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When Captain Jane Hunter's body is mangled beyond repair by an IED on the battlefield, all hope seems lost until she is given the chance to become the Huntress, "a top-secret machine controlled by a human brain and endowed with very advanced weaponry, detection instruments and camouflage capabilities." Her body is replaced by a machine making her a hybrid capable of succeeding at covert operations and dangerous missions where she thrives at her second chance. She partners with Ray to carry out an assignment in the Columbian jungle, and together they embark on a series of high-stakes operations involving FARC, cartels, and neo-Nazis. A mysterious meteorite with powerful possibilities for humankind is up for grabs, and the Huntress must retrieve it before it falls into the wrong hands. Formidable foes challenge Ray and Jane at every turn, but they are no match for her shapeshifting machine powers and unique fighting ability.
This sci-fi thriller is action-packed and will ricochet readers through battlefields and shoot-outs, kidnappings and escapes, reconnaissance and retrieval. The author's creativity is on full display. For example, the Huntress' abilities create unexpected scenarios as she morphs into various forms, allowing her to ambush her opponents and delight readers with her surprising choices, such as slithering as an anaconda, transforming into a vehicle, or becoming invisible. Black develops her character's emotional side also. Amidst all the action is Jane's abiding hope that scientific advancement will allow her one day to regain her true human form. As she grows closer to Ray, she wonders what kind of life she can have apart from her missions as a cyborg. This fast-moving story doesn't linger long in the philosophical minefields of the ethics of machines and humans, opting instead for action sequences as the book's heartbeat.