The Predator: Hunters And Hunted Official Movie Prequel (2024)

A prequel to the upcoming “The Predator,” James A. Moore’s “The Predator: Hunters and Hunted” is a tie-in novel that works to simultaneously a.) set up the characters and narrative landscape of the upcoming film, and b.) also tell a standalone Predator story. The fact that it does both things well is a testament to Moore’s skills as a storyteller – not every author could churn out such a novel without certain elements feeling either superfluous or half-baked – so props to him for managing it as well as he does.

Granted, not everything works as well as the story structure - Moore struggles a little bit when it comes to writing compelling action (you can only depict the same “soldiers hunt down Predator; Predator ambushes them; soldiers fight back; Predator kills soldiers”-bit so many ways before it starts to feel a little stale). But overall, this is still a lean, mean little prelude that successfully satisifies one’s fix for a new Predator tale while also wetting the palette for the upcoming film.

Enjoyable read, a little too much fillers and added characters that didn’t have to be there. Book could’ve been shorter or could’ve had more Predator/Reaper fight scenes. I did enjoy a little of the perspectives of the Predator, his thoughts/motives/thought process. I didn’t like that it took place in Florida, I feel a setting in the jungle in a foreign country adds to the thrill of it. The book ended at a fairground in Florida... a Ferris wheel and carnival doesn’t belong in a Predator book.

Solid read. A few plot holes, I thought, but great action stuff and solid use of predator lore. Good feel for a predator book too.

Although I wasn't terribly interested in the bits of arbitrary bureaucracy surrounding the Reaper team, I though that an 'alien-hunting', well-trained squad was an excellent, refreshing idea to throw at a Predator. The action scenes are fairly loyal to what you expect of the film universe, visceral and with some insight as to the alien's perspective. Overall, though, I wasn't blown away by the story. I do like Moore's original fantasy works more than this, but he throws himself at the license with glee. I'm actually curious as to how much of this will translate into the upcoming new film, or if it will be ignored, since I can't imagine there's a huge audience reading Predator novels and/or comics. We'll find out soon!

Originally Published at TheQwillery.com

James A. Moore’s The Predator: Hunters and Hunted is the official prequel to the upcoming film The Predator directed by Shane Black. After the original Predator film came out in 1987, I immediately became a fan. The last Predator film was released in 2010. I’ve only read a few issues of the many different comics starring the Predator, and I’ve never read any of novels about the character. I am, however, a fan of a good novelization as they often give out little nuggets of information that you don’t get in the movie. So when I saw this book the other day, I couldn’t resist grabbing it and giving it a go.

Jame A. Moore is a very engaging writer that takes a hold of you and throws you off a cliff. He quickly introduces you to several characters, some who show up on the list of characters in the upcoming film and others that don’t -- General Woodhurst, Roger Elliott of the CIA, and Tomlin the leader of The Reapers, a Black ops group tasked with finding and hunting down a Predator.

Woodhurst is your stoic military general, stone-faced and quiet, Roger Elliott is a haunted ex-military man, who survived an encounter against a Predator during the Vietnam war and is tasked with the job of training the Reapers. Tomlin is a dedicated skilled Patriot. Out of the three of these men, Roger Elliott is the most developed character as we spend time with him during his first encounter with the Predator. Currently he's a grizzled recovering alcoholic living with the horror he experienced.

One aspect of the book I really enjoyed is the time we spend in the Predator’s mind as he goes about hunting down humans. I’m not sure if this has been done in comics or past novels, but it’s an enjoyable aspect of the book that fills a niche you don’t get in the films.

Besides the Predator, the other antagonist is Traeger, a man who is helping General Woodhurst gain congressional funding for their project, but you quickly see Traeger is the typical, greedy double-dealing baddie looking for ways to profit from the capture of an alien with advanced tech.

Moore fills the book up with as much action as possible while fleshing out some of the Predator mythos. I have to say the ending was a very nice surprise as it wasn't expected based on what we see in the trailer and how I thought it was going to end. I don't have any real issues with the book other than I would love more hunting between the Predator and Reapers. I say that because Moore did such a great job in these sections I just wanted more.

The Predator: Hunters and Hunted is an amazing prequel novelization. It did it’s job. I can’t wait till the movie comes out. It’s yet to be see how smoothly it lines up with opening of the upcoming film. There is adult language and violence in the book, so I would only recommend the book to adults. I would, without hesitation, recommend anyone who is a fan of the film series and looking forward to the new movie to go out and grab the prequel.

In preparation for the newest installment of the Predator franchise, you know Readers are gon try to cheat. Resource material, insight into what may hitting the screen in a couple of weeks. Having read several Predator books and graphic novels (Um... and AVP and A), I consider my knowledge of the universe to be broad rather than specific. That means I have read about the Predators on a variety of hunts and hunting grounds. The reason why I enjoyed this book so much is because while the Reapers could have been better, they were not totally bad hunters. I loved the idea of a group of humans going after Predators and since I'm not getting a movie or book (Please someone prove me wrong, maybe I just don't own it-not talking about the video game) about Colonial Marines vs Predators this is not bad.

I'm not going to go into detail about the plot as it really boils down to humans trying to capture a live Predator and a Predator who gets a bit carried away on a hunt. Sure you have hardass soldiers,a plethora of NRA bait and your slimy company/political types, but this book shines on the theme of a Predator realizing that he too can be the prey.

Now, I will say that I wish I as the reader could have gotten a little extra insight onto the Reapers training, maybe curious as to why they didn't have specially modified gear like spectrum googles, better body armor, and 50 cal bullets but I will definitely applaud Mr. Moore's use of flash bang grenades!! Winning.

Overall, I have to admit that when I saw the trailer for the latest Predator film, I was wondering why a kid was involved, why he was opening his daddy's mail and please don't let this be a protect the children film like AVPR and A2. Kids are kool, yeah, but in a movie where the beasties decapitate folk on the regular and the heros have their hands more than full, movies can be complicated, distracting and mushy with the younguns. HOWEVER, one look at the Mega, Big Boi, Punisher, Hulk Predator and I was on 'suck it up' mode cause I need to see HIM mode. I was hoping that the book would allude to him, give a bit of insight into his background (Actual Evolved Yautja or human lab created) but it didn't. Still the book was highly entertaining for what it did present...the hunt, the hunters and perhaps foreshadowing into a few characters in the film. Good Read for me!

I enjoyed this more than the movie that proceeds it. The action is well written and the characters are well developed but unfortunately the book is filled with padding. All in all it was a nice quick read.

A tedious, poorly-written novel on its own terms, and it doesn't expand on or embiggen the movie in any meaningful way -- of the two major characters in the novel who would have been in the movie, Edward James Olmos' character was cut and Sterling K. Brown's character is only recognizably the same because of his name. The Predator novels from the 90s adapting the Dark Horse comics series (or at least my memories of them) are literary masterpieces compared to this.

"The Predator: Hunters and Hunted" by James A. Moore serves as the official prequel to the 2018 film "The Predator." This thrilling novel offers fans of the franchise an immersive and action-packed experience, delving into the mysterious and deadly world of the Predators.

Moore skillfully captures the essence of the Predator universe, delivering a story that is both familiar and fresh. The narrative follows a group of people from Project Stargazer, a secret government programme to protect the Earth from Yautja incursion, and to acquire both their technology and a living specimen to study. It’s here, at Project Stargazer, that we meet two characters from the film: Sterling K. Brown’s Will Traeger and Jake Busey’s Sean Keyes. As the tension mounts and the body count rises, readers are kept on the edge of their seats, eagerly turning the pages to uncover the secrets hidden within.

One of the strengths of "The Predator: Hunters and Hunted" lies in Moore's ability to capture the essence of the Predators themselves. The book delves into their brutal hunting rituals, their advanced technology, and their relentless pursuit of worthy prey. Moore brings a sense of primal fear and anticipation to the story, making the Predators truly formidable adversaries.

The characters in the novel are well-crafted and diverse, each with their own unique skills and motivations. From battle-hardened soldiers to cunning Government agents, the protagonists are thrust into a life-or-death struggle that tests their mettle and forces them to confront their deepest fears. Moore skillfully explores their backstories and intertwines their paths, adding depth and emotional resonance to the narrative.

The pacing of the story is relentless, with intense action sequences and suspenseful moments scattered throughout the book. Moore effectively balances the quieter character-driven moments with the adrenaline-fueled confrontations, keeping readers engaged and invested in the outcome. The novel's fast pace and tight plotting make it a thrilling and addictive read.

While "The Predator: Hunters and Hunted" primarily focuses on action and suspense, there are also thought-provoking themes explored within its pages. The novel touches on the ethics of hunting, the nature of survival, and the blurred lines between predator and prey. These themes add layers of depth to the story, elevating it beyond a simple action-packed thriller.

Fans of the Predator franchise will appreciate the attention to detail and the nods to the wider mythology. The book seamlessly connects to the events of the 2018 film, providing additional context and expanding the lore of the Predators. Moore's writing captures the atmosphere and tone of the franchise, immersing readers in a world where danger lurks at every turn.

In conclusion, "The Predator: Hunters and Hunted" is a gripping prequel that delivers on the expectations of fans of the franchise. James A. Moore expertly explores the terrifying world of the Predators, offering a thrilling and action-packed narrative that keeps readers hooked from start to finish. With its well-crafted characters, intense pacing, and thought-provoking themes, this novel is a worthy addition to the Predator universe.

I enjoyed the prequel more than the 2018 movie. However, and I know some folks with think I'm crazy, I still loved the movie. If the creators of the 2018 movie had given us this prequel in movie form first, followed up with the 2018 film as the second installment in a trilogy, we might have been able to see what they planned on doing with the Predator Killer suit.

We also may have been able to see more predator dogs.

AND MAYBE, JUST MAYBE we could have gotten some flashbacks with some backstories of Group 2/The loonies...I love these characters.

You do get some backstory on Will Traeger and see glimpses of his ambition glimmer through. I enjoyed a character called Pappy, he had a long-held grudge against the predator aliens. I'm surprised he even survived to hold the grudge for so long. Read this book if you like the movies. If you hated 2018's The Predator, skip it.

I have always enjoyed the predator / alien IP, and this book fits pretty well into the overall setting. It seems to be a pretty consistent theme in these books that they attempt to capture the alien (I’m looking at you Gary Busey) and not kill it and just go from there, but I guess thinking about it, that would be the most likely scenario for our government. This book could have spent a bit more time looking at things from the predator’s perspective in my opinion, but I enjoyed it never the less.
If you are interested in the predator genre and like the movies, I feel this one fits pretty well and sets up several plot advancements for future movies or books.

Great and fun Predators audible book on Amazon Audible book. It is very interesting movie prequel story.

I did not know about the prequel so read the sequel first, did not like that one too much. This was a little better. I can see where hotshot CIA agent originated from at least

Fun book, lots of action.

Pretty good movie tie in novel. I liked how it shakes up the whole "predator comes to earth to hunt, we're woefully unprepared" plot that was central to the older predator novels.

Doesn't have "prequel-itis" where everything has to fit in nicely with the movie. As far as I know, there are only a couple crossover characters.

If you're a fan of the Predator series, yes, I recommend this book.

I've given this book a higher rating than I feel it deserves because my disappointment in it is largely due to my preconceived notions about what the story should have been.

I wanted to read a human-free story of the pred and the cargo and ending with the chase at the beginning of the movie.

Sadly, this book is about the origins of Project Stargazer, which I do not care about. None of the characters grabbed me and they didn't really feel distinct.

That said, there are a few small scenes from A predator's point of view that were mildly interesting and it was reasonably well written (although from the older standard, so it's not really up to modern standards of usage and immediacy).

An entertaining read, I look forward to seeing the movie when it comes out.

Meh. It started out good, but the book devolves into battle after battle, with little to no description of where the battles are taking place. A forgettable book.

could not finish.

A lot of movie tie in books, especially prequel stories, find it hard to connect to the film that they’re supposed to be a part of. Often times this is because the film makes it hard to create an exciting new story around it without taking away from the events of the movie.

One example that immediately springs to mind is Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday, the prequel to the 2007 movie. The book felt like it was having to try hard to make a compelling story that didn’t effect the film in any way; and this was something that I was expecting from The Predator: Hunters and Hunted.

Thankfully, however, the book not only introduced a number of the characters that will appear in Shane Black’s upcoming The Predator, but also contained enough action and story to feel like it could have been a Predator film in its own right.

The story follows a group of people from Project Stargazer, a secret government programme to protect the Earth from Yautja incursion, and to acquire both their technology and a living specimen to study. It’s here, at Project Stargazer, that we meet two characters from the film: Sterling K. Brown’s Will Traeger and Jake Busey’s Sean Keyes.

Sean Keyes, as eagle-eyed Predator fans may have spotted, is the son of Peter Keyes (Gary Busey) from Predator 2. His inclusion is one of the things that intrigued me the most about the new project, and his character gets a really good introduction, delving into his reasons for being at Project Stargazer and becoming a xenobiologist in the first place. He doesn’t feature much in the book, but his scenes are very engaging and sets up his motivations and character perfectly for the film.

Traeger, on the other hand, gets much more of the book dedicated to him, taking up part of the sub-plot where he and the project’s commander have to lobby for more funds in Washington DC. Not the most exciting sounding plot, but when it’s revealed that Traeger is actually carefully manipulating politicians in order to oust the project commander and take over, it becomes a little more interesting, and sets up his position for the movie.

The rest ofJames A. Moore’s novel is given over to The Reavers, Project Stargazer’s elite unit trained by a Yautja survivor, Roger ‘Pappy’ Elliott. The Reavers are interesting enough and ‘Pappy’ is engaging as both a Vietnam Veteran and someone who has survived a Yautja in the past. The book makes a point to spend some time highlighting that having faced an alien in combat has left more than just physical scars on him, delving into his recurring nightmares and resulting alcoholism. It also gives some vague hints at other survivors, including mentioning both Alan ‘Dutch’ Schaefer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Mike Harrigan (Danny Glover), without using their names.

This is what I was expecting from the book: a look into the human side of the upcoming film that touched upon some of the characters that would be appearing. What makes it really good is when a Yautja comes to Earth to hunt.

The Reavers are sent out to capture the creature, and actually manages to do so (though they do lose half their men when they do so). When the creature manages to escape from the Project Stargazer facility it returns to its ship, gets some new gear, and sets out to go retrieve its weapons and tech from the humans. It’s here that the best part of the book begins, as the remaining members of the Reavers go out to kill the alien.

Whilst the book is good at crafting human drama and has a fairly epic finale action sequence, the one thing that I feel lets it down is the Yautja; or more specifically, the sequences written from its point of view. There’s nothing hugely wrong with these moments, they’re not as good as in other Predator books and James A. Moore lacks a little something in these moments.

On a whole, however, The Predator: Hunters and Hunted is engaging and entertaining. It’s hard to know how well it fits into The Predator yet, but the story here builds a sense that it provides a good background that shouldn’t step onto the toes of the film’s events. Even if this was a stand alone book that wasn’t a tie-in, it would still be a thoroughly entertaining read.

Cuando era adolescente leí algunos cómics de Depredador, pero nunca había cogido una novela de la franquicia. Esta en concreto (hay un montón) es una historia previa a la de la terrible secuela cinematográfica de 2018, con una mínima conexión. Fue publicada antes del estreno, entiendo que con la intención de ir creando hype entre fans. Por suerte, la novela recuerda un poco más a la peli original que al fracasado intento de marvelización de la saga.

Estas son algunas cosas que esperaba encontrar, y en las que el libro cumplió:

-Hombres fuertes con armas grandes siendo brutalmente mutilados por un monstruo extraterrestre. Los hay abundantes.

-Escenas de acción bien escritas, capaces de capturar mi atención. Me da la impresión de que muchos libros de terror, ciencia-ficción... flojean en este punto, si bien son casos en los que la acción es más secundaria. Fue uno de los motivos por los que me acerqué a este tipo de lectura, y en ese aspecto el libro aprueba con holgura.

-Una lectura ágil. El estilo es muy ligero y se lee con rapidez, incluso cuando lo que se cuenta no resulta interesante.

Lo que esperaba pero no encontré:

-¿¿Mujeres?? Creo que juntando todas las partes en las que intervienen personajes femeninos con diálogos, el total no pasaría de diez páginas.

-Personajes amenos, divertidos... No hay nadie en toda la novela con una profundidad mayor que la de algún tropo bien conocido, con suerte. Hasta aquí no es ninguna sorpresa. No me esperaba personajes muy memorables de la novela The Predator: Hunters and Hunted: Official Movie Prequel, pero sí un mínimo estándar de peli de acción: alguna frase con gracia, un diálogo significativo al que hacer referencia más adelante... Algo que los humanice un poco. No vi nada.

Los soldados de élite que se enfrentan al Depredador, protagonistas, al menos, de las escenas de acción, son los más vacíos. Los han entrenado como equipo, trabajan juntos, pero apenas hay indicios de que se lleven bien, ni mal, o de que hayan tenido una vida fuera de su destino actual. Así que no importa demasiado si el monstruo los destroza o no, y tampoco cala su motivación de vengar la muerte de otros monigotes sin interés o personalidad más allá de, como mucho, una colección de clichés.

El libro tiene otros defectos: se centra demasiado en las acciones de personajes que deberían ser secundarios, pero que es que iban a salir luego en la película, o mete un montón de texto sobre temas que no derivan en nada, como el del posible contagio de virus entre especies. De todas formas no es nada escandaloso si has leído bolsilibros de kiosco u otro tipo de encargos editoriales con sus limitaciones, como en este caso, y te haces una idea de las condiciones. Cosas del capitalismo.

This book is entertainingly bad. Don't get me wrong, it's a fine Predator story. It hits all the right beats for that. And in those terms, it's a 3/5.

The problem is that I am a career bureaucrat in an agency that deals with fielding new technology and the descriptions of bureaucratic infighting and the battle over privatization made absolutely no sense. It's going to go to the private sector; that's just going to happen. The government isn't in the manufacturing business and even those manufacturing sites we own are for the most part contractor-operated. The majority of research in "government" labs is conducted in conjunction with private industry, the prototypes are developed in shared spaces, and the final production environment is private with government oversight. The idea that a general in the US military is going to think that the US government has the organic industrial base to keep all alien technology super-secret and under wraps, and still derive any meaningful benefit from that technology, is straight-up laughable.

Same with the idea that the CIA, of all people, would be the ones spearheading tech transfer to the private sector. DoD is generally much more sanguine about that; the CIA likes their privacy and doesn't need a ton of hardware, so keeping unusual one-off projects built in-house is much more feasible for the CIA than it is DoD. The idea that a rogue "company man" is going to go negotiating with individual members of Congress and still have a job, especially when he's flashing photos of classified projects outside of a very controlled setting... let's just say that would render him fit only for employment on the History Channel.

Anyway. I had more I could rant about, like the idea that all of these high-power operators are going to swing around the Beretta M9, but then I remember Jesse Ventura with a minigun, so that doesn't bother me so much. But the idea that Stargazer just wouldn't wind up buried so deep in the NDAA that nobody would ever even notice it, or that they wouldn't already have private industry involved from go... it was just dumb, and in my line of work it jerked me out of the book.

" The day was ripe and full of promise, and he was here for a hunt".

The Predator is a glorious character. Strong, ruthless, with a cool style of his own. I couldn't help but taking his side in this story, as I did while watching the movie.

The present hunt is told in parallel with a series of flashbacks that go back to Vietnam, where Roger Elliott made his first encounter with the alien creature. And in my mind the images went from the more recent movie to Schwarzenegger hiding in the forest and looking up in the trees to the blurry image that meant death. I loved it.

A few paragraphs are told by the Predator point of view. I wish there was more of them. There is something deeply satisfying in reading what the creature thinks of the human race, especially his seeing us as simply hunting material.

I can't wait to read the other book from this series, The Predator, and watching all the movies again.

So cool.

Enjoy your reading!!

As far as prequels go, this one was rather pathetic. I liked the story fine, but it really didn't add anything to the movie. I don't think any of the characters from the movie were in it (but they were pretty forgettable too) and pretty much everyone died anyway. I was also disappointed in this as well as the movie of the lack of the use of the term Yautja to describe the Predator. It's not to say I particularly like the term (I think it sounds stupid), but if you are gonna make a word part of the canon, use it. Also the one time I heard it used in the book, it sounded like the Predator was using it ot describe humans. Also, the author did a poor job of making the Predator sound alien. It really felt like the equivalent of a human in a rubber suit or with a handful of prosthetics. I liked, but not a lot.

Wow, it’s been a long time since I watched the movie Predator starring Arnold; 2010. I thought of that after listening to this prequel by James Moore. I like the book overall. I think it’s pretty good, although nothing like the 2010 movie. The narrator was uninspiring and monotone but I was involved in the story so it didn’t bother me too much. Don’t publishers monitor things like this? Anyway, the covert team member characters were just okay, we got no background and knew nothing about them. That would have improved the tale as well. Can’t prequels include backgrounds on the characters? The book was long enough as it is at almost seven hours. Oh well, that’s not much of a recommendation, is it? The action involved in chasing down the Predator is all that saves it. Hmm… I almost talked myself out of a rating star. Ha!

This novel begins with so many strikes against it. A subgenre inside of another subgenre--Predator novels are about as niche as you can get. The fact that this is a tie-in novel--a prequel no less--to a science fiction movie that nearly killed the Predator franchise adds about three more strikes.

All of that being said, this novel was an absolute blast. It introduced interesting characters: heroes and semi-villains as well multiple scenes from the predator’s point of view which are always fun. It had a pretty conventional plot with enough depth to keep things interesting. It hit all the marks for a solid Predator story and was extremely well written--James Moore does an exemplary job writing heroic characters and understandable action sequences. After this novel, I’m looking forward to reading the novel adaption of The Predator

Not a bad prequel to where the story will begin in the next Predator movie.
Anyone who is familiar with the Aliens and Predator universes will recognise James A. Moore who has written many novels featuring these great franchises. Over the years James has helped to knit together a lot of the official Alien movies as well as helped to expand its expansion along with other great writers.
Personally, I felt this book was a little too short for my liking but perhaps that was exactly the intention so us, the readers would eagerly await for next month's opening of Shane Black's 'The Predator' movie.
Fingers crossed it'll be worth the wait.

Brutal Action packed story

So this book was non stop action from the first chapter,the story flowed well with not any viewing detail,you know what you're getting from the start a Violent Predator story and that is what you get,no nonsense action packed book,the characters were well fleshed out,the only thing is it leaves you wanting more more more,I can't wait for the movie 🎥,come on September 14th,if you want non stop carnage and action this is the book for you,a great addition to the Predator 🌎World,Read it now

Oh how I totally enjoyed this, based on a screenplay by Fred Dekker and Shane Black, the two lunatics who gave us The Monster Squad, one of my favourite 80's films.
This lays the path for the film that's due out very soon, it feels like a straight sequel to Predator 2 with numerous nods to the events that happened in Las Angeles back in the 90's.
When the violence kick starts, Oh Daddy, there's no holding back, an added bonus is we experience events from the Predator's perspective.
For all fans of the original two films, you should be very happy with this entertaining quick read.

The Predator: Hunters and Hunted is science fiction, action packed book about a group highly trained officials, known as "The Reapers" who work for an agency known as Project Stargazer.This agency is focused on capturing extraterrestrial beings. Throughout the book they try tracking down an alien known as "The Predator", who has taken the lives of many. The story changes scenes quite frequently, between The Reapers, the agents at Stargazer, and multiple others who encounter the predator. Will The Reapers successfully capture their target, or will they fall as prey?