Brian’s Hunt is the fifth and final novel in the Brian’s Saga series. The first novel in the series, Hatchet, was published and 1986 and won the John Newbery Medal in 1988. Knowledge of Brian’s past survival experiences is helpful for understanding his character and the expertise he exhibits in Brian’s Hunt.

In Hatchet, Brian is the sole passenger on a bush plane that crashes in a lake in the northern Canadian woods when the pilot suffers a heart attack. The pilot dies, but Brian survives and must stay alive and hope that rescuers locate him. Brian’s mother gave him a hatchet right before he left on his trip that serves as his only tool of survival. Brian undergoes many challenges as he learns the dos and don’ts of life in the woods. He relies on his previous knowledge, trial and error, luck, and grit to survive. Brian encounters mosquitos and a skunk, and he battles starvation, but he also learns how to build a fire, catch fish, and make a bow and arrows for hunting. Although each small step and skill is hard-won, Brian finds beauty and satisfaction in his survival lifestyle. Brian is eventually rescued after he recovers supplies, including a radio, from the remnants of the plane.