Review: Wonderful dysopian sci-fi
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 10, 2014
Hunters of the Last Dungeon follows Hiro and Olly, two young children from the slums, as they compete to try to become Hunters by passing a mysterious, annual test, this year, taking place in the Last Dungeon. However, upon the start of the test, it becomes apparent that this year will be different. Quickly, the test becomes a game of life and death, and Hiro and Olly must work together not only to fight, but to make smart decisions, to save themselves and survive, and achieve what they dream of – becoming Hunters.Hunters of the Last Dungeon is a dystopian science fiction story, but is not so heavy on the science part. This makes it much more accessible to readers who are generally deterred by the generally strict and rabid nature of the genre. It was also much more about the characters and the plot than the, “Oh wow, check this out” moments, twists, and plot devices that are generally the focus of science fiction. There was very little focus on technology or futurism, and if it had gone without saying, you might think that the story took place in a parallel present or near-future, rather than the distant future. Overall, this literary choice makes the story much more relatable to the reader.As a character-driven story, it was interesting to see Olly and Hiro develop. From the get-go, they are not the typical protagonists of these types of stories, and in fact, they stand in stark contrast to the ‘one-man army’ that is usually the protagonist in the dystopian futuristic science fiction stories. They are children, barely in their teens, yet almost immediately, they are endearing – Hiro for his childlike innocence and naivety, and Olly for her incredible intelligence and pragmatism.It also warrants mention that even the side characters, particularly Dasha, are interesting and well-developed, but Bacon and Vogel also deserve mention as intriguing characters, albeit for very different reasons.I was also pleased that the protagonists, for the most part, are always intelligent. While Hiro tends to be more spontaneous in the moment, it is usually Olly that gets the final word with her reason and logic, which makes it so much more pleasing to read, compared to other novels where characters make obviously terrible decisions just because it is convenient to the plot or because it sets up some predictable outcome or twist.With all these things in mind, the fully-fleshed out characters, the three-dimensional secondary characters, the intelligent plot, and the well-crafted setting, it’s hard not to recommend Hunters of the Last Dungeon. The only thing that bothers me is that I have to wait to continue the story in the sequel. Still, overall, it’s definitely a recommended read.