After 49 chapters, Hunter has come to an end. Of all the stories that I've posted, this one has been the most controversial. I expected that and my expectations were well exceeded.
The feedback that I've received falls into five major categories: Bowman Detractors, Bowman Supporters, Analysts, Soldiers, and the Fearful.
Bowman Detractors - A lot of people really hated the character, his world view, and the setting of the story. Few of the readers in this category lasted more than a handful of chapters, but they were quite emphatic in their views that the story represented a fascist political stance and represented a real threat in terms of supporting racial hatreds.
Bowman Supporters - A lot of people really identified with the character, his world view, and the setting of the story. They felt that this was one of the first stories they read that presented their world view. They felt that today's world of political correctness is preventing us from addressing real problems.
Analysts - I was really surprised by the number of people who wrote me saying that they worked or had worked in the intelligence field. More often than not, they wrote that the world situation was far worse than described in the story. I had a few who said that the technical details were weak and in a few places they were clearly wrong.
Military - This group, for the most part, often wrote telling of their experience in the military and the difficulties of carrying out a mission amidst the politics. Those who served in the Middle East reported that they didn't trust the people there. Some described events that had occurred to them while stationed there. The stories were often very heartbreaking.
Fearful - A lot of e-mails were from people who felt that the world situation described in this story was too close to the truth for comfort. They hope that the story is not prophetic, but fear that it is. Based on the volume of e-mail, there are a lot of people who are afraid of the future.
Some will say that the story ended with too optimistic of a conclusion. World peace? After every war, people say that the death and violence of the war should serve as a lesson to support peace. Yet, there has always been another war. We can't ignore the lessons of the past. Recognizing that, I will say that it is a very optimistic conclusion.
I enjoyed writing this story. I hope that those who read it to the end enjoyed it. I hope that people found some of the ideas in it thought provoking.