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The Hunt
Brand New! 3D cover. First Tor Printing 1988. Pages light tanning due to age. ships 1st class + tracking NO additional charge
- GenresHorror
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
1 person is currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
James Howard Kunstler
59 books372 followersJames Howard Kunstler (born 1948) is an American author, social critic, and blogger who is perhaps best known for his book The Geography of Nowhere, a history of suburbia and urban development in the United States. He is prominently featured in the peak oil documentary, The End of Suburbia, widely circulated on the internet. In his most recent non-fiction book, The Long Emergency (2005), he argues that declining oil production is likely to result in the end of industrialized society and force Americans to live in localized, agrarian communities.
Source: Wikipedia
Source: Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 28, 2023
Maybe what the world needs is not another big foot book, but Kunstler gives here a fun, quick and quirky take on this old trope. The Hunt tells the tale of two old friends, Billy Nichols and R.J. Traveal, who decide one day to go bag a big foot. Billy and R.J. were best buddies in college, but R.J. 'stealing' Billy's girlfriend and marrying her sent Billy to a rubber room for several months after his attempted suicide. Now, with both of them in their late 20s and living in San Francisco, they seemingly have buried the hatchet.
Billy at one time was an avid outdoors man and the book starts off with him reading up on big foot. Basically, he hatches a plan-- get himself and R.J. out in the woods looking for big foot and then R.J. suffers an 'accident'. They tool up, buying all kinds of gear, including some big guns, and set out deep into the Northern California mountains to find Mr. Foot. Well, as you might expect from the cover blurbs, they actually find a big foot, but really, that is close to being a secondary plot line to the story between R.J. and Billy.
Kunstler moves this along at a good pace and this is a quick read, especially as this is basically a novella. Some good twists and turns and the trials and tribulations of the two out in the woods really fleshes out the story, not to mention the growing tension between the two 'buddies'. I was surprised how much I liked this. The title should have been Bagging Big Foot, but so it goes. 3.5 stars, rounding up!
Billy at one time was an avid outdoors man and the book starts off with him reading up on big foot. Basically, he hatches a plan-- get himself and R.J. out in the woods looking for big foot and then R.J. suffers an 'accident'. They tool up, buying all kinds of gear, including some big guns, and set out deep into the Northern California mountains to find Mr. Foot. Well, as you might expect from the cover blurbs, they actually find a big foot, but really, that is close to being a secondary plot line to the story between R.J. and Billy.
Kunstler moves this along at a good pace and this is a quick read, especially as this is basically a novella. Some good twists and turns and the trials and tribulations of the two out in the woods really fleshes out the story, not to mention the growing tension between the two 'buddies'. I was surprised how much I liked this. The title should have been Bagging Big Foot, but so it goes. 3.5 stars, rounding up!
March 18, 2022
Billy Nichols talks his best friend, RJ into coming along on a camping trip with him, despite the protests from RJ's wife, Dee. She believes three weeks is way too long for him to be gone, and no longer totally trusts Billy, either. She feels as though he has been acting strangely and is trying to drive a wedge between she and her husband. Secretly, in fact, this is true, and Billy has even entertained obscene thoughts of killing RJ, in hopes of stealing his wife.
Billy tells RJ they are not simply going camping, but are in fact going to be hunting Bigfoot. Neither one truly believe they will find anything, but shortly after setting out, they begin getting visits from some creature at night - they can hear it stomping outside the tent, rustling about and they can even smell it. But come morning, there are never any footprints or any other such clues to its identity.
One morning though, they find a half eaten bear, torn apart in such a way no other forest animal is capable of. That night, they make camp in an old mine, and in the morning, Billy wakes up to find an ape-like face staring in at him. Later that night, he takes off searching for it. And what he finds will drastically change the course of his life. Will he and RJ make it out of the woods alive?
*SOME SPOILERS PAST THIS POINT*
-----------------
I really loved this book. It was so much fun and a very quick read. The plot on the back was strangely un-accurate, though. It said Billy took RJ camping with the sole purpose of killing him, but other than the one time it mentioned Billy *thought* about it, no attempt at all was made on RJ's life and especially throughout the first half of the trip, I actually thought they had a pretty good friendship.
It also said something was killing their horses; no Bigfoot or any other creature killed any of their horses. Also I thought the creatures would torment the pair of guys more. Show up at their camp, try to attack them, and just generally have a bigger role in the book.
So I thought the plot could have been way more accurate, and I thought the ending was super depressing, but other than that, it was a great book for any cryptid or horror fan. I wish the author had more horror books, because I'd definitely buy them.
Billy tells RJ they are not simply going camping, but are in fact going to be hunting Bigfoot. Neither one truly believe they will find anything, but shortly after setting out, they begin getting visits from some creature at night - they can hear it stomping outside the tent, rustling about and they can even smell it. But come morning, there are never any footprints or any other such clues to its identity.
One morning though, they find a half eaten bear, torn apart in such a way no other forest animal is capable of. That night, they make camp in an old mine, and in the morning, Billy wakes up to find an ape-like face staring in at him. Later that night, he takes off searching for it. And what he finds will drastically change the course of his life. Will he and RJ make it out of the woods alive?
*SOME SPOILERS PAST THIS POINT*
-----------------
I really loved this book. It was so much fun and a very quick read. The plot on the back was strangely un-accurate, though. It said Billy took RJ camping with the sole purpose of killing him, but other than the one time it mentioned Billy *thought* about it, no attempt at all was made on RJ's life and especially throughout the first half of the trip, I actually thought they had a pretty good friendship.
It also said something was killing their horses; no Bigfoot or any other creature killed any of their horses. Also I thought the creatures would torment the pair of guys more. Show up at their camp, try to attack them, and just generally have a bigger role in the book.
So I thought the plot could have been way more accurate, and I thought the ending was super depressing, but other than that, it was a great book for any cryptid or horror fan. I wish the author had more horror books, because I'd definitely buy them.
January 17, 2018
Years ago on the Kunstlercast (James Howard Kunstler's podcast) his host Duncan Crary kept gently ribbing Herr Kunstler about a book he'd written some years ago called "Bagging Bigfoot." I'm not sure if "The Hunt" is "Bagging Bigfoot" by another name (otherwise Kunstler has written two Bigfoot-themed books) but since that line is used several times in this book, let's start from that premise.
"The Hunt"/"Bigfoot" is a better-than-average tale of cryptid hunting. This is due largely to Kunstler's propensity for very good nature writing along with some keen characterization. His description of flora and fauna give the reader the impression that the hunters pass not only from civilization to the wild, but from the present time to something like the Mesozoic Age, making the idea of encountering a big monster that much more believable. And while the man-versus-nature/city slickers struggling to build a fire theme has been done to death in fiction, Kunstler's hunters strike a balance, having enough courage and competence to be believable and interesting as they struggle to use their expensive Eddie Bauer toys and limited knowledge from boy scouts and previous camping trips. Think "Deliverance" with the possible inclusion of a Bigfoot or two (or is it a man in a rubber suit?) instead of randy banjo-strumming hillbillies, and you've got the gist.
The book starts in a fog-cloaked San Francisco and follows Billy Nichols, a real-estate developer, as he wanders through the restored Victoriana of the City by the Bay, reliving some painful memories from his days in college. There was a suicide attempt and a star-crossed romance that didn't work out well for Billy and Dee (Diana).Things did work out well for Dee and Billy's friend Traveal. The three remain friends, however, and much awkwardness and tension ensue.
Billy and the yuppie Traveal decide to spend some time camping in the woods of California and also to do some Bigfoot hunting. Dee is at first reluctant and then adamant that her current beau not go into the woods with her former flame. The boys ignore her, though, and suspense, action, and some effective horror sequences follow. I won't spoil the book by saying whether or not Bigfoot is spotted (much less "bagged" as per the title), but I will say that, like Roy Lebeau (real name Mitchell Smith) James Kunstler could swing it with the best of the paperback writers of the 80s. Not too many writers have his versatility (Mitch Smith is the only similarly-endowed writer I can think of off the top of my head, now that I mention him). Most writers either have a better grip on writing fiction or non-fiction but not both. Kunstler is fluid, unpretentious, and talented enough, however, to tell a tale around the campfire just as easily as give a Ted Talk. Recommended.
"The Hunt"/"Bigfoot" is a better-than-average tale of cryptid hunting. This is due largely to Kunstler's propensity for very good nature writing along with some keen characterization. His description of flora and fauna give the reader the impression that the hunters pass not only from civilization to the wild, but from the present time to something like the Mesozoic Age, making the idea of encountering a big monster that much more believable. And while the man-versus-nature/city slickers struggling to build a fire theme has been done to death in fiction, Kunstler's hunters strike a balance, having enough courage and competence to be believable and interesting as they struggle to use their expensive Eddie Bauer toys and limited knowledge from boy scouts and previous camping trips. Think "Deliverance" with the possible inclusion of a Bigfoot or two (or is it a man in a rubber suit?) instead of randy banjo-strumming hillbillies, and you've got the gist.
The book starts in a fog-cloaked San Francisco and follows Billy Nichols, a real-estate developer, as he wanders through the restored Victoriana of the City by the Bay, reliving some painful memories from his days in college. There was a suicide attempt and a star-crossed romance that didn't work out well for Billy and Dee (Diana).Things did work out well for Dee and Billy's friend Traveal. The three remain friends, however, and much awkwardness and tension ensue.
Billy and the yuppie Traveal decide to spend some time camping in the woods of California and also to do some Bigfoot hunting. Dee is at first reluctant and then adamant that her current beau not go into the woods with her former flame. The boys ignore her, though, and suspense, action, and some effective horror sequences follow. I won't spoil the book by saying whether or not Bigfoot is spotted (much less "bagged" as per the title), but I will say that, like Roy Lebeau (real name Mitchell Smith) James Kunstler could swing it with the best of the paperback writers of the 80s. Not too many writers have his versatility (Mitch Smith is the only similarly-endowed writer I can think of off the top of my head, now that I mention him). Most writers either have a better grip on writing fiction or non-fiction but not both. Kunstler is fluid, unpretentious, and talented enough, however, to tell a tale around the campfire just as easily as give a Ted Talk. Recommended.
July 13, 2022
I enjoyed everything about this book: the setting, the characters, the story. This was penned by a writer whose love for the woods is apparent with each description. The horror was light, but there; and the writer did an excellent job at the reactions the characters projected while regarding the occurrences. The ending was wild and I felt it coming before I turned to the last page. Highly recommended for a short, wilderness horror read.
January 26, 2025
A book about a man plotting to murder his ex-girl's husband while out hunting for Big Foot. Wasn't expecting high-brow by any means, but would've accepted medium-brow.
The two men address each other by their first names, but the narrator refers to them by their last names, which is confusing. The narrator also head-hops quite a lot, so who is thinking what is sometimes unclear.
The protagonist is a stalker and a cretin and the husband is a lurching jock and animal abuser, which is par for the course for creature horror, but that doesn't mean it isn't irritating to wait around for their inevitable deaths. I much prefer to cheer for a protagonist than to wish harm upon him. When their deaths do come, they are wildly unsatisfying and have nothing to do with murder or with Big Foot.
I'm having flashbacks to Meg in that the style of "humor" is one of bizarre, semi-sadistic homoerotic grabassery that I just do not get.
Casual misogyny, of course, is a major player.
Dee has no real part in the story other than as a object of envy for Nichols and a sex object for Traveal. Though she is an entirely different kind of annoying, she still manages to be way out of their league.
Both main characters are gross creeps who deserve nothing less than being mauled to death by a Pacific Northwest cryptid.
The author was 40 years old when he published this.
For a book presumably about murder and hunting Big Foot, there is very little hunting, even less Big Foot, and absolutely no murder (unless you count some animals, but no homicide anyway). The summary on the back reads, "Something was stalking them, destroying their camp, killing their horses." which sounds like a spoiler, except for the fact that that simply does not happen. Avoiding spoilers, suffice it to say that every bad thing that happens to them is a result of their own clumsiness and stupidity.
The two men address each other by their first names, but the narrator refers to them by their last names, which is confusing. The narrator also head-hops quite a lot, so who is thinking what is sometimes unclear.
The protagonist is a stalker and a cretin and the husband is a lurching jock and animal abuser, which is par for the course for creature horror, but that doesn't mean it isn't irritating to wait around for their inevitable deaths. I much prefer to cheer for a protagonist than to wish harm upon him. When their deaths do come, they are wildly unsatisfying and have nothing to do with murder or with Big Foot.
I'm having flashbacks to Meg in that the style of "humor" is one of bizarre, semi-sadistic homoerotic grabassery that I just do not get.
Casual misogyny, of course, is a major player.
"At least I'm rational. She thinks it's less fattening to mooch bites off us," Traveal explained to Nichols. "Women."
"They're not like you and me," Nichols agreed.
"They don't feel pain like we do." (pg. 12)
Dee has no real part in the story other than as a object of envy for Nichols and a sex object for Traveal. Though she is an entirely different kind of annoying, she still manages to be way out of their league.
Dee rolled onto her back so that she was looking up at her hulking husband.
"You're not answering me," she said.
Traveal raised himself on his haunches, hanging his tumescent sex organ just above her mouth.
"Get that stupid thing out of my face," she said.
"Aw, come on, Dee."
"I'll slap it, I swear." (pg. 26)
Both main characters are gross creeps who deserve nothing less than being mauled to death by a Pacific Northwest cryptid.
Making love with her always made him feel like a great rutting ape. It was an image he enjoyed--he loved feeling as if he could crush her skull between his hands. (pg. 28)
The author was 40 years old when he published this.
"Her name was Marie Santoni, and her dad owned one of the biggest funeral homes in Lennox. I must have been about sixteen. She was fourteen, but real mature--you know, big tits. Anyway, her father used to keep this open coffin full of irises and gladioli in the display room downstairs. The whole place was wired for sound with a Muzak system. One night Marie and I chucked out all the flowers and got naked in the coffin together with the Muzak turned on. Just as I shot my wad, 'The Impossible Dream' came on." (pg. 182)
For a book presumably about murder and hunting Big Foot, there is very little hunting, even less Big Foot, and absolutely no murder (unless you count some animals, but no homicide anyway). The summary on the back reads, "Something was stalking them, destroying their camp, killing their horses." which sounds like a spoiler, except for the fact that that simply does not happen. Avoiding spoilers, suffice it to say that every bad thing that happens to them is a result of their own clumsiness and stupidity.
May 15, 2020
I loved this book. I discovered James Howard Kunstler as a college student troubled and filled with angst over the state of the American landscape. I first read his wonderful book “The Geography of Nowhere,” and went on to follow him in the blogosphere and through his podcasts and hilarious and insightful weekly commentaries. I had no idea this book was even a thing until my wife bought it for me for my birthday. Kunstler’s fiction is elegant and wonderfully descriptive, which might sound strange when referring to a book about “bagging Bigfoot.” But it is. I would highly recommend this.
April 1, 2022
Set up is decent, but the ending is terrible. Not worth reading.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews