History Literature / CryptidHunters

* FiveManBand:
** The heroes generally correlate to this.
*** TheHero: Grace, who drives the plot of the series.
*** TheLancer: Marty, the deuteragonist of the series.
*** TheBigGuy: Luther and Dylan.
*** TheSmartGuy: Ted Bronson.
*** TheChick: Laurel Lee.
*** SupportingLeader: Wolfe.
** Noah's people form this in ''Chupacabra''.
*** BigBad: Noah
*** CoDragons: Butch and Mr. Zwilling.
*** TheBrute: Nine the chupacabra.
*** TheEvilGenius: Paul (head of security).
*** TheDarkChick: Yvonne (who is far too concerned with her own agenda to rise to Noah's inner circle to be competent).

* ArcWords: "Below deck".

''Cryptid Hunters'' is a four-part series of young-adult fiction written by Creator/RolandSmith, beginning with the original book published in 2005 and followed by ''Tentacles'' (2009), ''Chupacabra'' (2013) and ''Mutation'' (2014). It is also a continuation of the three-part ''Jacob Lansa'' series, consisting of ''Thunder Cave'' (1997), ''Jaguar'' (1999) and ''The Last Lobo'' (2001), and the book ''Sasquatch'' (1998), set alongside ''Jaguar''.

At its heart are twins Marty and Grace O'Hara, children of two photojournalists who go missing in the South American jungle. When their parents cannot be found, Marty and Grace are sent to live with their mysterious uncle Dr. Travis Wolfe, an anthropologist based on Cryptos Island. The two discover that their uncle is in fact a cryptozoologist, dedicated to finding the mysterious beasts of the world such as the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, and other oddities. However, Wolfe ends up mounting an expedition to find the twins' parents himself, and plans to return them to their boarding school. Thanks to a mishap involving a chimpanzee, a miniature poodle, and the twins' own desire to find their parents, they are stranded in the jungles of the Congo. Now the two must survive the Congo, Wolfe must rescue his niece and nephew, and the mystery involving the war between Wolfe and Noah Blackwood, renowned wildlife tycoon, begins to come to light. After the first book, characters from the ''Jacob Lansa'' trilogy and ''Sasquatch'' join the cast.

!This series contains examples of:

* AbsenteeActor: A lot of the supporting cast is absent during ''Chupacabra''.

* AdvertisedExtra: The chupacabra only becomes a major player during the final act of its' eponymous book, and the bigger threat will always be Noah.

* BigBad: Noah Blackwood.

*** TheDarkChick: Yvonne (who is far too concerned with her own agenda to rise to Noah's inner circle to be competent)

* NeverSmileAtACrocodile: [[spoiler: Noah's creations include giant alligators. One of them kills Butch.]]

* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler: Noah's death at the hands of his own bearcat is not depicted, only told later by Wolfe and Grace. Which is odd considering he's the BigBad of the series…]]

* TheReveal: [[spoiler: Noah is in fact Heinrich Kurtz, a clone of the son of Nazis who discovered how to give human genes longevity. His whole collecting animals and cryptids has been a cover so he may collect DNA to assist in his genetic efforts to genetically forge a new, immortal family. Rose was one of his clones, and Mr. Zwilling is another who handles day to day press for Noah.]]

* ShoutOut: The Chupacabra using the air shafts, and its descriptions stating that it slinks and unfolds out of them, are highly reminiscent of the [[Franchise/{{Alien}} Xenomorph]].

* [[YouKilledMyFather You Killed My Daughter]]: The reason that [[spoiler: Noah wants Wolfe and all his friends dead is because he blames him for Rose's death by dinosaur in the Congo.]]

* RealityEnsues: A major reason why more direct action can't be taken against Noah is because he's simply far too rich and powerful for the gang to get away with it. Wolfe even bitterly notes that Noah's been getting away with everything since day one.

* TheDragon: Butch is this to Noah. Yvonne wants to join the inner circle, but fails too much to even get close. Only Butch and Mr. Zwilling are Noah's most trusted subordinates - [[spoiler: because Butch is the only one who knows that Mr. Zwilling is a clone of Noah who handles publicity and interviews. Furthermore, Butch is the only one who even knows Noah's true nature and his cloning endeavors.]]

* KilledOffscreen: [[spoiler: Noah is mauled to death by his own bearcat - according to Wolfe, it tore his head off.]]

* ContinuityLockout: Averted, each sequel features a "meet the cast" page, and a recap of the series so far. However, the opening chapters will still stop every two lines to remind you of who's what or what happened.

* ArcWelding: Jacob Lansa, after having his own series, makes a cameo in ''Tentacles'', and his father's jaguar preserve is a major part of ''Mutation''. Dylan Hickock, protagonist of the earlier book ''Sasquatch'', is mentioned in ''Tentacles'' and joins the cast in ''Chupacabra''.

* AllMythsAreTrue: Pretty much every cryptid is implied to exist, but Dr. Strand decided after a thorough sweep of the southwest United States, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, that the chupacabra truly did not exist. Which delights Noah, as it means he gets to make one.

** BiggerBad: [[spoiler: Noah's parents were the ones who started the twisted cloning family business.]]

* AnachronismStew: The books are a mesh of of the decade from 2005-2015. ''Cryptid Hunters'' has Marty and Grace marvel at the idea of data that would still be locked in a cybervault somewhere even after a device's destruction, which was uncommon but not unheard of in 2005. By ''Chupacabra'', which only takes place a few months later, there are iPads and Noah is singing "[[Creator/JustinBieber Baby]]", and smartphones play a part in the plot. Made even worse by the fact that apparently Dylan was still a kid at the time of the Mount St. Helens eruption in the 1980's. Oy.

'''''Cryptid Hunters''''' is a four-part series of young-adult fiction written by Creator/RolandSmith, beginning with the original book published in 2005.

At its' heart are twins Marty and Grace O'Hara, children of two photojournalists who go missing in the South American jungle. When their parents cannot be found, Marty and Grace are sent to live with their mysterious uncle Dr. Travis Wolfe, an anthropologist based on Cryptos Island. The two discover that their uncle is in fact a cryptozoologist, dedicated to finding the mysterious beasts of the world such as the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, and other oddities. However, Wolfe ends up mounting an expedition to find the twins' parents himself, and plans to return them to their boarding school. Thanks to a mishap involving a chimpanzee, a miniature poodle, and the twins' own desire to find their parents, they are stranded in the jungles of the Congo. Now the two must survive the Congo, Wolfe must rescue his niece and nephew, and the mystery involving the war between Wolfe and Noah Blackwood, renowned wildlife tycoon, begins to come to light.

The original book, ''Cryptid Hunters'', was followed by a sequel, '''''Tentacles''''', in 2009, a second sequel, '''''Chupacabra''''' in 2013, and the series comes to an end with '''''Mutation''''', released in 2014. In addition, supporting characters Jacob Lansa and Dylan Hickock previously appeared in their own stories: Jacob in '''''Thunder Cave''''' (1997), '''''Jaguar''''' (1999), '''''The Last Lobo''''' (2001), and Dylan in '''''Sasquatch''''' (1998).

* BigfootSasquatchAndYeti: Wolfe and Dylan have met Bigfoot before, and Wolfe is convinced its' Asian cousin, the Yeti, exists as well.

* {{Chupacabra}}: One is created by Noah in the third book. It's based on the Puerto Rican version of the beast, as opposed to the one said to resemble a canine in the southern regions of North America.

* [[spoiler:OppositeSexClone: Rose Blackwood, Travis Wolfe's late wife, turns out to be this for her "father" Noah. Wolfe is understandably disgusted at the idea. Violet, a second "daughter", may also be this to Noah, but it's never outright said.]]

* FiveBadBand: Noah's people form this in ''Chupacabra''.
** BigBad: Noah
** CoDragons: Butch and Mr. Zwilling.
** TheBrute: Nine the chupacabra.
** TheEvilGenius: Paul (head of security).
** TheDarkChick: Yvonne (who is far too concerned with her own agenda to rise to Noah's inner circle to be competent)
* FiveManBand: The heroes generally correlate to this.
** TheHero: Grace, who drives the plot of the series.
** TheLancer: Marty, the deuteragonist of the series.
** TheBigGuy: Luther and Dylan.
** TheSmartGuy: Ted Bronson.
** TheChick: Laurel Lee.
** SupportingLeader: Wolfe.

* ArtisticLicense-Paleontology:

* ArtisticLicense:Paleontology:

* CryptidEpisode: ''Tentacles'' averts this, as the main focus is to capture a giant squid, a very real animal. ''Mutation'' also focuses on the search for the O'Hara's and the final battle with Noah.

* {{Badass}}: Pretty much every character.
** HandicappedBadass: Wolfe, who's missing the lower half of his right leg courtesy of a Mokele-mbembe and uses a prosthetic built by Ted Bronson as a replacement.

* FluffyTamer: [[spoiler: Wolfe is able to establish a relationship with Noah's catbear and Nine. Also, the kids learn to befriend the baby dinosaurs.]]

* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler: Mr. Zwilling turns out not to be that bad a guy, and genuinely loves animals. He agrees to become Noah Blackwood, merge with eWolfe, and truly take care of wildlife when Noah dies.]]

* KilledOffscreen: [[spoiler: Noah is mauled to death by his own bearcat.]]

* [[spoiler:OppositeSexClone: Rose Blackstone, Travis Wolfe's late wife, turns out to be this for her "father" Noah. Wolfe is understandably disgusted at the idea.]]

* TheReveal: [[spoiler: Noah is in fact a clone of the son of Nazis who discovered how to give human genes longevity. His whole collecting animals and cryptids has been a cover so he may collect DNA to assist in his genetic efforts to genetically forge a new, immortal family. Rose was one of his clones, and Mr. Zwilling is another who handles day to day press for Noah.]]
* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler: Raul is killed to reestablish Butch as a credible threat during ''Mutation'' after his humiliating defeats in ''Chupacabra''.]]

* GenreSavvy: A large portion of the cast.

The original book, ''Cryptid Hunters'', was followed by a sequel, '''''Tentacles''''', in 2009, a second sequel, '''''Chupacabra''''' in 2013, and the series comes to an end with '''''Mutation''''', released in 2014.

* ArcWelding: Dylan is the main protagonist of another Roland Smith novel, ''Sasquatch'', which is revealed to take place in this series' continuity as well.

* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler: The entire cast shows up to save Marty and Grace from Noah and Butch in the climax of ''Cryptid Hunters''. Later, Ted swings in to save Grace from Butch and rescue the group.]]

* BIgfootSasquatchAndYeti: Wolfe and Dylan have met Bigfoot before, and Wolfe is convinced its' Asian cousin, the Yeti, exists as well.

* TheDragon: Butch is this to Noah. Yvonne wants to join the inner circle, but fails too much to even get close. Only Butch and Mr. Zwilling are Noah's most trusted subordinates - [[spoiler: because Butch is the only one who knows that Mr. Zwilling is a clone of Noah who handles publicity and interviews. Furthermore, Butch is the only one who even Noah's true nature and his cloning endeavors.]]

* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Regarding Butch, see SacrificalLion. Regarding Noah, well, we've known he's a crazed, greedy psychopath since the beginning. [[spoiler: What we didn't know until ''Mutation'' is that he's a depraved madman who's collecting animals from around the world to provide for his twisted genetic research that will help him create a family for him to control and manipulate, and one who will be as long-lived as him.]]

* [[YouKilledMyFather You Killed My Daughter]]: The reason that [[spoiler: Noah wants Wolfe and all his friends dead is because he blames him for his death by dinosaur in the Congo.]]

'''''Cryptid Hunters''''' is a four-part series of young-adult fiction written by Roland Smith, beginning with the original book published in 2005.

* CereberusSyndrome: The story isn't exactly that lighthearted to start with, but it slowly becomes a grueling war between Wolfe and Blackwood that gets people killed.

* TheDreaded: Butch ''fears'' Mr. Zwilling. Also, everyone fears Noah, be it because of his power, ability to get away with everything, or because he's their BadBoss.

* AnachronismStew: The books are a mesh of of the decade from 2005-2015. ''Cryptid Hunters'' has Marty and Grace marvel at the idea of data that would still be locked in a cybervault somewhere even after a device's destruction, which was uncommon but not unheard of in 2005. By ''Chupacabra'', which only takes place a few months later, there are iPads and Noah is singing "[[Creator/JustinBieber Baby]]", and smartphones play a part in the plot.

* CerebrusSyndrome: The story isn't exactly that lighthearted to start with, but it slowly becomes a grueling war between Wolfe and Blackwood that gets people killed.

* CryptidEpisode: ''Tentacles'' averts this, as the main focus is to capture a giant squid, a very real animal. ''Mutation'' also focuses on the search for the O'Hara's.

* HumiliationConga: [[spoiler: Noah, Butch, and Yvonne all suffer one. Luther shuts down all of the Seattle Ark's security cameras, Grace sends bloopers of Noah's faked adventures to the public, Marty tricks Yvonne into believing she is to be fed to Nine, Butch gets his ass handed to him by Ted and Grace, and the gang makes off with the dinosaur hatchlings and three baby pandas.]]

* JustDesserts: [[spoiler: Marty, Luther and Dylan try to feed Yvonne to the chupacabra as punishment for sending it after them.]]

* LukeIAmYourFather: [[spoiler: Marty and Grace learn that they are not twins, but cousins. Grace is the daughter of Wolfe and her dead mother Rose, who was sent to be raised by Marty's parents as Marty's twin when Rose died.]]

* CoDragons: Butch and Mr. Zwilling to Noah, though Butch is the top agent in the field.

* DoubleMeaningTitle: "''Tentacles"'' refers to both the tentacles of the giant squid eWolfe is hunting, and the tentacles of the mysteries surrounding Wolfe and Noah.

* FluffyTamer: [[spoiler: Wolfe is able to establish a relationship with Noah's catbear and Nine. Also, the kids learn to befriend the baby dinosaurs.]

* WhoWantsToLiveForever: [[spoiler: Noah solemnly notes that a downside of living forever is that you outlive all of your loved ones.]]

* CryptidEpisode: ''Tentacles'' averts this, as the main focus is to capture a giant squid, a very real animal.

* ItCanThink: The chupacabra is a highly intelligent animal that tries multiple times to eat its' handlers.

* ShipTease: Wolfe and Laurel Lee. Also, Grace and Dylan begin to take a shine to each other in ''Chupacabra''.

* TookALevelInBadass: Grace takes one over the course of ''Chupacabra''.