‘Predator: Big Game’ – Sandy Schofield (Titan Books)

It’s time to pay one final call on the ‘Predator’ Omnibus before I lend it to my daughter for a spot of ‘Summer Holiday Reading’. I think it’s the perfect book for reading in the sun, by the way, but I’ve got a feeling that you reached that conclusion long before I did. I’m always the last one to the party ;o) But anyway…

I went into ‘Big Game’ with the scores level across the collection as a whole. ‘Concrete Jungle’ knew its job and did it well, ‘Cold War’ wasn’t bad but it didn’t really hit the heights that it was aiming for. ‘Big Game’ was going to tip the scales one way or the other then, which way would they fall…?

Deep in the rugged New Mexico desert, a strange craft has landed and a Predator hunts for human prey. For Corporal Enoch Nakai, a Navajo soldier, it is a legend come back to life: the return of the horned monster who was destroyed by the hero Nayenezgani, the mythical monster slayer. Using the wisdom of his ancestors, Nakai will confront the Predator in a final battle worthy of legend. But this time, will the hero emerge the victor?

Which way did those scales fall then…? Well, your mileage may vary but for me, ‘Big Game’ is by far the best entry in this collection. I don’t think we’ll ever come across a ‘Predator’ novel that doesn’t suffer from a nasty case of inevitability (when it comes to hunting humans, Predators don’t fare so well…) but ‘Big Game’ does more than enough to sidestep that issue and just focus on being a lot of fun to read, which it is.

Schofield knows what makes a good ‘Predator’ novel and just concentrates on doing the basics well. It’s an approach that really pays off. I think that if you’re picking up a ‘Predator’ book then what you’re really after is a good hunt and a resourceful lead who is able to turn the tables on the alien threat. And that is exactly what Schofield gives us with a hunt where the ‘hunter’ and ‘hunted’ can switch places very quickly and tension is skilfully applied so as to really make us feel for the prey. And the New Mexico desert becomes a stunning backdrop for this all to play out against. Nakai is a great lead to follow, resourceful enough to prove a worthy adversary but unaware of what the Predator really is at the same time (which for a tense read when he takes risks).

The streak of mysticism, running through the book, is well plotted; giving ‘Big Game’ an identity of it’s own but stopping short of taking on the big themes, which I think is just the right balance to strike.

Out of the three books in the collection, ‘Big Game’ is the one that I’d love to see adapted for the big screen. Mustn’t grumble though, the book is superb and well worth a read, whether you are a fan of the franchise or you’re just after a bit of sci-fi that will demand all your attention when you pick it up. Either way, you’ve got an excellent read ahead of you.