Book detail for Hunting on Kunderer

Cover tagline

On the planet primeval, hunters can become the hunted

Back cover text

Part of an Ace Double: Life with Lancelot

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Interior text

Suddenly, forward and to their left, there came a rising grumble from the foliage, like the sound of a rockslide on a distant mountain. Gilgamesh dropped to one knee and snapped the safety off his gun. "All right, Scott," he whispered, "this one is yours."

MacLeod stepped forward and lifted his rifle to firing position. "Hai!" he shouted, his voice breaking. The branches of the bush parted above his head and an enormous, red-scaled snout projected through, showing a ridge of massive, swordlike white fangs. The thing breathed and an odor of rotting fish washed across the group. The head came through farther and a pair of pale green eyes the size of basketballs became visible; then, as it pushed onward into the trail, a short neck and a pair of narrow shoulders with shriveled arms and hooked claws came into view. The animal snarled and everything went silent. The eyes swiveled about to survey the group, then fixed hungrily upon Scott.

"Fire!" screamed Gilgamesh, "FIRE!" The man remained motionless and slowly, confidently, the head began to reach out for him.

Gilgamesh leaped to his feet with a muffled curse and, running forward, shoved Scott aside. He leveled his power-gun at the animal and pressed the trigger stud. Nothing happened. There was no frightful lash of raw energy and no flicker of devastating blue fire. There was nothing. The gun was dead. The head leaned downward towards Gilgamesh, who stared upward in awed fascination, and the jaws closed daintily about his head....