Brian's Return by Gary Paulsen
In an interesting turn of events, this book continues after the "AU" of Brian's Winter. Not only did Brian survive the Canadian winter on his own, but he also willingly returned in The River. Here, Brian is haunted by memories of his time in the woods and finds himself unable to adjust to living back in the city. Everything becomes a source of sensory overload/saturation until he finally explodes, beating a bully up after slipping into the "predator/prey" mindset (ie: "I have to keep him down or the predator will kill me"). It's nice to see some consideration given to his mindset and how surviving a traumatic experience changes a person. However, being a parent now, I couldn't get on board and believe the whole "his parents have some concern about letting him return to live in the woods on his own with no assurances that he will come back out - alive or willingly" aspect. It just felt too contrived and the ending was too open ended. (Note: there is an author's note that this would be the final "Brian" book, which would have made the ending awful, IMO.)
Brian's Hunt by Gary Paulsen
So, this one picks up directly after the last book. Brian is still in the wilderness and still planning to visit the Cree family of trappers that saved him in Brian's Winter. Along the way, he meets a dog who is clearly comfortable with humans, is wounded, and in the middle of nowhere. Brian's instincts kick in, telling him something is terribly wrong.... I liked the book, but again, felt the situation was less enjoyable than the events in Hatchet and Brian's Winter. It's less fun for the reader when the main character is surviving with modern conveniences like a lighter and canoe. The "hunt" was short and disappointing and terribly contrived. And I'm convinced the author can't write an ending to save his life. Once again, it was abrupt, open ended, and not all that satisfying. Still, not a bad read, all things considered.
