The multitudes of Gary Paulsen fans (or more accurately, Brian fans) will be thrilled to find that the author has penned yet another story about Brian Robeson. Although Paulsen once claimed that he would "write no more about Brian," he seems to have been softened by the "staggering amounts of mail from readers" begging for more about the teen who is more at home alone in the wilderness than in the hustle and bustle of city life. In Brian’s Hunt, the 16-year-old returns to the remote woods and lakes of Canada, where he encounters a mysteriously injured dog. His experiences two years earlier, after surviving a plane crash and months alone with only a hatchet to protect and provide for himself (Hatchet, Brian’s Winter, etc.), have prepared him well to survive now. But can anything prime him for the horror that awaits him on an island campsite where he intends to meet his Cree friends?

This short episode is rife with the kind of gritty--even gruesome--details readers have come to expect from the Newbery Honor author. In an afterword, Paulsen reminds readers that he bases his stories on personal experiences and his extensive knowledge of the wild side of nature.

Confidential to avid fans: an intimation of romance amid all the rugged drama hints that this will not be the last Brian book, either. (Ages 10 to 13) --Emilie Coulter

From School Library Journal
Grade 6-9-In an author's note, Paulsen explains why he decided to reopen the story first begun in Hatchet (Bradbury, 1987). In this short installment, Brian, now 16, is back in the wilderness and encounters a savagely wounded dog. He makes his way to the lake island home of the Cree man he met in Brian's Return (Delacorte, 1999), where he discovers the tragedy that led to the dog's liberation. David and his wife have been partially eaten by a bear, which necessitates the hunt mentioned in the title and described in the final chapter. Throughout, the protagonist frequently remembers events from his original stranding, alludes to the problems he had faced trying to return to "civilization," and ultimately explains the special arrangement by which he has returned to the "bush" instead of high school. Although the story does stand alone, these many references will make the audience want to read (or reread) the earlier books. This story is not as well developed as the other episodes but it is a must-read for the hordes of existing Hatchet fans out there, and it may also serve to draw some new readers into the fold. An afterword discusses bear behavior and Paulsen's experiences with these animals.Sean George, Memphis-Shelby County Public Library & Information Center, Memphis, TNCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
Just when you thought Brian's adventures were finished, Paulsen gives his readers one more tale in the Canadian wilderness. Most of the story is written as Brian's thoughts, and Ron McLarty does a pleasing job narrating Brian's haunting and reflective inner voice. This type of narration is difficult, yet his tone is just right, and when Brian does speak, his narration changes suitably. In this tale, Brian returns to the wilderness after becoming disenchanted with the civilized world. At the end of the book, Paulsen explains that this book was written in response to the many letters he received asking for more Brian stories. BRIAN'S HUNT tells of the main character's quest for his place in the world and his connection to Mother Earth. D.L.M. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
Gr. 6-10. Brian's back. And why not? After all, the hero of Hatchet, The River, Brian's Winter, and Brian's Return has by now become such a veteran survivor that even Paulsen's declaration (in Brian's Return) that he was done with his durable hero wasn't enough to keep the kid from an encore appearance. Brian, now 16, seems older than his years, a mighty hunter worthy of Hemingway. He turns his back on the so-called "civilized" world of his parents and retreats to the Canadian wilderness, at one with nature again. This time he rescues an injured dog and nurses it back to health. Lucky pooch. Less fortunate, Brian soon learns, are the Cree friends he met in earlier adventures. Their fate is the catalyst for the hunt of Brian's life. Less a novel than a very long short story, Paulsen's latest will satisfy his many fans, though it may be too slow to start and too obviously structured to win new friends for Brian. Michael Cart
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM OUR EDITORS

Brian's back! Gary Paulsen's nature-loving hero -- a hit with readers in bestsellers like Hatchet and Brian's River -- becomes a hunter with a mission in this suspenseful, adventurous novel that will keep you alert until the very end. With storytelling prowess that shoots as straight as an arrow, Paulsen takes his character back to the Canadian woods, where Brian lives off the land in the hope of connecting with nature. Brian keeps busy taking in his surroundings and hunting northern pike, but when a stray, battered dog suddenly appears, the curious boy patches up its wounds and decides to learn where it comes from. At first -- with the aid of senses sharpened by the wilderness -- Brian finds it easy enough to uncover the dog's past, but after he makes a gruesome discovery, the boy quickly becomes the hunter in a matter of life and death. Paulsen's newest Brian book hits the mark dead-on with powerful themes, pitting the hero against nature while exploring the bond between humans and dogs. The author thoughtfully includes an afterword, and with plenty of action and descriptive hunting scenes in this quick-moving novel, Paulsen's fans will surely be thirsty for more.

ANNOTATION

Two years after having survived a plane crash into the Canadian wilderness, a sixteen-year-old returns to the wild to befriend a wounded dog and hunt a rogue bear.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Millions of readers of Hatchet, The River, Brian's Winter, and Brian's Return know that Brian Robeson is at home in the Canadian wilderness. He has stood up to the challenge of surviving alone in the woods. He prefers being on his own in the natural world to civilization.

When Brian finds a dog one night, a dog that is wounded and whimpering, he senses danger. The dog is badly hurt, and as Brian cares for it, he worries about his Cree friends who live north of his camp. His instincts tell him to head north, quickly. With his new companion at his side, and with a terrible, growing sense of unease, he sets out to learn what happened. He sets out on the hunt.

FROM THE CRITICS

The Washington Post

As always, Paulsen spins a fast-paced tale, characterized by a refusal either to soften the often gruesome details of life in the bush (here, partially eaten bodies, wounds riddled with fly eggs and worms) or to romanticize wildlife (in this case, bears). — Elizabeth Ward

Publishers Weekly

In Gary Paulsen's latest, Brian's Hunt, Brian has traveled back to his beloved Canadian wilderness. Although Brian's Return (2001) was to be the last in the series, here the acclaimed hero hunts for a bear that has attacked his friends. With an ever-reverent view toward the power of nature, the author delivers another suspenseful adventure. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature - Karen Leggett

Brian is back, even though Gary Paulsen acknowledges that he had said there would be no more Brian books. Brian is back in the wilderness because he just could not fit into civilization, even though he has a new appreciation for learning and even for schooling. Now he is homeschooling himself in the wilderness, with books but also with the natural world around him. The story is rich with detail and demands the same patience of the reader that the natural world demands of Brian as he goes from "looking at a northern pike under a lily pad to actually eating one." Brian finds an injured dog and gives himself some on-the-job training in stitching up the dog's wounds. The story becomes very grisly and quite graphic when Brian learns what caused the wounds. As always, Gary Paulsen gives his young readers a full plate of suspense, life in the wild, and thoughtful introspection. The story will keep Brian fans reading into the wee hours and eager for more. 2003, Wendy Lamb Books, Ages 10 to 15.

VOYA - Kathleen Beck

Paulsen must feel about Brian Robeson the way Arthur Conan Doyle did about Sherlock Holmes: Fans just will not let him go. The fifth book in the series finds Brian again in his canoe, headed into the Canadian wilderness. Brian's solitude is interrupted by the appearance of a badly wounded dog, plainly the victim of a bear. Succumbing to the charm of this canine companion, Brian deduces that she might belong to a Cree family, which had previously befriended him and which spends summers in the area. Hastening to the family's camp, he makes a grisly discovery. The evidence of a savage bear attack propels him into the deadliest hunt of his life. More an extended short story than a novel, this tale reflects Paulsen's love for the wilderness and for dogs as well as his easy familiarity with survival techniques. The story rings true because the author plainly knows whereof he speaks, and this authenticity is a big part of its appeal. Like Hemingway's Nick Adams stories, the Brian books reveal nature and humankind's place in it with spare prose that seems ideally suited to the setting and plot. Reluctant readers will find this book manageable, would-be outdoors types will enjoy the details of hunting and fishing, and educators will appreciate the plug for self-directed learning. Paulsen does not sanitize wilderness life: It is dirty and dangerous. But his lyrical descriptions of the woods and lakes will make frazzled city dwellers long to jump in a canoe and head north along with Brian. VOYA CODES: 4Q 5P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Every YA (who reads) was dying to read it yesterday; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9).2003, Wendy Lamb Books/Random House, 112p., and PLB Ages 11 to 15.

KLIATT - Paula Rohrlick