The Hunters (book series)
The Hunters is a book series written by Chris Kuzneski, an American author. The series follows the adventures of a team of renegades – an ex-military leader, a historian, a computer whiz, a weapons expert and a thief – financed by a billionaire philanthropist who are tasked with finding the world's most legendary treasures. The first novel in the series, The Hunters, is currently being turned into a motion picture, directed by John Moore with the screenplay being adapted by Robert Mark Kamen.[1] The series also ties in with Kuzneski's other series, Payne & Jones, by featuring the character Petr Ulster, a historian and curator of the Ulster Archives in Küsendorf, Switzerland, and mentioning a number of minor characters and events from the Payne & Jones universe. The third book in the series, The Prisoner's Gold, won the Thriller Award for the 2016 Book of the Year at a gala hosted by the International Thriller Writers (ITW) in New York City on July 9, 2016.[2]
Books
The Hunters series follows the adventures of a team of renegades – an ex-military leader, an historian, a computer whiz, a weapons expert, and a thief – financed by a billionaire philanthropist. The team is tasked with finding the world's most legendary treasures. The first book in the series, The Hunters, was released by Headline in the UK on January 3, 2013 accompanied by a YouTube trailer.[3] The Hunters was released in America on November 11, 2014. It climbed to #1 on Amazon's suspense and thriller lists on January 23, 2015.[4]
The second book in the series, The Forbidden Tomb, was released in the UK on April 24, 2014 and in the US on March 1, 2015. It climbed to #1 on Amazon's action, crime, and thriller lists on September 10, 2015.[4]
The third book in the series, The Prisoner's Gold, was released in the UK and the US on October 8, 2015. It won the Thriller Award for the 2016 Book of the Year at a gala hosted by the International Thriller Writers (ITW) in New York City on July 9, 2016.[5]
The Hunters (2013)
Fearing a German victory in World War I, the Romanian government signed a deal with Russia to protect the country’s treasures. In 1916, two trains full of gold and the most precious possessions of the Romanian state—paintings, jewelry, and ancient artifacts—were sent to the underground vaults of the Kremlin. But in the turmoil of war, the Romanian treasure was scattered and lost. The collection is now valued at over $3.5 billion. Despite several attempts to find it, its location has remained a mystery…until now.[6]
The Forbidden Tomb (2014)
For nearly two thousand years, the legendary tomb of Alexander the Great—and the extraordinary riches concealed within—has remained undiscovered, but recent events may hold the key to locating the fabled vault. Only one team has what it takes to solve the mystery that has plagued historians for centuries. The Hunters are tasked with finding the tomb. Following clues to Alexandria, they encounter hostile forces that will do anything to stop them. Before long, the treasure hunt becomes a deadly rescue mission that will take the lives of hundreds and leave a city in ruins.[7]
The Prisoner's Gold (2015)
At the end of the 13th century, Chinese Emperor Kublai Khan gave an Italian merchant unfettered access to his kingdom. The traveler was Marco Polo, and his journey would become legendary. Aided by a special passport that protected him throughout the land, Polo amassed unbelievable wealth and hid it before his return to Italy. To this day, the location of his treasure remains a mystery. The Hunters are tasked with finding the missing fortune. Guided by firsthand accounts of Polo’s travels, they quickly discover there are hostile forces willing to do anything to stop them from taking the riches from Chinese soil. Before long, the treasure hunt becomes a deadly game of cat-and-mouse that will rewrite history while taking the lives of many.[8]
The Hunters movie
On April 16, 2014, Chris Kuzneski announced via his website and Facebook page that the rights to The Hunters had been optioned by Piers Tempest and Jo Bamford for their new production venture, Tempo Productions. Mark Huffam (Prometheus), Don Carmody (Chicago), and Peter Veverka (A Good Day to Die Hard) have joined the producing team.[9] John Moore has signed on to direct The Hunters, and the screenplay is being written by Robert Kamen.[10] On July 1, 2014, Reg Poerscout-Edgerton was announced as casting director for the film.[1]
Recurring Characters
- Jack Cobb is an ex-military commander, whose role is to lead the renegades on their missions across the globe. His experience, strength, and resilience is crucial to the mission, and the reason why he was chosen as the Hunters' leader.
- Sarah Ellis is a former CIA operative, focusing on the role of a thief for the Hunters.
- Hector Garcia is the team's computer genius. Socially inadequate, but unparalleled at his job, Hector is regarded as one of the best hackers in the world.
- Josh McNutt is a decorated US Marine sniper, focusing on being the Hunters' weapon and demolition expert.
- Jasmine Park has an exhaustive knowledge of ancient cultures and world religions, fluent in several languages, and is the team's historian. She is featured only in the first two books.
- Jean-Marc Papineau, a Frenchman with innumerable wealth at his disposal to fund the Hunter's activities and seemingly unlimited amount of resources and connections to help them in their quests.
- Petr Ulster, historian and curator of the Ulster Archives in Küsendorf, Switzerland.
- Maurice Copeland, a billionaire who is Papineau's boss and is the person behind their search.
References
- ^ a b Chris Kuzneski - Movie Archived 2016-01-19 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "International Thriller Writers – 2016 Thriller Awards". thrillerwriters.org. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
- ^ THE HUNTERS by Chris Kuzneski - Official Trailer
- ^ a b http://www.chriskuzneski.com/news.html
- ^ "International Thriller Writers – 2016 Thriller Awards". thrillerwriters.org. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-01-19. Retrieved 2016-01-09.
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