The Hunter

by John R. Erickson

Life in the wilderness changes young Gil Moreland after he leaves Weatherford, Texas, in 1873, to trap the legendary "Wild Man"

183 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

John R. Erickson, a former cowboy and ranch manager, is gifted with a storyteller's knack for spinning a yarn. Through the eyes of Hank the Cowdog, a smelly, smart-aleck Head of Ranch Security, Erickson gives readers a glimpse of daily life on a ranch in the West Texas Panhandle. This series of books and tapes is in school libraries across the country, has sold more than 7.6 million copies, is a Book-of-the-Month Club selection, and is the winner of the 1993 Audie for Outstanding Children's Series from the Audio Publisher's Association. Publishers Weekly calls Hank a "grassroots publishing phenomena," and USA Today says this is "the best family entertainment in years."

Hank the Cowdog made his debut in the pages of The Cattleman, a magazine for adults, and when Erickson started getting "Dear Hank" letters, he knew he was onto something. So in 1983, he self-published 2,000 copies of The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog, and they sold out in 6 weeks.

When teachers began inviting Erickson to their schools, Hank found his most eager fans. Teachers, librarians, and students alike love Hank. According to some Texas Library Association surveys, the Hank the Cowdog books are the most popular selections in many libraries' children's sections. The lively characters make excellent material for reading and writing lessons, and turn even the most reluctant readers into avid Hank-fans.

Erickson was born in Midland, Texas, but by the age of 3, he had moved with his family to Perryton, Texas, where he and his wife live today on their working cattle ranch. They have 3 grown children and 4 grandchildren. His advice to young writers is, "Write about something you know. Try to leave your readers better off than they were before."

Reviews

[Nathan Ellzey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a truly brilliant, underrated novel. One critical (unadvertised) fact is that the whole plot and storyline is based on the Gilgamesh Epic; thus the main character's name: Gil. This is NOT a spoiler; its critical. Readers who are familiar with this most ancient Babylonian myth will find it quite enlightening. Erickson fans who are used to his popular Hank the Cowdog books will find this book more raw and less humorous, and certainly brilliant. It really is a terrible shame that the pencil pushers at the Double Day marketing department never promoted this as a Gilgamesh western.

[Stan Bobbitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

After an old friend/trapper tells him of sighting a "wild man" while out checking his traps, Gil Moreland gives up marrying young Martha and a relative life of comfort and heads west to try and capture the wild man.
When Gil eventually decides that it's too dangerous and too much trouble, a local woman convinces him that she can catch the beast for a price.
She succeeds but the price turns out to be much more than just gold. It results in life changing events for all.

[Lisa Beth Hutchins · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was his first novel and it was much better than I could ever write, but it wasn't great. It left me with some things to think about, though.