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Futureland #2
The Nightmare Hour
The theme park of your dreams is back in this action-packed sequel as Cam Walker and his friends take on creepy carnivals, insidious tech, and a nightmarish new enemy to save the world. An electrifying illustrated series for fans of Miles Morales.
The most spectacular theme park in the world is headed to the Big Apple.
After Atlanta, Cam Walker and his family are ready to turn over a new leaf with Futureland. This is where dreams literally come true, and the Walkers are going to show the people of New York City that their park is back and better than ever.
But trouble isn’t done with the Walkers yet. Glitches keep happening with the park attractions. There's a creepy carnival in town that gives Cam goosebumps. Plus, he just can’t shake the feeling that his family is being watched. And it may be his imagination, but are the people around him acting . . . stranger than usual?
Can Cam get to the bottom of what’s going on before Futureland becomes a playground of terrors?
The most spectacular theme park in the world is headed to the Big Apple.
After Atlanta, Cam Walker and his family are ready to turn over a new leaf with Futureland. This is where dreams literally come true, and the Walkers are going to show the people of New York City that their park is back and better than ever.
But trouble isn’t done with the Walkers yet. Glitches keep happening with the park attractions. There's a creepy carnival in town that gives Cam goosebumps. Plus, he just can’t shake the feeling that his family is being watched. And it may be his imagination, but are the people around him acting . . . stranger than usual?
Can Cam get to the bottom of what’s going on before Futureland becomes a playground of terrors?
384 pages, Hardcover
Published November 7, 2023
3 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
H.D. Hunter
8 books72 followersHugh “H.D.” Hunter is a storyteller and community organizer from Atlanta, Georgia. He’s the winner of several indie book awards for multicultural fiction.
Hugh is committed to #ownvoices stories about Black kids and their many expansive worlds.
He loves vegan snacks, basketball, and stories that make you cry -- but make you smile after.
Hugh is committed to #ownvoices stories about Black kids and their many expansive worlds.
He loves vegan snacks, basketball, and stories that make you cry -- but make you smile after.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 17, 2025
Initial reaction:4.5 stars. This was excellent. Can't wait to read the next book in the series. It has a decent amount of tension and action. Cam and his friends solve a more complicated plot to sabotage the park, this time in NYC.
Full review:
I keep asking myself why this enjoyable, enthralling series by H.D. Hunter isn't getting even more attention than it is. "Futureland" is truly a fun middle grade series with plenty of harrowing moments and a hero well worth rooting for. "The Nightmare Hour," the second book, is probably my favorite in the series.
Cam (C.J.) Walker survived a harrowing ordeal with his parents and Uncle Trey over the fate of "Futureland", their floating theme park that captured the hearts and minds of many families while based in futuristic Atlanta. But considering the controversy in "Battle for the Park" (even with things turning out fine), Cam and his family end up moving to New York City to continue running the business. But as the Architechs - masterminds of the efforts to shut down Futureland - have threatened, they're not done with the Walker family yet.
Cam isn't too happy about moving, but he's able to keep in touch with the friends he's made back at school, with remote learning options in this futuristic tale. And given that he misses his best friend Dooley after the events of the previous story, it's not easy on him to have to make so many changes at once. Still, that doesn't stop his passion for maintaining the park, making sure things don't go wrong. Except that Cam has to contend with even more strange things happening since landing in the Big Apple. Far more frightening even. The holo-pets that were developed to accompany attendees are glitchy, rules that the city imposes on the park make it difficult for the Walkers to operate without issues, and Cam gets the weird feeling that someone keeps stalking him.
On top of that Yusuf, one of Cam's friends, ends up in NYC. Although Cam reluctantly agrees to hide Yusuf in Futureland, he can't help but notice that something's off with Yusuf's behavior, through the mysterious wristband he wears. The mystery behind Cam's stalker, the wristband problem, and all the strange things happening to and around Futureland provide the conflict of this sprawling novel. It's up to Cam and his friends to crack the case before the Architects have a chance to strike again and ruin Futureland for good.
This held my attention from beginning to end, I loved listening to the multi-cast audiobook version as well as the physical book, which provides wonderful comic illustrations and asides to compliment the narrative. Cam is a refreshing voice and protagonist, the worldbuilding and attention to place is solid, and I really enjoyed the ride this narrative took me on. Definitely looking forward to more installments of this respective series, would highly recommend for MG readers who love sci-fi and a mixed media presented story.
Overall score: 4.5/5 stars
Full review:
I keep asking myself why this enjoyable, enthralling series by H.D. Hunter isn't getting even more attention than it is. "Futureland" is truly a fun middle grade series with plenty of harrowing moments and a hero well worth rooting for. "The Nightmare Hour," the second book, is probably my favorite in the series.
Cam (C.J.) Walker survived a harrowing ordeal with his parents and Uncle Trey over the fate of "Futureland", their floating theme park that captured the hearts and minds of many families while based in futuristic Atlanta. But considering the controversy in "Battle for the Park" (even with things turning out fine), Cam and his family end up moving to New York City to continue running the business. But as the Architechs - masterminds of the efforts to shut down Futureland - have threatened, they're not done with the Walker family yet.
Cam isn't too happy about moving, but he's able to keep in touch with the friends he's made back at school, with remote learning options in this futuristic tale. And given that he misses his best friend Dooley after the events of the previous story, it's not easy on him to have to make so many changes at once. Still, that doesn't stop his passion for maintaining the park, making sure things don't go wrong. Except that Cam has to contend with even more strange things happening since landing in the Big Apple. Far more frightening even. The holo-pets that were developed to accompany attendees are glitchy, rules that the city imposes on the park make it difficult for the Walkers to operate without issues, and Cam gets the weird feeling that someone keeps stalking him.
On top of that Yusuf, one of Cam's friends, ends up in NYC. Although Cam reluctantly agrees to hide Yusuf in Futureland, he can't help but notice that something's off with Yusuf's behavior, through the mysterious wristband he wears. The mystery behind Cam's stalker, the wristband problem, and all the strange things happening to and around Futureland provide the conflict of this sprawling novel. It's up to Cam and his friends to crack the case before the Architects have a chance to strike again and ruin Futureland for good.
This held my attention from beginning to end, I loved listening to the multi-cast audiobook version as well as the physical book, which provides wonderful comic illustrations and asides to compliment the narrative. Cam is a refreshing voice and protagonist, the worldbuilding and attention to place is solid, and I really enjoyed the ride this narrative took me on. Definitely looking forward to more installments of this respective series, would highly recommend for MG readers who love sci-fi and a mixed media presented story.
Overall score: 4.5/5 stars
February 15, 2024
Rating: 4.5
Genre: Science Fiction
Synopsis:
Futureland: The Nightmare Hour is a thrilling sequel to Futureland: Battle for the Park full of advanced technology, mysterious anomalies, and corrupted glitches. Futureland - the floating amusement park fueled by advanced, imaginative technology - is back, and this time it is headed toward New York City! Cam’s family wants to start fresh after their adventure (read: near-disaster) in Atlanta to prove that Futureland is the greatest theme park on Earth, where dreams literally come true. Uncle Trey also wants to unveil his latest invention: Holo-pals and Holo-pets, AI that can keep kids company around the park. Cam, however, still grieves for his best friend Dooley, and is devastated to be leaving his new friends. So when he discovers his close friend Yusuf has snuck onboard as a stowaway, Cam couldn’t be more excited. Yusuf comes with a strange wristband from Haventech Inc. that he claims is for fitness, so Cam shrugs it off. But when glitches start affecting the park’s attractions, including the holo-pals and even humans with the same wristband, Cam gets suspicious of Haventech’s true intentions. An eerie nearby carnival isn’t helping matters either, and Cam swears he and his family are being watched. When the people around him start acting even weirder, like a mix of corrupted robots and zombies, he realizes that whoever attacked them back in Atlanta is making their next move. Cam, along with some old and new friends, must solve the mystery behind Futureland’s terrifying transformation before his family, Yusuf, and New York City are stuck in a nightmare land.
What did you like about the book?
Cam is back to fight an unseen enemy dead set on destroying his family and Futureland, and it is up to his intelligence and sleuth skills to find the masterminds. Cam is a wonderful protagonist who thinks clearly even when emotional, and it is wonderful to see him come out of his shell from the first book. He also deals with issues of grief, loss, and family struggles, as he has to juggle the aftermath of losing his best friend, leaving behind his Atlanta friends, and keeping his family safe. The grown-ups in Cam’s life - Mom, Dad, and Uncle Trey - are excellent role models who treat Cam with respect and talk about important, hard, and sometimes scary issues. His friends both new and old (there are too many to list) are all well-voiced and stand out in their own unique ways. The world-building is as spectacular as ever, mixing Afrofuturistic science fiction with realistic issues of friendship, power dynamics, and competition. The race relations theme is not as present in this novel, as it focuses more on building up the plot and setting up the ultimate bad guys of the series with more enemies, clues, and trials Cam has to discover. The pace is fast and exciting, as there is always a new problem, revelation, or twist appearing on the pages. The comes with accompanying comic illustrations that further the plot in bold, black & white imagery that is dynamic and pops off the page. Overall, Futureland: The Nightmare Hour is an excellent action-packed sequel with an even bigger mystery than the first, leaving readers excited for more.
Anything you didn’t like about it? No!
To whom would you recommend this book? Kids who like science fiction, robots/AI, mysteries, and amusement parks. Thirst by Varsha Bajaj, The Last Gate of the Emperor by Kwame Mbalia and Prince Joel David Makonnen, A Problematic Paradox by Eliot Sappingfield, The Last Last Day of Summer by Lamar Giles, and even the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise are good read-alikes.
Date of review: January 15, 2024
Genre: Science Fiction
Synopsis:
Futureland: The Nightmare Hour is a thrilling sequel to Futureland: Battle for the Park full of advanced technology, mysterious anomalies, and corrupted glitches. Futureland - the floating amusement park fueled by advanced, imaginative technology - is back, and this time it is headed toward New York City! Cam’s family wants to start fresh after their adventure (read: near-disaster) in Atlanta to prove that Futureland is the greatest theme park on Earth, where dreams literally come true. Uncle Trey also wants to unveil his latest invention: Holo-pals and Holo-pets, AI that can keep kids company around the park. Cam, however, still grieves for his best friend Dooley, and is devastated to be leaving his new friends. So when he discovers his close friend Yusuf has snuck onboard as a stowaway, Cam couldn’t be more excited. Yusuf comes with a strange wristband from Haventech Inc. that he claims is for fitness, so Cam shrugs it off. But when glitches start affecting the park’s attractions, including the holo-pals and even humans with the same wristband, Cam gets suspicious of Haventech’s true intentions. An eerie nearby carnival isn’t helping matters either, and Cam swears he and his family are being watched. When the people around him start acting even weirder, like a mix of corrupted robots and zombies, he realizes that whoever attacked them back in Atlanta is making their next move. Cam, along with some old and new friends, must solve the mystery behind Futureland’s terrifying transformation before his family, Yusuf, and New York City are stuck in a nightmare land.
What did you like about the book?
Cam is back to fight an unseen enemy dead set on destroying his family and Futureland, and it is up to his intelligence and sleuth skills to find the masterminds. Cam is a wonderful protagonist who thinks clearly even when emotional, and it is wonderful to see him come out of his shell from the first book. He also deals with issues of grief, loss, and family struggles, as he has to juggle the aftermath of losing his best friend, leaving behind his Atlanta friends, and keeping his family safe. The grown-ups in Cam’s life - Mom, Dad, and Uncle Trey - are excellent role models who treat Cam with respect and talk about important, hard, and sometimes scary issues. His friends both new and old (there are too many to list) are all well-voiced and stand out in their own unique ways. The world-building is as spectacular as ever, mixing Afrofuturistic science fiction with realistic issues of friendship, power dynamics, and competition. The race relations theme is not as present in this novel, as it focuses more on building up the plot and setting up the ultimate bad guys of the series with more enemies, clues, and trials Cam has to discover. The pace is fast and exciting, as there is always a new problem, revelation, or twist appearing on the pages. The comes with accompanying comic illustrations that further the plot in bold, black & white imagery that is dynamic and pops off the page. Overall, Futureland: The Nightmare Hour is an excellent action-packed sequel with an even bigger mystery than the first, leaving readers excited for more.
Anything you didn’t like about it? No!
To whom would you recommend this book? Kids who like science fiction, robots/AI, mysteries, and amusement parks. Thirst by Varsha Bajaj, The Last Gate of the Emperor by Kwame Mbalia and Prince Joel David Makonnen, A Problematic Paradox by Eliot Sappingfield, The Last Last Day of Summer by Lamar Giles, and even the Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise are good read-alikes.
Date of review: January 15, 2024
August 17, 2023
E ARC provided by Netgalley
After losing his best friend, the rev Dooley, Cam Walker is glad to have the friends Yusuf, Rich, Angel and Earl, with whom he was solving mysteries. Their school has a research project, so they all start planning to work on that. His parents and uncle are still very busy running Futureland, and they have a surprise for him: they are leaving Atlanta because of all of the public relations problems caused by Blaise Southmore and his evil plans and are heading to New York City. Cam is devastated, but knows there is fighting it, and is at least glad to be back in New York. When his friend Yusuf shows up wanting to stat in New York, Cam agrees to hide him, and the two sneak into Futureland. Yusuf has an odd wristband that he claims came from his mother's work and is just for fitness. Uncle Trey has a new technology that he is debuting; kids can wander around the theme park with Holo-pets to accompany them. When things get glitchy, Cam starts to think that maybe Yusuf's wristband is not what he claims it to be. When Cam takes it and starts wearing it, he can feel that it is changing his brain waves. How is HavenTech involved in the strange things happening in Futureworld? When Cam eventually comes clean to his parents about his knowledge of the problems that are arising, will they be able to help him with the threat posed by evil forces?
Strengths: Who doesn't want to spend time in a theme park that travels around to different cities and has Holo-pets and revs (like androids)? Cam is making a good transition to being friends with real people after Dooley was put out of the picture, and the move to New York made sense. Something is clearly up with Yusuf, and the prominent position of the wristbands is the book is pretty prescient; I've seen a LOT Of my students with smart watches, and people are clearly invested in them.
Weaknesses: Fantasies are skewing more and more dystopian. It would be great to bring back some of the optimism of the 1950s and 60s science fiction instead of having everything be evil villains trying to wreck everything. George Jetson is a year old in 2023; can we have a happier, shinier future in some books?
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like fantasy books with technology in them, like Team Chu, Jinxed, or Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation. Sadly, I'm having trouble getting my students to read fantasy SERIES to such an extent that I'm not buying some sequels. I'm debating, since the first book of this could stand alone.
After losing his best friend, the rev Dooley, Cam Walker is glad to have the friends Yusuf, Rich, Angel and Earl, with whom he was solving mysteries. Their school has a research project, so they all start planning to work on that. His parents and uncle are still very busy running Futureland, and they have a surprise for him: they are leaving Atlanta because of all of the public relations problems caused by Blaise Southmore and his evil plans and are heading to New York City. Cam is devastated, but knows there is fighting it, and is at least glad to be back in New York. When his friend Yusuf shows up wanting to stat in New York, Cam agrees to hide him, and the two sneak into Futureland. Yusuf has an odd wristband that he claims came from his mother's work and is just for fitness. Uncle Trey has a new technology that he is debuting; kids can wander around the theme park with Holo-pets to accompany them. When things get glitchy, Cam starts to think that maybe Yusuf's wristband is not what he claims it to be. When Cam takes it and starts wearing it, he can feel that it is changing his brain waves. How is HavenTech involved in the strange things happening in Futureworld? When Cam eventually comes clean to his parents about his knowledge of the problems that are arising, will they be able to help him with the threat posed by evil forces?
Strengths: Who doesn't want to spend time in a theme park that travels around to different cities and has Holo-pets and revs (like androids)? Cam is making a good transition to being friends with real people after Dooley was put out of the picture, and the move to New York made sense. Something is clearly up with Yusuf, and the prominent position of the wristbands is the book is pretty prescient; I've seen a LOT Of my students with smart watches, and people are clearly invested in them.
Weaknesses: Fantasies are skewing more and more dystopian. It would be great to bring back some of the optimism of the 1950s and 60s science fiction instead of having everything be evil villains trying to wreck everything. George Jetson is a year old in 2023; can we have a happier, shinier future in some books?
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like fantasy books with technology in them, like Team Chu, Jinxed, or Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation. Sadly, I'm having trouble getting my students to read fantasy SERIES to such an extent that I'm not buying some sequels. I'm debating, since the first book of this could stand alone.
February 15, 2024
Cameron Walker is back and this time he’s in New York. The author does an excellent job of describing the energy, the bustle, the VOLUME that is the Big Apple. He even manages to bring in a famous Central Park landmark as part of his story.
The mystery is really good this time but the villain is—shall we say, subpar? It turns out to be one of this cackling, lunatic, over-the-top Disney types with a really screwy reason for discrediting the Futureland theme park. Think of the Judge Doom character from Who Framed Roger Rabbit and his plan to demolish Toon Town to build a freeway, except this villain’s plan isn’t nearly so useful.
Cameron gets his “crew” back and together they help him piece together the clues and take down the bad guy. Although he’s still upset over the loss of Dooley, Cam learns to lean on his friends. In fact, he relies on them so much that you start to get a little irked with him.
It’s the Scooby Doo scenario all over again. The meddling kids are the only ones knowledgeable about what’s really happening. The adults are clueless fools who only get in the way with their rules, curfews and stringent demands and the police are incompetent or on the take. After the debacle in Atlanta, Cam’s parents only want to keep him safe.
Cam doesn’t really understand this and few children will. It’s an aspect of adulthood to worry about children and keep them safe but Cam insists that he can handle things. It’s hard not to understand his frustration when his parents won’t listen to him but you see their point. Their argument is that it’s not Cam’s job to solve mysteries. He’s just an 11-year-old boy and he’s taking on a task that only adults should be handling. Cam’s behavior puts him and his friends in physical danger. His parents are under tons of stress dealing with the bad press from the glitching revs (androids) in Atlanta and the psychotic behavior of people who’ve visited Futureland in New York. They don’t need the additional strain of worrying about their only child again.
In short, this series are designed to appeal to the adventurous child, especially those who chafe under adult restrictions that they don’t comprehend. But there promises to be a sequel and Cam is getting older with each book. Who knows? Maybe he’ll come to understand why his parents worry. In the meantime, there are still the mysterious Architects looming on the horizon.
The mystery continues…
The mystery is really good this time but the villain is—shall we say, subpar? It turns out to be one of this cackling, lunatic, over-the-top Disney types with a really screwy reason for discrediting the Futureland theme park. Think of the Judge Doom character from Who Framed Roger Rabbit and his plan to demolish Toon Town to build a freeway, except this villain’s plan isn’t nearly so useful.
Cameron gets his “crew” back and together they help him piece together the clues and take down the bad guy. Although he’s still upset over the loss of Dooley, Cam learns to lean on his friends. In fact, he relies on them so much that you start to get a little irked with him.
It’s the Scooby Doo scenario all over again. The meddling kids are the only ones knowledgeable about what’s really happening. The adults are clueless fools who only get in the way with their rules, curfews and stringent demands and the police are incompetent or on the take. After the debacle in Atlanta, Cam’s parents only want to keep him safe.
Cam doesn’t really understand this and few children will. It’s an aspect of adulthood to worry about children and keep them safe but Cam insists that he can handle things. It’s hard not to understand his frustration when his parents won’t listen to him but you see their point. Their argument is that it’s not Cam’s job to solve mysteries. He’s just an 11-year-old boy and he’s taking on a task that only adults should be handling. Cam’s behavior puts him and his friends in physical danger. His parents are under tons of stress dealing with the bad press from the glitching revs (androids) in Atlanta and the psychotic behavior of people who’ve visited Futureland in New York. They don’t need the additional strain of worrying about their only child again.
In short, this series are designed to appeal to the adventurous child, especially those who chafe under adult restrictions that they don’t comprehend. But there promises to be a sequel and Cam is getting older with each book. Who knows? Maybe he’ll come to understand why his parents worry. In the meantime, there are still the mysterious Architects looming on the horizon.
The mystery continues…
December 2, 2025
Cam and his family were just settling in to Atlanta and now his parents say they need to move Futureland to New York while they try to do PR work to recover from the events in the first book. Cam is super bummed; he finally had a group of good friends and they have to move. New York doesn’t even turn out to be any safer than Atlanta. Though Cam and his Uncle have developed a new experience for the park that gives visitors their own holographic pet, weird things are still happening in the park, Cam continues to get threatening messages, and it is clear that even though the police arrested one person, there are still others out there who want to destroy Futureland. Also, Yusuf somehow managed to sneak aboard Futureland before they left Atlanta and he doesn’t want Cam to tell anyone that he’s there. Cam really wants to tell his parents, especially as Yusuf starts acting weird. With the help of a new friend named Inaya, Cam tries to figure out what is going on and how to stop the people trying to take down Futureland.
The cover makes this look like more of a horror story. It is more of a thriller than a horror story. Cam and Inaya are on a race to figure out what is going on before Futureland has to close for good and Cam’s parents get into serious financial difficulty. This book resolves some things but uncovers an even bigger plot and a secret society operating behind the scenes. I liked the warning in this to not buy into the newest tech/health craze without doing some research. I liked Cam’s good friendships. His parents are suffering from some PTSD after the last book and are a bit over-controlling but they get to a better place by the end of this book. Cam learned some important lessons about doing the right thing instead of doing something because you are worried about losing a friend. I liked Inaya, she was a good addition to the characters. The deeper mystery is intriguing and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: There are some perilous situations and someone has been endangered by tech/med experiments.
Ethnic diversity: Cam and his family and most of his friends are Black American.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified
Other: Peer pressure, some PTSD, corporate espionage and conspiracies.
The cover makes this look like more of a horror story. It is more of a thriller than a horror story. Cam and Inaya are on a race to figure out what is going on before Futureland has to close for good and Cam’s parents get into serious financial difficulty. This book resolves some things but uncovers an even bigger plot and a secret society operating behind the scenes. I liked the warning in this to not buy into the newest tech/health craze without doing some research. I liked Cam’s good friendships. His parents are suffering from some PTSD after the last book and are a bit over-controlling but they get to a better place by the end of this book. Cam learned some important lessons about doing the right thing instead of doing something because you are worried about losing a friend. I liked Inaya, she was a good addition to the characters. The deeper mystery is intriguing and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: There are some perilous situations and someone has been endangered by tech/med experiments.
Ethnic diversity: Cam and his family and most of his friends are Black American.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified
Other: Peer pressure, some PTSD, corporate espionage and conspiracies.
August 11, 2025
I didn't enjoy this story quite as much as book 1. The villain was too cartoonish, with cartoonish and unbelievable motivations. The storyline is tired. I also missed But younger readers especially who enjoyed book 1 are sure to enjoy this new adventure, as well.
December 19, 2023
What a great series.
February 9, 2024
Love this series! More, please...
January 26, 2025
I love this development in who the bad guys after Futureland are! I can't wait to read book 3! It is such a fun universe.
November 25, 2023
👦🏻 review: Firstly, I have never read the first book, and it was actually not so hard to understand this book. It has many characters, but it’s not difficult to follow the storyline even during the transition from one to the others. I like fantasy and it’s actually a decent one even though the plot gotten way more complicated. I think this book is perfect for middle-graders who enjoy a fantasy, a smartwatch, high adventure and friendship to keep. I enjoyed this one!
November 29, 2024
This story had me begging Cam to PLEASE TALK TO YOUR PARENTS — which is how I know I’m getting old and the kids are gonna love it lol. My nephew did confirm I was correct after he read it 😆. It was such a fun read, and I enjoyed the spooky vibes. Highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews