The Hunters by David Wragg

The Hunters is actually the third book by David Wragg that I am reading and am happy to say, with each book, David's been upping his writing game. The Hunters, first of a proposed trilogy called Tales of the Plain is something of a western adventure set in a fantasy world, a departure from his debut duology ( Articles of Faith which was excellent stuff, by the way!) 

First things first, that cover. By Gods, what a beautiful beautiful cover. Done by Gavin Reece, the very distinctive art work really stands out ( Reminds you of the rollicking Nicholas Eames' debut Kings of the Wyld!) and accurately gives us the picture of the ‘hunters’!

So the Hunters is the first book in the trilogy called Tales of the Plain following the adventures of the duo - Ree and Javani, living out their boring mundane lives in a dustbowl of an outpost tucked away from the ruthless politicking of kingdoms and empires. But as we start the book, we understand that Ree has secrets from her past, that she's possibly running away from. And Javani is a precocious teenager who is plotting her own schemes to get rich and get away from this boring life, closeted with her aunty Ree. 

Strangers converge onto this forgotten dusty outpost one fine day and they are all on their own different missions. And these different groups aren't just simple minded merchants looking to sell their wares. Chief among them is Prince Lazant accompanied by his scary assassin Khalida looking for a bastard child of heir to the throne of Kingdom of Shenak. This mad retinue includes Aki and Anashe, the brother-sister duo desperate to make moolah through any mercenary means. Up against them is The White Spear, another mercenary who's here to retrieve her "package". Then there are the Guvuli brothers, planning to blow up the Guildhouse treasury and get away with the money inside the vaults. 

This is the loaded premise for the rollicking fun that is about to unfold : the "Hunters" riding into this frontier town and each of their goals setting them squarely in the crosshairs of each other. Javani and Ree, with their own agendas, are caught up right in the middle of this melee. Sounds something like the Magnificent Seven set-up huh? But with enough original twists in the tale, David Wragg owns this terrific western fantasy that is just so much fun to read and barrels headlong into the wild lands of mayhem and breakneck action, sweeping us readers along for the ride. 

The story doesn't really pay homage to classic western themes like the neo-colonial adventures and actually takes an axe to the toxic masculinity that underlines such stories set in the wild wild west. Instead, David chooses to go with not just one but two female leads and enough women characters in this western adventure. I found that a refreshing change and found myself warming up to the two women protagonists trying to survive against a formidable set of foes, all hell bent on bringing them down. So Ree comes across as a mysterious woman, fleeing from her past, a hard flint-eyed practical and fierce woman who doesn't flinch in the face of danger. A woman sworn to her secrets and who would die to protect them. Including her ward, the young girl Javani, a precocious teenager who wants just the opposite from life, to basically get away from this sleepy outpost and go on a spree of adventures. 

Their opposing views on life makes for some solid banter between these two and despite everything that happens at a breakneck pace all around them, their emotional bond is the most endearing and tender core of the story. The world building isn't really the strongest in this story ( well, not yet I must say, as we are definitely seeing more of the world in the rest of the trilogy!) but the stupendously executed action scenes more than makes up for the lack of scenery of this dry barren landscape. Wragg packs in glorious pandemonium scene after scene as the multiple "villains" try their best to capture their "prize" and neutralise all threats to their mission. The story is not as grimdark as Wragg's previous novels with him having chosen to write a more straightforward heart-pounding adventure set in the frontier lands, rather than focus on the morality of the characters. The black and white lines are quite clearly drawn. Among the side characters, the brother-sister duo is definitely the more interesting. Aki, a man who believes that he is the chosen avatar of the Goddess on earth to quell any sorts of evil, is a man given to eloquent speeches and stories about the good versus evil. And this leads to many hilarious situations. His sister Anashe on the other hand, is the more practical one but her devotion to Aki is pure. Another aspect of how Wragg can easily slip in delightful moments of love and affection in between the absolute chaos that prevails through the book. 

The Hunters is a book you will go in, thinking this one's going to be a light read - a romp at breakneck pace with rogue characters baying for each others' blood, mad galloping chases through sandstorms and a lot of terrific fights. Yes, you get all this but as you read, you pause for the beautiful bonds that you discover between the characters, the heartache for me was real. Wragg leads us masterfully through this dustbowl liberally sprinkling in some unbelievable action sequences, uplifting humour and heart wrenching emotions. I thoroughly enjoyed The Hunters, this opening salvo in the Tales of the Plains and I cannot wait to see more of Ree and Javani on their next set of adventures.