The Last Hunter - Descent

Antarktos Saga, Book 1

By: Jeremy Robinson

Narrated by: R.C. Bray

Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

"I've been told that the entire continent of Antarctica groaned at the moment of my birth. The howl tore across glaciers, over mountains and deep into the ice. Everyone says so. Except for my father; all he heard was Mother's sobs. Not of pain, but of joy, so he says. Other than that, the only verifiable fact about the day I was born is that an iceberg the size of Los Angeles broke free from the ice shelf a few miles off the coast. Again, some would have me believe the fracture took place as I entered the world. But all that really matters, according to my parents, is that I, Solomon Ull Vincent, the first child born on Antarctica - the first and only Antarctican - was born on September 2nd, 1974.

"If only someone could have warned me that, upon my return to the continent of my birth thirteen years later, I would be kidnapped, subjected to tortures beyond comprehension and forced to fight... and kill. If only someone had hinted that I'd wind up struggling to survive in a subterranean world full of ancient warriors, strange creatures and supernatural powers.

"Had I been warned I might have lived a normal life. The human race might have remained safe. And the fate of the world might not rest on my shoulders. Had I been warned....

"This is my story - the tale of Solomon Ull Vincent - The Last Hunter."

©2010 Jeremy Robinson (P)2011 Jeremy Robinson

Ready to sit on the edge of your chair???

I got lucky when I decided to listen to the sample for "The Last Hunter Decent". Before this book I had never heard of Jeremy Robinson or R.C. Bray. Now, I am a 24 karat supporter of both. The story starts slowly, but like all great adventures, it continues to build in stature from innocence to full adventure mode. I loved everly minute of it and look forward to followup books.

well written, great narration, unsatisfying

Any additional comments?

Overall : C
What a strange book. I’m not sure why I selected this. I jumped in due to RC Bray as the narrator. This is a story about a teen who has a connection to the continent of Antarctica and is sucked into the underworld of monsters, dinosaurs, and giants.

The writing is good. RC Bray is fantastic. But, I just don’t like the story very much. I don’t see a good vs evil theme. Just a survival story of a kid forced down a path he doesn’t want to go. I have no desire to continue this series.

It is YA - boy becomes Super - and that's it

I didn't realize it was a YA novel until a little ways in - I had thought it was odd the main character was a teenage boy, and figured the time would fast-forward to current day (it starts in the late 80s) after the first chapter or two, but... nope... it is fully YA.

The plot? A 14 year old becomes a super-hero-magical-being.
The story? He is tested, tortured, escapes, heals, gets injured, heals, kills monsters, gets injured, heals, then joins the ranks of the super-magical-power-beings.

I occasionally like YA books, but... they really do need to have more story than boy become super, kills dinosaurs/monsters, becomes more super, then story just ends and you have to buy book 2.

The narration, however, is excellent. As might be expected in a YA novel, there is nothing graphic.

If you are a teenaged reader, this book is probably pretty decent "action adventure" as long as you don't need there to be some point other than the one character "finding his true self". I am old and tainted and need more story, more plot, more "meaning" than is here...

Better then expected and less

Okay I bought this thinking it would be great. Then I started it and was questioning my decision. The story is great and the first chapter or so seemed a positive if slow start. However once they got to Antarctica. The story initially sped up into rapid action, which was great, however that action became have a book of oh my god lets detail out every aspect of this "breaking" which was not necessary. The steps yes those were necessary but did we really need paragraphs/pages descriptions of the insides of what he was eating raw and sleeping on? this took up most of the book and really seemed like gross filler and not really any point to it. About 3 and half hours into the 6 ish hour book, it took a turn and you finally began to understand what the over all story was and where it would be ultimately going. At this point the story began to get interesting. Interesting enough that I am considering the second novel, though not right away, it will likely be in the I will try it when I am looking for something to listen too. I am a little afraid of wasting have the book on nothing again.

Narration: This went back and forth. For the most part it was good, there were a few characters that I had to really question the choices made for them, and it grated me to listed to the narrator do them, but thankfully they were relatively small parts and I could ignore them.

So
Con: Slow start and lot of space that seemed like just filler.
Pro: It sets up for a positive continuation if the author can stay way from the random nothingness of filler.

Classic Fantasy, Thriller, and Christian Allegory

What did you love best about The Last Hunter - Descent?

Mixing pulp elements, science fiction, fantasy, and mythology, the Last Hunter series is a compelling read, one that will excite the imaginations of readers of all ages.

What did you like best about this story?

Also thrown into the mix are 80s pop culture references, nods to classic literature, and a fun take on Unified Myth Theory. Easter eggs also abound throughout the series, and should bring a smile to the face of any fan of Robinson's work.

Which character – as performed by R. C. Bray – was your favorite?

Solomon Ull Vincent begins as geeky, gifted, and pretty much the kid so many young fantasy fans see themselves as. Yet his Zero to Hero path is compelling, and the colorful characters who act as his mentors and companions on his path are well drawn, complex, and, in the context of the story, believable.

Any additional comments?

This review is as much of the entire series as it is of the first book. I really wasn't expecting this type of story going in. I began with Robinson's Kaiju novels and then his Chess Team adventures, where science fiction and military adventure were front and center, and any fantasy elements had implied science fiction explanations. That said, I greatly enjoyed this foray into more traditional Fantasy, and would recommend the series to pretty much anyone.

Just ok

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Probably not. There are much better ones out there.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

It seemed like the story couldn't quite choose an identity, and I constantly felt like I was missing something. Is it an Antarctic-themed mystery? A Journey to the Center of the Earth-type book? A Bible-themed tale of mysticism? It progressed through all of these stages with only a loose thread tying them all together.
The protagonist was not relatable and seemed to find things utterly mysterious that made little sense. The nice black lady who was a friend of his parents was presented as being nearly as strange as the earthquakes surrounding his birth. Much attention was given to coincidences and destiny-type portents, but I felt like the hype they generated resulted in disappointment later in the story.

What three words best describe R. C. Bray’s performance?

He had a good range of skill.

Was The Last Hunter - Descent worth the listening time?

I had to force myself to finish it.

Any additional comments?

I'm not interested enough to follow this series. It was a little too weird and hodgepodge, and the tone ranged from overly serious to what I can only describe as pre-teen. *Slight Spoiler Alert* A twerp kid goes to Antarctica, spends a long time fighting dinosaurs underground, and then ends up in a scenario related to the book of Genesis... Is that imaginative? Yes. It was not, however, well executed.

Worth a listen but not amazing for me.

The story was a bit "young" for me. It seems like it's geared for kids rather than adults or young adults but over all it was creative and different. Let's just say that If it were in print I would have put it down.

a great journey

second time reading The Saga. definitely well-placed and put together. I'm glad I came across this.

Likely a great Teen Book

Would you ever listen to anything by Jeremy Robinson again?

This book is probably great for a teen, unfortunately I came in expecting a novel on the level of Brent Weeks Night Angel Trilogy. The word I found for this novel was clumsy. The descriptions seemed off until I realized this book was meant of Teens. If you're a teen. Enjoy the book, creative story, If you're looking for an adult oriented science fiction/fantasy. This may not be for you.

What about R. C. Bray’s performance did you like?

The narration was good. Vocal variety and consistency with characters. Easy and fun to listen to.

Skip it

The reader is poor and has a long way to go. He may develop a good style one day but it won't be on my dime. The story is geared more for a young crowd. There is a journey to the center of the earth feel about it. I won't buy it's sequel book 2