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Gabriel Hunt #1
Hunt at the Well of Eternity
When he encounters a strange woman carrying a blood-stained Confederate flag, Gabriel Hunt comes to her aid and stumbles upon a secret that reveals the location of the legendary Fountain of Youth. 75,000 first printing. Original.
232 pages, Paperback
First published April 28, 2009
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435 people want to read
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Gabriel Hunt
12 books5 followers'Gabriel Hunt' is the pseudonym used by the group of authors writing this series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
September 5, 2013
What do a missing Confederate regiment, a lost Mayan city, and the fountain of youth have in common? They're all parts of the plot of Hunt at the Well of Eternity!
Gabriel Hunt is a globetrotting adventurer in the mold of Doc Savage and Indiana Jones. His brother Michael is head of the Hunt Foundation, an organization that has connections to museums all over the world.
The story starts with Gabriel and Michael at a banquet and the action starts right away when a woman tries to give a package to Michael, only to have the waiters turn out to be gun-toting thugs. Once the bad guys snatch the girl, the Hunts discover that the package is an old Confederate flag wrapped around a whiskey bottle full of water. From there, it's a trip to Florida, Mexico, and finally the jungles of Guatemala, all with non-stop action! You can easily imagine the goings-on accompanied by a John Williams soundtrack.
The writing is nothing to write home about. It's not bad but not fantastic. The story is good, jam-packed with action. There are some nods to Indiana Jones. Hunt goes from one predicament to the next fairly quickly. It's a good read for a dismal Sunday afternoon.
I'd recommend his to any Indiana Jones or Doc Savage fan, or any fan of pulp adventure stories in general. If you were disappointed with the last Indiana Jones movie, this should get that bad taste out of your mouth.
Gabriel Hunt is a globetrotting adventurer in the mold of Doc Savage and Indiana Jones. His brother Michael is head of the Hunt Foundation, an organization that has connections to museums all over the world.
The story starts with Gabriel and Michael at a banquet and the action starts right away when a woman tries to give a package to Michael, only to have the waiters turn out to be gun-toting thugs. Once the bad guys snatch the girl, the Hunts discover that the package is an old Confederate flag wrapped around a whiskey bottle full of water. From there, it's a trip to Florida, Mexico, and finally the jungles of Guatemala, all with non-stop action! You can easily imagine the goings-on accompanied by a John Williams soundtrack.
The writing is nothing to write home about. It's not bad but not fantastic. The story is good, jam-packed with action. There are some nods to Indiana Jones. Hunt goes from one predicament to the next fairly quickly. It's a good read for a dismal Sunday afternoon.
I'd recommend his to any Indiana Jones or Doc Savage fan, or any fan of pulp adventure stories in general. If you were disappointed with the last Indiana Jones movie, this should get that bad taste out of your mouth.
April 27, 2014
I appear to be on a hunt (puns always intended) for solid adventure novels of a particular type. I discovered James Rollins' Sigma Force series, which ended up being a lot of fun; intelligent and suspenseful globetrotting adventures with interesting characters, believable science, and dealing with some lesser known unexplained mysteries of the past. At some point in the last year I also found an obscure series of six books by different authors (including James Reasoner, Charles Ardai, and Christa Faust) featuring their mutual adventure hero Gabriel Hunt, which seems to have only had a limited run in print and is being transferred into Kindle book format over the course of 2014.
This first in the series by James Reasoner definitely held my interest and ended up being an excellent casual read, perfect for the airport or beach. The abduction of a beautiful woman at a party (a scene reminiscent of the opener in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) leads Gabriel Hunt, independently wealthy jack-of-all-trades, to track her down and find out why she was delivering a Civil War era flag and a bottle of water to his scholarly brother. His search takes him from New York to Florida, Mexico, and Guatemala, all the while dodging bullets and tracing rumors of a Civil War soldier who may have been searching for the lost Fountain of Youth.
If the Sigma Force series is the Indiana Jones theme evolved and reconstructed, then Gabriel Hunt is Indiana Jones' direct descendant, or maybe a favorite nephew. (Indeed, Gabriel alludes to learning the bullwhip from a friend of his father who almost certainly is Doctor Henry Jones, Jr.) Gabriel is a man of action who has semi-flexible morals, but he's not a complicated or overly macho one. His simplicity was actually pretty refreshing and it allowed him to function as an effective audience surrogate for me. The writing is fine and the characters are fairly static, but the pacing and action hooked me and tossed out any disbelief I might have been holding on to. There aren't really any intriguing scientific or historical facts and it really just plays off of the Fountain of Youth myth and scene after scene of engaging action. No brains needed, but I wouldn't call it a dumb book. I've read thrillers in the last few years that put on pretenses of being intelligent or clever and failed spectacularly, but this pulp-style adventure is as straightforward and effective as a right cross to the jaw, a Colt Peacemaker shot to the heart, or maybe even a machete chop to the last sliver of rope holding up that jungle bridge.
This first in the series by James Reasoner definitely held my interest and ended up being an excellent casual read, perfect for the airport or beach. The abduction of a beautiful woman at a party (a scene reminiscent of the opener in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) leads Gabriel Hunt, independently wealthy jack-of-all-trades, to track her down and find out why she was delivering a Civil War era flag and a bottle of water to his scholarly brother. His search takes him from New York to Florida, Mexico, and Guatemala, all the while dodging bullets and tracing rumors of a Civil War soldier who may have been searching for the lost Fountain of Youth.
If the Sigma Force series is the Indiana Jones theme evolved and reconstructed, then Gabriel Hunt is Indiana Jones' direct descendant, or maybe a favorite nephew. (Indeed, Gabriel alludes to learning the bullwhip from a friend of his father who almost certainly is Doctor Henry Jones, Jr.) Gabriel is a man of action who has semi-flexible morals, but he's not a complicated or overly macho one. His simplicity was actually pretty refreshing and it allowed him to function as an effective audience surrogate for me. The writing is fine and the characters are fairly static, but the pacing and action hooked me and tossed out any disbelief I might have been holding on to. There aren't really any intriguing scientific or historical facts and it really just plays off of the Fountain of Youth myth and scene after scene of engaging action. No brains needed, but I wouldn't call it a dumb book. I've read thrillers in the last few years that put on pretenses of being intelligent or clever and failed spectacularly, but this pulp-style adventure is as straightforward and effective as a right cross to the jaw, a Colt Peacemaker shot to the heart, or maybe even a machete chop to the last sliver of rope holding up that jungle bridge.
July 9, 2019
Great little adventure tale, I had fun reading this one. Not too deep, interesting characters and a fast moving pace. Within the confines of some 250 pages, a storyteller really can’t get too deep into the character’s back story, and as a series, this can be built on in later installments. The plot involves an old Civil War mystery, and as I’m not really into that particular era, this part didn’t exactly fire my imagination, but it was still interesting. The tale moves into Mexico and Central America, and the action and adventure continues pretty much non-stop. Plenty of two-fisted shenanigans and death-defying escapades to entertain and entice me to read the further adventures of Gabriel Hunt. Recommended.
July 7, 2017
I love these books. Two-fisted pulp action in the vein of Indiana Jones or Doc Savage. Gabriel Hunt is a worthy successor to the mantle of the pulp hero.
August 17, 2010
Excellent pulpish adventure. A cross between Doc Savage and Indiana Jones, perhaps. And a nice twist that I didn't see coming.
July 30, 2023
Fun action/adventure-mystery story, though relatively recent (published 2009), it felt in many ways much older in style and content, like something that could have been published in the 1960s-1980s (though the book is set modern day). Essentially, take the feel of Indiana Jones and The Mummy films, with their dangerous archaeological finds that could potentially change the world, the hero racing bad guys to get to them first (and maybe playing really fast and loose with the rules of archaeology) and mix in James Bond, with a sort of secret organization sending out an agent who will face a Bond-type villain who has a powerful and distinctive main henchman along with lots of goons, as well as throw in a couple of Bond girl-types in the story and lots of chases and fight scenes as well as literal cliffhangers. If any of that sounds appealing, I think you will like this book.
The main character, and the supposed author of the book, Gabriel Hunt, is a famous adventurer-archaeologist-writer who has been all over the world, been in National Geographic, and made many amazing discoveries, including some that are just on the edge perhaps of being supernatural, though often in the end with little proof. He works for the powerful and wealthy Hunt Foundation with his brother Michael, searching the world for archaeological treasures and more or less legally bringing them to museums.
The book starts with a black-tie soiree marking the opening of a new Hunt Foundation sponsored Ancient Egyptian exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. To Michael’s and Gabriel’s surprise, an unexpected guest arrives, a stunning woman named Mariella Montez, who is there to give something to the Hunt Foundation, but she doesn’t get a chance to, as by page 4 (!) she is being kidnapped by bad guys! What she is brought is left behind, a Confederate flag that appears to actually date back to the Civil War, one that looks different though from any Confederate flag they have ever seen and yields very important clues, and a whiskey bottle that shattered during the kidnapping, one that seemed to be as old as the flag, but only contained water?
With people going after Gabriel and possibly Michael, despite already having Mariella and stopping her giving the apparently valuable water to the Hunt Foundation, Gabriel and later other allies he picks up along the way go on a massive adventure. People repeatedly try to kill Gabriel in gun fights, hand-to-hand combat, car chases, and boat chases as Gabriel faces them in New York City and later as the trail takes him to Florida and then Mexico then finally Guatemala. It seemed like every five to ten pages Gabriel is getting in a car chase, gun fight, scaling a cliff, in a boat chase, in a fist fight, something. He also finds time for love too, with Dr. Cierra Almanzar, director of the Museum of the Americas in Mexico City (the woman on the cover; interestingly, almost the exact scene is in the book, only one tiny detail that I can recall was off).
Though there is a lot of violence, I don’t think anything was too gory though. There is some love making, but it is basically the curtains blowing the in the breeze cutaway type scenes; it happened, but you aren’t shown anything. It was fun, fast-paced, nothing too deep, writing was crisp and flowed nicely. I think the big archaeological secret was easily guessed, but that didn’t make the book any less fun. I appreciated how though the central mystery involved a Confederate general, it didn’t hand-wave away any issues with the Confederacy while at the same time not spending vast amounts of time talking about it; it was acknowledged, talked about a few times, and back to the adventure.
The main character, and the supposed author of the book, Gabriel Hunt, is a famous adventurer-archaeologist-writer who has been all over the world, been in National Geographic, and made many amazing discoveries, including some that are just on the edge perhaps of being supernatural, though often in the end with little proof. He works for the powerful and wealthy Hunt Foundation with his brother Michael, searching the world for archaeological treasures and more or less legally bringing them to museums.
The book starts with a black-tie soiree marking the opening of a new Hunt Foundation sponsored Ancient Egyptian exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. To Michael’s and Gabriel’s surprise, an unexpected guest arrives, a stunning woman named Mariella Montez, who is there to give something to the Hunt Foundation, but she doesn’t get a chance to, as by page 4 (!) she is being kidnapped by bad guys! What she is brought is left behind, a Confederate flag that appears to actually date back to the Civil War, one that looks different though from any Confederate flag they have ever seen and yields very important clues, and a whiskey bottle that shattered during the kidnapping, one that seemed to be as old as the flag, but only contained water?
With people going after Gabriel and possibly Michael, despite already having Mariella and stopping her giving the apparently valuable water to the Hunt Foundation, Gabriel and later other allies he picks up along the way go on a massive adventure. People repeatedly try to kill Gabriel in gun fights, hand-to-hand combat, car chases, and boat chases as Gabriel faces them in New York City and later as the trail takes him to Florida and then Mexico then finally Guatemala. It seemed like every five to ten pages Gabriel is getting in a car chase, gun fight, scaling a cliff, in a boat chase, in a fist fight, something. He also finds time for love too, with Dr. Cierra Almanzar, director of the Museum of the Americas in Mexico City (the woman on the cover; interestingly, almost the exact scene is in the book, only one tiny detail that I can recall was off).
Though there is a lot of violence, I don’t think anything was too gory though. There is some love making, but it is basically the curtains blowing the in the breeze cutaway type scenes; it happened, but you aren’t shown anything. It was fun, fast-paced, nothing too deep, writing was crisp and flowed nicely. I think the big archaeological secret was easily guessed, but that didn’t make the book any less fun. I appreciated how though the central mystery involved a Confederate general, it didn’t hand-wave away any issues with the Confederacy while at the same time not spending vast amounts of time talking about it; it was acknowledged, talked about a few times, and back to the adventure.
March 3, 2017
I'm pretty dang sure I got this book during one of B&N's free ebook fridays. I don't know if they still do that, but it's something they used to do when I first got my Nook. There's no way I would have bought this book on my own. That said, this book is just as pulpy as you'd expect from the cover - a painted look from back when they would use illustration rather than photos for book covers and a mostly naked woman watching a muscular man dispatch someone else. This cover's pretty accurate to a scene in the book except that the woman isn't wearing a bikini - she's fully clothed, but her recently ripped shirt has exposed her bra.
Reminding me of the action of an Indiana Jones movie mixed with Johnny Quest, it was a blast to read this action-archeology fiction. It's like The Da Vinci Code, but without its head up its arse trying to seem all conspiratorial. To keep the comparisons going, the main characters - the Hunt Brothers - reminded me of Batman and Oracle. Not in the sense that an animated version of their most famous story ends up with an awkward sex scene, but in that they're rich and well-connected in society, but one also can do battle with bad guys and survive despite the odds while the other stays at home and does all the research and smart guy stuff.
As for the plot, again it's nice and pulp and McGuffin-y. A woman tries to give the Hunt brothers a historical artifact and is kidnapped. One of them tries to save her and that chase leads all over the world. There's sex (but no sex scenes), action, adventure, ruffians, rich people who are pure evil, and bad guy Russians. Oh, and despite the cover and pulpy nature - it was written in 2009 and takes place in modern times.
If you want some pure dessert as a break from more serious fare, this is a good book to read.
Reminding me of the action of an Indiana Jones movie mixed with Johnny Quest, it was a blast to read this action-archeology fiction. It's like The Da Vinci Code, but without its head up its arse trying to seem all conspiratorial. To keep the comparisons going, the main characters - the Hunt Brothers - reminded me of Batman and Oracle. Not in the sense that an animated version of their most famous story ends up with an awkward sex scene, but in that they're rich and well-connected in society, but one also can do battle with bad guys and survive despite the odds while the other stays at home and does all the research and smart guy stuff.
As for the plot, again it's nice and pulp and McGuffin-y. A woman tries to give the Hunt brothers a historical artifact and is kidnapped. One of them tries to save her and that chase leads all over the world. There's sex (but no sex scenes), action, adventure, ruffians, rich people who are pure evil, and bad guy Russians. Oh, and despite the cover and pulpy nature - it was written in 2009 and takes place in modern times.
If you want some pure dessert as a break from more serious fare, this is a good book to read.
June 29, 2011
3 AND 1/2 STARS
When I heard that horror writers Christa Faust, Nicholas Kaufman, and especially David J. Schow were writing a pulp adventure series, I had to jump on board. Currently, six titles are slated to be released by six different writers under the Gabriel Hunt pseudonym, who also happens to be the main character in the series.
Indiana Jones overdosing on a mix of speed and steroids is one way of describing the hyper-violence and fast pace of this book. This adventure has more non-stop action than a trilogy of big-budget Hollywood adventure movies. Seriously, that's what it feels like. With the style and lightning pace of this type of book, one needs to leave realism and common sense behind and just go along for the ride. Once I understood and accepted that conclusion, I had a great time reading it.
While the characters, fairly one dimensional, seem to be either on the side of good or bad with nothing in between, the real attraction here is the action and very cool concept of the "Well of Eternity" and the lineage and clues that lead to its discovery. The writer of this installment, James Reasoner, uses his expert knowledge of the Civil War to give the story an authentic mythology to the mystical water, which is the main focus of the book. I was especially impressed how Reasoner was able to clearly and simply describe the elaborate action sequences without any confusion. He makes you feel as if you are right there with the characters and know exactly what is happening at all times.
Although this is not my usual genre to read, I was pleasantly satisfied with the experience and happy to continue reading the next installment of Gabriel Hunt. It is refreshing to see the resurgence of the pulp action adventure novel again, not to mention one with such a beautifully painted retro book cover, too.
When I heard that horror writers Christa Faust, Nicholas Kaufman, and especially David J. Schow were writing a pulp adventure series, I had to jump on board. Currently, six titles are slated to be released by six different writers under the Gabriel Hunt pseudonym, who also happens to be the main character in the series.
Indiana Jones overdosing on a mix of speed and steroids is one way of describing the hyper-violence and fast pace of this book. This adventure has more non-stop action than a trilogy of big-budget Hollywood adventure movies. Seriously, that's what it feels like. With the style and lightning pace of this type of book, one needs to leave realism and common sense behind and just go along for the ride. Once I understood and accepted that conclusion, I had a great time reading it.
While the characters, fairly one dimensional, seem to be either on the side of good or bad with nothing in between, the real attraction here is the action and very cool concept of the "Well of Eternity" and the lineage and clues that lead to its discovery. The writer of this installment, James Reasoner, uses his expert knowledge of the Civil War to give the story an authentic mythology to the mystical water, which is the main focus of the book. I was especially impressed how Reasoner was able to clearly and simply describe the elaborate action sequences without any confusion. He makes you feel as if you are right there with the characters and know exactly what is happening at all times.
Although this is not my usual genre to read, I was pleasantly satisfied with the experience and happy to continue reading the next installment of Gabriel Hunt. It is refreshing to see the resurgence of the pulp action adventure novel again, not to mention one with such a beautifully painted retro book cover, too.
October 6, 2010
I stumbled onto the Hunt series of books while looking up a writer I've really gotten into over the past few months RICHARD ALEAS. RICHARD ALEAS is a writer and creator of Hard Case Crime, under his real name Charles Ardai, that publishes new and old crime pulps. While looking for more information on his work I discovers the Hunt series also published by Charles Ardai. The Hunt series of books are action adventure stories where Gabriel Hunt tells his story to a writer who then publishes Gabriel's story. An interesting and unique approach to writing a series that allows a fresh take on the Hunt character and creates a bit of mystique around Gabriel Hunt himself.
The Hunt series captures action adventure pulps of classic lore with a modern twist. The main character, Gabriel Hunt, is cross between Indiana Jones, Doc Savage and James Bond. But, at some moments there is a bit of awkwardness from National Treasures' Nick Cage. The fist offering in the Hunt series as told to JAMES REASONER isn't ground breaking but the ride the book takes you on is definitely worth the price of the ticket. Although the books goes from pulse pounding action to paint by numbers pulp cliches it proves to be an interesting read throughout.
Over all the first step into Gabriel Hunts world wasn't as spectacular as I thought but I don't know if it really should have been. This is our introduction piece and I think if too much got bitten of the action adventure scope the characters and emotions may have felt unrealistic. I am definitely on board until the second book when Gabriel tells his story to Charles Ardai and I hope that I enjoy the series enough to move on from there.
The Hunt series captures action adventure pulps of classic lore with a modern twist. The main character, Gabriel Hunt, is cross between Indiana Jones, Doc Savage and James Bond. But, at some moments there is a bit of awkwardness from National Treasures' Nick Cage. The fist offering in the Hunt series as told to JAMES REASONER isn't ground breaking but the ride the book takes you on is definitely worth the price of the ticket. Although the books goes from pulse pounding action to paint by numbers pulp cliches it proves to be an interesting read throughout.
Over all the first step into Gabriel Hunts world wasn't as spectacular as I thought but I don't know if it really should have been. This is our introduction piece and I think if too much got bitten of the action adventure scope the characters and emotions may have felt unrealistic. I am definitely on board until the second book when Gabriel tells his story to Charles Ardai and I hope that I enjoy the series enough to move on from there.
February 19, 2011
Gabriel Hunt, the "author" and main character of this book, is half James Bond: oh so smooth and irresistible to women, great with a gun, cool under pressure and villianous death threats; and half Indiana Jones: world renowned retriever of antiquities, even if sometimes he does slightly illegal things to get them, always stumbling into trouble just when he thinks he's in the clear, handy with a bullwhip (and it is heavily implied he was taught to use it by Dr. Jones himself).
In this first installment of a new series from the publishers of the Hard Case Crime books, Gabriel Hunt (ably assisted by his younger, nerdier brother Michael) scours the world (the Florida Keys, Mexico City and Guatemala), wooing beautiful women (Cierra and Mariella), fighting evil badguys (a classic Blofeld type, his disfigured henchman), meeting more than one character whose allegience is questionable at best, and saving ancient artifacts from being destroyed or just forgotten. The series is intended to return the genre of Adventure Fiction to the attention of readers (it's never really been out of the attention of movie-goers, thanks to folks like the aforementioned Jones). If the name "Well of Eternity" brings the more well-known "fountain of youth" to mind, it's intentional and explained early in the book.
There are some moments in this first book that clunk a little, but overall it's a fun breezy read, heavy on the action with enough of a hint of the Hunt Brothers' past (missing parents, running a Foundation, etc). There is of course the obligatory adventure-fiction Encounter With The Unusual (Indy had his Lost Ark and Holy Grail; Hunt has the Well of Eternity so far), which is what makes the books fun.
In this first installment of a new series from the publishers of the Hard Case Crime books, Gabriel Hunt (ably assisted by his younger, nerdier brother Michael) scours the world (the Florida Keys, Mexico City and Guatemala), wooing beautiful women (Cierra and Mariella), fighting evil badguys (a classic Blofeld type, his disfigured henchman), meeting more than one character whose allegience is questionable at best, and saving ancient artifacts from being destroyed or just forgotten. The series is intended to return the genre of Adventure Fiction to the attention of readers (it's never really been out of the attention of movie-goers, thanks to folks like the aforementioned Jones). If the name "Well of Eternity" brings the more well-known "fountain of youth" to mind, it's intentional and explained early in the book.
There are some moments in this first book that clunk a little, but overall it's a fun breezy read, heavy on the action with enough of a hint of the Hunt Brothers' past (missing parents, running a Foundation, etc). There is of course the obligatory adventure-fiction Encounter With The Unusual (Indy had his Lost Ark and Holy Grail; Hunt has the Well of Eternity so far), which is what makes the books fun.
April 16, 2010
Dorchester Publishing is running full throttle trying to create a new pulp hero with their "Gabriel Hunt" line. Gabriel Hunt is the hero and subject of the series with each book not authored, but "told to" the writer. Hunt is a rich and handsome world traveler who is heir to his parents' fortune. In the first book we learn that his parents disappeared at sea, leaving him and his brother Michael to administer the family fortune. They also run the Hunt Foundation, which serves as the background cover for Gabriel's jaunting around the planet.
This book, which opens the series, has Gabriel heading down to Mexico in search of a band of nogoodniks who have dared to interrupt his museum black tie affair. At the fundraiser, he and his brother Michael are approached by a mysterious Latina woman who hands him a bottle wrapped in a confederate battle flag. Before he can talk to her, the waiters have all pulled out guns and started are away. When the smoke has cleared, the bottle is broken and the woman has been abducted by the waiters. Good help is so hard to find!
Soon, Gabriel is heading into Mexico on his private jet. Along the way, there's a shoot-out in the everglades and a trip to a civil war battlefield. Somehow, a vanished confederate general figures into tho the mystery. But everywhere he goes, Hunt's enemies are one step behind him, even if they seldom manage to wound. The journey soon leads him to the mountains of Guatemala and a lost city.
I have to admit, the series is off to a weak start. Hopefully, they'll bring in some more interesting chroniclers. And that cover....looks like a Harlequin romance.
This book, which opens the series, has Gabriel heading down to Mexico in search of a band of nogoodniks who have dared to interrupt his museum black tie affair. At the fundraiser, he and his brother Michael are approached by a mysterious Latina woman who hands him a bottle wrapped in a confederate battle flag. Before he can talk to her, the waiters have all pulled out guns and started are away. When the smoke has cleared, the bottle is broken and the woman has been abducted by the waiters. Good help is so hard to find!
Soon, Gabriel is heading into Mexico on his private jet. Along the way, there's a shoot-out in the everglades and a trip to a civil war battlefield. Somehow, a vanished confederate general figures into tho the mystery. But everywhere he goes, Hunt's enemies are one step behind him, even if they seldom manage to wound. The journey soon leads him to the mountains of Guatemala and a lost city.
I have to admit, the series is off to a weak start. Hopefully, they'll bring in some more interesting chroniclers. And that cover....looks like a Harlequin romance.
May 7, 2009
Minor Potential Spoiler Alert.
Gabriel Hunt, in case you somehow missed it, is a takeoff on Doc Savage, though news stories and comments about this new Hard Case Crime series have been referencing Indiana Jones more often, and fans of Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt or other pulpy globetrotting pseudo-archaeologist heroes with six-shooters will also recognize the style, and it likely won't fail to please you.
Hunt at the Well of Eternity is a good, entertaining, fast-paced novel introducing readers to the universe and the hero. The interesting thing about the property is that it's set in the modern-day -- thought it feels like the '40s throughout, it's 100% contemporary. Also interesting is that it's a supernatural series, or at least this is a supernatural novel -- in much the same way that Indiana Jones is.
The writing is a bit clunky to start with but once the plot gets going -- which is pretty damn fast -- it clips along at breakneck speed and comes to a satisfying conclusions. None of the twists and turns caught me off-guard, but that's hardly the point here. The hero is likable enough, the overall idea is solid, and with the authors lined up to contribute to the series, it's almost guaranteed to get even better as it goes along. Recommended!
Gabriel Hunt, in case you somehow missed it, is a takeoff on Doc Savage, though news stories and comments about this new Hard Case Crime series have been referencing Indiana Jones more often, and fans of Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt or other pulpy globetrotting pseudo-archaeologist heroes with six-shooters will also recognize the style, and it likely won't fail to please you.
Hunt at the Well of Eternity is a good, entertaining, fast-paced novel introducing readers to the universe and the hero. The interesting thing about the property is that it's set in the modern-day -- thought it feels like the '40s throughout, it's 100% contemporary. Also interesting is that it's a supernatural series, or at least this is a supernatural novel -- in much the same way that Indiana Jones is.
The writing is a bit clunky to start with but once the plot gets going -- which is pretty damn fast -- it clips along at breakneck speed and comes to a satisfying conclusions. None of the twists and turns caught me off-guard, but that's hardly the point here. The hero is likable enough, the overall idea is solid, and with the authors lined up to contribute to the series, it's almost guaranteed to get even better as it goes along. Recommended!
November 4, 2014
I've been looking for a good modern-day version of the classic pulp adventure stories like Doc Savage, John Carter, Indiana Jones, etc. and so I gave this one a try. This novel is from the producers of the Hard Case Crime imprint (created by Charles Ardai) and is the first of six in the series (so far) featuring Gabriel Hunt. This particular entry in the series is written by James Reasoner, known mostly for his Civil War fiction novels, and each book in the series is by a different author. And although this is listed as the first book in the series, I'm not sure if the reading order matters. In fact, this book has several references to Hunt's previous adventures; he is not a newbie to the scene.
The story pretty well fit my expectations: lots of adventure action, a nice mythological-type mystery, as well as some real history thrown in. This is not a literary read by any stretch of the imagination (thankfully), just a nice down-to-earth story with a pretty well thought out plot that definitely is in the vein of the pulp era "romantic adventures". I will definitely be reading more and even though each is written by a different author, I suspect they will fullfill my need for such relaxing novels.
The story pretty well fit my expectations: lots of adventure action, a nice mythological-type mystery, as well as some real history thrown in. This is not a literary read by any stretch of the imagination (thankfully), just a nice down-to-earth story with a pretty well thought out plot that definitely is in the vein of the pulp era "romantic adventures". I will definitely be reading more and even though each is written by a different author, I suspect they will fullfill my need for such relaxing novels.
June 8, 2009
Wow was I excited about this series of pulp adventure books. The covers exhibited online were so cool, and the idea of having a regular series of great pulp adventures really got to me.
Unfortunately this book is deadly boring. It has the stock elements of what we think of as pulp, but none of the racing action or colorful characters.
Gabriel Hunt is supposed to be a hero cut from the same cloth as Indiana Jones or Doc Savage, with some steady James Bond gigolo action along the way (but don't get excited, the love scenes aren't good either).
If you like pulp adventure spend your book bucks on writers likeMatthew Reilly, James Rollins, Douglas Preston, Tim Byrd, or the reprinted adventures of Doc Savage, The Shadow, The Avenger, The Spider, and so on.
Unfortunately this book is deadly boring. It has the stock elements of what we think of as pulp, but none of the racing action or colorful characters.
Gabriel Hunt is supposed to be a hero cut from the same cloth as Indiana Jones or Doc Savage, with some steady James Bond gigolo action along the way (but don't get excited, the love scenes aren't good either).
If you like pulp adventure spend your book bucks on writers likeMatthew Reilly, James Rollins, Douglas Preston, Tim Byrd, or the reprinted adventures of Doc Savage, The Shadow, The Avenger, The Spider, and so on.
July 14, 2010
It took me a bit to get into this adventure novel. It's all action for many pages without any chance to establish character. But as the book rolls on, there are some moments where we get to learn about Hunt as a person as well as some of the co-stars around him (mostly dangerous men and strong women). As others have said, there's some Indiana Jones in here with a dash of James Bond and Mack Bolan. It isn't quite what I'd call a "men's adventure novel" but it's straying close to that line. Gabriel Hunt is sort of a throwback (he's unapologetic about killing bad guys) but he isn't a Neanderthal either which makes it an acceptable character for me to read. I'll be back for further adventures.
June 3, 2011
A gunfight every chapter! Except the one where they fight with whips!
Read
May 12, 2016Not bad for a quick fast read but a little too sanguine and cliched..
February 12, 2018
Modern pulp adventure, delivered as promised.
July 4, 2021
A fun action/adventure novel set in the present day that's almost undone by one character that appears in the last quarter of the novel.
A gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art erupts into chaos when the festivities are ruined by gun totting waiters who kidnap a beautiful women who is looking for Michael Hunt to give him a Civil War flag and a container carrying a specific liquid. Gabriel, his older brother and protagonist of the novel, is able to keep the items, though the woman is taken by the imposters. This is an exciting opening in the first four pages that begins a quest to discover what the items truly are and what they lead to.
The novel moves from New York to Florida, for a fantastic action piece, then south of the border where things get dangerous in Mexico. The fight/duel involving specific weapons and the bridge scene are spectacularly written.
The book gets a little cliche in that southern land and goes too far with a character that first appears on Page 193. Granted, this individual should be in the story to grant believability to the MacGuffin, but comes across as incredibly stereotyped, especially when the character goes into action. If a reader is vaguely familiar with this type of character, they will know exactly what the character will say and how they will act. Though the character isn't in the book for long, I came to dread his appearances.
However, there is enough of this book to enjoy--really enjoy--for those looking for old school adventure. I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of cliffhangers, Indiana Jones, or Doc Savage. There are five books that follow in this series and I will track them down to read them all.
A gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art erupts into chaos when the festivities are ruined by gun totting waiters who kidnap a beautiful women who is looking for Michael Hunt to give him a Civil War flag and a container carrying a specific liquid. Gabriel, his older brother and protagonist of the novel, is able to keep the items, though the woman is taken by the imposters. This is an exciting opening in the first four pages that begins a quest to discover what the items truly are and what they lead to.
The novel moves from New York to Florida, for a fantastic action piece, then south of the border where things get dangerous in Mexico. The fight/duel involving specific weapons and the bridge scene are spectacularly written.
The book gets a little cliche in that southern land and goes too far with a character that first appears on Page 193. Granted, this individual should be in the story to grant believability to the MacGuffin, but comes across as incredibly stereotyped, especially when the character goes into action. If a reader is vaguely familiar with this type of character, they will know exactly what the character will say and how they will act. Though the character isn't in the book for long, I came to dread his appearances.
However, there is enough of this book to enjoy--really enjoy--for those looking for old school adventure. I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of cliffhangers, Indiana Jones, or Doc Savage. There are five books that follow in this series and I will track them down to read them all.
July 29, 2021
Fun adventure for the pulp fiction enthusiast. Gabriel Hunt the equivalent to a modern day Indiana Jones, gets roped into an adventure of an eternal life time. A mysterious woman shows up to a museum event with a bundle of cloth wrapped around a whiskey bottle. The contents of which appear to be average water. The evening at the museum is ruined when a group of thugs disguised as waiters kidnap the woman and cause the bottle to break. Gabriel Hunt ends up tracking the woman and the thugs through clues a detective work leading him to Mexico where he meets and teams up with Professor Cierra and the two discover they are on the trail to find the fountain of youth, but come to find out Professor Cierra's funder us also on the hunt for his own greedy gains. Who will get there first? I enjoy the fast pace action in this book. The story was always moving the characters always seemed to find themselves in a dangerous situation where they had to shoot their way out or figure out how to overcome. It was an easy read and you could get through it in an afternoon if you apply yourself to it.
May 17, 2025
It’s a classic Indiana Jones meets James Bond type adventure. As another said the writing isn’t brilliant, but it’s not terrible either. A little sexist in the Heinlein style - beautiful smart women who naturally sleep with the protagonist. The sex is completely untold and simply alluded to which makes it a little more palatable. It’s a fun vacation on the beach or lazy day read.
Note: one of the odd things about the series is that each book is written by a different author. Surprisingly, the tone is very similar despite this. Perhaps on rereading I may see there are differences. But whoever orchestrated the concept must have done a good job setting the parameters of the character and the tone to strike to make these as similar as they are.
Note: one of the odd things about the series is that each book is written by a different author. Surprisingly, the tone is very similar despite this. Perhaps on rereading I may see there are differences. But whoever orchestrated the concept must have done a good job setting the parameters of the character and the tone to strike to make these as similar as they are.
October 4, 2025
Adventure so good you can almost hear the wilhelm screams…
The classic adventure story seems utterly forgotten in pop culture today. Quests for ancient artifacts, lost cities, or the Fountain of Youth for whatever reason don’t have the appeal they once did. If you’re like me and crave this genre Gabriel Hunt ticks off all the boxes. It’s action adventure in the Indiana Jones vein without feeling like a ripoff. Set in the modern day you get the best of both worlds as Hunt has access to apparently limitless funds while not just relying on google to give him the next clue. From New York City to Mexico City to the jungles of Guatemala, adventure in the 21st century has a new name.
The classic adventure story seems utterly forgotten in pop culture today. Quests for ancient artifacts, lost cities, or the Fountain of Youth for whatever reason don’t have the appeal they once did. If you’re like me and crave this genre Gabriel Hunt ticks off all the boxes. It’s action adventure in the Indiana Jones vein without feeling like a ripoff. Set in the modern day you get the best of both worlds as Hunt has access to apparently limitless funds while not just relying on google to give him the next clue. From New York City to Mexico City to the jungles of Guatemala, adventure in the 21st century has a new name.
March 28, 2023
Escapism at its best is a quote from a professional reviewer on the book. That is fairly accurate! An easy read with a lead character who is part Jason Bourne, 007, etc. The story is ludicrous and the lifestyle that the characters lead is equally unbelievable. But there is no denying the story is fast paced, filled with action and enough entertainment value that I made it to the end.
April 12, 2023
It’s not easy to straddle being an Indiana Jones homage and being it’s own thing. Generally this book succeeds. It keeps a quick pace, but struggled to hold my attention at times.
I can say without equivocation, the highlight of the book for me was Gabriel Hunt’s character, who I eagerly look forward to following in his further adventures.
I can say without equivocation, the highlight of the book for me was Gabriel Hunt’s character, who I eagerly look forward to following in his further adventures.
August 2, 2017
Somewhat formulaic but otherwise an interesting action/ adventure story with a smidgen of science fiction within
January 18, 2018
Very fast read if you skim the (really long) fight scenes. A nice mixture of legends, but nothing I'd pay money for.
September 27, 2018
My only issue with this book is it was too short! I loved the action from page one to the very last page. I love the history and the artifact quality. Great combination of modern with historical.
May 30, 2023
This was a very fun adventure in the spirit of explorers like Indiana Jones. It never lets up with constant action and comedy mixed in for a good time all the way to the end.
July 13, 2025
Fun book to read on vacation.
February 2, 2010
Leisure Books is of course an imprint of Dorchester Publishing the same publishing house responsible for the Hard Case Crime imprint. Of course none of this should be a surprise at since the series is the brainchild of Charles Ardai; the man behind Hard Case crime. I was first attracted to this series thanks to the clever use of the character’s name as the author. While this somewhat meta-fictional conceit doesn’t extend to the rest of the novel and is traded for a straight-forward no-nonsense third-person narrative. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing since Gabriel Hunt at the Well of Eternity was a brisk novel full of action, suspense, and excitement.
The series, The Adventures of Gabriel Hunt, is describes on its website as follows:
From the towers of Manhattan to the jungles of South America, from the sands of the Sahara to the frozen crags of Antarctica, one man finds adventure everywhere he goes: GABRIEL HUNT.
Backed by the resources of the $100 million Hunt Foundation and armed with his trusty Colt revolver, Gabriel Hunt has always been ready for anything—but is he prepared for the adventures that lie in wait for him?
And…are you
Hunt is a cross between Indiana Jones and James Bond. Like the Indiana Jones series Hunt blends historical swashbuckling with the occasional dose of supernatural/unexplainable. Indeed as Gabriel relates at one point in the novel, and I paraphrase, “an old friend of my father, an unmarried professor, taught me how to use [a bullwhip:].” While the series takes place in present day Gabriel’s signature weapon of choice is an antique Colt Peacemaker. It’s an interesting symbolic choice; the Colt is a uniquely identifiable symbol of America’s past that is in many ways the American West’s equivalent of a knight’s sword.
Gabriel Hunt at the Well of Eternity wastes little, or rather no time, on lengthy introductions to our hero focusing instead on throwing the reader right into the action. The collar loosening of the opening line segues neatly into the introduction of a beautiful woman jumps from there into a lengthy gunfight with a side of fisticuffs quickly makes its way to car chase followed by a boat chase followed by a…you get the idea. A bare minimum of exposition keeps the reader up to speed on the historical mystery portion of the novel. Not that it’s too complicated. The title of the novel and the end of the opening scene give a pretty good idea of what our endgame is going to be about.
Of course a book like this is more about the ride getting there more than anything else. The byword of this novel is excitement. The quiet moments are few and Reasoner does his damnedest to keep readers on the edge of their seats and to keep the pages turning. While the novel didn’t grip in the kind of fervor that would keep me up reading until 2 AM it did have me constantly wondering what kind of shenanigans Hunt would have come up with to get out of each new bit of trouble. Of course I never once questioned that Gabriel would find his way out each certain death situation.
Gabriel Hunt at the Well of Eternity takes readers from the Manhattan museum, to the swamps of Florida, to the jungles of Mexico all in just over 230 pages. It is a book that doesn’t ask big questions about life and existence, nor does it provide you with any startling insight into the nature of humanity. What it does do is provide you with a thrilling non-stop edge-of-your-seat romp through exotic locales full of adventure and peril. If an afternoon of excitement and diversion from your rather ordinary life is what your looking for then Gabriel Hunt is the man you’re looking for.
The series, The Adventures of Gabriel Hunt, is describes on its website as follows:
From the towers of Manhattan to the jungles of South America, from the sands of the Sahara to the frozen crags of Antarctica, one man finds adventure everywhere he goes: GABRIEL HUNT.
Backed by the resources of the $100 million Hunt Foundation and armed with his trusty Colt revolver, Gabriel Hunt has always been ready for anything—but is he prepared for the adventures that lie in wait for him?
And…are you
Hunt is a cross between Indiana Jones and James Bond. Like the Indiana Jones series Hunt blends historical swashbuckling with the occasional dose of supernatural/unexplainable. Indeed as Gabriel relates at one point in the novel, and I paraphrase, “an old friend of my father, an unmarried professor, taught me how to use [a bullwhip:].” While the series takes place in present day Gabriel’s signature weapon of choice is an antique Colt Peacemaker. It’s an interesting symbolic choice; the Colt is a uniquely identifiable symbol of America’s past that is in many ways the American West’s equivalent of a knight’s sword.
Gabriel Hunt at the Well of Eternity wastes little, or rather no time, on lengthy introductions to our hero focusing instead on throwing the reader right into the action. The collar loosening of the opening line segues neatly into the introduction of a beautiful woman jumps from there into a lengthy gunfight with a side of fisticuffs quickly makes its way to car chase followed by a boat chase followed by a…you get the idea. A bare minimum of exposition keeps the reader up to speed on the historical mystery portion of the novel. Not that it’s too complicated. The title of the novel and the end of the opening scene give a pretty good idea of what our endgame is going to be about.
Of course a book like this is more about the ride getting there more than anything else. The byword of this novel is excitement. The quiet moments are few and Reasoner does his damnedest to keep readers on the edge of their seats and to keep the pages turning. While the novel didn’t grip in the kind of fervor that would keep me up reading until 2 AM it did have me constantly wondering what kind of shenanigans Hunt would have come up with to get out of each new bit of trouble. Of course I never once questioned that Gabriel would find his way out each certain death situation.
Gabriel Hunt at the Well of Eternity takes readers from the Manhattan museum, to the swamps of Florida, to the jungles of Mexico all in just over 230 pages. It is a book that doesn’t ask big questions about life and existence, nor does it provide you with any startling insight into the nature of humanity. What it does do is provide you with a thrilling non-stop edge-of-your-seat romp through exotic locales full of adventure and peril. If an afternoon of excitement and diversion from your rather ordinary life is what your looking for then Gabriel Hunt is the man you’re looking for.
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