The Hunter Elite

At the end of the nineteenth century, Theodore Roosevelt, T. S. Van Dyke, and other elite men began describing their big-game hunting as “manly sport with the rifle.” They also began writing about their experiences, publishing hundreds of narratives of hunting and adventure in the popular press (and creating a new literary genre in the process). But why did so many of these big-game hunters publish? What was writing actually doing for them, and what did it do for readers? In exploring these questions, The Hunter Elite reveals new connections among hunting narratives, publishing, and the American conservation movement. Beginning in the 1880s these prolific hunter-writers told readers that big-game hunting was a test of self-restraint and “manly virtues,” and that it was not about violence. They also opposed their sportsmanlike hunting to the slaughtering of game by British imperialists, even as they hunted across North America and throughout the British Empire. Their references to Americanism and manliness appealed to traditional values, but they used very modern publishing technologies to sell their stories, and by 1900 they were reaching hundreds of thousands of readers every month. When hunter-writers took up conservation as a cause, they used that reach to rally popular support for the national parks and for legislation that restricted hunting in the US, Canada, and Newfoundland. The Hunter Elite is the first book to explore both the international nature of American hunting during this period and the essential contributions of hunting narratives and the publishing industry to the North American conservation movement.

This bundle contains books 4 - 6 of the Hunter Elite Series: Hunting For Death: The Hunter Elite will face a deadly foe when they are sent to Scotland, but they have more problems than just their latest mission. If Connor’s kin learn about his forbidden relationship with a vampire, it could end in disaster for them both. Ever wily, Spencer has sent his team overseas for more than just one mission. He also wants them to investigate the witch that he imprisoned so long ago. If Morgwen truly has escaped from her prison, they will have a common enemy to battle. Ari’s power as a witch is growing, but it draws danger to her in an unusual form that she could never have anticipated. A magical object attaches itself to her in the Scottish Archives. It is one she can’t shake and one she senses will change things for the worse. Hunting A Thief: Following Spencer’s orders, the Hunter Elite heads to London. While Roderick searches the Archives for a way to imprison or kill Morgwen, the hunters seek a spell book. It could hold the key to break Ari free from the hold Von Hades has over her. In order to secure the book, she will have to perform a difficult task for its owner. Once again, someone infiltrates the London Archives and steals an important artefact. When they hunt down the thief, they will discover that their troubles are about to become far worse. The items the burglar has taken will serve a dire purpose that will endanger them all. Morgwen has taken refuge in a place that holds bad memories and dread for Connor. After being banished from the shifter community for taking a vampire as his mate, returning to Scotland will be fraught with danger. Knowing how dangerous the witch will become if she isn’t stopped, the Hunter Elite will do whatever it takes to end her. Hunting A Necromancer: The team returns home from London and are drawn into another mission straight away. Quin has to face her father who rejected her so long ago for being defective. She will have to put aside her hurt and focus on finding a bunch of missing kids before it becomes too late to save them. Quin isn’t the only one who has to face an unpleasant past. Ari also takes a trip down memory lane when they are sent to find and eradicate a rogue necromancer. She encounters a new threat during the mission that warns of danger to come. They have another run-in with the assassins that have been hunting them and everything is about to change. Ari’s worst fears are realized as she has to make a choice between saving herself and saving the people she loves. No matter her decision, nothing will ever be quite the same again in the Hunter Elite.

Joy knows she’ll be facing more dangerous Othersiders than ever before as a new member of the Elite Hunter unit, but if anyone is up to the challenge it’s her. She’s been Hunting these monsters since she was a child, and has a pack of eleven fiercely protective magical Hounds. Then the rules change. Monsters unlike any Joy’s ever seen or even heard of are breaking through Apex City’s barriers, and the Hunters are scrambling to find new ways to fight them—all the while hiding the true danger Apex faces from the Cits, who are ignorant of the severity of the Othersiders’ attacks. The leaders of Apex must come together to protect the city, but tensions have never been higher between the Hunters and the powerful PsiCorps, with each group competing to be the primary protector of the city. The conflict escalates even further when Joy starts discovering bodies of Psimons while patrolling the city sewers on a special assignment from her uncle, who commands the Hunters. Someone is killing Psimons, and if Joy doesn’t uncover the true culprit she might just take the fall for it. Chaos erupts when Ace, the murderous Hunter who tried to kill Joy at her Elite trials, escapes from the Army’s captivity and defects to the Othersiders. Joy has no idea what Ace might be capable of with the help of the cunning Folk, but she may be about to find out; Othersider forces are gaining strength and momentum just beyond the barriers. A storm is approaching Apex City, and unless Joy and her fellow Hunters put up the fight of their lives, it might just sweep them all away . . .

This bundle contains books seven to nine of the Hunter Elite Series. Hunting A Relic: Succumbing to Alakay’s master vampire power, Ari becomes his unwilling servant. Luckily, she isn’t alone in the lair he’s chosen to lurk in. She makes an unlikely friend who could turn out to be beneficial to her in the long run. All she has to do is pretend she isn’t an evil, soulless monster now. How hard could that be? The Hunter Elite and Jake Everett desperately search for a way to retrieve Ari’s soul. When a solution is presented to them, Jake must make a deal that will be filled with peril. If they wish to succeed, they’ll need Ari’s cooperation to accomplish it. Now that she’s become a full vampire, they all know it won’t be easy to get her to see reason. The team will need to split up as they all tackle their separate tasks. They will face dangerous foes and some will travel to realms they’d never expected, or wanted to visit. They will become allies with creatures they are normally enemies with to serve a common goal, but their alliance will be shaky. Ari finally embarks on the mysterious task to retrieve a relic from somewhere no one has ever returned from before. It will be her most hazardous mission so far and even with her magical abilities, she isn’t sure she’ll succeed. The worst part is that she won’t be going alone. She’ll have company she would rather see dead than to be partnered with. Hunting The Dark: Ari finally gets a chance to contact the pixies. It is her hope that they will give her some of their magical dust so she can cast the spell that will nullify Spencer’s control over the people she loves. Their assistance won’t be free. They require her to perform a difficult and dangerous task before they’ll hand over their dust. Before she can tackle that problem, Von Hades sends the Hunter Elite out on a new mission. This one is stranger than most and their foes are both deadly and elusive. It isn’t going to be easy to hunt the Dark and survive. Jake Everett and his small sidekick, Rudy, will be joining them. Until their war with the demon, the witch and the druids is over, they’ll be sticking together. Morgwen returns from her journey through the portal to another realm. She had brought allies that can kill with one touch with her. The Earth has never seen their like before and even Spencer is fearful that the witch’s army might not be stoppable. Enemies will have to band together to have a chance of defeating their mutual nemesis. Hunting A Dragon: Ari now has everything she needs to break her friends and herself free from Spencer Von Hades’ thralldom. They are all aware that doing so will turn them into the demon’s enemy. With Morgwen and her army of dead, undead and Dread Wraiths to contend with, they have to hope he will focus on her rather than on them. In order to defeat Morgwen, they need the relic Ari retrieved from the Deadworld. Unfortunately, Spencer has it locked away and under guard in one of his enchanted mansions. Stealing it from him won’t be easy. They will have to utilize their various skills in order to achieve their goal. Harrow and his druids now have the mask of a long-dead demi-god in their possession. Once it has been repaired, whoever wears it could become even more dangerous than Morgwen. Faced with three powerful enemies, the Hunter Elite will need the help of an ally that vanished from Earth thousands of years ago. They fear that only a dragon will have the power they need to vanquish their foes.

They came after the Diseray. Some were terrors ripped from our collective imaginations, remnants of every mythology across the world. And some were like nothing anyone had ever dreamed up, even in their worst nightmares. Monsters. Long ago, the barriers between our world and the Otherworld were ripped open, and it's taken centuries to bring back civilization in the wake of the catastrophe. Now, the luckiest Cits live in enclosed communities,behind walls that keep them safe from the hideous creatures fighting to break through. Others are not so lucky. To Joyeaux Charmand, who has been a Hunter in her tight-knit mountain community since she was a child, every Cit without magic deserves her protection from dangerous Othersiders. Then she is called to Apex City, where the best Hunters are kept to protect the most important people. Joy soon realizes that the city's powerful leaders care more about luring Cits into a false sense of security than protecting them. More and more monsters are getting through the barriers,and the close calls are becoming too frequent to ignore. Yet the Cits have no sense of how much danger they're in-to them, Joy and her corp of fellow Hunters are just action stars they watch on TV. When an act of sabotage against Joy takes an unbearable toll, Joy uncovers a terrifying conspiracy in the city. There is something much worse than the usual monsters infiltrating Apex. And it may be too late to stop them?

Includes material on "the Trailside Killer in San Francisco, the Atlanta child murderer, the Tylenol poisoner, the man who hunted prostitutes for sport in the woods of Alaska, and Seattle's Green River killer ..."

Big-game hunting underwent a transformation in meaning in the 1880s and hunting narratives were the vehicle fro that change; although hunters appealed to traditional ideals of Americanism and the "manly virtues" in their narratives, their hunts were brought to life using very modern technologies of travel, tourism, and publishing. These elements became ever more significant as hunters began to advocate for conservation, using a powerful combination of media access and social influence to persuade their readers to support game legislation and promote hunting restrictions across North America.

For use in schools and libraries only. Joy knows she'll be facing more dangerous Othersiders than ever before as a new member of the Elite Hunter unit, but if anyone is up to the challenge it's her. She's been Hunting these monsters since she was a child, and has a pack of eleven fiercely protective magical Hounds. Then the rules change. Monsters unlike any Joy's ever seen or even heard of are breaking through Apex City's barriers and the Hunters are scrambling to find new ways to fight them--all the while hiding the true danger Apex faces from the Cits, who are ignorant of the severity of the Othersiders' attacks. The leaders of Apex must come together to protect the city, but tensions have never been higher between the Hunters and the powerful PsiCorps, with each group competing to be the primary protector of the city. The conflict escalates even further when Joy starts discovering bodies of Psimons while patrolling the city sewers--on a special assignment from her uncle, who commands the Hunters. Someone is killing Psimons and if Joy doesn't uncover the true culprit she might just take the fall for it. Chaos erupts when Ace, the murderous Hunter who tried to kill Joy at her Elite trials, escapes from the Army's captivity and defects to the Othersiders. Joy has no idea what Ace might be capable of with the help of the cunning Folk, but she may be about to find out; Othersider forces are gaining strength and momentum just beyond the barriers. A storm is approaching Apex City, and unless Joy and her fellow Hunters put up the fight of their lives it might just sweep them all away