Creatures Of The Claw

Huntsman #2

by Douglas Arthur Hill

Finn Ferral travels through the wilderness with his contingent of rebels, ever aware of the Slavers' spywings. But his capture takes him by surprise. He is taken to the Alien Citadel, where his huntsman powers are worthless and where no human stands a chance of survival.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Douglas Arthur Hill (6 April 1935 – 21 June 2007) was a Canadian science fiction author, editor and reviewer. He was born in Brandon, Manitoba, the son of a railroad engineer, and was raised in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. An avid science fiction reader from an early age, he studied English at the University of Saskatchewan (where he earned an Honours B.A. in 1957) and at the University of Toronto. He married fellow writer and U. of S. alumna Gail Robinson in 1958; they moved to Britain in 1959, where he worked as a freelance writer and editor for Aldus Books. In 1967–1968 he served as Assistant Editor of the controversial New Worlds science fiction magazine under Michael Moorcock.

A lifetime leftist, he served from 1971 to 1984 as the Literary Editor of the socialist weekly Tribune (a position once held by George Orwell), where he regularly reviewed science fiction despite the continued refusal of the literary world to take it seriously. Before starting to write fiction in 1978, he wrote many books on history, science and folklore. Using the pseudonym Martin Hillman, he also worked as an editor of several anthologies, among them Window on the Future (1966), The Shape of Sex to Come (1978), Out of Time (1984), and Hidden Turnings (1988). He is probably best known for The Last Legionary quartet of novels, supposedly produced as the result of a challenge by a publisher to Hill's complaints about the lack of good science fiction for younger readers.

Hill and his wife had one child, a son. They were divorced in 1978. He lived in Wood Green, London, and died in London after being struck by a bus at a zebra crossing. His death occurred one day after he completed his last trilogy, Demon Stalkers.

Reviews

[Shaitarn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 2 of the Huntsman trilogy sees Finn Ferral and his Bloodkin companion Baer continuing their search to find Finn’s little sister Jena, who was taken by the alien Slavers in the previous book. During their journey they are captured by a group of cave-dwelling religious fruit-loops who believe the Slavers are a divine punishment on mankind and gain new allies in the form of the brave Rainshadow and his companions, the titular warriors of the wasteland, Native Americans to you and me, but the book insists on using the term Indians (this was published back in 1983, when possibly it was a less contentious term). They are forced to fight the deadly Claw, who like Finn is a human enhanced with incredible hunting skills.

It was okay - the plot moved quickly and was heavy on the action, the characters, if rather flat and basic, were likeable enough. I could comment on the Claw being dealt with rather easily and the plot being basic, but this is a children’s book so I can’t comment on how it compares to others. I enjoyed it well enough when I was a child and the nostalgia was enough to carry me through this very quick re-read.

If you’re curious about this author, his Last Legionary quartet may be a better starting point.