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Predators
The two survivors of a massacre on the Canadian tundra--a man and a wolf--join forces with a woman who shares their thirst for vengeance to stalk the man responsible for the slaughter, a cold-blooded psychopath with a taste for savagery
352 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 13, 2024
Predators possesses an OTT plot and characters, and really should not work, but somehow Sauter pulls it off nicely. This starts with a man (Dane) hiking up in BFE B.C. Canada and following a wolf down into a canyon. Dane, always a loner, becomes something of a mountain man, living in a small log cabin with the wolves around him for years. Sauter switches to another story line with the tale of Van Owen, a hunter/killer, who now runs a NYC hunting society, up in B.C. leading a group of four 'hunters' on a trip. He hears about the mountain man and the wolves and hires a helicopter pilot to take the group hunting. Well, the copter and crew find the wolves and open fire from the copter, wiping them out...
Well, Dane survived, along with one huge black wolf, and the next year he plans some revenge. On the way to NYC (with the wolf in the back of a van), he picks up Jenny, a runaway from a very abusive home. Jenny bonds with the wolf, much to Dane's chagrin (he is jealous!), and the trio end up renting a house in up-state NY, not too far from NYC.
So, we have a guy with a 'pet' wolf and a frazzled young gal planning on somehow using the wolf to obtain vengeance on the hunters that killed the wolf pack. Once the killings get under way, this starts to take the form of a police procedural as of course, the cops are interested in people being killed by some animal in Central Park...
The pacing could be better, and Sauter has a habit of switching POVs without much notice (a bit annoying for sure), but still? The characters are complex, except for Van Owen, who embodies evil and ruthlessness. Saunter 'treats' us to some of his backstory along the way and ugly would be an understatement. Somehow, this novel works and has held up well over the years. Worth a read if you like oddball thrillers and wolves! 4 howling stars!
Well, Dane survived, along with one huge black wolf, and the next year he plans some revenge. On the way to NYC (with the wolf in the back of a van), he picks up Jenny, a runaway from a very abusive home. Jenny bonds with the wolf, much to Dane's chagrin (he is jealous!), and the trio end up renting a house in up-state NY, not too far from NYC.
So, we have a guy with a 'pet' wolf and a frazzled young gal planning on somehow using the wolf to obtain vengeance on the hunters that killed the wolf pack. Once the killings get under way, this starts to take the form of a police procedural as of course, the cops are interested in people being killed by some animal in Central Park...
The pacing could be better, and Sauter has a habit of switching POVs without much notice (a bit annoying for sure), but still? The characters are complex, except for Van Owen, who embodies evil and ruthlessness. Saunter 'treats' us to some of his backstory along the way and ugly would be an understatement. Somehow, this novel works and has held up well over the years. Worth a read if you like oddball thrillers and wolves! 4 howling stars!
September 13, 2021
This book started off with a great premise and had me hooked very quickly, but unfortunately it just fell apart after about 100 pages. To many unnecessary sub plots and secondary charters that do not add anything to the story. There where to many newly introduced charters about a third of the way through that where driven to find out what was going with the protagonist and antagonist but as the reader we already had this information at the start. It was almost as if I had reread the same story multiple times .
July 22, 2021
When you have a pissed of character who uses a wolf to take out those on his shit list, you know you’re in for something unique and crazy.
The concept sounds like a Syfy original film at worst and just flat out ridiculous at best but Predators makes it work…and work well.
Someone I know said this is basically a Charles Bronson film with wolves and I think that’s a pretty apt description. It’s got the right amount of sleaze, over the top violence, and the perfect amount of vengeance to feel like something the mustached actor would be a part of.
Furthermore, Sauter writes like McCammon, not wasting time or prose in wordy descriptions. What he uses is succinct and to the point and in doing so, makes this book fly by. Every scene is tense or action packed. Descriptions are realistic. Even the wolf kills and violence feels more grounded in reality than possible.
I don’t know why Predators still flies under the radar 34 years later but it deserves far more love than it tends to get. On the other hand, finding secret gems like this is always kind of fun (even if it makes you feel like a literary hipster).
The concept sounds like a Syfy original film at worst and just flat out ridiculous at best but Predators makes it work…and work well.
Someone I know said this is basically a Charles Bronson film with wolves and I think that’s a pretty apt description. It’s got the right amount of sleaze, over the top violence, and the perfect amount of vengeance to feel like something the mustached actor would be a part of.
Furthermore, Sauter writes like McCammon, not wasting time or prose in wordy descriptions. What he uses is succinct and to the point and in doing so, makes this book fly by. Every scene is tense or action packed. Descriptions are realistic. Even the wolf kills and violence feels more grounded in reality than possible.
I don’t know why Predators still flies under the radar 34 years later but it deserves far more love than it tends to get. On the other hand, finding secret gems like this is always kind of fun (even if it makes you feel like a literary hipster).
April 14, 2025
An 80's book that I read on the 90's at a time when back home from a small town in India books especially english novels were limited and far between. I used to pick between whatever titles were available and looked forward to trips the state capital to be able to browse through old book stores or purchase a new one.
I picked this one from the former with a cover well designed and a wolf head looking at you.
Coming to the book, it is a revenge drama with several ' characters ' including the wolf acting the part of a rabid dog. The story is fairly simple but changes from a off track jungle adventure to the city, where the wolf and it's mentor track down the people who has wiped out the wolfs clan.
I had a 1 out of 3 as my personal rating two and a half decades back so 2.5 - 3 stars. Not changing that now either as I dispose of the copy, an errant one still with me.
I picked this one from the former with a cover well designed and a wolf head looking at you.
Coming to the book, it is a revenge drama with several ' characters ' including the wolf acting the part of a rabid dog. The story is fairly simple but changes from a off track jungle adventure to the city, where the wolf and it's mentor track down the people who has wiped out the wolfs clan.
I had a 1 out of 3 as my personal rating two and a half decades back so 2.5 - 3 stars. Not changing that now either as I dispose of the copy, an errant one still with me.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews