The Hunt for Pierre Jnr

Pierre Jnr Trilogy #1

by David M. Henley

He can make you forget. He can control you. And he is only eight years old.

Pierre Jnr has a mind more powerful than any the world has encountered before. He can make you forget, he can control you and he is only eight years old. Three months after his birth he escaped. An hour later he was lost to sur­veillance. No one knows where he has been for the last eight years ... Now Pierre Jnr is about to return.

THE HUNT FOR PIERRE JNR follows the activities of an elite group dedicated to tracking down the eight-year-old boy who is currently the greatest threat humanity has ever known. It’s a pacy and gripping chase, and an impressive vision of our future.No description available

Genres: Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Ebooks

416 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2013

About the author

David Henley worked in Australian trade publishing for many years; for the last 10 years he has been growing Xou Creative, a successful design and publishing studio. He has written and illustrated two novellas and one gift book, and is the art director of SEIZURE, a magazine for new writing.

Reviews

[lee_readsbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have just discovered this book is a trilogy! It was such an interesting book I think I'll reread it and continue the trilogy. 3.5 stars

[Lynn Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://lynnsbooks.wordpress.com/2014/...
Just finished reading the Hunt for Pierre Jnr which was an intelligent and thought provoking sci fi/political thriller based approximately 150 years into the future.

Global warming and the resulting famine plus other catastrophes known as the Second Dark Age have changed the world as we know it and the surviving population live under huge protective domes. This futuristic world is now also populated by psionics – people with psychic, telekinetic or telepathic abilities. I’m not 100% sure why these abilities have developed in certain people, maybe some sort of fallout or mutation following warfare – but, those with such abilities are generally feared by the majority. As a result they are collected, forcibly, as soon as their abilities manifest and placed on islands where their abilities cannot be used to the detriment of the rest of the population.

At the start of the story we are introduced to Peter Lazarus. Peter is a psis who has succeeded in not only escaping from captivity but remaining under the radar and evading re-capture. However, he now willingly gives himself over to the Services (armed military). The reason being to assist with the hunt for Pierre Jnr. Pierre is almost a folklore figure. He’s only 8 years old and his psychic powers are unmatched. Very few people have seen him but those that have encountered him are rarely left unharmed. He is greatly feared.

The world that Henley has created is a much more intense version of that which we are familiar with. The population are linked into the internet (known as the weave) on a virtually constant basis streaming information (using a symbiot that is attached). The Will of the people controls the democratic process with government’s being overthrown or placed in power based on popularity statistics. It’s an interesting concept that leads to political manoeuvering and corruption. At the start of the novel the current government has been in power for a number of years and peace has reigned. As the hunt for Pierre begins however events take a turn for the worse. The authorities, underestimating the threat and not really knowing what they’re going up against force a situation that results in massive destruction of one of the central regions and involves the deaths of over 2,000 people. The government is immediately replaced with a more aggressive one – the main character (or Prime) being Ryu – that has already proven it’s track record of hunting and capturing psis. And so the gauntlet is down.

The style of writing is very much dialogue led and is interesting in that along with regular dialogue there is the stream of conversation that comes through the syms and also the narration being held by psis using telepathy. We are introduced to a number of seemingly random people along the way which usually served to provide background to the world and people. The main psis characters are Peter Lazarus and Tamsin Grey who after a brief spell of working together end up on opposing sides. Their main foe is Ryu – the Prime. Not really such a nice character, assisted by his slightly creepy brother. What I liked here is that it’s very difficult to know just how reliable the characters are. There is always the threat that one or more of them have been ‘tampered’ with without their knowledge and are operating as somebody else’s puppet.

I won’t really go into plot. Yes, there’s a hunt for Pierre and there seems to be a race against two sides to pick up other psis in between times. War is brewing and it’s time for everyone to pick a team.

The main thrust of the story revolves around fear and prejudice. The psis are undoubtedly treated in a harsh manner because of their abilities – are they ever really given a chance to prove themselves? Not really. Is it likely that they will all wish to use their abilities to harm regular people? Who knows. Basically the fear and suspicion that most people have of the unknown is enough to force the situation and their fears are undoubtedly worked on! There are definitely different levels of puppetry going on here.

In terms of criticisms – I had very little to be honest. The only thing I would mention is that this is not a self contained novel and ends unresolved, a platform for the next in series.

Otherwise a thought provoking and fast paced read. I look forward to seeing where this goes next.

My thanks to the publishers for providing a copy for review. The above is my own opinion.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s almost 150 years into the future and the earth’s population has been decimated by global warming and the resulting uprisings which have become known as the Second Dark Age. The Citizens now mostly live in huge domed megapolises protected from the elements. But since the Second Dark Age a new threat has arisen. The advent of psionic powers – such as telekinesis and telepathy - in an increasing number of people is threatening society. Supported by Services (a global organisation) and directed by the Weave, a form of the internet which has made connection and information instantly attainable, teams are forcibly detaining and exiling these psis.

Pierre Jnr becomes known to the world when an attempt is made to detain him with disastrous results. He has powers beyond anything ever seen before and those in power are aware that he could become the leader of a psi revolution.

I enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and Henley’s ideas for the future were interesting and almost believable in a future world. However, that same fast pace sometimes had me a little bit confused and left me wondering at times what had just happened, and to whom!

It looks like this is only the beginning of the story and I will be looking forward to the next one!

[Jane]

I struggle with sci-fi books that need to get across a lot of information - I get terribly bored with technical detail, descriptions of things or of people's appearances - so I am delighted to report that David Henley does a super job of creating a really interesting world and discussing all kinds of fascinating ideas without using way way way way way too many boring words. It's lucky, really, because he just published one of my books and it would be embarrassing if I'd hated this one of his. Really great, really interesting ideas about how a world might be socially structured, as well as the beginnings of some ideas about what constitutes self; I'm assuming these will be fleshed out more in volumes 2 and 3. Which I will have to get. Soon.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the beginning, the book lived up to all of my expectations, which were basically, this is going to be awesome. But where I thought the book would be about, you know, the hunt for Pierre Jnr, it's far more about this future world and the consequences of connectivity and and the perils of prejudice and whether anyone's mind is really his own.
read more...

[Read3r’z Re-Vu · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first of an epic trilogy, this is a fantastic Sci-Fi Thriller that I rate 5 stars!!!! Imagine yourself in a post apocalyptic world where an 8 year old kid named Pierre Jnr has the power to make you forget or control you like a puppet with the touch of his hand.. The hunt is on to track this powerful kid down.. Very well written with careful world building and scene setting, the book grips you from page 1..

I had the privilege of having author David M. Henley join us at Read3r’z Re-Vu as our special guest author. It was great to hear his inspiration for writing this book and about his adventures in Paris that led to writing this and the subsequent titles.. It really is well worth the read!!!

- Annie

[James Robinson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Badly written! E.g.; “Pete and Geof reacted to Tamsin the way men inclined towards females always did.”

[Helen Petrovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sci-fi political thriller by debut novelist David Henley is an intelligent and enthralling read.

The Hunt for Pierre Jnr is set in a world that felt to me as though it could be scarily prophetic. Global warming has caused worldwide famine, and the resulting social upheaval has left what remains of the world’s population scattered across a few habitable hubs. The world has become a smaller place than ever, and humanity is connected by the Weave, a matrix-style interface of all human thought and knowledge. Democracy has reached its ultimate level; politicians are elected and dethroned at the whim of the Will, the general consensus of the entire populace at any given time. This raised some very interesting propositions regarding political maneuvering, and spotlighted the ever-present political question of doing what is right versus doing what is popular. (I also wondered why the world wasn’t run by the lead singer of the latest boy band, but I was prepared to let that slide.)

Enter the psis; an outcast group of mutant humans, who can read minds (tappers), move objects (benders), and in some cases, control other people’s thoughts and feelings. Normal humans, terrified of the psis’ potential power, have repressed them and contained them to islands. Think X-men without the parochial American setting.

Henley has developed a baddie who could arguably be the most ultimately unstoppable force I’ve ever encountered on the page. I just kept thinking, “how can you stop this kid?” Pierre Junior is a psi of incalculable strength. Eight years old and lacking a moral compass to the point of sociopathic, Pierre Junior can (and does) control people to do his every whim, make people believe he is not there, turn people’s brain to baby food, and flatten whole cities with a thought. (I thought maybe the protagonist should pop over to X-men and ask Magneto if he could borrow his silly hat, but since Pierre Jr could crush the hat with your brain in it, it probably wouldn’t be worth the trip.)

Like many sci-fi adventures, some character development is sacrificed for the sake of plot and exploration of the premise. Henley plays out the threat of Pierre Jr on a world stage, with all of the political ramifications and machinations that ensue. To that end, this was a complex read, with several POVs and lots of cool futuristic technology and technobabble.

I particularly enjoyed Henley’s use of a tapper (mind reader) as protagonist. Having a main POV character that can read minds was a very clever authorial device, allowing Henley to write in omniscient (describing other character’s emotions and thoughts) whilst still remaining in close third POV. A very clever trick, and one I’m squirrelling away.

I had been warned that The Hunt for Pierre Junior ended on a cliffhanger. I’m not a fan of the cliffhanger ending, and was glad that it wasn’t a cliffhanger as such – rather it ended with the gauntlet being thrown down, and bigger things looming on the horizon. I’ll take that challenge, Mr Henley, and am looking forward to continuation of the story in Manifestations.

A powerful novel, delving into ideas of acceptance, fear and mass consensus.

[Eugenia (Genie In A Book) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pierre Jnr was born from a breeding and development program for psionics.
Pierre Jnr was born to Registered Psionic Pierre Sandro Snr, and Registered Psionic Mary Kastonovich.
Three months after his birth Pierre Jnr escaped and was lost to surveillance an hour later.
Pierre Jnr is eight years old.
He can make people forget.
He can control people like puppets.
He is a kinetic of unprecedented strength.
Pierre Jnr is confirmed alive on April Seventh, 2159.

*REVIEW*

The Hunt for Pierre Jnr was a true sci-fi novel, with new technology and words put into the book. It is set in the year 2159, where psionics (people with telekinetic powers) are captured because of their unique powers. The most famous of these is Pierre Jnr - an eight year old who can manipulate others and control their minds too easily. In a way, this novel reminds me a little of The Darkest Minds - with the psi letter as their symbol. The main focus of the book is on the team assigned to catching Pierre and stopping what he is doing so that they can begin to understand why he is so powerful.

In all, this book wasn't exactly what I was expecting, and with all the jumping around from different scenes and perspectives it could be confusing at times. Apart from that however, this did have a mystery element which should keep you engaged enough. It was interesting to see examples of how Pierre Jnr affected people and the results his powers had on the community around him. The main characters also changed throughout the duration of the novel, as their mindset was altered and because of the experiences they had. The ending was a cliffhanger with an epilogue that leaves room for thought.

In conclusion, The Hunt for Pierre Jnr was a novel that should appeal to readers interested in science fiction with that mystery element. There's a case to solve and assumptions to be made, resulting in a satisfactory read.

........................................................

I received a copy of this book through the Goodreads 'First Reads' program and this does not affect my review

[Phill · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 Stars

A world where telepaths and telekinetics exist, but are forced to live in hiding or on special, contained islands. A not-quite-utopia where a somewhat socialist society can completely tear down the government and rebuild it based on their moment-to-moment fears and desires (the capitalised 'Will' of the people). A dense information network called the Weave where people can be immersed in data with the aid of bioengineered, symbiotic creatures.

This is the world where Pierre, a deformed 8-year-old boy with extraordinary powers, manifests and starts messing with the established order of things. The hunt referred to in the title is that enacted by Services, a government agency akin to the FBI, but far more intrinsic and powerful. They recruit Peter Lazarus, a telepath who wants to stop Pierre from doing to humankind what he did to Peter's sister. From then on it's a race to see whether Peter and Services can stop Pierre befor ePierre compromises every part of their operation.

Most of the enjoyment I got out of this book was the exploration of the future world that Henley has created within its pages. Creating a society where some of the population having psionic powers doesn't automatically result in them being dominant is a tricky one, but I was convinced by Henley's explanations. I also enjoyed Henley's playing with the reader with regards to who might have been turned double-agent by Pierre's telepathic charms. You're never quite sure who is telling the truth, which is a great attribute for a sci-fi thriller to have.

If I had criticisms it would be that the characters can seem a little wooden at times. Also, the conversations involving the characters that are working the political gap in the aftermath of Pierre's activities can be a little too drawn out. But that might just be me being bored by politics.

Overall it's a solid first entry in what I imagine will be a trilogy of novels set in this world. I'm keen to see where Henley will go next with this misshapen-headed antagonist. :)

[Eddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I liked most about this book was how people with psi abilities could change reality with thought alone. In particular I liked how someone's mind could be changed in fundamental ways to the extent they don't know what it true and what is not. And what is true and what is not anyway?

Pierre remains a enigmatic and unknown quantity for the duration of the novel and it is never really revealed to what extent he can manipulate people, although there are many hints as to his potential. Who he has manipulated and how is a mystery that drives the novel.

The book has some interesting ideas about running a democracy in a world where everyone is connected to the "weave" (web) e.g. how a world government can be changed in 24-hours based on the "Will" of the people. I'm sure I'll be reminded of this the next time I see a politician saying something stupid!

I would have given the book four stars if the ending wasn't so non-endish i.e. there could be another novel to come. It would have been better to slim down this novel by removing the less important components and adding an ending that packed the full punch that this story could have given e.g. the true face of Pierre revealed and what this means for humanity, and of course the reader.

[Rachel Beaver · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as a Good Reads First Reads.
Set 150 years from now, the world is controlled by the Service & governed by the Primacy - & psis are considered a threat, & need to be isolated or used for the benefit of the Service. Pierre Jnr is believed to be a psi with god-like capabilities.
This is not a book I would ordinarily read, & to begin with I thought it was going to be really interesting. However, the politics got confusing, seemingly pointless characters were introduced, & climatic scenes were rather dull.
I was expecting an exciting ending - & was disappointed. After the "Manifestation", Pierre does nothing. There is no gripping fight scene, there is no final resolution, there is no "to be continued", & the epilogue made no sense to me whatsoever (Pierre & Shen Li discussing Kronos - never mentioned in any part of the story. My thought is that perhaps Kronos is Pierre, but there is nothing to support this).
I didn't feel involved in this story at all, it had no emotional pull & felt rather cold. If this is a stand alone book, it's disappointing.
If it is the first in a set, I withdraw all previous comments until further books are released.

[Lily Mulholland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm, this novel (which, as it turns, out, is the first part of a trilogy) is set in a futuristic world in which Earth's population has survived/overcome climate change and telepathic/kinetic abilities are burgeoning, albeit in a minority. The minority is suppressed by the majority although the majority remains suspicious of the minority. Sound familiar? While the world is interesting, the author manages to mire himself in his cleverness - the endless exposition in this book nearly drove me to distraction. The cast of characters is too big (but now I know it's a trilogy, I suppose that makes more sense) and there is too much jumping around for no real good reason. The characters were not well developed (most having a *mysterious past*) and didn't really go on any kind of emotional journey. I suppose *all will be revealed* over longer character arcs as the series progresses. All in all, for me, unfortunately, this first part was a little yawn-inducing. (And what was with all that hair fondling on Ryu's part? Eurgh.) Not sure I'm interested enough to read the second part of the series.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

I am not much of a Sci-Fi reader but really enjoyed this book. It reminded me of other stories that take Internet connectivity to a new level. It also looked at potential social media impact on politics. A key theme that resonates for me is the fear and discrimination of those who are different from the majority of the population and their resulting state-sanctioned segregation and removal.

The story is about a psionically gifted man called Peter who hands himself over to the authorities with the aim to assist with the tracking of another of his kind - Pierre Jr who is only a child but who has significant psyonic power to manipulate people.

Peter joins with a team of 'collectors' and starts to track and remove other people like himself. There is a devastating event but no-one is sure if it is caused by Pierre Jr or a rebel / resistance group.

[Mistress Bast · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but I always found myself a little unsatiftied while reading it. There were some great ideas, but none of them really seemed fully formed. When something happeneded there was too much that we weren't told, it was hard to know what was important and what was not. It felt unresolved.
I did like that the characters changed as the book evolved, but it was sometimes hard to know what was change, and what was misinterpretation of earlier actions. I liked that there were a wide variety of characters from very different backgrounds, but I didn't ever really form a bond with any of them. I felt like the author was asking me to question something, but I was never sure of what it was.

For me, this book was too much like real life - everything impacted on everything else, but nothing ever seemed to resolve. I could imagine someone loving this style of writing, but unfortunately not me.

[Cayce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this in a giveaway on Goodreads and honestly wasn't sure if it was going to be my type of book. I think for me, that's kind of the point of entering..reading books I normally wouldn't and expanding my outlook on different genres.

I was impressed to be effortlessly able to see where the story was heading without jumping to conclusions. This book was captivating from beginning to end and was a pleasure to read. I look forward to reading more books by David Henley (Always a fan of an Aussie Author).

[Octagon]

This author has a lot of great ideas, everything is different , everything has changed, but he hasn't got enough pages to make it believable, possibly if he focused on one character through which to tell the story it would help supplement this problem, make the characters more like able and the environment one which we can immerse ourselves in , which is what sci fi readers love, the detail, this is an omnibus of great sci fi ideas, off which another story could be spun. I wish he also left out any romance he tired to kindle, it felt cheap and unbelievable.

[Katharine (Ventureadlaxre)]

The book is no longer nominated in our category, but I'll still hold off on my review until after the awards are announced.

Katharine is a judge for the Aurealis Awards. This review is the personal opinion of Katharine herself, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.

To be safe, I won't be recording my review here until after the AA are over.

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm in two minds - which is hilarious given the subject matter - I'd go the 5 out of 5 if this is just an introduction to a broader story, which I hazard it might be. I've also posted a longer review at
my blog.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very X-Men in nature. The politics bogged the story down at times, and I can't understand why psi Pete would be taken on by Services given the superior talent of those already in their employ. Pete seems to add nothing when it comes to tracking Pierre. Perhaps this question will be answered in the next book. Well written and constructed, but for me it lacked something - maybe it was emotion.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the privilege of meeting the author and having this book sent to me for review.. A great Sci-Fi thriller!!! Imagine yourself in a post apocalyptic world where an 8 year old kid named Pierre Jnr has the power to make you forget or control you like a puppet with the touch of his hand.. The hunt is on to track this powerful kid down.. Gripping read!! Great job, David!!

[Lushr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part one of a trilogy, this is one of those exciting sci-if books which presents a whole new world, with new ideas at every turn. But the main focus of the story is the division In the society of norms and telepaths, ruffled by the reappearance of this mysterious Pierre.

[Bri Morrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing! I'm not a massive sci-fi fan but Henley's work is so creative and new you can't help but love it!

If you're a fan of the x-men, high chances are you'll really love the Hunt for Pierre Jr, can't wait to read Manifestations (book two in the series)

[Jenny Delandro]

recommended by Mark Timmony @ Booktopia 06/06/13

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice to revisit Sci-fi. Must do it more often. A future world scarily credible.

[Vincent Ripley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book review will be published on blog first http://www.mrripleysenchantedbooks.com/

[The Bookself · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! If Gene Roddenberry, Katsuhiro Otomo and George Orwell had a love child from an awkward three way, the result would be David Henley... A must read trilogy.

[Min · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the technical details! especially the political systems, technology advances and the psis!!! Very fun read!

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed it much more than I thought I would (as I don't normally read sci-fi.)