Hunters of the Red Moon [Paperback]

While this novel takes what is now a cliche concept - take a random group of diverse "people", throw them together in a dire situation and let them make the best of a bad situation, I'd like to think that this one is different enough that you could go look for it yourself.

Keeping in mind that this book was written 30 years ago, it is still not outdated. Space travel is still somewhere in the future, and some of the ideas Marion had back then are still likely to happen.

I thoroughly enjoyed her naming conventions for similar races (protosimians are humanlike species, protofelines are cat like races, protosaurians are based on reptillian species, etc) and the concept of the hunt is still a terrific idea.

The race known (and barely so) for hunting is the mystery that keeps you intrigued, but not necessarily the key point of entertainment itself. As noted, the hunt only endures the final third of the novel. The first two thirds of the novel are purely character interaction, and the depth of these characters in who they are, how they live and what they want of their lot in life is very clear.

Dane is an adventurer. Unfortunately everything worth doing on Earth has been done. But he does what's already been done because he loves the adventure. At one point he asks himself if perhaps he's merely an adrenaline junkie - but it is clear that he is! Still, he's a reasonable man, and has a strong sense of right and wrong.

Dallith, however, is an empath and for good reason, empaths from Spica IV rarely leave their planet. Marion has put a lot of thought into how an empath would react to various situations. The despair of her cellmates is the first reaction we see her emulate, through to the strong will of Dane, through to the anger of the Mekkhars (cat-men) - and this is merely on the ship! In training we see more of her character than in the cell, because she begins voicing her own opinion. And then of course, everything climaxes in the hunt. So does Dallith's emotion.

Rhianna is a strong willed woman that Marion loves to use as a stereotype, from what I have read. She is headstrong, yet supple. She is a warrior, fierce yet kind. Typical of an Amazon stereotype, she perfers the spear and close combat self defence.

Aratak is definitely one of my favourite characters - he is a ten foot tall protosaurian with glowing gills and philosophy to learn from. There are as many proverbs thrown in for amusement as combats, and the wise egg has something to say about every known situation - if you listen to Aratak long enough. Aratak is a peaceful creature by nature, but is devastating when desperation takes its course.

Even Cliff-Climber becomes a loved character once he is bested in close combat by Rhianna - merely a protosimian, and a female at that! But Cliff Climber has a strong sense of honour, not unlike the samurai that Dane ends up envying through the honour of using a sword.

The hunt itself is the culmination of the characters - the primitive still hidden within the civilised people. We see how our loved characters come out of their shell when it comes to the crunch. How the nerves and wit of five sacred prey manage to have anyone come out alive after 11 solid days of never knowing what is going on. Always being hunted, and never knowing who is the hunter, or who is actually a sacred prey like themself.

Marion throws in a lot of hidden philosophy on the standards of mankind which I could still relate to 30 years down the trail. She is truly a genious, and when she partners with her brother - a combat specialist, there is no stopping a good story, and no putting it down til you finish. And if you have read any of Paul's novels you'll know that this could not possibly end without a combat of epic proportions.

Others have summarized the plot. I'll just reiterate that this book is a great way to spend a few hours if you're a sci-fi or fantasy fan.