It’s shaping up to be a big summer for the Predator franchise. Among the new media releasing is the upcoming Predator anthology book, Predator: Eyes of the Demon. The anthology is edited by writer & editor Bryan Thomas Schmidt, who also contributed a short of his own to the book.
This will be his second Predator anthology after Predator: If It Bleeds, which we heaped praise upon in our review. Bryan also edited the first AVP anthology, alongside Aliens: Bug Hunt editor Jonathan Maberry, which is due to release in early March. And now we have a cover for the Predator: Eyes of the Demon!
Along with the cover, we also now have the full list of authors writing the short stories:
Linda Addison – Peter Briggs – Audra Crebs – Robert Greenberger – Ammar Habib – Stephen Graham Jones – Gini Koch – Michael Kogge – Tim Lebbon – Jonathan Maberry – Kim May – Yvonne Navarro – Joshua Pruett – Bryan Thomas Schmidt – Scott Sigler
While there are many new names to the Predator franchise, there’s also a number a familar names in that line-up! Peter Briggs wrote the first attempts to get Alien vs. Predator onto the big screen. Nancy A. Collins wrote Predator for Dark Horse Comics with Hell Come A Walkin’. Robert Greenberger previously authored Predator: Flesh and Blood. And Tim Lebbon wrote many Alien novels for Titan, along with the Alien vs. Predator Rage War series, in addition to contributing shorts to both of Titan’s previous anthologies.
Jonathan Maberry edited Aliens: Bug Hunt and also wrote Gameworld in Predator: If It Bleeds. Yvonne Navarro previously wrote Aliens: Music of the Spears, contributed to Aliens: Bug Hunt and also has a short in the upcoming Aliens vs. Predators anthology. Finally we have Scott Sigler, author of the much loved Aliens: Phalanx.
Predator: Eyes of the Demon is currently available for pre-order on Amazon (US/UK). The release has been pushed back a month from May 24 to June 21, 2022. Just in time for the 35th anniversary month of the original film.
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UPDATE
Following the cover reveal and release of the full author list, Bryan Thomas Schmidt has posted about the book on his website. This update from the editor/writer gives some clues as to what to expect from this new anthology.
“PREDATOR. My third such book over all—after PREDATOR: IF IT BLEEDS (2017) and ALIENS VS. PREDATORS: ULTIMATE PREY (March 2022) also from Titan Books—EYES OF THE DEMON is filled with great authors and stories and I guarantee you will see Predators, both male and female, like you have never seen them before. We have some awesome stories with unique approaches and settings. It’s not just the usual shoot ém up. And we did not focus on the historical time travel angle either. There’s even a new story featuring Dutch Schaefer that ties together the first two movies like never before and fills in gaps in the universe. So, along with the cover, here’s the list of great writers participating
Linda Addison – Peter Briggs – Robert Greenberger – Ammar Habib – Stephen Graham Jones – Gini Koch – Michael Kogge – Tim Lebbon –Jonathan Maberry – Kim May – Yvonne Navarro – Joshua Pruett –AR Redington – Bryan Thomas Schmidt – Scott Sigler
As some may notice, several of these authors have written in this universe before as with my last books: Tim Lebbon, Jonathan Maberry, Nancy Collins, Robert Greenberger, Yvonne Navarro, Scott Sigler, and myself. But also screenwriter Peter Briggs makes his fiction debut. He’s the guy who in the 1990s sold a spec screenplay for Aliens Vs. Predator that launched a franchise (even though his script was never actually used).
We’re talk 16 all new tales here, folks. And this will be one of three Predator books Titan releases this year. That’s a lot to look forward to! We can’t wait for you to see it. Preorder now here: https://amzn.to/3IEEcUg“
I felt this book could have used a few "Historical Hunts" to shake things up.
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Read The Fix Is In and it does so well with the suspense and horror of being stalked, duped, and standard for dead. Which all builds up to me analyzing the ending that I didn't catch the first time, wondering how they going to make it without water?
Kind of hope for some more Predator tales in that similar concept, coming across things that might even startle a Predator. Finding eldritch abomination things and either getting smoked by them, barely surviving them, or managing to take the skull of one.
Cannon Fodder was okay. Better than I remembered, but could do without the family references to both Predator 1 and 2. Just went a little silly at the end with all the team changing.
I enjoyed Little Miss Nightmare. I love the idea of Predators hunting in the not so traditional sense. Was well written. Wasn't keen on the Arcturian term being used as cute an easter egg as it was.
The Trophy was a bitter disappointment to me. It could have been really really interesting, but just never really felt like Predator to me.
Really really enjoyed The Monster. I know the Big Foot thing was a bit of a joke during Prey's release but I was always curious about the concept. I thought it was well written, enjoyed the Killer clan references.
Ghost Story was another good one. Well written, played with the concept nicely.
Field trip had potential. I heard about Field Trip and was stoked about reading it. Finally got the book, I look for that one, find it and I'm so excited. It's so good, then...
What the...
Son of a...
I have a Predator fic I'm writing right now with a pregnant female Predator and is way better than that.
Good
The Titans
Aftermath
Lion of the Himalayas (very good)
The Fix Is In (I actually really like this one, but recognize it's not very Predator heavy)
Bitter Hunt
Little Miss Nightmare
The Monster
Ghost Story
OK
Proving Ground
Cannon Fodder
The Trophy
Poor
The Distance in Their Eyes
Field Trip
Field Trip actually started much better than I remembered, then it goes off the rails. I think both Distance and Field Trip waste their concepts. There's something really interesting in there but not in these shorts.
Need Battle
Arcturian vs Amengi
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Spoiler
Disney dragged their feet on a resolution until the 11th hour when a settlement was made.
What lawsuit? I was never aware there was some kind of legal drama over the publishing? Was it a Disney/fox acquisition thing?
I would love to let Titan know I'm less interested in Dietrich's divorce lawyer's cousin's godmother and more interested in either original characters or ones we can believably see more adventures with like Dutch, or Harrigan, or Naru, or Royce and Isabel, hell even Quinn McKenna. I get that Alien is the bigger IP but Predator has more open possibilities with established characters. Do they have feelers on this forum?
Spoiler
Huh, unexpected but interesting that they'd go that route here. Though it is Briggs, and he obviously has an interest in AVP given his original script... (light Alien RPG spoilers in the tag):
Spoiler
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Loved the Acturian references in it too. I thought it was really well written too. Sometimes Peter's style did get a little truncated and the screenwriter showed through a little, but in general I really enjoyed his way with words.
An unfortunately abrupt ending though, but definitely one of the strongest in the book so far.
The predators had a very bad showing in that story but it did focus on predator nursing and birth which is not something I was expecting but was nonetheless interesting.
The narrator had a very calming voice though.
Well, it's canon according to the studio, and it was officially authorized, so your taste aside, it's not fan fiction really. But all of this is technically fan fiction, except some of it is officially authorized and paid and can be made canon and others won't
The majority of the shorts are all solidly written, enjoyable stories.
My 3 favorites are "Lion of the Himalayas", "Ghost Story" and "Dead Man's Switch"
All the returning authors to the franchise had really strong stories: Tim Lebbon, Bryan Thomas Schmidt, Jonathon Maberry, Peter Briggs, Yvonne Navarro and Scott Sigler.
There's a couple stories that I wasn't all that fond of; though that could be because I'm not a fan of overly anthropomorphizing Predators and those stories anthropomorphized them to a ridiculous degree in my opinion (one story in particular was especially egregious in this regard).
Although not as good as "If It Bleeds", I'd still fully recommend for Predator fans and I appreciate Bryan Thomas Schmidt for bringing this project to fruition.
Oh ok. That makes more sense. I'm relatively new to the EU as a whole, so I read that and was like "why is there a Die Hard reference in this story?"
Also I totally agree with what you said about Maberry. I want a full fledged novel Predator novel from him.
I also looked up John Schaefer, and aside from the art being very 90's, I gotta say that characters like that always feel like fan-fiction to me.
I finished Maberry's short yesterday. I really do enjoy the shorts he's written for all the anthologies so far. He's got a great style.
Spoiler
Both Predator and Die Hard 1 were directed by John McTiernan, and the timeline matches up. It has to be a Die Hard reference.
That story was really good. Also, love the username
I just finished this short myself. An absolutely fantastic read!
Just purchased and very excited to dig in - I think I may also start with Aftermath (pretty familiar with this corner of the world)! Thanks for the spoiler
After Aftermath, I'm gonna read Lion of the Himalaya's (awesome title) and Scott Sigler's story. I loved Aliens: Phalanx so I'm pretty excited for his take on a Predator story. Sigler's is also the same title as a Shadowrun campaign so that caught my eye as well.
By the way, I loved this story, it was in the same vein as Stalking Shadows, and reading Dutch saying his Hunting Grounds' tape word for word feels like going back in time when I've discovered the tapes in game for the first time
I hope to see more references to Hunting Grounds like that in future anthologies (developping the lore of characters like Dante Jefferson, Isabelle, the Alpha Predator, Cleopatra, or even a back story of some game trophies (for example: Lorena's Amorcito).
It could even tap in the NECA's bios: I think about Celtic, Chopper and Scar being brothers, Falconer who trained his hounds to hunt Xenomorphs, or how Mr Black got his Xenomorph's jaw on his helmet, or even Predators fighting in a colosseum on Yautja Prime (a nod to the Ultimate Warrior Predator figure).
That's the thing I love the most: crossover between medias to reinforce characters, certain elements or themes.
Fix is in is 24th Centuryish and a sequel to Maberry's story from IF IT BLEEDS
Johnny Ortiz, Peter Briggs, Jess T are all fans who are tuckerized in my story besides Zeller and Percival, and there are a few more as well in other stories.
There is more than one reference and even some dialogue from the tapes of HUNTING GROUNDS in the story, actually.
No. Something new
Sorry you don't like it. I love the cover.
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Detailed story:
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For days, Dutch tells them about the Predator and what happened and wants to see the General Phillips who he takes responsable of the death of his team.
Keyes reveals there have been other encounters and they have found green blood and skinned animals.
Dutch records his memories on tapes, the first one being "It's September 12th, 1987. My name is Major Alan Schaefer, also known as 'Dutch'...".
Dutch learns about a new Predator in North Carolina and escapes the hospital to take revenge.
The Predator in North Carolina is a Youngblood named Yuahro.
Names dropping of Percival and Zeller. (page 68)
Dutch finds and fights the Predator.
OWLF arrived with an helicopter, but they are attacked by the father of Yuahro in a ship.
Yuahro is injured and flee in the ship. The ship leaves.
Keyes tries to recrute Dutch, but he doesn't want and flee.
Dutch thinks about his brother John, a cop in New York, and his sister, and then thinks about some friends from Vietnam who could join him in the hunt.
The Titans, by Tim Lebbon (page 11) (no date (future) - in space)
The Distance In Their Eyes, by Stephen Graham Jones (page 35) (Preds POV - no human - no date - other planet)
Aftermath, by Bryan Thomas Schmidt (page 47) ("September 1987" - briefing Dutch-Peter Keyes + escaping OWLF)
Proving Ground, by Linda D. Addison (page 79) (Preds & humans POV - no date (2020s or near future))
Lion Of The Himalayas, by Ammar Habib (page 99) (no date (present))
The Fix Is In, by Jonathan Maberry (page 123) (no date (24th century) - sequel to Gameworld (If It Bleeds))
Bitter Hunt, by Kim May (page 163) (Preds POV - no human - no date - other planet)
Field Trip, by Robert Greenberger (page 183) (Preds & humans POV - "2020s")
Cannon Fodder, by Gini Koch (page 211) (Preds & humans POV - "2422")
Little Miss Nightmare, by Peter Briggs (page 241) (Preds & humans POV - no date (2020s))
The Trophy, by A. R. Redington (page 285) (Humans POV - future - other planet)
The Monster, by Michael Kogge (page 313) (Humans POV - no date (2020s) - Sasquatch!)
Ghost Story, by Joshua Pruett (page 339) (Humans POV - no date (2020s))
Sly Dark In The Daylight, by Yvonne Navarro (page 369) (Humans POV - no date (2020s))
Dead Man's Switch, by Scott Sigler (page 397) (Humans POV - future - other planet)
Editor & Author Bios (page 429)
Best I can do is get it to you tonight. I'd be happy to put a list of the stories on this forum. Might make it easier to talk about them
Yeah that's not gonna happen.