The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

For Gene every day among the people is another day when he might be discovered, when they might realise that he is not like them, that he doesn't have their speed, that he can't see in the dark they way they can - that he is really prey.  It is a knife edge of danger, one that he has walked alone since his father was attacked seven years earlier and ran away into the light to stop from becoming a monster.  Genes routines keep him safe, the skills he has learnt help him to blend in, to stay undetected, but all his training growing up and his careful actions to date can not protect him from the Hunt. 

For the first time in a decade there is going to be a hunt, where some lucky people will be trained and allowed to hunt the hepers, the humans that the people have hunted almost to extinction.  Spirited away to join the other hunters Gene lives with the knowledge that at any moment the people could realise that there is a heper in their midst and tear him apart.  It is a dangerous time for Gene, especially when some of the others start to become suspicious.  Caught far away from his supplies, and in the heart of enemy territory, Gene must use all his skills and cunning if he wants to survive the hunt.

The Hunt is the first book in a trilogy and holds a lot of promise for the rest of the series.  The writing style takes a little getting used to as there is a lot of explaining as part of the story, to the point where at times it feels like Gene is narrating his own story like a movie, but you can get passed that if you keep reading and the story soon drags you in to the point that you don't really care anymore.  The world Fukuda has created is rich in detail and he has obviously thought about how the rest of the series will run, and what the mythology of his world is.  The time period could be the Earth's future, or it could be a parallel world, it doesn't matter which because the story is well told with anchors to our own world that make it seem more real and easy to visualise.

This is not a friendly take on vampires, they are quick and deadly and are portrayed as brutal and efficient killers.  Fukuda carefully avoids the label vampire, calling them the people instead, but they have a lot of the trademarks of a vampire - so I feel pretty safe calling them such.  The Hunt is action packed and has little twists and turns, and the action builds with the story, starting a little slow and then building to a crashing climax.  This is a book for fans of action with just a touch of horror.

If you like this book then try:

• Enclave by Ann Aguirre
• Peeps by Scott Westerfeld
• Variant by Robison Wells
• Anna dressed in blood by Kendare Blake
• I hunt killers by Barry Lyga
• The forest of hands and teeth by Carrie Ryan
• Every other day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
• Angel arias by Marianne de Pierres
• Rot and ruin by Jonathan Maberry
• Mr. Monday by Garth Nix

Reviewed by Brilla