Predator: If It Bleeds - New Predator Anthology

[Russ840]

So I have read Rematch.

Thoroughly enjoyed it .  I had never read turnabout. Didn't bother me though. The Preds seemed to get a whipping but I didn't mind in the slightest.  I was baffled by the lack of Infra red vision that the Preds seemed to display.

I have started Artemis ( Andy Weir's new novel ) this morning so I'll take a small break from Predators. I'm looking forward to coming back to it though.

[BryanThomasS]

Enjoy ARTEMIS. Just got my signed copy. I was Andy's editor on THE MARTIAN.

[Russ840]

Wow. That's cool dude. I am liking the so far. Loved the Martian. Loving 'If It Bleeds' so far.

[The Alien Predator]

I have read up to Storm Blood.

I have been enjoying these very much and am delighted to see the Yautja occasionally speak in their language. Is this something that can be translated? I never read the older books that had their language in them (but I did buy the AvP novel reprint, I haven't gotten to reading it yet.)

I did like that in Rematch, they referenced the Xenomorphs when Nakande mentioned hunting "Kiande Amedha" (Hard-Meat). I also like the use of the term "ooman" across multiple stories, very good. 

One thing stood out to me though, and this is more of a continuity thing but I think I figured out a good reason behind it.

In the Rage War, it is mentioned that humans call them "Yautja" and those books have no connection to the ones done by Steve Perry where the Predators called themselves Yautja. Lebbon's Predators reacted either confused or amused when called that.

Yet in the Anthology, we got Lebbon's Predators who call themselves something else but it's translated as "Yautja", and we got Predators who call themselves verbally as "Ya-OOT-ja". (By the way, well done to the author for using the correct way to pronounce it. The "pronunciation" on the wiki always made me die a little on the inside.)

As was said in Rage War, the Yautja are not a unified race and there's not much contact with clans. They have different languages and dialects, like us. My theory is that we got "Yautja" from one of the clans and lumped them all under that name. Kalakta, Hashori and Yaquita's clans may have spoken a completely different language from the 'Yautja' clans, so they probably have never heard of the name.

Just look at how diverse we are when it comes to the name of our own species. I really like that the authors are treating the Predator species as individuals, and not some hive mind. This is why I welcome the diversity in these stories.

[BryanThomasS]

I was asked by Titan for continuity to use Yautja so that was a rule. How authors reconciled it with existing series was their call. I read Rage War and missed that so it is partially on me but also a Lebbon question.  Sorry. So much to keep track of after reading every Predator novel and comic over 4 months consecutively.

As for the language, there is a wiki of it and I gave that link to my authors to use.  Will try and find it to post here but that is where it came from.

[happypred]

These are my personal opinions of all the stories. These are not in-depth reviews...rather, just my brief thoughts on how much I liked each story.

Spoiler

DEVIL DOGS: Decent story. The Yautja in this story comes across as much deadlier than those in Predator Incursion, despite the powerful human weaponry of the 2600s. The actual plot is a bit forgettable. Haley deals with her substance addiction and psychological issues. Not bad, not great. 

STONEWALL'S LAST STAND: Decent story. Reminded me of Hell Come A-Walkin' in a good way.

REMATCH: I didn't like some aspects of Turnabout. This was worse IMO for the reasons explained above.   

MAY BLOOD PAVE MY WAY HOME: Good story. Interesting premise with human-sized predators (presumably adolescents or pre-adolescents) engaging in gladiatorial combat with Buffalo Soldiers. Nice little twist at the end. Liked it.

STORM BLOOD: Decent story. The choice of prey was interesting. I was expecting predator vs. national guard . . . thankfully, that wasn't the case.

LAST REPORT FROM THE KSS PSYCHOPOMP: Utterly forgettable with disjointed writing. Silly dialogue, forgettable action, forgettable characters. I think this writer is new and it shows. 

SKELD'S KEEP: A gem. Simple, effective, and flavourful. Reminded me of Aliens Stalker in a good way. The human characters are actually pretty cool. Vikings come off as hardened warriors and truly worth prey. The predators do stumble but they're novices. I do like how the novices in this story are not your typical Unblooded Yautja, but are rather freshly Blooded Yautja who have a bit more skill than total amateurs. 

INDIGENOUS SPECIES: Decent story. Not bad, not great. Reminded me of the ranchers on Ryushi. The predators come across as powerful hunters, but the human element is a bit lacklustre. Nothing too memorable, just a serviceable story. 

BLOOD AND SAND: Absolutely terrible. Predator meets Grapes of Wrath meets domestic abuse. Little kids wondering around in the desert.
I appreciate that the writer was trying something new, but it didn't work for me at all. The childish tone (written from the kiddy protagonist's perspective) was a chore to slog through and unintentionally comical.

TIN WARRIOR: Decent story showcasing a resourceful predator antagonist/anti-hero. Reminded me of Predator Captive in a good way.

THREE SPARKS: Good story. We've always wanted predator vs. samurai...well, now we have it (in addition to some comic book scenes IIRC). My only gripe is I don't think a Yautja hunter would avoid close combat with samurai and opt to spam plasma bolts...merely because it lost a finger in a previous duel. Perhaps this hunter was young or simply less faithful to Yautja notions of sportsmanship.

THE PILOT: A gem. Well-written and a cool twist. Some of you might have seen the twist from a mile away, but it pleasantly surprised me. This is the kind of team-up I'll get behind.
 
BUFFALO JUMP: Forgettable. Nothing really stood out. Predator meets the Wild West, but nothing really popped for me.

DRUG WAR: A lot of running, shooting...not much substance. The flamboyant Brazilian character felt pointless and absurd. Garber was wasted. I know writers aren't trying to win the Nobel Prize for Literature with predator fiction...but this felt like a bunch of action with no brain...coasting on fans' nostalgia for Predator 2. I mean, it's serviceable but I expected more.   

RECON: Decent story. Suitably intimidating predator slaughtering VietCong freedom fighters and American invaders alike (Hehe...see what I did there?). Not bad, not great...but still entertaining.

GAMEWORLD: A gem. Well-written with a memorable human protagonist and even a memorable human antagonist. The author has some skill and is good at writing combat. This feels like the least phone in entry. A nice combination of the captive concept with the Predator father-son duo concept. Well-executed. A slight gripe is it could have done without the Yautja-on-Yautja slapping and hugging.

[close]

There you have it. Predator If It Bleeds is a decent first (hopefully not last) anthology. Would like to hear other posters' thoughts on any of the individual stories. 

[BryanThomasS]

Well, thanks, I guess. That was disappointing. Hope others enjoy it more.

[HuDaFuK]

Got through a few more myself. I seem to be making slow going of this, but that's due to the fact I'm currently in one of my don't-feel-like-reading moods, not a reflection on what I think of the book

That said, Indigenous Species might have been my least favourite so far. Not sure why, but I just never bought into the scenario it was painting. In a way it kinda reminded me of the woeful Darkness Falls from Bug Hunt - don't get me wrong, it was nothing like as terrible as that, but I definitely got hints of a similar vibe here. I just thought it was a little immature. Still, it's the only one so far I've been outright disappointed by.

Blood and Sand was a big improvement. Not much story but very well written and I thought the child characters were really well-realised. Not entirely sure how a child managed to outrun a Predator at the end, but ultimately the quality of the writing was enough for me to overlook it.

Loved Tin Warrior. Just a cool set-up and satisfying execution. Liked how single-minded the Predator was once it got off the leash. The author even managed to pull off the bit where it hijacks a Stryker.

If anything, I thought Three Sparks was even better than the previous story. As happypred mentioned, Predators vs. samurais is one a lot of people have been clamouring for, so I'm really glad it didn't wind up being a disappointment. Loved the main character, and the sort-of twist at the end where the shogun bases the entire concept of ninjas on the Predator Hiroto killed was an amusing little detail.

The book is really on a roll at this point, because The Pilot was excellent. Contender for the best so far in my eyes. Great setting, great characters, little bit of mystery and some very welcome (and genuinely funny) darkly comic touches. An unorthodox Predator story with a fantastic (and, again, darkly humorous) ending.

[Corporal Hicks]

Loved Tin Warrior. Just a cool set-up and satisfying execution. Liked how single-minded the Predator was once it got off the leash. The author even managed to pull off the bit where it hijacks a Stryker.

I don't think I've ever disliked the idea of Predator's using our weaponry and tech. I kinda like the idea of a Predator snapping up a rifle when his own kit has been damaged.

[The Alien Predator]

Loved Tin Warrior. Just a cool set-up and satisfying execution. Liked how single-minded the Predator was once it got off the leash. The author even managed to pull off the bit where it hijacks a Stryker.

I don't think I've ever disliked the idea of Predator's using our weaponry and tech. I kinda like the idea of a Predator snapping up a rifle when his own kit has been damaged.

I remember Big Mama using a pulse rifle in the Deadliest of the Species comic, and when she picked up a Colonial Marine, pulled the pins on his grenades and threw him at her pursuers. That was so cool to see.

I too like the idea of them sometimes using our own tools on us. We do it with their stuff so why not the other way around?

[happypred]

The book is really on a roll at this point, because The Pilot was excellent. Contender for the best so far in my eyes. Great setting, great characters, little bit of mystery and some very welcome (and genuinely funny) darkly comic touches. An unorthodox Predator story with a fantastic (and, again, darkly humorous) ending.

Aye, I absolutely loved it..."Ping" is a really cool way to introduce that character. I was genuinely impressed

[Corporal Hicks]

I remember Big Mama using a pulse rifle in the Deadliest of the Species comic, and when she picked up a Colonial Marine, pulled the pins on his grenades and threw him at her pursuers. That was so cool to see.

Honestly, I'd been thinking of Briggs' AvP. I'd forgotten about DotS. Thankfully.

[The Alien Predator]

I remember Big Mama using a pulse rifle in the Deadliest of the Species comic, and when she picked up a Colonial Marine, pulled the pins on his grenades and threw him at her pursuers. That was so cool to see.

Honestly, I'd been thinking of Briggs' AvP. I'd forgotten about DotS. Thankfully.

I also don't remember much of DotS, aside from the plot being confusing as hell. That moment I described was some of the cool things that happened during that comic series.

[GreybackElder]

Loved Tin Warrior. Just a cool set-up and satisfying execution. Liked how single-minded the Predator was once it got off the leash. The author even managed to pull off the bit where it hijacks a Stryker.

I don't think I've ever disliked the idea of Predator's using our weaponry and tech. I kinda like the idea of a Predator snapping up a rifle when his own kit has been damaged.

I remember Big Mama using a pulse rifle in the Deadliest of the Species comic, and when she picked up a Colonial Marine, pulled the pins on his grenades and threw him at her pursuers. That was so cool to see.

I too like the idea of them sometimes using our own tools on us. We do it with their stuff so why not the other way around?

That's also done in Sandy Scofields " Big Game." ' they reached Mathews body. He had been riddled pointblank by an M-16...killed by Chaney's gun. The creature had done that on purpose, toying with them, letting them know that it knew that they nearby.'pg: 155.
I love the idea of a predator doing anything and everything to survive.

I have read up to Storm Blood.

I have been enjoying these very much and am delighted to see the Yautja occasionally speak in their language. Is this something that can be translated? I never read the older books that had their language in them (but I did buy the AvP novel reprint, I haven't gotten to reading it yet.)

I did like that in Rematch, they referenced the Xenomorphs when Nakande mentioned hunting "Kiande Amedha" (Hard-Meat). I also like the use of the term "ooman" across multiple stories, very good. 

One thing stood out to me though, and this is more of a continuity thing but I think I figured out a good reason behind it.

In the Rage War, it is mentioned that humans call them "Yautja" and those books have no connection to the ones done by Steve Perry where the Predators called themselves Yautja. Lebbon's Predators reacted either confused or amused when called that.

Yet in the Anthology, we got Lebbon's Predators who call themselves something else but it's translated as "Yautja", and we got Predators who call themselves verbally as "Ya-OOT-ja". (By the way, well done to the author for using the correct way to pronounce it. The "pronunciation" on the wiki always made me die a little on the inside.)

As was said in Rage War, the Yautja are not a unified race and there's not much contact with clans. They have different languages and dialects, like us. My theory is that we got "Yautja" from one of the clans and lumped them all under that name. Kalakta, Hashori and Yaquita's clans may have spoken a completely different language from the 'Yautja' clans, so they probably have never heard of the name.

Just look at how diverse we are when it comes to the name of our own species. I really like that the authors are treating the Predator species as individuals, and not some hive mind. This is why I welcome the diversity in these stories.

Very interesting observation! It does seem that the name Yautja was something that the predators call themselves in the expanded universe(minus forever midnight in which they called themselves hish-qu-ten). However in the rage war trilogy it seems that the name yautja was something humans called the predators.  I wouldn't be surprised if different 'races' of predators call themselves different names. It's always fun to speculate. I might have to disagree a little with how unified the predators are in the rage wars. While they are nomadic and have little contact with other clans I do believe they are unified under Kalakta. He spoke for all yautja civilization. They followed his orders. The ceasefire and then the order to withhold info about the Drukathi from humans.  They also followed him into battle on the Macbeth. Anyhoo it's fun to speculate and this is only my opinion and everyone is entitled to their own beliefs! Heyyyy Does anyone else think that Kalakta is the Elder from P2??

[Corporal Hicks]

That's also done in Sandy Scofields " Big Game." ' they reached Mathews body. He had been riddled pointblank by an M-16...killed by Chaney's gun. The creature had done that on purpose, toying with them, letting them know that it knew that they nearby.'pg: 155.

Yeah, that was something I really enjoyed in Big Game. I do think I'm going to have to go back and punish myself by re-reading DotS, though. I only read it once and that was in spits and spats because I couldn't really get into it at the time.