Hunter and Fox

April 9, 2012
Talyn of the Vaerli purchased survival by working as the Hunter for the Caisah, the smiling monster who crushed the Vaerli in ages past and who dominates the world even now. Talyn’s existence comes at the cost of her soul and alienation from her people. Tale-spinner Finn makes himself the Hunter’s next prey with a seditious performance. Evading the Hunter’s peculiar gifts is nearly impossible, but their inevitable encounter ends not in death but hope for both Talyn and the Vaerli. While Ballantine does provide some kind of conclusion, this is more of an introductory episode than a complete novel. The mutable world, where the landscape constantly changes, provides a mildly diverting setting, but the prose and dialogue are flat and affectless, and readers will find few reasons to invest their time in this drearily familiar tale of a brutal tyrant and the brave few who oppose him. Agent: Laurie McLean, Larsen/Pomada Literary Agents.

May 15, 2012
Dark of eye, dark of will, dark of power. Pass me by until another hour. These are words whispered by those who seek protection against the Hunter. Talyn is the Hunter and a slave to Caisah. He destroyed her people and now controls her. Doing his bidding and reaping Caisah's offered reward is Talyn's only hope. Caisah uses Talyn to control the outer edges of his empire, and everywhere she goes, death and fear follow. Unbeknownst to Talyn, there is a creature deep within the earth that wishes to free her from Caisah's chains and bring her people back to power. Ballantine has written a well-imagined novel, challenging in parts. She does not hold readers' hands through that world but, rather, trusts her story-telling ability and unfolds her world little by little as the novel advances.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)