Hunted

by James Alan Gardner

Book Overview

For the children of Admiral Alexader York, perfection wasn't just expected, it was guaranteed -- written into their DNA before they were born.But while Samantha grew into the physical and mental... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0380802090
• ISBN13: 9780380802098
• Release Date: July 2000
• Publisher: Voyager
• Length: 422 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Best Sci-Fi Everyone *Hasn't* Read

With science-fiction (or possibly space opera) books as a speciality, this author is not terribly well-known but should be. The Expendables series (of which Hunted is midway in the series) is absolutely joyful to read, with a delicious sense of humor embedded in every chapter.The main character (Edward) is not your typical hero, and the insect-like aliens don't seem unlikely. I certainly enjoyed Edward's open minded attitude and even affection towards his adopted race, even though he doesn't feel he is "smart" enough to look after them. This was a delightful surprise to find and read. You do not have to worry about Garner slapping you with too much technology and not enough characterization and plot.

Humourous, quirky, wonderful

More emotional struggle than with Vigilant, less than with Commitment Hour. Hunted is classic James Alan Gardner: his flowing half-sarcastic, half dead-on sincere way of speech; his delightfully & consistently unique characters; set in his easily pictured reality. For veteran Gardner readers - he doesn't really explain the laws of the reality very well in this book (which is useful because vetarans don't want to read that re-hash ... anyway). I recommend reading Hunted after Expendable.

A Terrific Story with many twists

The Hunted is a terrific book that mixes great science fiction with mysteries that keep you guessing, and some nice touches of humor.For those of you who are new to James Alan Gardner, I would recommend first reading one of his other books, "Expendable" which sets up some of the characters and space organizations that are in Hunted.

Excellent Science Fiction Adventure

As the book "Hunted" begins, Edward York is leaving an isolated moonbase around the planet Troyen and, he thinks, finally going home. He is so happy to be leaving, he doesn't question the circumstances of the sudden reprieve from exile. After twenty years away from the rest of civilization, he is having enough trouble simply coping with the flood of attention from the ship's women. But the ship that rescues him never gets to take him home. Instead, Edward finds his innocent ride home was not so innocent at all, and he is suddenly thrown right back into the heart of the intrigue and politics he thought he'd left behind twenty years before. In those days, Edward served as the bodyguard to his genetically perfect, diplomat sister, Samantha-the only job he could get since HIS genetic engineering inexplicably failed to provide him with the intelligence his sister received. When a diplomatic mission to Troyen, the homeworld of the Mandasars, went sour and erupted in civil war, Samantha was killed and Edward banished to an isolated moon outpost by his Admiral father. Edward is convinced this is because his father blames him for his sister's death, and is embarrassed by his "retarded idiot son". With little to do over the past twenty years other than wallow in guilt over his sister's death and contemplate his father's contempt for him, Edward's self esteem is practically nonexistent. He considers himself ill prepared to take on the tasks he is faced with after he leaves the moonbase. But with the help of Admiral Festina Ramos and a collection of Explorers and amusing aliens, Edward will find himself trying to unravel a conspiracy that began twenty years before and that is the source of strife on Troyen . I loved this book. It keeps a brisk pace and the plot is full of surprise twists and turns. Gardner's universe, the same as in other "Expendable" books, is richly-detailed and full of colorful aliens, interesting technologies, and complex politics. The book's characters are wonderful. I always like to cheer for the noble underdog and Edward York is a fabulous character. He is completely convinced of his own uselessness at the opening of the book, yet decency and bravery are so much the core of his personality, the reader cannot help but like him. As the book progresses, he begins to realize that perhaps he is more than just Admiral York's "retarded idiot son". He gains confidence, but never loses his decency. Festina Ramos, familiar to readers of Gardner's other Expendable books, makes a capable and interesting partner for Edward. There is a host of secondary characters that are also very entertaining; I particularly enjoyed Tobit, the wisecracking Explorer who accompanies Edward and Festina to Troyen. If the primary characters in "Hunted" were not so good, the book would still be enjoyable simply because of Gardner's well-developed alien species. Gardner knows how to create believable and well-drawn alien peop

I stayed up til 3am to finish this book.

From reading the back of the novel: It's story of a father that had his two children genetically altered to be absolutely perfect. One turned out fine and joined the diplomatic corps, and the other turned out less than intelligent and joined the Explorers. You would think that it would follow certain storylines and it doesn't. Mr Gardner excelled in creating a new world in this universe. He introduces several different alien species and manages to captivate you with each paragraph. I found myself trying to guess the ending and then having to control myself, not to go to the end of the book to find out how it all turns out. It was interesting.