Hunted

by N.M. Browne

Karen Fox is attacked on her way home from school and left in a coma. While she lies in her hospital bed her spirit journeys to another world. Karen inhabits the body of a fox and becomes the guide to a young man called Mowl whose life is caught in danger.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Animals, Magic, Childrens, Adventure, Young Adult Fantasy

Hardcover

First published January 14, 2002

About the author

I was born in Burnley, Lancs (England) and lived not too far from Pendle Hill - the haunt of witches and all manner of strangeness. This may have had an effect on my imagination.

My father was a painter and teacher and my mother was a teacher too. Both were Welsh and this has probably had an impact on my imagination too. The whole family headed for Wales every holiday so that even now Wales is inextricably linked with long car journeys, holidays, family and general happiness.

I still support Wales rather than England in most things, particularly rugby, much to my husband's annoyance. I have one sister (a very good painter), one husband, four children, one (mad) dog, a bearded dragon and eight nieces and nephews. I live in South West London.

I believe passionately that education is a good thing and just wish that mine made more impact on my thinking. I went to Edge End High School then Nelson and Colne Sixth Form College, both in Lancashire. After an uneventful 'gap year' – trying and failing to get to grips with accountancy, retail (the Co-op bra department) and pharmaceuticals ( the pharmacy at Burnley General Hospital,) I went to New College, Oxford to read Philosophy and Theology and then to King's College, Cambridge to learn how to be a teacher. I taught - briefly - before going back to college – this time to Manchester Business School to get an MBA. After that I worked for an oil company as a kind of all-purpose executive person, but left before I learnt anything that might have been useful either to the company or to me.

When I was seven I knew exactly what I wanted to be but I forgot all about it until some time after I had my second baby when I suddenly remembered that I had always wanted to be a writer. I was lucky enough to be on a corporate career break at the time and my broken career never got mended. Writing is the best job I've ever had.

--N. M. Browne was born in the North of England to Welsh parents. This background inspired a fascination with all things Celtic and an interest in how earlier societies survived the bleakness of a northern winter. Ms. Browne lives in London, England and is the author of Hunted (Bloomsbury 2002).

Reviews

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a brilliant rare jewel this book turned out to be! A couple of years ago I attempted to read it... but sadly I never got past the second chaper.
But I'm glad I gave it a second chance. At times I started to doubt I could finish it, but when I got about half way through - I just couldn't put it down. It is so unusual and full thrilling twists and turns. I just loved it! So if you like anything unusual... give this book a go. Trust me... it's worth it!
It just goes to show... that you can acheive anything when you put your mind to it!!!

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Karen, after being attacked by a group of classmates, ends up in a coma in this world, and awakens as a fox in another world. She befriends a young man named Mowl who has been accused of being a traitor and is on the run himself. Mowl believes Karen Fox is an arl, a mystical being in the form of an animal. As Karen attempts to help Mowl, her grandmother tries to pull her back to this world.

This was a strange book. It was donated to my library but I chose not to add it to our collection (it's a slightly older title, and just a little weird), mostly because the premise of getting Karen to the other world involved a girl who believed her boyfriend cheated on her with Karen. So she gathered a group of her friends who beat Karen into a coma. I was hoping that Karen would develop some kind of self-confidence in the fantasy world in order to deal with this situation in the real world but that never happened. Karen instead chooses to die in the real world and continue to live, transformed from a fox to a human, in the fantasy world. I almost wished this had been a straight-up fantasy novel, as the initial scenario hinted at something else. I was much more interested in the real world than the fantasy world...

[Eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

When beaten into a coma, Karen finds herself waking up in a fox’s body, in an era so different to the one she’s used to. However, her memory is full of holes and she’s not sure how she became a fox or who she was before. Is it just the dream of a girl clinging to life or is her life really intertwined with that of this fox from another time? As she tries to assist her new human companion, Mowl, will she be able to find herself and make sense of what happened to her?
..
REVIEW: Currently unfinished because it’s been difficult to get into. The concept caught my attention in a secondhand bookshop at a National Trust place, but I’m three chapters (32 pages) in and I’m underwhelmed by the storytelling. I already find it quite difficult to stick to reading because of how my brain works, but I love stories and im determined to get through them. Usually, I’m eager to get back to my next reading session, but not with this book. I want to like it, but it feels quite slow and bland so far. It may pick up later, but I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to keep going while I wait for it to do the concept justice. I’m still reading it, but not as frequently as I read my other books, so it will take me longer. I just hope it gets more interesting soon and ignites the curiosity I enjoy when I’m reading something.

[Andrée · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely give 5 stars as so few books amaze me. I could read before I started school so have read & re-read a fair few. I would have loved this as a youngster and thoroughly enjoyed it now aged 60.
It reminds me of 'Catseye' by André Norton my first Sci-fi (G0lancz yellow jacket hardback) chosen simply for the writer's name (the same as mine!!) aged 10.
The end was predictable and personally I'd have stayed a Fox (nice double entendre there)
I sincerely hope there isn't a follow up - reading Karen's life as a wife n mother would kill the magic.

[Hailley Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books as a kid. I decided to reread it because the library is closed and I needed something to read. Definitely not as good as I thought it was reading it this time! I've got about 25 pages left and I've decided to start to read something else.
The world is interesting, but the world building is pretty basic, and the whole thing seems a bit rushed and just kind of underwhelming.

[Hann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this story and very moving in places but the ending felt incredibly rushed. It was almost as if the author got bored and decided that a "happily ever after" ending would do. Bit disappointed about that

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a interesting concept but it wasn’t really my cup of tea. I felt a bit bored and struggled to finish... The ending was nice though.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Usually not a fan of fantasy but this was a mix of realistic fiction and SOOO good while I thought about my 5th graders that would possibly read it as well.

[Izzy]

Dnf pg 26.

Just not for me, maybe I'd be more into it if it wasn't "person in a coma" type of deal?

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

A girl in coma is a red fox in an other tier of existence, in another time. A journey indeed to find herself. Interesting and agile, I just had to continue reading it until the end!

[poop · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was quite boring and a slow paced book. Maybe it wasn’t meant for me, but I just didn’t like it.

[Remmy Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's my all time favourite book.

[Ella]

This book was odd to say the least. Certainly not what I expected. Despite that I really enjoyed reading it, it was surprising, which I have to say I do enjoy that in a book. The characters were unusual and well written, as was the plot. The novel was an interesting read and I was always questioning happenings in the book, some which never were answered, which in my mind all books should do as it leaves mystery surrounding the characters and their lives, almost giving them a sense of privacy, as well as leaving it open for a sequel should the author decide to write one. The story was well worth the read and I can honestly say I was not one bit disappointed. I would recommend this to roughly anybody over 13 as long as they are okay to read scenes involving violence.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I was quite excited to read this story just from reading the back of the book. I thought the concept was really interesting. In truth it took me forever to get into the story. The details behind the attack on Karen are very vague and the spiritual realm she goes to, you never figure out exactly where or when she is. The big epic battle takes place in the last 30 pages so quickly that it ends up being disappointing. The rest of the story is slow and dwells on details that are not important to the actual building of the characters and the story. This story could of been so much more and it is disappointing that it turned out to be so bland.

[Jo]

My mom gave me this book because the kids at her school are reading it in one of their English classes. It's about a young woman, Karen, who falls into a coma after a violent encounter with a gang. During her coma she is - or maybe just dreams she is - a fox in a medieval-like setting on the brink of revolution. She befriends a young man and their journey is the heart of the novel. This was interestingly written - lots of short, almost jarring sentences helped to communicate the idea that Karen-Fox's mind is mixed with an animal mind.

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of my favourites of my primary school library, and I've been trying to find it for a while. That was hard because Hunted is quite a common book name, and the only other thing I can remember is that the cover was blue. I was probably a bit young for it, so the book was very thrilling and scary. I'd go to sleep running through the story in my head, pretending to be the main character. I've never come across it since primary school though.

Update Nov 2019: got the book from my school's fair! It's really not a great book... however I can see why 7 year old me liked it. Almost.

[Corinne · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was really good from what i can remember. definitely something i want to reread, refresh my memory since its been a couple of years since i read this book.

even though the ending is a little sad from some aspects, i love it because the main character ends up exactly where she is meant to be.

[Katy Richey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so in love with N M Browne! She creates such unique, intriguing, captivating fantasy worlds! I'm so happy I ran out of library books and thought to give this a re-read. I wish Browne would become the next big thing and make millions of dollars; I can think of few authors so richly deserving.

[Chels · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh... it was an interesting book. But if I'd had something better to read, I wouldn't have finished this one. It was confusing at times, and the entire book was lacking... excitement, or something really crucial. All in all, an okay book.

[GSGS · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh, I didn't finish this. It just got boring after 40 or so pages. I couldn't bear it. Maybe it would've gotten better but I really couldn't be bothered hanging around to find out. According to the slip in the back of the book, only one person has borrowed it since 2002 and now I know why.

[Jenalyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very different. The ending was certainly unexpected. The world Karen finds herself in is unusual, but is very much its own place. There was an originality about it that was very fresh.

SENSITIVITY WARNING: A little blood and violence, but not much else.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The description of the beating by her peers almost put me off this book, but I am glad I stuck with it. It was very interesting and I enjoyed this unique story.

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

another one of my favorites. Read this a few times:)

[Jasmen Wright]

I got the book because of the cover and it sparked my absolute love for foxes, I bought it at a goodwill years ago and was amazed to find it just a few months ago hiding in my closet.♥

[Pink · Rating 4 out of 5]

i don't often like that many fantasy books but i enjoyed this one. :] maybe it was the fox aspect

[Sayu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as a kid and I really liked it.

[Aa · Rating 4 out of 5]

it reminded me of a beautiful story

[Giniro · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read 30 pages, and It's not quite my cup of tea.

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

That ending was really abrupt.
Also the whole deal where Karen just vanished from the hospital bed and appeared in Mowl's land seemed like lazy writing to me.
Karen Fox never really did anything during the story, just kind of was out of it.