By the Book: Aliens versus Predator: Hunter's Planet

Welcome back!

In today’s installment of By the Book, I will be taking a look at “Aliens versus Predator: Hunter’s Planet” by science fiction and television writer, David Bischoff. Having come across this book last month (along with it’s prequel, see my previous book review), I decided to give it another read.

Having experienced the prequel to Hunters Planet is what encouraged me to buy this book. I was looking forward to reading this sequel, having greatly enjoyed Prey. This novel came out in the later half of 90’s, and unlike the first book which I had bought for reading purposes at school, this one I purchased solely for entertainment reasons. The first time I went through this novel was over twenty years ago, so I had completely forgotten what happened in this book, which just meant I got to enjoy it as if I was reading it for the first time.

Taking place a few years after the events that transpired in Prey, we find the familiar character of Machiko Noguchi back in a corporate type position on a mining world. This time around she is accompanied by a companion; her faithful android assistant, Attila the Hun. Later in the story, she is contacted by a rich entrepreneur by the name of Livermore Evanston, who offers Noguchi a business proposal. Evanston owns a small planet named Blior, upon which he is building a futuristic hunting resort. Unfortunately, strange events take place on the planet, leading them to believe the Predators may be involved. Add this to the fact that other strange creatures seem to be appearing, and Machiko finds herself trying to unravel the mystery taking place on this alien world.

Back of the book:

“The best time of Machiko Naguchi's life came in the wake of the Ryushi colony massacre. It was then that she abandoned her human heritage and ran with the Predators as a dedicated Hunter. But it was only two years before she returned to live with humanity and work for the Chigusa Corporation, Livermore Evanston is an ambitious developer who has built the ultimate hunter's paradise: a world just beyond the reach of human regulations, populated by ferociousm genetically engineered animals. But Evanston didn't plan on being patronized by the galaxy's most ruthless Predators--or the Aliens they brought along as prey. As his human customers fall victim to the unsceduled hunt, Evanston realizes that the Predators must be curbed, and there's only one woman for the job. But there's even more to this world than meets the eye, and Machiko Naguchi may only have one way out: to take complete control of the deadliest planet in known space!”

Link to wiki: http://avp.wikia.com/wiki/Aliens_vs._Predator:_Hunter's_Planet

What I learned from this book:

• Conspiracy Theory: There is a lot going on in this book, not all of which is gone through in detail. However, the writer managed to tie all these things together in a way that paints a bigger picture, giving the idea that Machiko was only a pawn is a bigger game. I found this intriguing since it opened up the possibilities for further stories.
• Best kept Secrets: The author managed to give the audience a “shocker” right in the first chapter, and managed to keep it secret, not revealing the “MacGuffin” until the last quarter of the story. Without revealing what happens in the book, I can tell you Bischoff superbly drip fed clues in order to keep the audience interested.
• Tension Building: Bischoff proved to be an expert at building tension. On a few occasions in the book, you know something is going to happen, yet it keeps being pushed off in a way that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
• Contrast between Authors: Having read both Prey and Hunter’s Planet has made me see just how different authors can see the same material differently. Steven and Stephani Perry had taken the serious yet somber character of Noguchi, and placed her in a horror story. Whereas David Bischoff made Noguchi more witty and sarcastic, which worked better for his mystery type story.

For those interested in reading more books from David Bischoff, please check out his wiki description, containing all of his information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bischoff

For those interested in learning more about the Aliens versus Predator franchise, you can check out this extensive user mader wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_vs._Predator. There you will find details about other books, movies, games and so on.

In closing, I would like to thank everyone for the encouragement and for following my blog. And thank you to my wife Linda for the support.

Until next time!

Cheers,

Patrick Osborne