The Serrano Legacy novel Hunting Party is a novel of pure clichés.

Honestly, there wasn’t anything at all original about the novel. Be warned, there are a few minor spoilers ahead.

A disgraced Military Captain.

Spoiled, rich young adults with too much time and very little sense.

A somewhat eccentric rich old woman who loves to travel the space ways in her private yacht.

An admiral who has many horrible secrets to hide.

See, there was nothing original about any of this.

But, how much one enjoys something is in the execution. See, we’ve all seen the same types of stories time and time again. The same situations, the same types of characters. I know I have.

Even the basic plot of the novel revolves around a classic story. You’ll see what I mean once you read – well in this case, once you’ve listened to it.

The simple fact is this – despite it being nothing more than a work of clichés I didn’t mind it at all.

Elizabeth Moon wove together all these old, worn out clichés and made them her own. And surprisingly enough, it worked out well.

I didn’t find the characters to be in the least bit boring. The first part of the novel, I’d say about half of it anyhow, introduces all the primary characters in the novel. Heris Serrano, Lady Cecilia, her young Nephew Ron and his friends.

The novel sets up the characters and their initial reactions towards one another. Even the Lady Cecilia seems like the rich eccentric we’ve all seen before. But, it also sets the stage for one of the most important factors we can have in a book… character growth and development.

But, even then, the development is cliché. Yes, it’s that, but it wasn’t dull to me. Normally when you’re dealing with the interactions of a former military captain, the eccentric and the young troublemakers, it might seem boring. Sure, the talk of horses, the refitting of ships, and the like, it does sound like a yawn fest, doesn’t it?

The way Elizabeth Moon wrote the novel, it wasn’t. The interaction was rich, often funny, and entertaining. Not once was I bored listening to the novel.

Also, if you’re looking for a book that’s action packed, the first half has almost no action what so ever. Sure, there was danger to be had a couple of times, but the action doesn’t really pick up until the second half.

It’s also during this second half of the novel that some of the minor characters that were barely touched upon during the first half get their chance to shine.

The interesting aspect is how, in the far future, the rich are portrayed. I don’t know why I was expecting something different, because as this novel goes, the wealthy, the nobles, really weren’t all that different from those you see in today’s society.

I couldn’t help but think of a celebrity who doesn’t deserve her fame when I was reading about some of the characters in this book.

Ok, so the bottom line is this… did I enjoy the book? Yes.

Would I purchase more of these audio adaptations in the future? Again, yes.

It wasn’t the greatest, but it was far from dull.