Predator: Eyes of the Demon Anthology in 2022

[Corporal Hicks]

I've been re-reading (relistening?) to Eyes of the Demon. Short list of what I think so far.

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


OK
Proving Ground

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. 

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.

[Mr.Turok]

Was The Distance in Their Eyes that bad? I thought it was an interesting take of not only a Predator hunting another alien lifeform, but one that is almost ethereal and a neat "be careful what you wish for" kind of story. Makes the universe seem bigger and having things just so alien that one cannot just hunt it.

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. 

[Corporal Hicks]

It was really interesting...but it just didn't feel Predator in character. The way he just slaughtered all the aliens out of boredom and anger, even though they were unarmed and literally didn't do anything. Very interesting concept that they didn't work into the Predator franchise enough.

[Mr.Turok]

It was really interesting...but it just didn't feel Predator in character. The way he just slaughtered all the aliens out of boredom and anger, even though they were unarmed and literally didn't do anything. Very interesting concept that they didn't work into the Predator franchise enough.

I guess some individuals are more assholes than others lol, but I see what you mean. At least an in character Predator would just observe a quarry's behavior and abilities before making a move but this one just went in all stabby like.

_________________________________________________

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?    They can scavenge from eating Predator corpses (which I think they will when push comes to shove) but water tho? Hope they got some kind of filtration system or something in there or else death of dehydration is going to be the bad ending.

[Wweyland]

It was really interesting...but it just didn't feel Predator in character. The way he just slaughtered all the aliens out of boredom and anger, even though they were unarmed and literally didn't do anything. Very interesting concept that they didn't work into the Predator franchise enough.

I guess some individuals are more assholes than others lol, but I see what you mean. At least an in character Predator would just observe a quarry's behavior and abilities before making a move but this one just went in all stabby like.

_________________________________________________

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?    They can scavenge from eating Predator corpses (which I think they will when push comes to shove) but water tho? Hope they got some kind of filtration system or something in there or else death of dehydration is going to be the bad ending.

Do predators need water as well?
I felt this book could have used a few "Historical Hunts" to shake things up.

[Mr.Turok]

It was really interesting...but it just didn't feel Predator in character. The way he just slaughtered all the aliens out of boredom and anger, even though they were unarmed and literally didn't do anything. Very interesting concept that they didn't work into the Predator franchise enough.

I guess some individuals are more assholes than others lol, but I see what you mean. At least an in character Predator would just observe a quarry's behavior and abilities before making a move but this one just went in all stabby like.

_________________________________________________

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?    They can scavenge from eating Predator corpses (which I think they will when push comes to shove) but water tho? Hope they got some kind of filtration system or something in there or else death of dehydration is going to be the bad ending.

Do predators need water as well?
I felt this book could have used a few "Historical Hunts" to shake things up.

If it's a biological being, they probably need water, simply depends on how much it does.

[Corporal Hicks]

Podcast review is up: https://www.avpgalaxy.net/2023/12/15/until-him-come-calling-reviewing-predator-eyes-of-the-demon-avp-galaxy-podcast-175/

[xShadowFoxX]

You probably touched this in another episode, but really? Titan lost the license to AvP and Predator?

[bulletproof2k]

It's a great book.

[jacobo1122]

It was really interesting...but it just didn't feel Predator in character. The way he just slaughtered all the aliens out of boredom and anger, even though they were unarmed and literally didn't do anything. Very interesting concept that they didn't work into the Predator franchise enough.

I don't know, I just read it and enjoyed it much. And usually I don't like both Predators facing more fantastical and out-there beings and giving Predators too much human emotions.But in this short it was interesting and funny seeing Predator overreacting in frustration and being angry and dissaponted also with himself afterwards. I like that we can have Preds that are honorable, proper bad bloods and one's that act in-between. Though I prefer them being bastards and assholes, so it was more up my alley.

[Some Old Dude]

Podcast review is up: https://www.avpgalaxy.net/2023/12/15/until-him-come-calling-reviewing-predator-eyes-of-the-demon-avp-galaxy-podcast-175/

Finished the book the other day and I'm pretty much in line with the consensus in this podcast. Little Miss Nightmare was bloody brilliant and I hope Peter Briggs is able to work on more stuff.

Field Trip was indeed terrible but I must admit I was laughing throughout. I'm forgetting which story is which, but the strictly Predator POV stories didn't do it for me at all, I don't like it when they go full Klingon with Predators. I think it's Bitter Hunt (which honestly reads like the author dealing with how much she hates being a mum) and the one in Brazil.

[Corporal Hicks]

I'm not typically a fan of the Yautja POV or culture myself but I actually quite enjoyed the Bitter Hunt. I definitely did not get the same read of it that you did. I quite enjoyed the demonstration of inner conflict there. I also ended up liking the one with Bad Company (can't remember the actual name). The one set in Brazil was somewhat meh for me though.

[Mr.Turok]

Drug War was super promising and I still believe it should be it's own novel. Take it's time to develop things and a new cast of characters, use the recent PHG lore to update the story to it's benefit of world building. Gave it a 3 1/2 of 5 because of its promise but sort of fell through in some aspects. It was such a nice treat to see Harrigan again after decades, just like Dutch.

[jacobo1122]

Just read Field Trip and I think it was good. It was a little weird,but fascinating. Pregnancy and child birth is something that I don't think was showed before in Predator stories. Bonding moment between two soon to be mothers and act of kindness in a horryfing situation was touching. And seeing how not only mother, but other Predators treat Child Birth made me think about it. I mean, pregnancy must be important in a culture where death toll is so high, and where there isn't much time for propagation between hunts. Also I didn't mind young Predators getting wrecked by humans. They were basicly hotheaded teens that underestimated humans' survival instinct.
Overall, this anthology is suprising with how much I'm enjoying stories that on paper doesn't seem good to me, since I don't like Predators' POV, giving them too human-like emotions, etc. But Distance in their eyes, Bitter hunt and Field Trip all had so interesting ideas and were just so well written, that I had good time with them.

[Anonymous]

Okay, in fairness, we used Xenopedia as a source and so does Fox. If your terms are unreliable do not criticize us for using them. Fix it. That's on you.