Hunt and Run

Stargate Atlantis #13

by Aaron Rosenberg

Ronon Dex is a mystery. His past is a closed book and he likes it that way. But when the Atlantis team trigger a trap that leaves them stranded on a hostile world, only Ronon's past can save them - if it doesn't kill them first. As the gripping tale unfolds, we return to Ronon's earliest days as a Runner and meet the charismatic leader who transformed him into a hunter of Wraith. But grief and rage can change the best of men and it soon becomes clear that those Ronon once considered brothers-in-arms are now on the hunt - and that the Atlantis team are their prey. Unless Ronon can out hunt the hunters, Colonel Sheppard's team will fall victim to the vengeance of the V'rdai.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Media Tie In, Speculative Fiction, Space

280 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published July 16, 2010

About the author

Aaron Rosenberg is an award-winning, bestselling novelist, children’s book author, and game designer. He's written original fiction (including the NOOK-bestselling humorous science fiction novel No Small Bills, the Dread Remora space-opera series, and the O.C.L.T. supernatural thriller series), tie-in novels (including the PsiPhi winner Collective Hindsight for Star Trek: SCE, the Daemon Gates trilogy for Warhammer, Tides of Darkness and the Scribe-nominated Beyond the Dark Portal for WarCraft, Hunt and Run for Stargate: Atlantis, and Substitution Method and Road Less Traveled for Eureka), young adult novels (including the Scribe-winning Bandslam: The Novel and books for iCarly and Ben10), children's books (including an original Scholastic Bestseller series, Pete and Penny's Pizza Puzzles, and work for PowerPuff Girls and Transformers Animated), roleplaying games (including original games like Asylum and Spookshow, the Origins Award-winning Gamemastering Secrets, and sections of The Supernatural Roleplaying Game, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, and The Deryni Roleplaying Game), short stories, webcomics, essays, and educational books. He has ranged from mystery to speculative fiction to drama to comedy, always with the same intent—to tell a good story. You can visit him online at gryphonrose.com or follow him on Twitter @gryphonrose.

Reviews

[Emily G · Rating 2 out of 5]

My review for this is one word would be 'disappointing'. I was looking forward to reading it, as I love Ronon, but I found the characterisations to be stereotypical in a way that makes me think that the author hasn't seen much of SGA. Rodney whines, complains and is a coward. John is the all American hero. Ronon is a skilled hunter, big and strong. I guess I could forgive this if the team camaraderie that makes me love the show had shown through, but no, even that was missing. Consequently, I didn't really gel with the storytelling and found the plot boring, if I'm honest >.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Ronon-centric story focussing on his days as a Runner? This could have been a great, action-packed read... but no. Not only does the author blithely ignore about half of what we know of Ronon's past, but the characterisations of all the characters are flat and the story dragging and anticlimatic. Hopefully the next one's better.

[Pat Hauldren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ronan, Runners, and Wraith

This book give us some insight into Ronan's time as a Runner--who he was and why, what they did and how. It gives some background info that missing area. The author has a ruff goal, and worked the group dynamics in nice!y. Although we don't see too much new about his persona?ity, we do learn to appreciate his attitude and part of what makes him tick. Woman's past as a Runner is framed around a tense situation in the present. Which helps move the story along.

[Daniel Gaul]

A very fascinating read! Set during the events of Season 5, Ronon relates how he learned to survive as a Runner and become a hunter of Wraith! The V'rdai were Ronon's family for the first two years, but he left after they took a fanatical turn. In the present, the AR-1 team encounters the V'rdai, and Ronon must use every trick in the book to help extricate himself and his friends from the hostile sights of his former mentor and allies.

[Ana Gutierrez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very creative intro into Ronon's back story. It was imaginative and plausible and the over all story line was well written and engaging. There may be a few editing mistakes but overall this was an enjoyable adventure.

[Tagcaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

backstory of Ronon

It was interesting learning of Ronon’s history. Almost everything was feasible and to cannon. Although jumpers don’t have guns or wings. They have drones and drive pods. Otherwise a good story.

[Uly Ramos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome thrilling

I loved it and I would recommend to anyone who want to read a good sci fi trilogy I just loved it and can wait still next werk

[Ida Leter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very nicely written stand-alone Ronon story. Top notch. Slightly contrived in places, and not necessarily entirely continuous with the canon, but really enjoyable and on point.

[Alyce Caswell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This didn't feel terribly in character for Ronon (and didn't feel very canon either), but it was an interesting story.

[Beenee Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was all Ronon. About how he survived the first couple years as a runner and learned the skills that have kept him alive so long. Not a bad book, but I’m vastly disappointed that Todd is on the cover, but not in the book!

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was so excited when I found out there was a book with featuring Ronon's skills as a runner. Boy, was I disappointed. The story was completely off cannon. Supposedly right after he was made a runner another runner finds him and helps him develop the skills that keep him alive. He spends several years as a team of runners that fight back against the wraith. The whole premise that allows this to work is that when multiple runners are together their tracking signals cancel each other out. [return][return]Viewers know that Ronon learned to hunt and track as a young child. He did not need someone to teach him the skills that kept him alive. We also know that he is so rough around the edges because he had very little human interaction during the seven years he was a runner. He stayed away from people after the wraith punished those who helped him. Several times the author mentions the tracking device in his lower back. It was actually in his upper back. The wraith hardly feature into Ronon's story, which is absurd. None of the story includes any of Ronon actually surviving as a runner. More than half of this book is Ronon relating this silly history to McKay. The final showdown is brief and hard to believe. John, Teyla and Rodney don't sound at all like themselves either, not that you notice because they are hardly in the story. If you are looking for an SGA fix, I would skip this story, especially if you like Ronon's character.

[SilvanShadow · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very excited for this book (a Stargate Atlantis novel focused on Ronon Dex, AWESOME) however, in the end, I was very disappointed. This was not the story I was expecting to read.

First, a note about the cover: it was a bit misleading by the publisher to have a picture of Todd the Wraith on the cover though I'm sure the cover artist meant it to represent the Wraith in general. But, since Todd played a pretty big part in the series, he's recognizable to the Atlantis audience and another, more generic Wraith image should've been used.

Now for the story itself: the plot felt contrived to me and out of character in many places (ie: Woolsey is in command of Atlantis so the story must take place during or after Season Five of the series however Teyla never makes mention (nor any other team member) of her son. There were also continuity errors (ie: in the story Ronon's tracking implant is in his *lower* back when, in the series, it was in his *upper* back close to his neck.)

The author also had a love of exclamation points that could not be tamed.

Ronon's early days as a Runner should have made for exciting reading, if only the author had chose the right story to tell.

Two Stars.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars or 'I liked it'. - Yeah, that's it.

When I read about this book coming out I was thinking "How cool!!", and obviously I expected to love it. But although I did like it, I didn't love it.

It was written okay. A few mistakes (but I've yet to read a book I don't find any mistakes in). The story was good.
.
.
It just wasn't what I expected.
Okay, I couldn't tell you what I expected specifically, but that kinda wasn't it, if you know what I mean.
One thing I can say I did expect was a little more involvment of the Atlantis team.
But the book was set more about how Ronon became a hunter. Okay.
And the end... I expected more than just Ronon talking to his old mentor and then just walking away like that. And I kind of missed a facing off between Sheppards team and the hunters.

What probably bothered me the most, though, was that the author didn't know the most important facts about Ronon.
The Wraith tracking device was in his 'upper' back near the neck, not his lower back!
Seriously, what fan doesn't know that?
And what annoyed me just as well was when the author refered to Melena as Ronon's wife.
He may have loved her, but they weren't married.

Otherwise, it was okay, could have been worse.

[Liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't like to give completely negative reviews but this book was so bad I can't do anything else. I've read better fanfiction, where at least the authors get the basic character traits and backgrounds correct.

McKay, what little he shows up, is horribly out of character. This book takes place in season five, yet Rodney is reduced to his early whining, cowardly self from the beginning of the series.

Ronon is described here as learning how to track after he became a Runner, which is blatantly false based on info from the TV show (where he mentions being taught as a child by his grandfather). What seems to be the most egregious bit of bad writing is when the Wraith tracker is described as being implanted in the lower back. Did the author even watch the show? The trackers are always placed higher on the back, between the shoulders where a Runner cannot easily remove it on their own.

All in all, this is a pathetic addition to Fandemonium's otherwise decent offerings Not to mention the fact that Todd is featured on the front cover, yet he isn't in this book at all. They could have easily used a photo of one of the other generic Wraith.

[AnnaM · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried to read this. Gave it my customary 50 page chance.

Normally I'm a pretty easy-going and forgiving reader. But I just couldn't finish this. The characterization was off so much that I gave up. Some of the details were different than what was stated in the show. Teyla started off using contractions and saying things that sounded like John should be saying them. Rodney was really unlikable in this story. Now, he was never my favorite character so I'm not biased about him, but this story portrayed him as a whiny coward that everyone didn't like much--as evidenced by how they reacted to him and thought of him. It was supposed to be set during Woolsey's tenure after Rodney had grown a lot and got along well with nearly everyone.

Would I have changed my mind if I'd kept going? Maybe. But with hundreds of other books waiting to be read, why finish one that slaps you out of the world every time a character says something they wouldn't?

[I. S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed with this book. The characterizations were off, especially Rodney. Yes, he does whine and complain, but honestly there's more to him than that. Just about all of the SGA folks were one-dimensional, and Ronon's past (as the main focus of the story) would have worked better if it had actually matched better with the actual information from the show. The ending seemed rushed after spending half of the book with Ronon recounting his past to Rodney while they hid in a cave, and the 'climactic' confrontation was too predictable.

[K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very excited when I heard that there would be a novel that focused on Ronon’s years as a Runner. That time period has always been a mystery to fans, so the novel Hunt and Run: Stargate Atlantis by Aaron Rosenberg had the potential to add to the canon in new and interesting ways. How did this man go from the person we saw in flashbacks to the man we know on Atlantis? The storyline is wide open.

Read my review on my site.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is actually #13.
This is Ronan's story. A backstory of how he became a Runner and his life during the first two of the seven years before the Atlanteans found him. Events at the beginning of the book cause Ronan to tell his story to Rodney while they attempt to rescue John and Teyla from his former friends, who think he is dead. Their mistake. I enjoyed this book.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

The team go to help a shuttle in distress only to be shot down. Hunters are after them. This is a really Ronan centric storyline that looks into how he learnt all the skills needed to be a runner. This book is part flashback, part present storyline. Note that Todd is not in the story even though he is on the cover. A good read.

[Gene · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Ronon Dex, then you'll definitely enjoy the story, if offers a peek into his past as a runner. I would qualify this particular book as 'would have made a good episode.' RIP SGA. :(

[Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked reading about SGA-1 turning the tables on the V'rdai. What I didn't like was the flashback scene that took over more than half the book. The whole time I was reading it, I just wanted to get back to the present.

[J.L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun action story, but this tie-in really shows the limitations of the genre in terms of limited character development. And aside from Ronon, pretty much every other character in the book (both canon and original) was pretty one-dimensional.

[Erina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book more than I expected. Not a huge Ronan fan but this book succeeded in giving him more depth. Though Rodney was extra annoying - more of a caricature of himself - my favorite parts were the Atlantis team working together.

[Michele Brack]

Stargate Atlantis. 'Nuff said.

Seriously, this book was basically glorified fanfiction and the only reason I picked it up was because it had a big picture of Ronon on the cover. Mmm, Ronon.

Maybe I should do my next vlog about Stargate: Atlantis.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow start, with Ronon's backstory taking up the first half. Glad I didn't give up on it, however.

[Miss Clark · Rating 1 out of 5]

This only gets a single star for out of characterness and failing to engage me in the story.

[Michael Sigler · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5/5
Wow... Just wow. I must have stumbled upon the single worst, most contradicting of canon fan fiction ever. How did this make it past the editing and approval stages?!
I was excited to read a Ronon-centric story, since he is my favourite character, but this fanfic was obviously written by someone who had never seen an episode of SG:A.
Disappointing beyond belief.