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Tracker #1
Tracker
Fear the harvest.
The Hoarders seized control of the Earth's resources a generation ago, retreated into their heavily guarded Enclaves, and left the rest of the population to fend for itself.
Until recently, when the Hoarders began to randomly implant people with a new kind of micro-technology, capable of converting their unsuspecting hosts into violent and deadly automatons.
They also created the Trackers, chemically and mechanically enhanced creatures fanatically devoted to hunting down and killing anyone unlucky enough to have an Implant.
Now, a small band of Runners must unravel the mystery, racing against time before the Trackers discover them.
And before their own Implants change them into... something else.
The Hoarders seized control of the Earth's resources a generation ago, retreated into their heavily guarded Enclaves, and left the rest of the population to fend for itself.
Until recently, when the Hoarders began to randomly implant people with a new kind of micro-technology, capable of converting their unsuspecting hosts into violent and deadly automatons.
They also created the Trackers, chemically and mechanically enhanced creatures fanatically devoted to hunting down and killing anyone unlucky enough to have an Implant.
Now, a small band of Runners must unravel the mystery, racing against time before the Trackers discover them.
And before their own Implants change them into... something else.
398 pages, ebook
First published November 6, 2019
2 people are currently reading
3 people want to read
About the author
Deven Kane
12 books6 followersDeven Kane plays a mean bass and loves to tell stories. He writes thrillers set in dystopian contexts, and urban fantasy, which he describes as “supernatural thrillers set on another world.”
“Speculative fiction allows me to explore human nature, interpersonal conflicts, the desire to rise above our circumstances, and the obstacles that hold us back,” he says. “No matter the setting—Earth’s near future, the past, or an alien culture on another planet—the most compelling stories are always about our interactions with each other. The good, the bad, the ugly, and our need to transcend.”
His novels include the dystopian Tracker Trilogy (Tracker, Dissident & Scorpion), and the urban fantasies Darkwood and Treehawke.
Deven and his wife live under the watchful supervision of their bemused dog.
“Speculative fiction allows me to explore human nature, interpersonal conflicts, the desire to rise above our circumstances, and the obstacles that hold us back,” he says. “No matter the setting—Earth’s near future, the past, or an alien culture on another planet—the most compelling stories are always about our interactions with each other. The good, the bad, the ugly, and our need to transcend.”
His novels include the dystopian Tracker Trilogy (Tracker, Dissident & Scorpion), and the urban fantasies Darkwood and Treehawke.
Deven and his wife live under the watchful supervision of their bemused dog.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 16, 2020
This is book one of the Tracker Trilogy and has lots of strangely named characters. There are the Hoarders, the elite of society, nicknamed as such by those they have left with nothing. They have moved into heavily fortified enclaves, guarded against the rest of humanity. Everyone else has been left with next to nothing to survive on and have to fend for themselves. There are Runners, people with and without implants. Implants put there randomly into the rest of society, for what reason is unknown, nor why they have chosen the people they implant. Those with implants and the runners who come to help them, are trying to escape from the Trackers/Soul-less creatures that have been made with the sole purpose of following the implants and killing the person with it. They will kill anything that is in their path. They have been chemically and mechanically enhanced to do just one thing and the creatures follow only that demand from their creators. They label it as a Quest, given to them by what they call the Givers.
The first Runner we come across is Amos, who managed to dig out his own implant before the Doc at the Mission could help him. Doc had never managed to remove an implant from a living being, only ever from a corpse before this. But Amos had managed to grab a scanner from one of these dead Trackers, and used it, before his implant could be activated. Once it was activated, it would have gotten into his blood and changed him which would mean the implant could never be removed and he would probably end up killing all of his friends. Not something he wants to happen. The Mission gets attacked by Trackers and Amos runs, believing that he is responsible for the death of all those within and all of his friends.
Another civilian has just been told she has been implanted with an implant and as two people try to set her up on a safe exit, they are attacked and Aubrey only just escapes with her life. An experienced Runner, Jane, grabs her on the street and then leads her to her fellow Runners and a safe haven. But, as they repeat often, keep moving as nowhere is safe for long. She is to hide in plain sight, try to look normal and not do anything that would draw attention to her. They never know when someone is watching them, until it is too late. When the Soul-less are close enough for you to see their strange yellow eye, then you are dead!
The lead of the small Runner group, Garr (Col. Garrison), gets a lead on a new set of people entering the city, who have been implanted, but that there is also a large number of Trackers that have been sent in pursuit of them. Normally there would only need to be a single Tracker sent out, as they are so superior to normal people. It seems like matters are ramping up and the Runners need to find out what the Hoarders end game is and why they have been implanting ordinary people! What are the implants meant to do? The Trackers have been sent in to Harvest the implants and their Quest is overwhelming. They will do everything they can to complete their task, as failure is unacceptable. This leaves the Trackers with only one emotion as such, fear, fear of failure, fear of not completing their given Quest! One of them is pushing past its limitations and ignoring its own parameters of operation. What this might do, is yet to be seen.
Is the Tracker seeking the implant, just all part of a game for the bored Hoarder Elite? Was this their way of paying a game, with two teams, but one with a huge advantage against the other? A bit like Gladiators fighting against weak and poorly prepared slaves. All for the amusement of the Emperor and the wealthy of the city. A huge shift in action will provide Amos, Don, Doc Simon, Jane, Aubrey, Sheila and Garr with an insight into who their true foe is and the identity of them. It will not be what they expected and the fight against the Hoarders and Trackers will continue in the next book. I look forward to continuing the series. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
The first Runner we come across is Amos, who managed to dig out his own implant before the Doc at the Mission could help him. Doc had never managed to remove an implant from a living being, only ever from a corpse before this. But Amos had managed to grab a scanner from one of these dead Trackers, and used it, before his implant could be activated. Once it was activated, it would have gotten into his blood and changed him which would mean the implant could never be removed and he would probably end up killing all of his friends. Not something he wants to happen. The Mission gets attacked by Trackers and Amos runs, believing that he is responsible for the death of all those within and all of his friends.
Another civilian has just been told she has been implanted with an implant and as two people try to set her up on a safe exit, they are attacked and Aubrey only just escapes with her life. An experienced Runner, Jane, grabs her on the street and then leads her to her fellow Runners and a safe haven. But, as they repeat often, keep moving as nowhere is safe for long. She is to hide in plain sight, try to look normal and not do anything that would draw attention to her. They never know when someone is watching them, until it is too late. When the Soul-less are close enough for you to see their strange yellow eye, then you are dead!
The lead of the small Runner group, Garr (Col. Garrison), gets a lead on a new set of people entering the city, who have been implanted, but that there is also a large number of Trackers that have been sent in pursuit of them. Normally there would only need to be a single Tracker sent out, as they are so superior to normal people. It seems like matters are ramping up and the Runners need to find out what the Hoarders end game is and why they have been implanting ordinary people! What are the implants meant to do? The Trackers have been sent in to Harvest the implants and their Quest is overwhelming. They will do everything they can to complete their task, as failure is unacceptable. This leaves the Trackers with only one emotion as such, fear, fear of failure, fear of not completing their given Quest! One of them is pushing past its limitations and ignoring its own parameters of operation. What this might do, is yet to be seen.
Is the Tracker seeking the implant, just all part of a game for the bored Hoarder Elite? Was this their way of paying a game, with two teams, but one with a huge advantage against the other? A bit like Gladiators fighting against weak and poorly prepared slaves. All for the amusement of the Emperor and the wealthy of the city. A huge shift in action will provide Amos, Don, Doc Simon, Jane, Aubrey, Sheila and Garr with an insight into who their true foe is and the identity of them. It will not be what they expected and the fight against the Hoarders and Trackers will continue in the next book. I look forward to continuing the series. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
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November 9, 2020I really enjoyed this first book of the trilogy. The author has a gift for clarity in describing scenes which is something that I always appreciate, especially in a book that has a lot of action in it like this one. You feel like your watching a really great movie or something. I liked getting to know the different characters and felt an attachment to the main protagonists, Amos and Aubrey, almost right away. The action is rightly paced for a Dystopian book and the tension is just enough to keep you reading but not enough to overwhelm.
Great way to start a trilogy! I am sure this one will be a big hit.
Great way to start a trilogy! I am sure this one will be a big hit.
November 20, 2020
Tracker is a fast-paced novel that reminds me of the feeling of being watched or chased. A bit nightmarish, the feeling. The characters a sort of lovable though. Aubrey is very fish-out-of-water and Amos is super PSTD, it is amazing that he can function well as he does. The whole hero ensemble cast is a bit like most hero ensembles except they are dead broke. I liked that I didn't know what was happening unless the character knows and by switching character perspectives, I could put it all together.
Watching for the next novel!
Watching for the next novel!
December 3, 2024
Overall I really enjoyed the book. I wish there would have been more background information. But like one of the characters you slowly learn what is happening and it keeps everything in suspense. Also allows you to wonder right along with the characters. I can’t wait to finish reading the rest of the trilogy. I gave this 4 stars because it was hard to get into with minimal background info at first. Keep reading though and you will really get into it.
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.
July 29, 2020
A thrilling dystopian thriller filled with action, and suspense. I became immersed in the story from the first page, and the fast, heart pounding pace kept me engaged throughout. A very imaginative and well built world, an array of well rounded diverse characters, and a pleasantly unpredictable plot that keeps you curious throughout, this book does not disappoint.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews