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Night Hunter #1
The Stalking
He had been a quiet family man—devoted to his wife and children, happy in his home, happy in his work. It took just thirty minutes of shattering, obscene violence to transform him into a remorseless, avenging hunter of evil—a savage practitioner and enemy of the occult...
Somewhere—somewhere beyond the normal and the good—they had his family. And Dan Brady had to find them. Against him was all the evil of the supernatural—powers he neither knew nor understood. Powers he himself would have to learn to use if he were to track down his family in the satanic, preternatural night...
Somewhere—somewhere beyond the normal and the good—they had his family. And Dan Brady had to find them. Against him was all the evil of the supernatural—powers he neither knew nor understood. Powers he himself would have to learn to use if he were to track down his family in the satanic, preternatural night...
199 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published January 1, 1983
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 24, 2018
(Full review 11/23/18)
Known as The Stalking in the UK, this is the first volume of Robert (Mythago Wood) Holdstock's pseudonymously-written horror series, Night Hunter, which would go on to total six books in all. The first five were pumped-out every few months in '83 and '84, old-fashioned serial novel-style, then fans had to wait three years for the final entry. I sincerely hope it was able to get a proper ending and wasn't just canceled by the publisher mid-story, as I definitely plan on continuing on with the rest. Considering the entire set has been reprinted a few times over the years, I'd venture to guess that it was completed (I'm too nervous about spoilers to look much further into it).
First off, this may be the very definition of a 3 star novel -- it's super-pulpy and cliched as all hell, but you know what? I love pulp and cheese and well-worn tropes in my horror, at least when done well, as it was here. So, that's just a little disclaimer for you more highbrow types (I like to swing both ways, myself. I mean...ahem. Moving on...) Another disclaimer: I discuss the first 40-45 pages or so in some detail.
The general setup is that Dan Brady -- a scientist who does ESP research by day and who's a loving family man by night -- is suddenly attacked in his own home by demonic creatures and/or demonic-looking cultists (I'll leave that for the reader to discover, but just know that yes this is a heavily supernatural novel). Brady's left for dead, and his wife and two kids are missing, presumably abducted by these beings. Once Brady recovers after months in a coma, he vows to both find his family and kill the ever-loving shit out of those things, with some help from some newly-found allies who can relate to his situation and maybe know a thing or two about kicking demonic ass.
It isn't exceptionally well-written, though serviceable, and the characters aren't particularly well-drawn (I'll ASS-ume they're expanded upon throughout the course of the entire story), but this thing moves. Just go go go from nearly beginning to end, with lots of telekinetic and psychokinetic battles with invisible somethings and diabolical cults and maybe-demons (maybe demons, maybe not, I'm not telling).
Normally I'm not a big fan of ESP-type stuff in fiction -- and even here it went way overboard at times -- but it always kept me entertained. The book as a whole bears as much of a resemblance to those Peter Saxon-esque "occult detective/adventure" novels* that were a thing before King as it does your typical 80s horror novel. In other words, if you're looking for an ultra-campy, straight good-vs evil (no gray here) detective tale that was probably knocked out by Holdstock in two weeks -- a detective tale loaded with sorcery and witchcraft, psychic warfare, nightmarish cults, and paranormal activity in general out the wazoo -- then look no further.
4.0 Stars -- probably closer to a 3.5 if I were less biased towards B-grade pulp, but as my fine Goodreads friend Jordan West would put it: "I'll give it a gentleman's four."
*I'd link to some examples of the genre, but Goodreads hates me now and won't let me do anything but type words anymore. But that's why God invented Google. So now you'll have to string together words like "occult thriller adventure Peter Saxon" if you're unfamiliar and care about learning about any of that (though I don't believe I've ever made it through an entire Saxon novel). I'd recommend just checking out the (excellent) blog Pretty Sinister Books for a nice primer if I were you.
Known as The Stalking in the UK, this is the first volume of Robert (Mythago Wood) Holdstock's pseudonymously-written horror series, Night Hunter, which would go on to total six books in all. The first five were pumped-out every few months in '83 and '84, old-fashioned serial novel-style, then fans had to wait three years for the final entry. I sincerely hope it was able to get a proper ending and wasn't just canceled by the publisher mid-story, as I definitely plan on continuing on with the rest. Considering the entire set has been reprinted a few times over the years, I'd venture to guess that it was completed (I'm too nervous about spoilers to look much further into it).
First off, this may be the very definition of a 3 star novel -- it's super-pulpy and cliched as all hell, but you know what? I love pulp and cheese and well-worn tropes in my horror, at least when done well, as it was here. So, that's just a little disclaimer for you more highbrow types (I like to swing both ways, myself. I mean...ahem. Moving on...) Another disclaimer: I discuss the first 40-45 pages or so in some detail.
The general setup is that Dan Brady -- a scientist who does ESP research by day and who's a loving family man by night -- is suddenly attacked in his own home by demonic creatures and/or demonic-looking cultists (I'll leave that for the reader to discover, but just know that yes this is a heavily supernatural novel). Brady's left for dead, and his wife and two kids are missing, presumably abducted by these beings. Once Brady recovers after months in a coma, he vows to both find his family and kill the ever-loving shit out of those things, with some help from some newly-found allies who can relate to his situation and maybe know a thing or two about kicking demonic ass.
It isn't exceptionally well-written, though serviceable, and the characters aren't particularly well-drawn (I'll ASS-ume they're expanded upon throughout the course of the entire story), but this thing moves. Just go go go from nearly beginning to end, with lots of telekinetic and psychokinetic battles with invisible somethings and diabolical cults and maybe-demons (maybe demons, maybe not, I'm not telling).
Normally I'm not a big fan of ESP-type stuff in fiction -- and even here it went way overboard at times -- but it always kept me entertained. The book as a whole bears as much of a resemblance to those Peter Saxon-esque "occult detective/adventure" novels* that were a thing before King as it does your typical 80s horror novel. In other words, if you're looking for an ultra-campy, straight good-vs evil (no gray here) detective tale that was probably knocked out by Holdstock in two weeks -- a detective tale loaded with sorcery and witchcraft, psychic warfare, nightmarish cults, and paranormal activity in general out the wazoo -- then look no further.
4.0 Stars -- probably closer to a 3.5 if I were less biased towards B-grade pulp, but as my fine Goodreads friend Jordan West would put it: "I'll give it a gentleman's four."
*I'd link to some examples of the genre, but Goodreads hates me now and won't let me do anything but type words anymore. But that's why God invented Google. So now you'll have to string together words like "occult thriller adventure Peter Saxon" if you're unfamiliar and care about learning about any of that (though I don't believe I've ever made it through an entire Saxon novel). I'd recommend just checking out the (excellent) blog Pretty Sinister Books for a nice primer if I were you.
December 2, 2016
I wanted to like Night Hunter more than I did. That's not to say the book was bad, it wasn't, but the writing left a lot to be desired. The common theme of 'I am going to hunt down these heinous shadowy, ghost-like abominations and make them pay for what they've done' grew tiresome, especially after reading it or a similar phrase well into a third of the book. I get it - Dan Brady wants his family back; they were taking by these shadow figures while he was savagely attacked, barely living through the supernatural ordeal - he's going to move heaven and earth to find them and exact his revenge.
Unfortunately, his mission gets cloudy once released from hospital - distractions by another who has experienced the same fate as him drive Brady down a path of almost unbelievable voodoo and commonplace 1980's C-grade horror-aversion tactics.
You need to suspend your belief but the author struggled to make this read plausible; It could've been, but wasn't. I liked the idea behind the plot, but there was just too many holes and 'what-the?' moments to rate Night Hunter beyond an average read for me.
2.5 / 5
Unfortunately, his mission gets cloudy once released from hospital - distractions by another who has experienced the same fate as him drive Brady down a path of almost unbelievable voodoo and commonplace 1980's C-grade horror-aversion tactics.
You need to suspend your belief but the author struggled to make this read plausible; It could've been, but wasn't. I liked the idea behind the plot, but there was just too many holes and 'what-the?' moments to rate Night Hunter beyond an average read for me.
2.5 / 5
August 17, 2010
The late Robert Holdstock wrote this under the name Robert Faulcon; it is the first of a series and definitely reads like one. It is more of a horror novel than Holdstock's later work, there are still a lot of things that parallel his writing in the Mythago Wood series -- ancient powers affecting the modern world. The book is really short but it is only a small part of the whole series. It does a good job of setting up the premise and rolling things along. I liked this first book enough to order the rest of the series.
It's a really suspenseful tale of a man who has his family violently taken from him by some sort of evil entity. Having survived the attack he sets out to find those who are responsible.
It's a really suspenseful tale of a man who has his family violently taken from him by some sort of evil entity. Having survived the attack he sets out to find those who are responsible.
December 15, 2010
The first volume of the Nighthunter series by Robert Holdstock writing as Robert Faulcon. This is a better than average example of books written by the yard. He was commissioned to write six volumes, so when protagonist Dan Brady is attacked and his family kidnapped, he gets an impression of six different characters, and will spend each volume tracking down one of them.
Beyond that, there are hints of the fantasy of Mythago Wood in here, but this is an earlier work, and the ideas are not nearly as well developed. But it's a horror/thriller, and cracks along at a good pace. I'm sure I'll get to the rest of the series, but having read it before, I'm in no hurry.
Beyond that, there are hints of the fantasy of Mythago Wood in here, but this is an earlier work, and the ideas are not nearly as well developed. But it's a horror/thriller, and cracks along at a good pace. I'm sure I'll get to the rest of the series, but having read it before, I'm in no hurry.
March 16, 2012
These books have been a while on my shelf, mostly as i was trying to fill gaps of missing volumes before i started. Knowing in advance that Robert Holdstock is the author make sit easy to spot his trademark ideas of fetches and stone having memory as well as the archaic history of a place having an influence on an event.
I enjoyed it though, but mostly for the spooky moments of the Stalking and the intrigue as to what will happen next and if the situation will ever be resolved. On to book 2 now!
I enjoyed it though, but mostly for the spooky moments of the Stalking and the intrigue as to what will happen next and if the situation will ever be resolved. On to book 2 now!
July 13, 2016
I started on this series at about book 4, in about year 10, when someone gave me book 4 in the series as a Christmas present.
It took me years to track down the rest of the series in second hand bookshops (pre-internet era), but I've read the series several times over.
Dude's family gets killed by satanists, he becomes a male witch avenger. Actually written by Robert Holdstock under a pseudonym - I prefer this to his more serious works.
Good old fashioned page turner , in the fantasy thriller genre.
It took me years to track down the rest of the series in second hand bookshops (pre-internet era), but I've read the series several times over.
Dude's family gets killed by satanists, he becomes a male witch avenger. Actually written by Robert Holdstock under a pseudonym - I prefer this to his more serious works.
Good old fashioned page turner , in the fantasy thriller genre.
July 14, 2018
This was decent enough that I would have been willing to read the next book in the series if any library in this state carried it.
June 28, 2021
I liked it. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series. One thing that annoyed the crap out of me was the use of full names. What's wrong with just first name .
November 4, 2019
Morgan recommended this to me as, apparently, he has read it over ten times, and the first time was when he was 12! He’s always recommending books to me so I can’t ignore all of his suggestions and I liked the sound of this from the blurb.
It started off well and had me really intrigued as to what was going on and what had happened to Dan’s family.
However, there were long periods of the book where the occult and practices that needed to be put into place were described in minute detail. I felt like it was a bit of a textbook rather than a story in these places, and I would find my mind wandering.
For a book that only had 157 pages in I think a little bit more story was needed as it seemed to me that these details that were being given were more to pad the book out more than anything.
Overall, it was a good read, but it didn’t leave me feeling compelled to rush and read book two in the series, although I might one day if I find myself at a loose end!
Thanks for reading! If you want to see more of my reviews visit www.pinkanddizzy.com
It started off well and had me really intrigued as to what was going on and what had happened to Dan’s family.
However, there were long periods of the book where the occult and practices that needed to be put into place were described in minute detail. I felt like it was a bit of a textbook rather than a story in these places, and I would find my mind wandering.
For a book that only had 157 pages in I think a little bit more story was needed as it seemed to me that these details that were being given were more to pad the book out more than anything.
Overall, it was a good read, but it didn’t leave me feeling compelled to rush and read book two in the series, although I might one day if I find myself at a loose end!
Thanks for reading! If you want to see more of my reviews visit www.pinkanddizzy.com
Read
August 22, 2008The Stalking: The Stalking. The Talisman (The Nighthunter Series) by Robert Faulcon (1987)
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews