iHunt: Killing the monsters of the gig economyThe comedy-horror film directed by David A. Hill Jr. tells the story of a young monster hunter trying to fit into modern society.
Lana is a free hunter. She uses an app called iHunt, a tool that helps her track potential gigs and leads. As she struggles to juggle other jobs and pay the bills, she becomes embroiled in a territorial war between vampires. More importantly, she has to deal with Natalie, who is warned by a mysterious vampire that humans may be enslaved by powerful vampires. As the battle escalates, Lana must use her wits to escape while saving her life and property. In this humorous adventure, Hill delves into the terrifying world of monsters while satirizing the harsh realities that monsters and humans alike need to survive.
I like Lana. She reminds me of myself, other freelance writers, and nearly half of America’s millennials. You accept a job that’s offered to you and that’s it. You cannot complain about the job to your employer, nor can you advocate for better working conditions. It turns out that even in the cool, ever-evolving world of monsters, you’re still a slave to the corporation. In a way, it’s interesting. However, despite Lana’s emphasis on money, she still manages to find these small glimmers of hope, like friendship and even romance. Even though Lana tries to be a cold-blooded killer, she still maintains her sanity. From friends like Vanessa to lovers like Danny and Natalie, Lana is just like the rest of us, trying in a twisted way to make it in the world. Maybe she has the looming apocalypse hanging over her head, but at least she’s happy.
But no matter how humorous the book is, Hill also depicts capitalism as a dark, somewhat satirical game. Take the TV show Supernatural for example. Yes, there is no denying that this profession is really cool; saving people and killing things that happen at night. But the harsh truth is you still have to make a living, and even though people might cheat on you for it, you have to do it. Lana went viral in a video. She was even going to get a movie deal from it, but since they canceled at the last minute, she didn’t profit from it. She had a lot of money waiting for her through iHunt, but the IRS froze her account. In fact, even though she did owe thousands of dollars, she still had to rely on Natalie for financial security. Honestly, it’s a little heartbreaking.
Overall, I liked this book. This is essentially an interesting attack on the society we live in. The main character is a powerful hunter, but can barely do anything with it. She gets screwed over by her employers, both vampires and humans, but she keeps going anyway because she has no better options. The book was a bit predictable at times, and I did feel like Natalie and Lana could have been more developed romantically. Still, it’s a good read.Therefore, I would rate this book 3.6 out of 5.0 starsand recommend it to fans wolf like me by AS Fitz, supernaturaland velveteen Author: Daniel Marks.
Check out the book here!
