The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

[Colette Marie]

The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda is book 1 in the HUNT trilogy. This a fictional story that is based in a dystopic futuristic society where a new life form called 'the people' now populate the Earth. In this futuristic world, humans a.k.a 'hepers' have been hunted to near extinction by 'the people' who are in actual fact vampires.

The main character in this book is a seventeen year old boy named Gene who is a heper. Under the guidance of his father, he has learned to adapt to living in the society where 'the people' are predator and 'hepers' are prey. Each new day living in this society brings danger and the slightest mistake made by Gene or his father means instant death.

One day, Gene's father gets bitten by a vampire. In an effort to save Gene, Gene's father walks into the sun before the change is complete. Gene realizes that he has to survive on his own with no one to guide him along. And every day he is reminded of who he is - a fake person.

And then, The Director of the Heper Institute announces that the ruler of the people has announced that there will be a Heper hunt held. A lottery is held and Gene is selected to be among the people who are allowed to hunt down the last of the near extinct Heper species. Suddenly, Gene has jumped from an unnoticed shadow in his school to the center of attention. With the spotlight glaring down on him, being popular is the last place he has ever wanted to be in.

However, Gene is not the only object of envy. Along with him, a beautiful yet arrogant girl named Ashley June are thrown into the spotlight. Without any chance to react, Gene is sent off to the Heper Institute, leaving him with no chance to retrieve his belongings needed for his survival. With his survival being narrowed down to a near zero, will Gene be able to survive? And if given no choice, will Gene kill his fellow species?

Every page in this book was a thrill to read and I enjoyed reading this book to the max. The pages seemed to turn themselves as I read on, the story-line propelling me deeper and deeper into Gene's world. The characters in this story are definitely well crafted and they each have their own unique personalities. Gene's character is a complex one and his character has added more intensity to the story with each sentence, each thought and each act. Ashley June has also put much more flavor into the story by spicing it up with her character. The vampires in this story were described by the author in so much detail that they send goosebumps up my spine each time Gene is near them.

Andrew Fukuda has taken on genres that have been so extensively used that they are close to death and still he has managed to put a new life and perspective to these genres. His writing is fantastic and deepens the plot at a well-paced speed. With great writing, an engaging story-line and an original idea, Andrew Fukuda's work leaves me sitting on the edge.

All in all, this book is a must-read and I would give it a well deserved 4 out of 4 stars

[madhu_bookworm]

Great Review. Your review and synopsis of the book make me want to pick this one up.