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Veller #1
Hunter's Beginning
The Hunter’s Beginning is the story of a young girl and her search for a place, any place, where she could fit in. Unwanted by a father who regards her as being useless, persecuted by a guild that does not and will not accept her, mistreated by the academy instructors to the point of physical injuries, and even hated by her fellow cadets, Kile Veller finds acknowledgement in the oddest of places, the heart of yarrow. It is only when she comes to accept this strange little companion as a friend that she realizes those things that separated her from the normal world, those things that isolated her from the world of men, are the same things that bind her to the natural world and gives her the courage she needs to do the one thing she desires above all else, to become a Hunter.
This is the journey of Kile Veller from the trials of the entry examination within the mystic’s tower to the hardships of her first year at the Hunter’s Academy. She quickly learns that not everything is what it seems and a freaky little peasant girl with Orseen blood from a town that no one has ever heard of might actually become one of the greatest Hunters that the Kingdom of Aru would ever see. All she has to do now is learn how to use a sword, and survive her combat lessons.
This is the journey of Kile Veller from the trials of the entry examination within the mystic’s tower to the hardships of her first year at the Hunter’s Academy. She quickly learns that not everything is what it seems and a freaky little peasant girl with Orseen blood from a town that no one has ever heard of might actually become one of the greatest Hunters that the Kingdom of Aru would ever see. All she has to do now is learn how to use a sword, and survive her combat lessons.
343 pages, Unknown Binding
First published May 3, 2011
40 people are currently reading
348 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 6, 2013
This is the first of a series. I greatly enjoyed each of them as they develop a character across the three books currently published. Kile (a strong female protagonist) wants to join the Hunter's Guild. In this first book she passes the admission test and begins her study.
ONE MAJOR GRIPE: Either I purchased drafts from Amazon or Spoor GREATLY needs to hire an editor. Bad grammar, typos, incorrect word usage, etc. Mr. Spoor, if you read this, get an editor.
First sentences
A fourteen year old Kile Veller stepped off the carriage into the dusty and rather populated streets of Littenbeck. It was the first time she had ever been away from home, it was the first time she had ever been alone as she stared up at the tall buildings that seemed to close in around her. The streets were covered with debris, the smells were stifling and the sounds were near deafening.
Spoor, Garry (2013-03-28). Hunter's Beginning (Veller) (Kindle Locations 12-15). Garry T. Spoor. Kindle Edition.
ONE MAJOR GRIPE: Either I purchased drafts from Amazon or Spoor GREATLY needs to hire an editor. Bad grammar, typos, incorrect word usage, etc. Mr. Spoor, if you read this, get an editor.
First sentences
A fourteen year old Kile Veller stepped off the carriage into the dusty and rather populated streets of Littenbeck. It was the first time she had ever been away from home, it was the first time she had ever been alone as she stared up at the tall buildings that seemed to close in around her. The streets were covered with debris, the smells were stifling and the sounds were near deafening.
Spoor, Garry (2013-03-28). Hunter's Beginning (Veller) (Kindle Locations 12-15). Garry T. Spoor. Kindle Edition.
July 25, 2017
Horrid Editing
If not for the plot and character development, I would've given this a single star. There were editing misses on just about every single page, and they yanked me out of the story trying to figure out what the heck was going on. Homonym misuses, inappropriate apostrophes, words simply missing from sentences, flat out misspelled words ("dinning" hall, really?!?) show a lack of respect for the craft as well as the audience.
If not for the plot and character development, I would've given this a single star. There were editing misses on just about every single page, and they yanked me out of the story trying to figure out what the heck was going on. Homonym misuses, inappropriate apostrophes, words simply missing from sentences, flat out misspelled words ("dinning" hall, really?!?) show a lack of respect for the craft as well as the audience.
December 28, 2021
NO ROMANCE! (in first two LONG books) PRAISE BE to Dear Eight Pound, Six Ounce, Newborn Baby Jesus, in your golden, fleece diapers, with your curled-up, fat, balled-up little fists pawin' at the air...
Crackin' story. Super shoddy editing everywhere. Spellchecked by a dyslexic blind man—loss of a star. Please author hire an editor and reboot—this is an epic Harry Potter-ish series up there with John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice series.
MC Kyle/Kile: There was no reason for the girl to be female, she had none of their annoying traits—just a transposed short-arse bloody bloke. Honourable, compassionate and eminently LIKEABLE!
Checklist: Tests, Battle Academy, Magic, Swords, Animal sidekicks, Forest lore, Crappy Family, Rich Malfoy-like enemy, Rags to better rags, talking horses, crows, squirrels ... Most of my key ingredients except Blacksmithing (Carter I know).
Even the covers are good.
Well done to you sir!
Crackin' story. Super shoddy editing everywhere. Spellchecked by a dyslexic blind man—loss of a star. Please author hire an editor and reboot—this is an epic Harry Potter-ish series up there with John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice series.
MC Kyle/Kile: There was no reason for the girl to be female, she had none of their annoying traits—just a transposed short-arse bloody bloke. Honourable, compassionate and eminently LIKEABLE!
Checklist: Tests, Battle Academy, Magic, Swords, Animal sidekicks, Forest lore, Crappy Family, Rich Malfoy-like enemy, Rags to better rags, talking horses, crows, squirrels ... Most of my key ingredients except Blacksmithing (Carter I know).
Even the covers are good.
Well done to you sir!
June 3, 2014
Good book, bad cover.
Facing unbelievable monsters, a hunter uses magical ability called edge which is unique for each individual. This reminds me of a manga series Hunter x Hunter, Vol. 01 by Yoshihiro Togashi. The major difference between the two is there is no hunter academy in Togashi works, it went straight to the hunter exam.
Facing unbelievable monsters, a hunter uses magical ability called edge which is unique for each individual. This reminds me of a manga series Hunter x Hunter, Vol. 01 by Yoshihiro Togashi. The major difference between the two is there is no hunter academy in Togashi works, it went straight to the hunter exam.
October 15, 2017
2 1/2 stars
Spoor tells a good story, but he is desperately in need of a good editor. The numerous grammar mistakes, misspellings, incorrect word choices, wrong punctuation, missing words, etc. detract from the story and easily could have and should have been corrected. He does a disservice to himself and his readers by not doing so.
Despite this, I enjoyed the story and hope the author—or someone he hires—does a better job of editing in the next book.
Spoor tells a good story, but he is desperately in need of a good editor. The numerous grammar mistakes, misspellings, incorrect word choices, wrong punctuation, missing words, etc. detract from the story and easily could have and should have been corrected. He does a disservice to himself and his readers by not doing so.
Despite this, I enjoyed the story and hope the author—or someone he hires—does a better job of editing in the next book.
September 22, 2017
YA, girl trying to succeed in a male dominated field. Fantasy. Worth rereading, but could really use a copy editor - way too many misspellings of the kind that a spell checker would approve but the use doesn't make sense, such as using past where it should have been passed.
May 30, 2019
just a little bit un-
March 4, 2017
Good read
Good book, very interesting to read , couldn't put it down. Only problem was missing words and misspelled words. Needs some minor corrections. This does not take away from the story of a young girl fighting against the odds.
Good book, very interesting to read , couldn't put it down. Only problem was missing words and misspelled words. Needs some minor corrections. This does not take away from the story of a young girl fighting against the odds.
February 17, 2017
A nice coming of age story that I really enjoyed reading. I usually dislike books where the antagonist are bullies. It makes me feel too much the helplessness of the character to enjoy the rest of the story.
This was nicely readable, and the story really worked well, and the characters moved in a believable way.
I also liked the maturity and growth of the characters.
This was nicely readable, and the story really worked well, and the characters moved in a believable way.
I also liked the maturity and growth of the characters.
June 11, 2017
I quite enjoyed this book, as a few other reviewers have mentioned it has some similarities to Tamora Pierce’s ‘Protector of the Small’ series, but this is no bad thing.
The only minor problems I have with this story is that the middle section of the book was a little boring at times and the conflicts the author set up to test Kile were clumsily done. According to the information in the book Hunters are carefully selected, not just for their physical abilities but also for their wit, intelligence, courage and integrity. In which case Eric would never have been admitted. Also some of the instructors are either completely dishonourable or just stupid. I can understand the author making them bigots to provide the conflict, but they are not believable as Hunters. This might be the story the author wants to tell, but for me it just irritated that I couldn’t believe in the Hunters as a worthwhile organisation.
Just one other thing is the number of reviewers complaining about grammatical and spelling errors, do they read books with a red pen in their hand looking for a stray comma? This book had no more errors than many I have read and they certainly didn’t detract from the story.
The only minor problems I have with this story is that the middle section of the book was a little boring at times and the conflicts the author set up to test Kile were clumsily done. According to the information in the book Hunters are carefully selected, not just for their physical abilities but also for their wit, intelligence, courage and integrity. In which case Eric would never have been admitted. Also some of the instructors are either completely dishonourable or just stupid. I can understand the author making them bigots to provide the conflict, but they are not believable as Hunters. This might be the story the author wants to tell, but for me it just irritated that I couldn’t believe in the Hunters as a worthwhile organisation.
Just one other thing is the number of reviewers complaining about grammatical and spelling errors, do they read books with a red pen in their hand looking for a stray comma? This book had no more errors than many I have read and they certainly didn’t detract from the story.
July 6, 2016
This is exactly the book I was looking for, for light reading this week. Reminiscent of Arrows of the Queen, but different. Not much plot yet, more a year in the life and typical boy-meets-fantasy-world-by-attending-school, but with likeable underdog but determined girl not boy.
The book is usually an easy well written read. Could use some editing; the errors are distracting though fortunately not frequent enough to make me put it down. In the first half of the book, "loosing" is used to mean "losing", which makes me wonder if "dinning" for "dining" was ignorance rather than an intentional quirk. It's spelled "dining" twice. "Sliver" for "silver" was clearly a typo as both were on the same page. A name was mis-spelled once. There was a missing word at the end of a sentence. Occasional wrong tense. I wish there was some way of flagging these as they are found so the author/publisher can have another pass at editing. It's just a file on the server somewhere after all; it's not like you have to reprint books.
On to the next in the series. Pleasant light fair with likeable flawed characters and hints of bigger issues in the world.
The book is usually an easy well written read. Could use some editing; the errors are distracting though fortunately not frequent enough to make me put it down. In the first half of the book, "loosing" is used to mean "losing", which makes me wonder if "dinning" for "dining" was ignorance rather than an intentional quirk. It's spelled "dining" twice. "Sliver" for "silver" was clearly a typo as both were on the same page. A name was mis-spelled once. There was a missing word at the end of a sentence. Occasional wrong tense. I wish there was some way of flagging these as they are found so the author/publisher can have another pass at editing. It's just a file on the server somewhere after all; it's not like you have to reprint books.
On to the next in the series. Pleasant light fair with likeable flawed characters and hints of bigger issues in the world.
January 18, 2015
I enjoyed the simplicity of the storyline and the depth of the characters. Although I generally just ignore editing errors in Kindle books(because it's par for the course), this book had so many errors that it became difficult to continue reading. I did go on to download the second book(also full of errors) but my annoyance only grew. How can someone work so hard to write a book and then put it out for the world to read when errors are so prevalent? At the very least, ask a former teacher or someone who enjoys reading/proof reading to enjoy and edit the book before publishing it!
January 21, 2015
great start...small spoiler alert
The synopsis is slightly misleading. It's sounds like she feels completely isolating. I disagree. She has friends. Yes, they abandoned her briefly but she still felt the support from a few hunters.
Some where around half way her character evolved. After she realized she was a "miscellaneous", she decided she's just not going to care of the opinions of others. I finally felt the book move forward. Other wise if she had remained a one dimensional I probably would have stopped at book one.
The synopsis is slightly misleading. It's sounds like she feels completely isolating. I disagree. She has friends. Yes, they abandoned her briefly but she still felt the support from a few hunters.
Some where around half way her character evolved. After she realized she was a "miscellaneous", she decided she's just not going to care of the opinions of others. I finally felt the book move forward. Other wise if she had remained a one dimensional I probably would have stopped at book one.
March 8, 2015
I have read all the three books released so far in this series. The story is good but the style of presentation is not so good. I think the author needs to improve his story telling. The pov changes from sentence to sentence in a paragraph which was confusing to say the least. Grammar mistakes and spelling errors were a serious impediment. In spite of all these drawbacks I enjoyed reading about Kile Veller, a fourteen year girl who wants to become a Hunter and prove to everyone that she is not "useless."
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Rating: 3.5/5.0
June 22, 2022
Third reread
Hadn't read this in awhile, but it is a story I remembered with pleasure.
I enjoy coming of age/ training your gift tales and this one is refreshingly different and fun.
I'm glad I thought to reread it! Perfect for young people or very old, avid readers, like myself.
It is lovely to have an inspiring story of perseverance in these difficult times. Thank you, Garry Spoor!
Hadn't read this in awhile, but it is a story I remembered with pleasure.
I enjoy coming of age/ training your gift tales and this one is refreshingly different and fun.
I'm glad I thought to reread it! Perfect for young people or very old, avid readers, like myself.
It is lovely to have an inspiring story of perseverance in these difficult times. Thank you, Garry Spoor!
July 19, 2014
I keep seeing Harry Potter.
I would have given a four to five star for this book, but the author obviously didn't read anything he wrote. There were hundreds of errors that simple proofreading would have caught. At first it was just annoying, but as the story progressed so did the number of sloppy mistakes. That said, I am anxious to follow Kile's story.
I would have given a four to five star for this book, but the author obviously didn't read anything he wrote. There were hundreds of errors that simple proofreading would have caught. At first it was just annoying, but as the story progressed so did the number of sloppy mistakes. That said, I am anxious to follow Kile's story.
November 9, 2014
Wonderful story of a young girls struggle to find her place in the world. She starts up feeling she is alone in the world, but while overcoming the challenges put before her, she finds friends in the most unexpected places.
It's a great story- one that is hard to put down once you start reading it.
It's a great story- one that is hard to put down once you start reading it.
September 12, 2014
I couldn't finish this one. The plot was decent but could not make up for the horrible editing. I got half way through before I decided if I wanted to read a similar plot I could read Protector of the Small. Same elements better written.
August 8, 2015
Enthralling
I was a part of the story almost from the beginning of the first paragraph. Although I'm an adult in my sixties, I thoroughly enjoyed the topic and the realistic handling of the perils experienced by the heroine. I recommend this book!
I was a part of the story almost from the beginning of the first paragraph. Although I'm an adult in my sixties, I thoroughly enjoyed the topic and the realistic handling of the perils experienced by the heroine. I recommend this book!
September 11, 2015
This was like Protector of the Small and basically all of Tamora Pierce's Tortall books except with poor grammar and spelling.
But I did like Protector of the Small, and I do like this story. That's why it's a 3 star.
But I did like Protector of the Small, and I do like this story. That's why it's a 3 star.
December 9, 2013
I loved! Reading this book!!My only complaint is that there were more than a few typo's in the spelling but overall an awesome story!
June 26, 2016
Y/A with poor characterization and a very well used plot. Abysmal editing
April 7, 2017
Extremely good book. Very fun story about a very determined young woman making her way in a world that doesn't want her. Reminds me a lot of Tamora Pierce's works.
I am very pleased to see that most of the spelling and grammar errors have been corrected. This author is one of the best and I'm looking forward to all of his future works.
I am very pleased to see that most of the spelling and grammar errors have been corrected. This author is one of the best and I'm looking forward to all of his future works.
June 2, 2017
It's a good story line - keeps the reader involved. Enjoyable - you can read right through it.
Reading on a Kindle - the kindle editions look more like a rough draft and edited copy. Many incorrect word usages where it appears MicroSoft Word may have verified it is spelled correctly, but the substitute words were close but not right for the sentences.
Reading on a Kindle - the kindle editions look more like a rough draft and edited copy. Many incorrect word usages where it appears MicroSoft Word may have verified it is spelled correctly, but the substitute words were close but not right for the sentences.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews