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Predator Novels

Predator: South China Sea

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On a remote South China Sea island, a deadly hunt is underway... but not the kind of expedition the participants expected. In this remote, jungle-covered island somewhere between Thailand and Indonesia some of the most exotic animals in the world have been gathered as the prizes in a challenge of human against nature. The hunters come from all walks of life. Each has come to the island for personal reasons, some secret, some deadly. But when the encampment's owner, ex-Khmer Rouge Colonel Rath Preap, finds the fences cut and his security men missing, it's clear that the game has turned. And as the hunters battle for survival, they discover there is another creature out for blood... an adversary that has faced death on a thousand worlds - a Predator with an unstoppable lust for conquest!

356 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

7 people are currently reading
735 people want to read

About the author

Jeff VanderMeer

247Ìýbooks15.7kÌýfollowers
NYT bestselling writer Jeff VanderMeer has been called “the weird Thoreau� by the New Yorker for his engagement with ecological issues. His most recent novel, the national bestseller Borne, received wide-spread critical acclaim and his prior novels include the Southern Reach trilogy (Annihilation, Authority, and Acceptance). Annihilation won the Nebula and Shirley Jackson Awards, has been translated into 35 languages, and was made into a film from Paramount Pictures directed by Alex Garland. His nonfiction has appeared in New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Atlantic, Slate, Salon, and the Washington Post. He has coedited several iconic anthologies with his wife, the Hugo Award winning editor. Other titles include Wonderbook, the world’s first fully illustrated creative writing guide. VanderMeer served as the 2016-2017 Trias Writer in Residence at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. He has spoken at the Guggenheim, the Library of Congress, and the Arthur C. Clarke Center for the Human Imagination.

VanderMeer was born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, but spent much of his childhood in the Fiji Islands, where his parents worked for the Peace Corps. This experience, and the resulting trip back to the United States through Asia, Africa, and Europe, deeply influenced him.

Jeff is married to Ann VanderMeer, who is currently an acquiring editor at Tor.com and has won the Hugo Award and World Fantasy Award for her editing of magazines and anthologies. They live in Tallahassee, Florida, with two cats and thousands of books.

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5 stars
62 (27%)
4 stars
88 (39%)
3 stars
53 (23%)
2 stars
16 (7%)
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3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
Profile Image for Drew.
1,569 reviews613 followers
April 20, 2021
It's mostly a Predator novel, which means pulse-pounding action and most of the humans getting got in various ways all while trying to figure out what the hell is killing them. But then there are some interesting touches, a little Jeff that gets into the mix: a turn of phrase or interesting syntactic bit here, an interstellar bacterium that feels like a slice of Area X there....

It's fun to see an author you love turned loose on some random IP; I wish it happened more, outside of the Stars Trek and Wars, or Sherlock-related stories.
Profile Image for Benji's Books.
418 reviews6 followers
October 30, 2023
Flashback to the early 2000s when I was a wee-lad and took a trip to my local book store. I had no idea who this "predator" fellow was, but I wanted nothing to do with him.

My Dad pointed to a shelf full of used books. On it, were Conan novels by the great Robert E. Howard, a plethora of Star Wars books from the 80s and 90s and in the very top shelf, a complete set of Predator books.

Anyway, I disregarded those, even after my dad said they were pretty cool, especially after that old film with Arnie. No, instead I picked up Star Wars: Dark Apprentice by Kevin J. Anderson, the second book in the Jedi Academy Trilogy, of which I didn't even own the first to, but loved the cover.

From the words of Sally from "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," "WHAT A FOOL I WAS!"

Jump to 2020 and a whole bunch of Americans are hit with a stimulus check. It's been years since that fateful trip to the book store and not just this Predator novel, but all of them, have long been out of print. But much like a yautja, I too have been hunting. Hunting for this series.

And so that was my first purchase with my stimulus check.

And man, was it worth it. Instead of spending nearly $100 on each book, I bought a grand total of 7 books for $200.

This was a grand ol' time. At least I remember enjoying it. After I received these books in the mail, I just binge read all of them, so the plots seem to intertwine whenever I try to think about which book is which, but I do remember this one especially being an essential pick for Predator fans.

Interesting to note, each chapter was only about 1-3 pages long.
Profile Image for Mark Palermo.
65 reviews9 followers
April 22, 2019
At the time this came out, I was heavily into Jeff VanderMeer's books, but I just wasn't someone who read Predator novels, so I skipped it. A friend of mine recently purchased this (it's OOP) for a chunk of money, and I wanted to borrow it because I'm more worldly now, and am curious about what happens in a VanderMeer Predator novel.

The first thing you'll probably note here is it introduces a ton of characters from the top, so the first couple chapters take a bit longer to read as you're trying to keep everyone's name and criminal background straight. After this adjustment period, it's a great ride for about 200 pages. I like the way it crosscuts between characters and from past to future and from dialogue to internal thoughts and the Predator even recalls fighting reptilian and mushroom species on other planets, which is where VanderMeer inserts most of his weirdness.

The Predator movies are unique in combining heavy duty action with slasher movie tropes, which this book understands and runs with. There are a lot of descriptions of automatic weapons here, too, if that's your fetish.

It's in the long climactic battle where the book (which frankly could have used another run-through by a copy editor) feels a bit disinterested. It's in the way mood and atmosphere meet human frailty where the writing excels. It's also of interest because in many ways it feels like a dry-run for the setting and themes VanderMeer would explore in the Southern Reach Trilogy.

If you have a friend who's loaded and buys this because he's a fan of Predator or Jeff VanderMeer, you should borrow it, imo.
AuthorÌý5 books38 followers
March 26, 2025
Weird Lit Goes Pulp!
an Alien Vs Predator double feature

Welcome to Jeff Vandermeer's Base X. If that sounds similar to one of his other books, you're imagining things. Unlike Area X, Base X is being plagued by extraterrestrial hijinks. An alien force of nature frequently emerges to wreak havoc on the crew. Expeditions are sent in to hunt it down but never return. One person contracts an alien virus that leaves their sanity and biology in dire peril... Oh who am I kidding? This is entirely an Area X book, but this one has Predator acting like a gigachad rather than an emo biologist.

Come back tomorrow for part two, where we discuss Brian Evenson's Aliens book!
Profile Image for Kevin.
10 reviews1 follower
February 25, 2019
A colourful cast of characters in a story that keeps you turning the pages to see how it’ll all work out, with enough VanderMeer weirdness to make this take on the Predator universe wholly unique and engaging.

Very slight criticisms: the cast might be a bit overstuffed, with some characters interchangeable (I’m thinking Tau and the other guy...uh, Non-Tau?) and plot threads that make little impact because Vandermeer must've either lost the thread or was setting up a sequel. Without getting too specific, what appears at first to be an important character ends up not getting involved in the plot until nearly the end of the book, and even then it's - literally and figuratively - on the periphery. There's also a climactic moment that happens waaaaay too quickly and, for a book pretty rife with backstory, lacks any explanation or context. And last but not least, there is the EXTREMELY 'Southern Reach' fate of one character that would've been nice to see explored a bit more (especially since it seems to be a first for the Predator franchise), but if my unrealized-sequel theory is correct, that likely would've happened had a VanderMeer-penned follow-up ever come to pass.

Regardless, A+ effort, and it really is too bad that we probably won’t ever see more Predator stuff from VanderMeer in the future, given his success with his own IP. This was a great book.
Profile Image for Quentin Wallace.
AuthorÌý35 books176 followers
September 22, 2023
This was the longest by far of this run of Aliens/Predator novels. Unfortunately, that means that it does drag at times. For one thing there's a ton of characters to keep up with, and the battle at the end is drawn out.

That being said, it's still a good read. An island in the South China Sea has been stocked with exotic game for rich hunters to hunt at their leisure. But nobody thought a Predator would show up and turn it into a big game hunt of his own.

This run of Aliens and Predator novels from Dark Horse was really good overall, with the majority being better than most of the movies. I would recommend any in the series.
Profile Image for Mark.
243 reviews15 followers
October 11, 2011
Quite simply put, this is what a Predator film should be like. I love the first film and this novel takes the foundations laid there and move them on to another level. Excellent characterisation, technology and story - a plus on all fronts and can be enjoyed be fans and newcomers alike.
Profile Image for Sebastian.
AuthorÌý11 books35 followers
August 10, 2022
I’ve waited a long time to get my hands on this one without paying the ridiculous amounts demanded for used copies, and it seems to have finally been reissued (or just found its way online) in electronic form. If you liked Predators, the 2010 film that somehow seems to have fallen into oblivion (my wife doesn’t even recall watching it, despite being a huge fan of the franchise), then you’ll also like this novel published two years prior, where the same pulpy “rag-tag band of bad-asses from all over the world thrown together in an isolated spot� formula is spiced up in the tiniest bit by delicate hints of Vandermeeriana � Predator flashbacks to hunts on mushroom planets, weird spore infections opening doorways into alternate realities � but with all this layered in between copious amounts of alternating cat-and-mouse games and outright massive-scale slaughter of homo sapiens (and other species) that you would expect any time a Yautja happens to turn up.
Profile Image for Will Wilson.
252 reviews9 followers
June 28, 2020
A fun and exciting predator story with a very high body count. I for the most part enjoyed this book but it does have a couple drawbacks ,one of them being a subplot about a female pirate captain that doesn’t really seem to add too much to the story. There are a few others that are a bit on the spoiler side that I won’t get into it but you’ll notice when you are reading it.This book did have some fluff that could have definitely been removed. Overall the story doesn’t really bring anything new to the predator mythos but if you’re looking for an enjoyable book to pass a weekend by with I do recommend this. 3.5 stars.
On a sidenote I realize this book is out of print and I do not recommend spending $90 to get a hold of this. I was able to find a copy of it at my local library and I recommend you you do the same. Fun book but not 90$ -300$ fun.
Profile Image for the tony..
36 reviews
July 15, 2020
I was torn between giving this book 3 or 4 stars and ended up giving it 3 only because I felt it was a just a little too drawn out. The pirate character was not as pivotal as I assumed she would be, if you took her and her entourage out of the book, it would’ve been almost the same. Once the climax “war� happened towards the end I thought it got a little confusing, trying to visualize everything the author was trying to convey. Some of the characters didn’t die as I thought they would. Still I enjoyed it, it kept me engaged and wanting to read more. Almost 4 stars but not quite.
Profile Image for K. Nagle.
AuthorÌý12 books47 followers
November 12, 2021
It's a lot of fun to read a Jeff Vandermeer Predator novel from back before he was famous. That said, if you're looking at the $150 price tag for a used copy, it's not worth $150 to read. But if you're a big Jeff Vandermeer fan and you're willing to wait until you can catch a copy for a much more reasonable price, it was definitely a fun read.
Profile Image for Nicholas.
151 reviews1 follower
January 17, 2016
Quick chapters and a tough cast of characters make this novel stand out among the Predator canon. Author, Vandermeer wisely works the series formula, keeping in mind that the best Predator stories feature a cast of hard-core killers being picked off one by one. The little details like the crocodile Pol Pot and the idiosyncrasies of the Russian ice-queen Marikova (the scene where she watches the Predator sink all the boats is an eerie moment) makes this one quite captivating in its imagination. Humor creeps its way into the book too, especially through Horia with his never-ending list of old Romanian sayings. The Predator's gripping siege upon temple ruins showcases some terrifying tactics on the alien hunter's part. When the Predator starts playing back the voices of the dead and throwing their severed heads over the wall its quite chilling to read. With the finale of the book, Vandermeer manages to give us a twist on the typical Predator ending (yes, we do get someone self-destructing) but extra touches of something truly alien as well with the strange fate of Nikoai and the unexpected with Maxim and Marikova. Only the sub-story with the pirates seemed a bit like filler, but in the end serves some purpose.
Profile Image for Mr Chuck.
285 reviews7 followers
May 16, 2021
Predator hunts and kills. That'll do me.

On a remote island, a hunter's wet dream of game hunting and high-end hotel living is interrupted by something hunting the animals and the people instead (I wonder would it could be?).

I really liked this book as it had all I wanted from a Predator story. Killing, bad guys, hunting, badass anti-heroes, and overuse of violence which all Predator fans love.

Honestly just read it you know you want to.

Profile Image for Evan.
125 reviews47 followers
December 28, 2008
What's this? Arsty Jeff Vandemeer writing a movie tie-in? The result is really fun, to be read in the same freewhelling spirit it was written.

*spoilers*

Grace notes are the scene where the Predator sits asleep in his ship, snoring. The weird, interglactic disease that overcomes one of the characters, and the lovely haiku Vandemeer uses to describe a character committing suicide:

"Raised the gun to his head. Pulled the trigger. Opened a window in his head and fled through it."
Profile Image for Tina.
937 reviews38 followers
August 30, 2024
I'd been trying to get ahold of this book for over ten years. Finally, I found a copy!

I won't bore you with that saga, but after hunting forever for it, this turned out to be simply a decent Predator novel. We have the set-up chapter where the Predator leaves a bunch of people dead and others confused/shitting their pants. Then we have the cast of Red Shirts and main characters in the location where the hunt will take place. In this case, it’s this trophy hunter island in the South China Sea � where the trophy hunters become the trophy huntees, of course!

The reason I wanted to read this book so badly was because I was hoping for some of VanderMeer’s weirdness to shine through. I have read most of his books (City of Saints and Madmen being a favourite, and I loved the Southern Reach trilogy). While there are a few lines here and there that are rather poetic or interesting, it’s definitely not a ‘weird� take on Predator. I can’t fault a book for staying in its lane, but you know what else stays in its lane? A Honda Odyssey. I’d rather be looking at something with a bit of character.

This book takes awhile to get going in the sense of immersion. There are so many characters ... just so many men I couldn’t keep track of. Eventually, enough get killed off that we’re left with a few, and that problem disappears. Maybe that was the intention, that we don’t have a ‘main� character so that we’re not sure who's expendable or not. If so, okay, fair. If not, it was a bit jumbled. There was also, I’m surprised to say, a lot of passive writing in this book, which might have been why I had trouble really getting involved in the story until about halfway through.

Once it gets going though, a few of the main characters really do start to shine. It’s no surprise I Ioved Marikova, the Russian assassin. Not only does she probably get the most page time (making her kind of the main character), but she is a huge badass and bucked the stereotype of assassins being ice-cold, as she is very protective and loving of her partner, Nikolai. I also liked him. Regarding others, there was an interesting twist with one character that suffered a bit due to competing narratives - it didn’t hit as hard as it could have - and another character who starts off the story but doesn’t show up until much later and with a pretty flimsy motive. But, I did like what they did when they arrived, so I forgave them .

In terms of the Predator, I wasn’t super into the depiction. VanderMeer gave him an almost animalistic nature, which I suppose is interesting, but we get nothing in terms of his culture, motivation, or even personality. I also didn’t find that the lore was entirely consistent with other books. Why would the Predator kill a Rhino that is just standing there? Doesn’t seem to fit with their typical m.o. of only fighting other predatory creatures. Likewise, the book uses “it� pronouns for the Predator which was distracting to me. A bit more backstory on the predator could have given them a gender, though, and resolved that.

Anyway, the action scenes in the book are very fun, if that’s what you’re reading these books for. They are a bit rushed at times, but if you’re looking for a high kill count, this book has a full-on battle. The last third also branches into a sort of Battle Royale situation where we’re following a bunch of characters around in different places as they get taken out one by one, which was a cool way of doing it.

In truth, the last third of the book is quite strong and very exciting. The first and second third of the book are fine, just not as awesome as I was hoping, given how long I’ve been waiting to get my hands on this particular white whale of mine.
Profile Image for Sierra.
446 reviews5 followers
August 23, 2023
I had a hard time reading this. The setting is cool, beginning on the ocean then a tropical island. But I could not like any of the characters, except maybe Horia. Even the main guy, Gustat, that we're supposed to sympathize with, he's so stiff in character, I can't find anything to like. Feel for him sure, like to read about, no. The Russians were intriguing, but flatlined for me. And everyone else just felt like cannon fodder. Maybe others will like it more, maybe I'll pick it again and like, but for now, meh. There are better stories.
Oh, I will add one thing, I really enjoyed when we read and saw through the predator's eyes. Those were the most interesting parts of the book. I'd love to see a story written purely through the predator's eyes, that would be interesting.
Profile Image for David Grenfell.
12 reviews
January 17, 2021
A perfect Predator book. Fits seamlessly into the Predator mythos and is written well and intelligently written. If star ratings were simply about is it good for what it is? Then it is 5 stars. If it has to stand next to the great American novel, then why does so much other trash get 5 stars? My guess is that is you have any interest in this book then you will be quite pleased by reading it.
Profile Image for Malcolm Cox.
AuthorÌý1 book2 followers
November 21, 2023
The good
This was a vastly different tale to what I was expecting and there were plenty of new ideas and things that happen which nicely complements the Predator lore.

The bad
Took a long time to get going and when it did, it was over very quickly.
Profile Image for Brent Wallace.
13 reviews1 follower
January 2, 2009
Nice setup with secluded island and reason for everyone to be armed.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews

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