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gatun's review against another edition
5.0
This anthology is very good. The stories include:
DEVIL DOGS by Tim Lebbon
STONEWALL'S LAST STAND by Jeremy Robinson
REMATCH by Steve Perry
MAY BLOOD PAVE MY WAY HOME by Weston Ochse (one of my favorites)
STORM BLOOD by Peter J. Wacks and David Boop
LAST REPORT FROM THE KSS PSYCHOPOMP by Jennifer Brozek
SKELD'S KEEP by S. D. Perry (very good)
INDIGENOUS SPECIES by Kevin J. Anderson
BLOOD AND SAND by Mira Grant
TIN WARRIORS by John Shirley
THREE SPARKS by Larry Correia
THE PILOT by Andrew Mayne
BUFFALO JUMP by Wendy N. Wagner (very good)
DRUG WAR by Bryan Thomas Schmidt and Holly Roberds (meh but still good)
RECON by Dayton Ward
GAMEWORLD by Jonathan Maberry
All the narration was wonderful. It all reminds me of the Nights of the Living Dead: An Anthology. I really enjoyed that one too. It is difficult to create a solid anthology where the majority of stories are very good. This anthology does that.
DEVIL DOGS by Tim Lebbon
STONEWALL'S LAST STAND by Jeremy Robinson
REMATCH by Steve Perry
MAY BLOOD PAVE MY WAY HOME by Weston Ochse (one of my favorites)
STORM BLOOD by Peter J. Wacks and David Boop
LAST REPORT FROM THE KSS PSYCHOPOMP by Jennifer Brozek
SKELD'S KEEP by S. D. Perry (very good)
INDIGENOUS SPECIES by Kevin J. Anderson
BLOOD AND SAND by Mira Grant
TIN WARRIORS by John Shirley
THREE SPARKS by Larry Correia
THE PILOT by Andrew Mayne
BUFFALO JUMP by Wendy N. Wagner (very good)
DRUG WAR by Bryan Thomas Schmidt and Holly Roberds (meh but still good)
RECON by Dayton Ward
GAMEWORLD by Jonathan Maberry
All the narration was wonderful. It all reminds me of the Nights of the Living Dead: An Anthology. I really enjoyed that one too. It is difficult to create a solid anthology where the majority of stories are very good. This anthology does that.
john87's review against another edition
2.0
There's only so many times you can repeat the exact same formulae across multiple short stories before it becomes an exercise in sheer endurance. Especially when every scenario, no matter how novel, ends up so similar to the last one.
As such this anthology features about two or three tales worth your time with the rest serving as filler. While it's all competently written I would've much preferred fewer, more expanded, stories rather than the scattershot approach of sixteen we've gotten with If It Bleeds instead. A Yautja encounter during hurricane Katrina, as outlandish as that sounds, could have been interesting yet it follows the exact same plot beats as the stories set during the Vietnam war, the American Civil war or feudal Japan.
That said, if you go in with low expectations and spread these out over a longer period you might get more enjoyment out of it. For me however I had forgotten most of these shorts as soon as I turned the page to start the next one...
As such this anthology features about two or three tales worth your time with the rest serving as filler. While it's all competently written I would've much preferred fewer, more expanded, stories rather than the scattershot approach of sixteen we've gotten with If It Bleeds instead. A Yautja encounter during hurricane Katrina, as outlandish as that sounds, could have been interesting yet it follows the exact same plot beats as the stories set during the Vietnam war, the American Civil war or feudal Japan.
That said, if you go in with low expectations and spread these out over a longer period you might get more enjoyment out of it. For me however I had forgotten most of these shorts as soon as I turned the page to start the next one...
shegotlost's review against another edition
2.0
My personal highlights:
•Stonewalls's last stand by Jeremy Robinson
•Skeld's Keep by S. D. Perry
•Three Sparks by Larry Correia
There's nothing wrong with the stories they're mostly okay some better than others, but after a while it's like you're reading the same story over and over again...and yeah, that was pretty much what I expected (sort of) after reading a Alien vs Predator anthology, but it was still disappointing to find out that this would be the case, because while I was hoping a general formula in the stories, I also had high hopes that the formula would only be present in some stories, not almost all of them.
It just that i feel that is a shame that the authors of the stories has limited themselves to the most basic scenarios rather than tried to innovate or be more creative (i would be the first to recognize that i'm not a hardcore fan of the franchise and i don't have any idea of how "purist" the fans are so maybe the authors are constricted for that reason).
Also why are the humans always on top? somebody please explain to me because it just ...seems fake. And the lack of Yautja POVs is shameful and yes the title implies that we are to root for the humans but a full story in the hunter perspective is not much to ask right?
•Stonewalls's last stand by Jeremy Robinson
•Skeld's Keep by S. D. Perry
•Three Sparks by Larry Correia
There's nothing wrong with the stories they're mostly okay some better than others, but after a while it's like you're reading the same story over and over again...and yeah, that was pretty much what I expected (sort of) after reading a Alien vs Predator anthology, but it was still disappointing to find out that this would be the case, because while I was hoping a general formula in the stories, I also had high hopes that the formula would only be present in some stories, not almost all of them.
It just that i feel that is a shame that the authors of the stories has limited themselves to the most basic scenarios rather than tried to innovate or be more creative (i would be the first to recognize that i'm not a hardcore fan of the franchise and i don't have any idea of how "purist" the fans are so maybe the authors are constricted for that reason).
Also why are the humans always on top? somebody please explain to me because it just ...seems fake. And the lack of Yautja POVs is shameful and yes the title implies that we are to root for the humans but a full story in the hunter perspective is not much to ask right?
amy_da1sy's review against another edition
4.0
I honestly really loved the majority of the stories in this short collection. Much better then I had expected
tabitalk's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 ⭐️ some stories were better than others. But overall I enjoyed it
texaswolfman's review against another edition
5.0
Predator vs Samurai/Viking/Buffalo Soldiers
Fantastic
Fantastic
itcamefromthepage's review against another edition
4.0
Really a stupendous collection of short stories, many of which serve as either prequels or sequels to pre-existing stories in the Predator universe. The stories are incredibly varied and unique, traversing vastly different time periods. One of the rare short story collections where no stories included within it are duds, all are solidly entertaining!
Favourite Story: Rematch by Steve Perry. Funny enough I own but have not read Predator: Turnabout yet and this story serves as a sequel. Despite not having any knowledge of the events or characters beforehand I had a wonderful time. Turnabout will definitely be high up on my list to read this year.
Least Favourite Story: Three Sparks by Larry Correia. Not a bad story by any means but compared to the others it tries to tie in greater historical importance that doesn't entirely work for me. That being said that element really only comes out in the final few lines of the story, everything that precedes that is fantastic.
If you're a fan of Predator at all it's worth checking out, you really see just how adaptable the character/framework is.
Favourite Story: Rematch by Steve Perry. Funny enough I own but have not read Predator: Turnabout yet and this story serves as a sequel. Despite not having any knowledge of the events or characters beforehand I had a wonderful time. Turnabout will definitely be high up on my list to read this year.
Least Favourite Story: Three Sparks by Larry Correia. Not a bad story by any means but compared to the others it tries to tie in greater historical importance that doesn't entirely work for me. That being said that element really only comes out in the final few lines of the story, everything that precedes that is fantastic.
If you're a fan of Predator at all it's worth checking out, you really see just how adaptable the character/framework is.
wyrmbergmalcolm's review against another edition
4.0
As a short story collection, it would only be fair to give thoughts on each story, so here goes:
Story Name: DevilDogs by Tim Lebbon
What is it about? A squad off colonial marines are tasked with a retrieval mission on a remote research station.
Thoughts: This one read very much like an aliens story. Right up to the appearance of the Yaujta. Actually, even then, the feeling remained. Mixed in with the violence and action is quite a hard look on the liberties humanity feels like it can take.
Score: Worth reading
Story Name: Stonewall’s Last Stand by Jeremy Robson
What is it about? A scouting mission during the American Civil War encounters a Devil in the woods.
Thoughts: This was an enjoyable reworking of the original film as if it were based in 1863 and with some of the hunting gear from Predator 2. It certainly felt as if it were inspired by the pistol given as a trophy at the end of Predator 2. A solid Predator story.
Score: Buy the book for this story
Story Name: Rematch by Steve Perry
What is it about? A Yaujta and her mate hunt down an ooman who had not only survived a previous encounter, but had also killed the hunter.
Thoughts: This is told in from two main perspectives, the humans’ and the predators’ and this does add a nice element with the predators’ interactions with one another. It’s interesting that Steve Perry has changed the lore he set down in his Aliens vs. Predator: Prey novel where the females dominate over the males and see the hunting is beneath them by having a female involved in this hunt.
It’s well paced with a hand bunch of useless oomans for the predators to butcher (literally as a stretching warm up exercise). The tension was well strung and the survival of any of the oomans we cared about was never certain, but then neither was it for the predators either.
Score: Buy the book for this story
Story Name: May Blood Pave My Way Home by Weston Ochse
What is it about? The story follows a band of Buffalo Soldiers based in Central Mexico during the 1916 Punitive Expedition. After an altercation with the native Comanches, four soldiers find themselves in a duelling match against four Ya-OOT-ja to the death.
Thoughts: Despite being based in a battle I’ve never heard of, I found myself quickly invested in this story. The link of the predators to the native Comanche’s was, perhaps, a little tenuous but still believable enough to make sense. The duel itself was refreshing in that I’d not seen predators in a straight-up one-on-one fair(ish) fight. (Unless you count the yakuza in the film Predators.) I also greatly appreciated the handy phonetic spelling of Yautja (I’ve always read it as Yowtcha).
Score: Worth reading
Story Name: Storm Blood by Peter J. Wacks and David Boop
What is it about? Based in New Orleans during the height of Storm Catrina, a rescue team save an unconscious boy with some disturbing footage on his camera.
Thoughts: Even though there was no heist this had a resonant feeling of the film Hard Rain starring Christian Slater and Morgan Freeman. This story is a little bit different in that it’s not a Yaujta hunting the people. There’s something else, and the Yautja is hunting that. I can’t say more than that plot-wise, but I can say that the story was very enjoyable, and the creature is an interesting one. It started off using the found footage trope, but thankfully passed that and got on with telling the story properly. Exciting stuff.
Score: Worth reading
Story Name: Last Report From The KSS Psychopomp by Jennifer Brozek
What is it about? A salvage crew board a derelict scavenger ship, but they’re not alone on board.
Thoughts: This one probably was less impactful as it features in a compilation of Predator stories so you know exactly what’s in store for our hapless space crew. Indeed, this story does play out as expected and this could have had any alien nasty as the ‘monster’ in this one. I still found the action exciting and appreciated the uncertainty as to who, if anyone, would survive.
Score: Worth reading
Story Name: Skeld’s Keep by S. D. Perry
What is it about? In 820 AD a retired predator leads three newly blooded youngsters on a hunt for Viking oomans.
Thoughts: The story is told from two perspectives, the Vikings’ and the predators’. The Vikings are attempting to take the titular keep that has been ravaged by a mysterious disease. The action is understandably graphic and visceral with lots of bladed weapons encountering those fragile human bodies. The battle did have a certain A Song Of Ice And Fire feel to it. My only issue was that there was no real explanation as to what the illness was.
Score: Worth reading
Story Name: Indigenous Species by Kevin J. Anderson
What is it about? A colony on the brink of survival finds itself in the middle of a hunt between the planet’s top predator and the Yautja.
Thoughts: This was very reminiscent of Aliens Vs. Predator: Prey by Steve & Stephanie Perry in that the basic premise is the same. The only difference is that the gruzzlies are already native to the planet and the Yautja come specifically to hunt them. I enjoyed the
Score: Buy the book for this story
Story Name: Blood And Sand by Mira Grant
What is it about? Two orphans who live with their abusive aunt and uncle find a change in fortune when a mysterious star lands nearby.
Thoughts: This was a satisfying tale that suggest that the Yautja are more aware of humanity’s shortcomings than we would have thought.
Score: Worth reading
Story Name: Tin Warrior by John Shirly
What is it about? A soldier who has stood up against a superior officer finds himself testing a reverse-engineered suit of Yaujta armour, against a captive Yaujta.
Thoughts: Anther interesting concept that doesn’t quite go in the expected directions. I found myself rooting for the Yaujta as much as I did the soldier.
Score: Worth reading
Story Name: Three Sparks by Larry Correia
What is it about? A rogue samurai is given the task of hunting down the Oni of Aokigahara, a forest demon that kills and skins it’s human victims.
Thoughts: A very compelling tale that feels like a retelling of Predator but with a forest instead of a jungle and samurai with swords instead of soldiers with guns. And no chopper, obviously. This was very enjoyable and highly satisfying.
Score: Buy the book for this story
Story Name: The Pilot by Andrew Mayne
What is it about? When a downed American pilot captured by the Russians attempts to escape his captors, he discovers that his fellow prisoner hails from a little further than China as he initially believed.
Thoughts: Easily the best story in this collection so far. The character’s plight was believable and felt authentic from the start. His escape was thrilling and when he joins forces with the otherworldly captive the action is exciting and so well realised through his eyes. I enjoyed this one immensely.
Score: Storytastic!
Story Name: Buffalo Jump by Wendy M. Wagner
What is it about? It’s the wild west and the local sheriff of a small town is approached by a gang from his past.
Thoughts: What happens when a standard Western story is suddenly hijacked by an alien influence. Well, apart from Coyboys and Aliens, this. The story develops naturally as a standard Western with the sheriff standing up to a gang, and then embarking on rescuing a child from a kidnap situation. Then blood starts happening. I enjoyed the unique method used to get the better of the Yautja and again there was an nice insight into how the predators view humanity.
Score: Worth reading
Story Name: Drug War by Bryan Thomas Schmidt & Holly Roberds
What is it about? Twenty years after Predator 2 Harrigan and Garber find themselves facing a familiar threat.
Thoughts: I do appreciate it when a story can tie into established cannon. I like Predator 2 a lot and I thought it great that we had a return of Harrigan. Just like the film, this features a lot of explosive urban combat making this exciting and adrenalin-filled. The final twist was a delight.
Score: Buy the book for this story
Story Name: Recon by Dayron Ward
What is it about? A recon squad deep in the Vietnam jungle find that they’re up against not just the Vietnamese.
Thoughts: Another story heavily influenced by Predator. The characters were a little lacking in their characterisation and the story didn’t really play out much differently to how it does in Predator. It was enjoyable enough and still manages to stand out from the other stories in this collection.
Score: Worth reading.
Story Name: Gameworld by Jonathan Maberry
What is it about? Set in the future on a privately-owned world where an illegal fight arena pits combatants against enhanced dangerous animals. All goes well until a Yautja is made to fight.
Thoughts: This one had quite a bit of build-up, which again was undermined by featuring in a book with a Yautja on the front cover. However, even knowing that the lead character was going to be duelling against a Yautja, the action was still exciting with a Sherlock Holmes level of detail in the combat. The twist in this was very enjoyable, if a little anticipated.
Score: Worth reading.
Final thoughts:
Wow, this was a very enjoyable read were even the worst story was still worth reading. After the disappointing repetitiveness of the short story collection Aliens: Bug Hunt, this was a very pleasant surprise.
Story Name: DevilDogs by Tim Lebbon
What is it about? A squad off colonial marines are tasked with a retrieval mission on a remote research station.
Thoughts: This one read very much like an aliens story. Right up to the appearance of the Yaujta. Actually, even then, the feeling remained. Mixed in with the violence and action is quite a hard look on the liberties humanity feels like it can take.
Score: Worth reading
Story Name: Stonewall’s Last Stand by Jeremy Robson
What is it about? A scouting mission during the American Civil War encounters a Devil in the woods.
Thoughts: This was an enjoyable reworking of the original film as if it were based in 1863 and with some of the hunting gear from Predator 2. It certainly felt as if it were inspired by the pistol given as a trophy at the end of Predator 2. A solid Predator story.
Score: Buy the book for this story
Story Name: Rematch by Steve Perry
What is it about? A Yaujta and her mate hunt down an ooman who had not only survived a previous encounter, but had also killed the hunter.
Thoughts: This is told in from two main perspectives, the humans’ and the predators’ and this does add a nice element with the predators’ interactions with one another. It’s interesting that Steve Perry has changed the lore he set down in his Aliens vs. Predator: Prey novel where the females dominate over the males and see the hunting is beneath them by having a female involved in this hunt.
It’s well paced with a hand bunch of useless oomans for the predators to butcher (literally as a stretching warm up exercise). The tension was well strung and the survival of any of the oomans we cared about was never certain, but then neither was it for the predators either.
Score: Buy the book for this story
Story Name: May Blood Pave My Way Home by Weston Ochse
What is it about? The story follows a band of Buffalo Soldiers based in Central Mexico during the 1916 Punitive Expedition. After an altercation with the native Comanches, four soldiers find themselves in a duelling match against four Ya-OOT-ja to the death.
Thoughts: Despite being based in a battle I’ve never heard of, I found myself quickly invested in this story. The link of the predators to the native Comanche’s was, perhaps, a little tenuous but still believable enough to make sense. The duel itself was refreshing in that I’d not seen predators in a straight-up one-on-one fair(ish) fight. (Unless you count the yakuza in the film Predators.) I also greatly appreciated the handy phonetic spelling of Yautja (I’ve always read it as Yowtcha).
Score: Worth reading
Story Name: Storm Blood by Peter J. Wacks and David Boop
What is it about? Based in New Orleans during the height of Storm Catrina, a rescue team save an unconscious boy with some disturbing footage on his camera.
Thoughts: Even though there was no heist this had a resonant feeling of the film Hard Rain starring Christian Slater and Morgan Freeman. This story is a little bit different in that it’s not a Yaujta hunting the people. There’s something else, and the Yautja is hunting that. I can’t say more than that plot-wise, but I can say that the story was very enjoyable, and the creature is an interesting one. It started off using the found footage trope, but thankfully passed that and got on with telling the story properly. Exciting stuff.
Score: Worth reading
Story Name: Last Report From The KSS Psychopomp by Jennifer Brozek
What is it about? A salvage crew board a derelict scavenger ship, but they’re not alone on board.
Thoughts: This one probably was less impactful as it features in a compilation of Predator stories so you know exactly what’s in store for our hapless space crew. Indeed, this story does play out as expected and this could have had any alien nasty as the ‘monster’ in this one. I still found the action exciting and appreciated the uncertainty as to who, if anyone, would survive.
Score: Worth reading
Story Name: Skeld’s Keep by S. D. Perry
What is it about? In 820 AD a retired predator leads three newly blooded youngsters on a hunt for Viking oomans.
Thoughts: The story is told from two perspectives, the Vikings’ and the predators’. The Vikings are attempting to take the titular keep that has been ravaged by a mysterious disease. The action is understandably graphic and visceral with lots of bladed weapons encountering those fragile human bodies. The battle did have a certain A Song Of Ice And Fire feel to it. My only issue was that there was no real explanation as to what the illness was.
Score: Worth reading
Story Name: Indigenous Species by Kevin J. Anderson
What is it about? A colony on the brink of survival finds itself in the middle of a hunt between the planet’s top predator and the Yautja.
Thoughts: This was very reminiscent of Aliens Vs. Predator: Prey by Steve & Stephanie Perry in that the basic premise is the same. The only difference is that the gruzzlies are already native to the planet and the Yautja come specifically to hunt them. I enjoyed the
Score: Buy the book for this story
Story Name: Blood And Sand by Mira Grant
What is it about? Two orphans who live with their abusive aunt and uncle find a change in fortune when a mysterious star lands nearby.
Thoughts: This was a satisfying tale that suggest that the Yautja are more aware of humanity’s shortcomings than we would have thought.
Score: Worth reading
Story Name: Tin Warrior by John Shirly
What is it about? A soldier who has stood up against a superior officer finds himself testing a reverse-engineered suit of Yaujta armour, against a captive Yaujta.
Thoughts: Anther interesting concept that doesn’t quite go in the expected directions. I found myself rooting for the Yaujta as much as I did the soldier.
Score: Worth reading
Story Name: Three Sparks by Larry Correia
What is it about? A rogue samurai is given the task of hunting down the Oni of Aokigahara, a forest demon that kills and skins it’s human victims.
Thoughts: A very compelling tale that feels like a retelling of Predator but with a forest instead of a jungle and samurai with swords instead of soldiers with guns. And no chopper, obviously. This was very enjoyable and highly satisfying.
Score: Buy the book for this story
Story Name: The Pilot by Andrew Mayne
What is it about? When a downed American pilot captured by the Russians attempts to escape his captors, he discovers that his fellow prisoner hails from a little further than China as he initially believed.
Thoughts: Easily the best story in this collection so far. The character’s plight was believable and felt authentic from the start. His escape was thrilling and when he joins forces with the otherworldly captive the action is exciting and so well realised through his eyes. I enjoyed this one immensely.
Score: Storytastic!
Story Name: Buffalo Jump by Wendy M. Wagner
What is it about? It’s the wild west and the local sheriff of a small town is approached by a gang from his past.
Thoughts: What happens when a standard Western story is suddenly hijacked by an alien influence. Well, apart from Coyboys and Aliens, this. The story develops naturally as a standard Western with the sheriff standing up to a gang, and then embarking on rescuing a child from a kidnap situation. Then blood starts happening. I enjoyed the unique method used to get the better of the Yautja and again there was an nice insight into how the predators view humanity.
Score: Worth reading
Story Name: Drug War by Bryan Thomas Schmidt & Holly Roberds
What is it about? Twenty years after Predator 2 Harrigan and Garber find themselves facing a familiar threat.
Thoughts: I do appreciate it when a story can tie into established cannon. I like Predator 2 a lot and I thought it great that we had a return of Harrigan. Just like the film, this features a lot of explosive urban combat making this exciting and adrenalin-filled. The final twist was a delight.
Score: Buy the book for this story
Story Name: Recon by Dayron Ward
What is it about? A recon squad deep in the Vietnam jungle find that they’re up against not just the Vietnamese.
Thoughts: Another story heavily influenced by Predator. The characters were a little lacking in their characterisation and the story didn’t really play out much differently to how it does in Predator. It was enjoyable enough and still manages to stand out from the other stories in this collection.
Score: Worth reading.
Story Name: Gameworld by Jonathan Maberry
What is it about? Set in the future on a privately-owned world where an illegal fight arena pits combatants against enhanced dangerous animals. All goes well until a Yautja is made to fight.
Thoughts: This one had quite a bit of build-up, which again was undermined by featuring in a book with a Yautja on the front cover. However, even knowing that the lead character was going to be duelling against a Yautja, the action was still exciting with a Sherlock Holmes level of detail in the combat. The twist in this was very enjoyable, if a little anticipated.
Score: Worth reading.
Final thoughts:
Wow, this was a very enjoyable read were even the worst story was still worth reading. After the disappointing repetitiveness of the short story collection Aliens: Bug Hunt, this was a very pleasant surprise.
arrasisabell's review against another edition
3.0
Some of the stories in here are good enough to be 4 stars, but not enough for the overall rating to be.
The last story in particular I didn’t find very enjoyable in comparison to a few of the others.
I was pleased by Mira Grant’s contribution, an author I can be confident in.
Though, I would’ve liked if a couple more stories included the pov of the predator, it adds another element.
The last story in particular I didn’t find very enjoyable in comparison to a few of the others.
I was pleased by Mira Grant’s contribution, an author I can be confident in.
Though, I would’ve liked if a couple more stories included the pov of the predator, it adds another element.