Hunter’s Oath

Hunter’s Oath (1995) Michelle West

I had a strange time reading this story. I liked the characters, I enjoyed the story, I loved the writing, I wanted to know what happened. But I wanted to finish it so I could read something else. I just wasn’t in the mood for this story.

Gilliam and Stephen are Hunter Lord and Huntbrother. They, like Gilliam’s father and the other Hunter Lords, have dedicated their lives to their land, Breodanir, and every year at least one of the Lords will sacrifice themselves so that their land may thrive.

Because Hunter Lords are uniquely bonded to their Hounds, they are also bonded to a Huntbrother, another boy their age, who helps to tie them to the real world, and allows them to function when they would live only with their dogs.

The story begins and Gilliam and Stephen are young boys, Gilliam is about to turn eight, and his father has to find his huntbrother for him. The first third of the story tells of Gilliam and Stephen as they grow up and reach their coming of age.

Of the characters, I really liked Stephen and Lady Elseth. Lady Elseth may be only a secondary character, but I found her very interesting. And perhaps that’s what the problem was–that I wanted to read more about female characters than about young/teenage boys.

Additionally, not in the book’s favor is the fact that it is book one in a two book series. And it has one of those endings I hate, where the characters have just gotten themselves out of a terrible, perilous, scrape, unfortunately, nothing is resolved. And the sequel is called Hunter’s Death. And that just doesn’t bode well for the characters, does it?

I found the cover puzzling. When I think of hunting dogs, I think of hounds. Big, short coated, floppy ear dogs. Now I am perfectly willing to admit that I may certainly be wrong as to what a hunting dog looks like, but the long coated dogs on the cover just struck me as odd. I mean, wouldn’t the long coat just get matted and filthy in the woods? This is extra strange, because I usually love Jody A. Lee‘s covers.

So it was a good story with strong characters and writing. It just wasn’t what I wanted to read.

ADDENDUM the First:
I admit it. I went and read the ending of the second book, so I could find out what happened, so I could go on and read something else. This pretty much violates all my personal rules for reading, but I really did want to go on and read something else.
Rating: 6/10

• Browse the archives:
  
• Paths Not Taken » »
• « « Cast in Shadow