Nightstrike's Reviews: Andrew Fukuda's "The Hunt" Trilogy

Before I share my thoughts on this series, let me just say, this series was a let-down. There's a lot of Biblical imagery, to the point where it makes the ending seem overdone, and the final installment in the trilogy really just seemed like creative burn-out.

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Book 1: The Hunt

The first in a trilogy (that as far as I can tell is unnamed), Fukuda's The Hunt is an interesting dystopian story that focuses on Gene, a boy who is seemingly abnormal among other people. That is to say, he is a human among a population of vampires.

Before I continue any further, if you're concerned about spoilers, skip all the way to the final rating and note at the bottom. As I read all three of these in one day, it's somewhat difficult to be subjective about a single book in this series, due to the structure of the continuity.

Now that the warning's out of the way, let's take a look at what we know from this book. In a fairly isolated metropolis reside several million 'people.' However, these 'people' are not people in the sense that you or I know. Fukuda bases this civilization off vampires, but gives them a fairly unique treatment. Typically when one hears the word, they think of some teen drama and Victorian approaches to daily life. However, these vampires go about their lives as one might expect humans to do so. They manage businesses, create artwork, host parties and oversee construction. With that in mind, though, there are notable differences. They only go about their lives at nighttime, due to a lack of resistance to light. (No really, they actually melt in bright light. It's actually kind of disturbing and fascinating all at the same time, with Fukuda's description.) They are carnivorous by default and have impressive agility. They're strong, and sleep upside down. Most of all, though, is their craving for 'heper' flesh. They view hepers as primitive at best, and nothing more than excellent food.

Gene, as one of these 'hepers,' is forced to disguise himself as one to prevent his own demise. With few left alive, it's more a preservation of one's own species than an attempt to fit in with what's normal. Eventually, though, that disguise crumbles away when he is chosen for The Hunt, a tradition where several captive hepers are released and the hunter to consume the most is awarded.

I don't want to give too much away about the plot of the book, but as a standalone (despite the obvious cliffhanger), it's quite good. Overall I'd give the series a 6.5 out of 10, as certain things seemed kind of last minute, but as a standalone, I'd give it a 7.5. I hadn't expected the species to be vampires outright, so I was mildly disappointed, but if you want something that keeps you on edge, read this.

Book 2: The Prey

Continuing off the previous book in the trilogy, Fukuda attempts to build upon the story established in The Hunt. Whether it's a successful attempt is up to you, but I'll do my best to share my own opinions regarding this.

Before I continue any further, if you're concerned about spoilers, skip all the way to the final rating and note at the bottom. As I read all three of these in one day, it's somewhat difficult to be subjective about a single book in this series, due to the structure of the continuity.

I don't have too much to say regarding this book, other than the twists. There's so many, it makes me dizzy. Gene and his friends discover a 'sanctuary' that is not quite what it seems. At first, it was supposedly a well-managed outpost, but it slowly fell into neglect, and became more of . . . as one character put it, a totalitarian dictatorship. At around this point, you might pick up on the language change, as the 'duskers' are referred to as "it." This does more harm than good, though, as it distances the reader from any minor antagonists in the story, instead making them a faceless enemy, a vague concept. While this is occurring, there still are conversations between the 'duskers' that contrast deeply with the use of "it." One might argue that it was Gene accepting the fact that he was different, but the usage still is jarring, particularly when "it" is described as a normal person would be.

This book on its own, would probably score around the same as the series as a whole, which was 6.5. After reading both this, and The Trap, I felt like Fukuda was struggling to wrap up the world he created, and played up the notion of vampires a bit further, with religious iconography. If you're into that sort of thing, then by all means, read this book, but if you're just looking for something to keep you entertained, then I'd recommend looking elsewhere. The surprises and twists seem very unnatural, and make this seem more like a (quick) fanfiction, then a further dive into a world.

Book 3: The Trap

The final installment in Fukuda's unnamed trilogy really left a bad taste in my mouth, unfortunately. The previous two were good, but the series wound up being spoiled by the awkward plot twists that seemingly came out of nowhere, and the constant religious references that were played up in this book.

Before I continue any further, if you're concerned about spoilers, skip all the way to the final rating and note at the bottom. As I read all three of these in one day, it's somewhat difficult to be subjective about a single book in this series, due to the structure of the continuity.

Let's start at the end. Gene and Sis{-sy} (no really, that's her name.) are practically the only ones alive, and concoct a plan to start human civilization, as they technically were aberrations, mutations. Their home would thus be dubbed Eden. Yes, that Eden. Kinda' cliche. The book has a lot of confusing moments, including the fact that humanity is supposedly a virus, which implies that it's contagious. I don't see many humans. The ending felt very poorly thought out, as if Fukuda had no intention to continue the series, and just wanted to wrap things up. However, by doing it this way, he ended, he left plot-holes and plenty of questions left unanswered. The biggest, or at least my biggest, was where The Scientist was. There was a large build-up towards an eventual meeting with him, but Fukuda chose not to follow through. Additionally, Sissy's brother, Ben, as well as Clair, a friend made at the 'sanctuary,' both are missing, with no explanation as to what happened. No mourning, no mention, nothing. It just felt . . . strange, to say the least. Why go to all the trouble to build a unique world, introduce several bold characters, then kill them off in one big "murder-fest," and pretend like the two main characters have no conscience. It gives me a bit of a headache.

Overall, this book really fell short, especially compared to the first book. Probably a 3.5 out of 10, and the overall series scoring a 6.5 is only because of the strong opening. I'd really just recommend avoiding this one, unless you desperately want to know what happens. Even then, you may find yourself disappointed.