were decent enough, but not as good as the main novella.
I enjoyed the stories, but the animal characters were too human for my taste. I’m fine with tales about bipedal, intelligent animals, but I prefer their societies to be based on the behaviour and biology of those species rather than on humans. This book could easily have been about humans if you removed the references to fur and tails. The characters think and behave like people, and most of their customs were clearly based on various African cultures. The males and females were called men and women, and the females had breasts and periods. They cooked their meat, and baked bread and ate fruit despite being carnivores. Lions, polygamous animals in reality, had monogamous marriages.
Note that this book is only available as an ebook on Amazon and most other sites. I did find one site selling it in paperback, but they wanted three times the book’s price in shipping costs!
August 3, 2019
A truly magnificent, beautiful and powerful book. The talent of the writer is visible in every sentence, and the story has a strong, authentic voice while at the same time being accessible and emotionally moving. A journey of self-discovery, sacrifice, and changing tradition, which is very empowering to read. If you're searching for a masterful story where the characters are rightfully anthropomorphic and that only adds to the quality of the story, this one is for you.
August 19, 2018
I was drawn to this cover years ago in Seattle but didn't buy the book at the time. I ended up buying it online via eBook and haven't regretted it! It is well written and the world building was very well done. The characters had depth to them. The progression of events were believable and I found myself wanting more.
There were a few editing errors but overall, it is worth a read.
There were a few editing errors but overall, it is worth a read.
January 16, 2019
(The short stories are stronger than the novella. The audience is definitely YA, which is exactly what it aims to be.)
October 29, 2016
Was an amazing book :3 had me on an emotional rollercoaster.
October 3, 2016
This book was a rare, interesting experience for me. Very quickly after I began reading I realized that this wasn't something that was written for me, however this is one of the few times I can say that didn't matter one bit. The story is well-written enough that it carried me through easily. At it's core, Huntress is a coming-of-age story—one I found deeply engaging despite that not normally being my thing and which has only grown on me in the time since I first finished the book.
I could point to any number of books that have clever writing. Or interesting writing. Or are written in such a way that you cannot put the book down. This is one of the few that I can say is beautifully written, and not in a way that comes off as deliberately flashy in an attempt to get recognition.
I highly recommend at least checking this book out.
I could point to any number of books that have clever writing. Or interesting writing. Or are written in such a way that you cannot put the book down. This is one of the few that I can say is beautifully written, and not in a way that comes off as deliberately flashy in an attempt to get recognition.
I highly recommend at least checking this book out.
March 12, 2017
5 Stars.
I've always loved anthropomorphic animal fantasy, so when I found this book I was instantly drawn in (the cover floored me, especially for an indie). I don't regret it - Huntress was amazing.
Note: this review is only regarding Huntress, not the short stories that are included in the ebook. I haven't read those yet, but I most certainly will when I get a minute.
Huntress tells the story of Leya, a young lioness who wants nothing more than to join the karanja, proud huntresses who bring meat to their villages. But to do that, she must forego life with a mate and cubs. At first, she can't wait to get out from village life and under her mother, but when her childhood friend confesses his love for her, her choice becomes more complicated than she could have imagined.
Huntress, is, quite simply, a magnificent piece. If anything, it could have easily been expanded into a novel.
The world building and sheer details of the culture stand out most of all. These are truly anthropomorphized animals, as they act human but still very much live in animal ways (the males are the leaders of their villages while the karanja are groups of all female hunters - that's basically how lions work.) A lot is crammed into this novella in regards to their culture and mythology, which grabbed and fascinated me from page one. But none of it manages to get convoluted or confusing. The only thing I would have liked more of was more information on the other anthropomorphized animals out there, since Hall chose to include them (the painted dogs and the jackals). Perhaps they'll feature more in the short stories.
Even in such a small space, every character is given significance and views the world and situations in very different ways, which only serves to make the story more interesting. Leya is, of course, a spunky, likable heroine who grows tremendously over the course of the story and I'm never going to say no to that, Bahati was the very kind, stable pillar she needed, Thembe was a cool substitute mom and guiding force for her, and Nuru had lots of interesting things about him. Even Masika, Naimah, Shani, and Ndiri, relatively minor characters, all had dimension and came to life. I think I liked pretty much everyone.
Leya's choice becomes more complicated the more she learns, and it's effectively communicated to the reader how hard this choice is. At first I wanted her to get together with Bahati, but the karanja are so cool too and I wanted her to follow her dream as well. The things she had to do to become a karanja were also creative (such as the initiation test with the ants; even her thought process was well thought out and believable) and horrifying (having their breasts cut off. Eeek.). I also really appreciated the spiritualism and Hall's choice to make it maybe magic, maybe mundane - it's up to you. (Maybe the elephant is her spirit guide or spirit, maybe it's both, or maybe it's just her own inner voice given shape.) Her final decision to
I've always loved anthropomorphic animal fantasy, so when I found this book I was instantly drawn in (the cover floored me, especially for an indie). I don't regret it - Huntress was amazing.
Note: this review is only regarding Huntress, not the short stories that are included in the ebook. I haven't read those yet, but I most certainly will when I get a minute.
Huntress tells the story of Leya, a young lioness who wants nothing more than to join the karanja, proud huntresses who bring meat to their villages. But to do that, she must forego life with a mate and cubs. At first, she can't wait to get out from village life and under her mother, but when her childhood friend confesses his love for her, her choice becomes more complicated than she could have imagined.
Huntress, is, quite simply, a magnificent piece. If anything, it could have easily been expanded into a novel.
The world building and sheer details of the culture stand out most of all. These are truly anthropomorphized animals, as they act human but still very much live in animal ways (the males are the leaders of their villages while the karanja are groups of all female hunters - that's basically how lions work.) A lot is crammed into this novella in regards to their culture and mythology, which grabbed and fascinated me from page one. But none of it manages to get convoluted or confusing. The only thing I would have liked more of was more information on the other anthropomorphized animals out there, since Hall chose to include them (the painted dogs and the jackals). Perhaps they'll feature more in the short stories.
Even in such a small space, every character is given significance and views the world and situations in very different ways, which only serves to make the story more interesting. Leya is, of course, a spunky, likable heroine who grows tremendously over the course of the story and I'm never going to say no to that, Bahati was the very kind, stable pillar she needed, Thembe was a cool substitute mom and guiding force for her, and Nuru had lots of interesting things about him. Even Masika, Naimah, Shani, and Ndiri, relatively minor characters, all had dimension and came to life. I think I liked pretty much everyone.
Leya's choice becomes more complicated the more she learns, and it's effectively communicated to the reader how hard this choice is. At first I wanted her to get together with Bahati, but the karanja are so cool too and I wanted her to follow her dream as well. The things she had to do to become a karanja were also creative (such as the initiation test with the ants; even her thought process was well thought out and believable) and horrifying (having their breasts cut off. Eeek.). I also really appreciated the spiritualism and Hall's choice to make it maybe magic, maybe mundane - it's up to you. (Maybe the elephant is her spirit guide or spirit, maybe it's both, or maybe it's just her own inner voice given shape.) Her final decision to
October 14, 2016
A novella and collected short stories, brought to you by the author’s love of Africa. The titular novella, Huntress, is a charming coming of age story set in her fantasy-Africa. Leya’s a lioness with a dream, but she finds out her dream of what she wanted to be — one of the Karanja, an amazonian order of huntresses who prowl the savannah in search of ‘heavy meat’, large and dangerous game animals. Common lions are prohibited from hunting heavy meat both for practical reasons, such as safety, and the cultural — consideration for the souls of slain prey animals. To be Karanja is to be part of a sacred institution, but Leya’s caught between the sanctified hunt and its killing of prey, and the sanctified role of mother and healer. She, naturally, must do more than merely find a middleground between the two.
The other stories in this collection riff on similar themes, following characters briefly met on the sidelines in the main novella.
The other stories in this collection riff on similar themes, following characters briefly met on the sidelines in the main novella.
January 6, 2016
This was a beautifully written book and a well imagined world. The stories in this book are set in a fantasy version of Africa with anthropomorphic predators. In the first story we follow the young lioness Leya as she pursues her dream and the life she's always wanted. But what she imagined is a lot different from the reality she is now faced with.
Leya's journey into adulthood and self discovery was excellent and the world building here is well thought out and convincing.
There are also other short stories from the points of view of characters Leya meets during her journey.
This was a wonderful fantasy book to read with great characters and world well inspired by the land and some of the culture of Africa.
Leya's journey into adulthood and self discovery was excellent and the world building here is well thought out and convincing.
There are also other short stories from the points of view of characters Leya meets during her journey.
This was a wonderful fantasy book to read with great characters and world well inspired by the land and some of the culture of Africa.
October 29, 2016
This book was really amazing!! It brought both happy and sad tears to my eyes.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews