Rating: 
Summary: Another beast vs. man story
Review: I've read two other Huggins thrillers ("Cain" and 'Leviathan'), and they're all similar man vs. evil beast stories. Of the three, I would say "Hunter" is the best technically speaking, but "Cain" is the most exciting. Huggins continues to make the same mistakes here as in his other formulaic books, i.e. 1) the same descriptions ("volcanic", "titanic") are used over and over again; 2) the evil scientist is the same charcter as in the other books; 3) the hero is still a haunted superman. Nonetheless, I'm still reading them, so there's obviously something worthwhile, and I think "Hunter" deserves points for straying at least slightly out of the usual formula. While Nathaniel Hunter is a superman character like Thor and Solomon before him, his talent is not innate size and strength like Thor nor superb military training like Solomon. Instead, Hunter is simply a man who grew up in the wilds, and the environment made him the powerful man he is. Ergo, he is the best of the superman charcters. Speaking of which, Huggins is moving in new directions with them. In this book he spends part of the time with Chaney, a U.S. Marshal tracking the bureaucracy behind the requisite beast, and his entertaining pal Brick. And while plenty of no-names get slaughtered by Luther, the beast, we actually get a few named characters with background information who die too, so at least having a name doesn't mean you survive in the end. The supporting charcters are fairly decent, with a Japanese neo-samurai, a very cool female sniper, and a shotgun-mad soldier. They all try to transcend the stereotype boundaries, so kudos for that. The beastie in this is a very nasty critter named Luther. Without supplying details, I'll say he is a perfectly-equipped predator, and the reasons behind him being around are more believable than the same for either Cain or Leviathan. The premise is much better than the other two. There are some other new tricks in this book. There are a wealth of people using different weapons, which adds variety. The action is constant but not set-piece formulaic, and the final encounter in a veritable Golgotha is the best of the three books. Also, this time Huggins adds survival lore instead of mythology and doesn't have any Christian mythos, if that is a reason to buy/not buy this tome. And while some people complain that there is actually sex and profanity (gasp, horror!), it makes the book more realistic. Can you imagine a group of hardened but scared soldiers tramping around Alaska and not cussing? All in all, 'Hunter' was entertaining and an improvement in technical style for Huggins, though I must admit, if you prefer more comic-book style action and excitement, read "Cain" too.
Rating: 
Summary: A terrific book!!
Review: I've read some of the other readers' comments and was surprised at the extent to which many voiced objections to Huggins' use of profanity and "illicit sex" in this book. Okay, so the guy has some terrific books that do not include bad language or any sexual scenes - so what?!? This is an action thriller, plain and simple, so what do you expect? And it isn't like there's tons of bad language, nor is the sex scene very explicit. And my gosh people, if you were one of the soldiers fighting this thing and had seen many of your comrades butchered in front of your eyes and all your weapons were useless against it, I can guarantee you'd be cussing a lot worse than any of the characters in the book did!! This book and Cain do share the Noble Hero-versus-Epitome of Evil Adversary, but most thrillers contain that anyway. It's a simple, good versus bad story and, in my opinion, very, very well done. I devoured this book as quickly as Luther cut a swathe through platoons of helpless soldiers!!
Rating: 
Summary: ACTION, ACTION, AND MORE ACTION!
Review: Hunter is the first novel I have read by author James Byron Huggins. It was a fast read that jumps off the page like a movie more than anything I have read since Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park (which made it to a movie) or Robert McCammon's The Wolf's Hour (which like Hunter cries out to be developed by Hollywood).The characters in Hunter are solid. The settings are well done. The pace is like a roller coaster. And the monster is well...a monster! The only real problems that this novel has are that 565 pages is a bit much for a simple action novel. And yes, sometimes there is such a thing as TOO much action (which is why we went from 5 stars to 4). Still, if you're a fan of action and horror and prefer to stick to a more "pop" style of writing then HUNTER is a great place to start.
Rating:
Summary: Non-stop Action!
Review: What a ride. This was a very enjoyable read. I love a book with action and this one had plenty. The story was compelling enough to keep you turning the pages. Recommend.
Rating:
Summary: Exciting, exilerating, and fun.
Review: This was a fun book to read. It had action, sorrow, and romance. But, when I look back now, I see that it was not a very likely scenario. I dont want to give any secrets away about the book, so I'll keep it simple. Hunter is the best tracker in America, he can track anything, and at any time. It starts out with him trying to find a lost boy, it is cold, and the boy is near death. But does he find him? Well of course he does, this is that kind of book where everything good happens, and not many "good" characters die. After that, he is given a mission to find a weird beast that has killed many already. And so on, and so on. It is a really good book, and I hope you run out and buy it right now. Mr. Huggins is a good author, and I am waiting to read his next novel.
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