Author, Kevis Hendrickson, sent me an e-copy of the sci-fi novel Rogue Hunter: Quest of the Hunter
Description from Goodreads:
Zyra Zanr is the most feared bounty hunter in the galaxy. Criminals everywhere cower at her name. During the attempt to capture a notorious fugitive, she stumbles onto a conspiracy to murder the senators of the InterGalactic Alliance. Behind this plot is a clandestine force seeking to destroy not only the InterGalactic Alliance, but mankind as well.War looms on the horizon as Zyra collides with this deadly force threatening to rock the very foundations of time and space. Zyra’s quest to uncover the mastermind behind this plot will pit her against an evil menace beyond her wildest imagination. Only Zyra can save humanity from an impending holocaust. Victory will mean the salvation of the human race. Failure will mean the end of all that Zyra holds dear.
Review:
Zyra Zanr is one tough cookie. She is willing to tackle challenges on a galactic scale with almost no-one covering her back and manages to survive time and time again. Rogue Hunter: Quest of the Hunter tells her story admirably. It starts on a high note and maintains it throughout. Zyra is an interesting character and I loved the men in her life. They each have a little something to appreciate about them. There are a few too many ‘and then she suddenly saw a …’ — insert miraculously placed laundry shoot to dive down, convenient atmospheric control panels to change air content and kill pursuing aliens, willing pilot to rescue you at the last second, etc. Similarly, Zyra’s talents seemed to be almost boundless. She is faster, stronger, smarter than almost everyone else. While I accept that as the ‘Grande Dame Bounty Hunter’ that is to be expected, credibility is stretch a little too thin when she and her unaltered equipment are still hacking computer 300 years in the future. Does technology not progress in the future universe?
There is a pretty drastic shift in the book and plot about half-way through and I don’t feel like the second half holds up as well as the first. This is largely because [without giving too much away] she looses contact with all of her friends leaving almost no-one for her to interact with. Therefore the story becomes much more heavily dependent on description of feelings, thoughts and actions than on the direct interaction of characters. Despite this, a lot of ground is covered and the action continues. This is the first in a series of books focusing on Zyra. (At least I think it is the first. There is definitely room for prequels.) Arcs are left open and there are definitely unanswered questions at the end. But there is more than enough here to keep the reader interested. I enjoyed it and look forward to the next instalment.