The Big Hunt (novel)

 was the sixth novel published by Big Finish Productions as part of their Bernice Summerfield series. It was the first full length novel in the two years since The Glass Prison in 2002. It was author Lance Parkin's second Bernice Summerfield novel. His first was Beige Planet Mars.

Publisher's summary
Professor Bernice Summerfield is enjoying a break. A break from work, a break from the rebuilding of the Braxiatel Collection and a break from Jason, Adrian, and even her beloved Peter.

She feels she's entitled to a bit of downtime. So, why won't anyone leave her alone? Before long, she's being sent off after an old space artefact, only to crash-land on a planet apparently devoid of life. Devoid of life, that is, except for the robotic animals, big game hunters and ruthless corporate administrators of the type she's learned to know and mistrust.

Benny realises that to survive she must join in on what might be the most dangerous "game" she's ever played...

Plot
Following the liberation of the Braxiatel Collection from the control of the Fifth Axis, Benny is asked by Orlean Wolvencroft to find Eagle 11-32, a van Neumann probe sent out from Earth in the 2040s. She accepts the offer and travels to Peturia, hiring the Satespes (a ship), Johannsen (a pilot) and Noele Flynn (a postgraduate). After ten days of searching, Flynn adjusts their model of the flight path and leads them to an Earth-like planet in another star system. They crash due to the gravity distortion and Johannsen sends out a distress call. Due to the possibility of interference by the gravity distortion, Benny works on repairing the ship.

In the night, the ship is attacked and apparently eaten by animals who, strangely, showed no interest in following Benny, Johannsen and Flynn when they flee. They see an air car in the morning, proving that there is other intelligent life on this planet, and find that the animals all seem to be robots. Johannsen is killed when they are attacked by robot wolves; Benny, realising that the wolves were after Johannsen's wrist computer and jewellery, tells Flynn to strip off with her. The wolves leave and Benny wraps up the emergency beacon in a towel before holding it up in the air.

Benny and Flynn are attacked by more wolves at night and are saved by Bellamy and Beardmore, hunters who were using the two strangers as bait to draw the wolves out. Benny and Flynn join them and meet the hunt administrator, Makins, who explains that they are hunting robots which escaped from a Bantu Industries megafreighter which crashed on the planet but have no idea how many there are. He enlists Benny and Flynn's help in return for food and shelter, but Benny wonders for whom the robots were built and why there is no evidence of a crash.

Benny and Beardmore hunt for rock-eating elephants which are attacked by a wolf, which they promptly stampede. Benny looks at the wolf and is unable to find a power source, making her wonder if Makins is indeed telling them the truth. Additionally, she wonders why the hunters were supplied with low-tech weapons when dealing with robots. On another expedition, sabre-toothed tigers wound Beardmore and kill Bellamy before Benny destroys them with Bellamy's gun.

to be completed

Characters

 * Bernice Summerfield
 * Orlean Wolvencroft
 * Johannsen
 * Noele Flynn
 * Makins
 * Beardmore
 * Bellamy
 * Daniels
 * Mason

Organisations

 * UNASA existed in the 2040s.

Vehicles

 * The hunters have aircars.

Robots

 * Makins tells Benny the robots are made by Bantu Industries and are from a megafreighter that crashed.
 * UNASA launched von Neumann probes. These contained robots that when they landed could adapt to local conditions and create a ready-made colony for humans.

Continuity

 * Bantu were first mentioned in PROSE: Another Girl, Another Planet where they were the Bantu Cooperative. They were also mentioned in PROSE: Beige Planet Mars, where they were the Bantu Corporation.
 * Anderson's ship has Kalkravian leather. (PROSE: Cold Fusion, Paydirt, COMIC: Miranda, et al.)