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The Hunt
THE HUNGER GAMES meets FIFTY SHADES OF GREY in this dystopian science-fiction novel.
Great Britain in the year 2068. A totalitarian government has passed laws victimising racial minorities, prohibiting homosexuality, and preventing women from voting or having abortions. When a feminist group launches a terrorist attack, the state responds by creating the Hunt, a weekly contest in which ten randomly selected women are pursued by ten male Hunters across an abandoned district of London.
Mara Gorki is a successful crime novelist trying to keep her lesbian relationship with film critic Yuke Morishita a secret. Horrified by what is happening in the country, she seldom leaves her apartment, attempting to create a private universe where she and her lover can hide. But the external world comes crashing in when Mara is conscripted into the Hunt. After discovering what Hunters do to the women they capture, Mara enters the contest determined to elude her pursuers. The odds may be against her, but the consequences of failure are too terrifying to contemplate.
Great Britain in the year 2068. A totalitarian government has passed laws victimising racial minorities, prohibiting homosexuality, and preventing women from voting or having abortions. When a feminist group launches a terrorist attack, the state responds by creating the Hunt, a weekly contest in which ten randomly selected women are pursued by ten male Hunters across an abandoned district of London.
Mara Gorki is a successful crime novelist trying to keep her lesbian relationship with film critic Yuke Morishita a secret. Horrified by what is happening in the country, she seldom leaves her apartment, attempting to create a private universe where she and her lover can hide. But the external world comes crashing in when Mara is conscripted into the Hunt. After discovering what Hunters do to the women they capture, Mara enters the contest determined to elude her pursuers. The odds may be against her, but the consequences of failure are too terrifying to contemplate.
- GenresDystopia
166 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2003
About the author
Brad Stevens
4 books28 followersBrad Stevens is a film critic and novelist based in the UK. He is the author of 'Monte Hellman: His Life and Films' (McFarland, 2003) and 'Abel Ferrara: The Moral Vision' (FAB Press, 2004). He writes regularly for 'Sight & Sound': his 'Bradlands' column appears every month on the magazine's website.
He has also contributed to 'Cahiers du Cinema', 'Video Watchdog', 'The Dark Side', 'The International Film Guide', 'The Movie Book of the Western', 'Defining Moments in Movies' and the 'Senses of Cinema' website. He recorded commentary tracks for the Masters of Cinema DVDs of 'Nosferatu' and 'Tabu', has appeared in several documentaries, and can be seen interviewing Christopher Lee on VCI's DVD of 'The City of the Dead'. He has written many DVD sleeve notes. He co-authored the English subtitles for F. J. Ossang's 'Dharma Guns' (2010), and was on the jury at the Oldenburg Film Festival in 2007.
His novels 'The Hunt' and 'A Caution to Rattlesnakes' were published by Vamptasy in 2014.
He has also contributed to 'Cahiers du Cinema', 'Video Watchdog', 'The Dark Side', 'The International Film Guide', 'The Movie Book of the Western', 'Defining Moments in Movies' and the 'Senses of Cinema' website. He recorded commentary tracks for the Masters of Cinema DVDs of 'Nosferatu' and 'Tabu', has appeared in several documentaries, and can be seen interviewing Christopher Lee on VCI's DVD of 'The City of the Dead'. He has written many DVD sleeve notes. He co-authored the English subtitles for F. J. Ossang's 'Dharma Guns' (2010), and was on the jury at the Oldenburg Film Festival in 2007.
His novels 'The Hunt' and 'A Caution to Rattlesnakes' were published by Vamptasy in 2014.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 5, 2014
I have read with a lot of interest “The Hunt” by Brad Stevens. The book takes you directly into the magical atmosphere of London: the street, the bars, the tube and second-hand bookshops. Although it is clearly a “version” of the city where nobody wishes to live, especially women.
It is a dystopian novel set in the near future (2068), where women have no rights and men all the power. We are told about the Hunt early in the novel, but everything about it unfolds slowly while reading the book revealing always now horrifying features. The story is told from a female prospective: Mara is a successful novelist with a passion for used unknown books and a girlfriend she loved very much. She is the next-door girl, someone you can talk to you. You feel for her lack of freedom and for the prison she has to live in.
This book reminds me a lot of Fahrenheit 451. Why anyone would burn books or force human being to be not-human beings anymore? It seems a literary exercise to write about equality and freedom in 2014, but I am confident that we need it more than we think. One of the most fascinating part about the book is the description of how we easy adapt even to shocking situations and how manipulating people hence society starts small but it is fast adsorbed into the culture.
It is a dystopian novel set in the near future (2068), where women have no rights and men all the power. We are told about the Hunt early in the novel, but everything about it unfolds slowly while reading the book revealing always now horrifying features. The story is told from a female prospective: Mara is a successful novelist with a passion for used unknown books and a girlfriend she loved very much. She is the next-door girl, someone you can talk to you. You feel for her lack of freedom and for the prison she has to live in.
This book reminds me a lot of Fahrenheit 451. Why anyone would burn books or force human being to be not-human beings anymore? It seems a literary exercise to write about equality and freedom in 2014, but I am confident that we need it more than we think. One of the most fascinating part about the book is the description of how we easy adapt even to shocking situations and how manipulating people hence society starts small but it is fast adsorbed into the culture.
November 15, 2018
I am reviewing a complimentary arc copy from the author via Librarything.
Now, first off, I would like to state a huge warning: this short novel contains torture porn.
I entered this book with completely open expectations and never read any of the prior reviews. In a way, after finishing the book which I devoured during an all-night flight I had yesterday, I was surprised by the horde of 1 and 2 star reviews, until I recalled that the very bleak story will surely turn a lot of people off. I can understand the frustration, and I believe that if the author managed to rile a sufficient amount of people (even more surprising because this novel was written by a man himself while it stereotypes his sex as a horde of incel sadistic psychopaths who love to humiliate and rape defenseless women), then he clearly achieved his purpose as a writer.
In a way, the book reminded me of Orwell's 1984, with a bleak dystopian future where free thought is censored, and certain minorities (well, technically there are supposed to be more women than men in England) are oppressed. The world is like a Saudi Arabia esque society on steroids. Women cannot leave their homes without a flimsy miniskirt that freezes them to death during winter commutes, can't have their hair shorter than shoulder length, drive, get mortgages, leave the country unless you have a second passport, might not be able to get certain college degrees because women cannot get hired if the employer finds an equally qualified male, etc etc etc. If a cop sexually harasses you just for kinks (nobody cares if cops are high on drugs or drunk on the job) and you even dare to yell at him to stop, he can arrest you on the spot, and you have you pay over 6 months of your own money to have a doctor chop off a finger without anesthesia and using pain enhancing drugs (surprised none of the victims ever died from shock). Every citizen has to go to a state sanctioned Christian church 2 hours a week and watch priests masturbate while they holler verbatim speeches that raped women deserve to be stoned to death if she didn't yell for help. Forced donations to the church are a doogie. Yup, this sure is a man's land. Of course, they get to dress however they see hit as long as they don't use women's clothes or have long hair. Homosexuality is severely punished and abortion carries the death penalty even if it was from rape. If a woman marries a sadist and he beats to a pulp and rapes her all day, the cops do absolutely nothing to assist the woman. She pretty much becomes his chattel once they marry.
This is where Mara comes along. She has always lived in this crappy futuristic Britain, but she has been somewhat sheltered from the pitfalls of her peers. Her wealthy parents homeschooled her, introduced her to illegal books and idealism. After some of the more vicious anti women laws were passed, they commit suicide and she inherits a nice fortune that gives her the chance to live a comfortable life as a house hermit. She has so far been able to bypass legal loopholes writing criminal thriller books that criticize her country by having them published in the US and purchases illegal books online. Oh, and she's a closet lesbian. She would love to scream to the world how much she loves Yuki, another free minded young woman who works as a film critic, but they could get a life sentence or worse if people find out. The book revolves a lot around the struggles these fine two women face trying to keep their relationship a well-kept secret.
Mara's life isn't ideal, but at least she lives comfortably in her home writing novels when one day, a dreaded conscription letter arrives in the mail. She is due to report to a stadium in London next Friday to participate in "The Hunt", a sort of Hunger Games punishment for all Briton women held once a week (no cameras and tv rolling so what really happens is sort of hush hush). It initiated the year Mara's parents died where each week, 10 unfortunate women are forced to hide in the ruins of the stadium while 10 incel and very sexually repressed men paid a huge fortune to locate them with body heat cameras. Once located, the woman cannot legally hit the bastard and is forced to either put a shock collar on her neck or let him taser her. Either way, what happens next to them is not in the least pleasant. Mara attempts to convince her GP doctor to get her a medical leave to skip the horrors that await, but even though it pains him, he only offers her all sorts of medical and psychological care once she is allowed to return to open society when the week ends.
Luckily for Mara, she isn't alone, and with Yuki's lovely encouragement, and the tips from one brutalized survivor of a prior Hunt, she will try to make it out intact... if she can.
If torture porn and treating women like sexualized chattel to be something very offensive to you, I heartily suggest you should not read this book. Mara and Yuki clearly despise the country they were forced to live in, but they try to make the best of it. Maybe if Mara writes how horrible her country really is like, she could start to shift a change. I really wouldn't like to speak more about what the Hunt is because it's a spoiler filled with shocking and really horrible things done to the unwilling female participants, but Mara shows a mixture between genuine despair and utter restraint during her 7 day ordeal. If there was one thing that I felt missing during the aftermath of her Hunt, it would have been the fact that another Hunted named Julie had dual Israeli citizenship. Sure, her birth country also apparently treats women horribly, but I'm surprised they didn't pressure Britain's archaic policies. I really can't say much else due to spoilers.
All in all, it's a book that both fascinated and heavily disturbed me as a woman, but the memorable characters and interesting storyline will surely keep you reading until the very end.
Now, first off, I would like to state a huge warning: this short novel contains torture porn.
I entered this book with completely open expectations and never read any of the prior reviews. In a way, after finishing the book which I devoured during an all-night flight I had yesterday, I was surprised by the horde of 1 and 2 star reviews, until I recalled that the very bleak story will surely turn a lot of people off. I can understand the frustration, and I believe that if the author managed to rile a sufficient amount of people (even more surprising because this novel was written by a man himself while it stereotypes his sex as a horde of incel sadistic psychopaths who love to humiliate and rape defenseless women), then he clearly achieved his purpose as a writer.
In a way, the book reminded me of Orwell's 1984, with a bleak dystopian future where free thought is censored, and certain minorities (well, technically there are supposed to be more women than men in England) are oppressed. The world is like a Saudi Arabia esque society on steroids. Women cannot leave their homes without a flimsy miniskirt that freezes them to death during winter commutes, can't have their hair shorter than shoulder length, drive, get mortgages, leave the country unless you have a second passport, might not be able to get certain college degrees because women cannot get hired if the employer finds an equally qualified male, etc etc etc. If a cop sexually harasses you just for kinks (nobody cares if cops are high on drugs or drunk on the job) and you even dare to yell at him to stop, he can arrest you on the spot, and you have you pay over 6 months of your own money to have a doctor chop off a finger without anesthesia and using pain enhancing drugs (surprised none of the victims ever died from shock). Every citizen has to go to a state sanctioned Christian church 2 hours a week and watch priests masturbate while they holler verbatim speeches that raped women deserve to be stoned to death if she didn't yell for help. Forced donations to the church are a doogie. Yup, this sure is a man's land. Of course, they get to dress however they see hit as long as they don't use women's clothes or have long hair. Homosexuality is severely punished and abortion carries the death penalty even if it was from rape. If a woman marries a sadist and he beats to a pulp and rapes her all day, the cops do absolutely nothing to assist the woman. She pretty much becomes his chattel once they marry.
This is where Mara comes along. She has always lived in this crappy futuristic Britain, but she has been somewhat sheltered from the pitfalls of her peers. Her wealthy parents homeschooled her, introduced her to illegal books and idealism. After some of the more vicious anti women laws were passed, they commit suicide and she inherits a nice fortune that gives her the chance to live a comfortable life as a house hermit. She has so far been able to bypass legal loopholes writing criminal thriller books that criticize her country by having them published in the US and purchases illegal books online. Oh, and she's a closet lesbian. She would love to scream to the world how much she loves Yuki, another free minded young woman who works as a film critic, but they could get a life sentence or worse if people find out. The book revolves a lot around the struggles these fine two women face trying to keep their relationship a well-kept secret.
Mara's life isn't ideal, but at least she lives comfortably in her home writing novels when one day, a dreaded conscription letter arrives in the mail. She is due to report to a stadium in London next Friday to participate in "The Hunt", a sort of Hunger Games punishment for all Briton women held once a week (no cameras and tv rolling so what really happens is sort of hush hush). It initiated the year Mara's parents died where each week, 10 unfortunate women are forced to hide in the ruins of the stadium while 10 incel and very sexually repressed men paid a huge fortune to locate them with body heat cameras. Once located, the woman cannot legally hit the bastard and is forced to either put a shock collar on her neck or let him taser her. Either way, what happens next to them is not in the least pleasant. Mara attempts to convince her GP doctor to get her a medical leave to skip the horrors that await, but even though it pains him, he only offers her all sorts of medical and psychological care once she is allowed to return to open society when the week ends.
Luckily for Mara, she isn't alone, and with Yuki's lovely encouragement, and the tips from one brutalized survivor of a prior Hunt, she will try to make it out intact... if she can.
If torture porn and treating women like sexualized chattel to be something very offensive to you, I heartily suggest you should not read this book. Mara and Yuki clearly despise the country they were forced to live in, but they try to make the best of it. Maybe if Mara writes how horrible her country really is like, she could start to shift a change. I really wouldn't like to speak more about what the Hunt is because it's a spoiler filled with shocking and really horrible things done to the unwilling female participants, but Mara shows a mixture between genuine despair and utter restraint during her 7 day ordeal. If there was one thing that I felt missing during the aftermath of her Hunt, it would have been the fact that another Hunted named Julie had dual Israeli citizenship. Sure, her birth country also apparently treats women horribly, but I'm surprised they didn't pressure Britain's archaic policies. I really can't say much else due to spoilers.
All in all, it's a book that both fascinated and heavily disturbed me as a woman, but the memorable characters and interesting storyline will surely keep you reading until the very end.
August 19, 2017
18.08.17 - Good God. What did I just read?
SPOILERS AHEAD.
5 solid gold stars.
19.08.17 - After a day to process, I feel I might be able to do this book justice now. I'll start off with a warning - the sexual content in this book is NOTHING like that in Fifty Shades of Grey and its cohorts. There is no consent, there are no safe words and the men involved in the Hunt are truly sadistic animals. The least distressing sexual scene in this book, at least for me, was the rape. Don't misunderstand me - it was despicable, disgusting and ruthless but compared to the agonies Mara endured in Tyner's playroom, it was a single sentence that lacked unnecessary, explicit detail.
The torture scenes in the playroom itself were distressing, sickening and terrifying. I had a vague idea of how bad they were going to be but my fears were blown out of the kiddie pool and into a turbulent, shark-infested ocean when I actually started reading them. Despite being written in a clinical way, they felt immersively invasive. When Tyner locked Mara in that box, I came very close to a panic attack and had to stop reading for a few minutes. What made the whole experience even worse was the collusion of official figures, such as Dr. Roberts. Seeing Tyner free from prosecution and actively encouraged to inflict his dominant fantasies on an unwilling woman was gut-wrenching - having the whole experience 'validated' by a doctor was almost too much.
That was a theme, as a matter of fact, which pervaded the whole novel - the endorsement of such behaviour in everyday life by authority figures. At the beginning of the novel, Mara is interviewed by a New York journalist who helplessly watches as a man publicly punches a woman in the face when she dares to talk back to him. Catherine (the journalist) wants to phone the police but Mara talks her out of it, stating that the couple are probably married and a man has permission to beat his wife. Yuke, Mara's partner, is presented as another example of skewered 'justice'. She is forced by a court ruling to have her little finger amputated because she dared fight back against a police officer who sexually assaulted her. The social commentary a reader could write based on this novel would be immense and truly frightening.
As there always seems to be in novels of this type, there were notable exceptions to the status quo. Dr. Rodman, for instance, was obviously sympathetic to Mara's plight but his attitude tragically reflected one all too frequently found today - 'I'm just a lowly public servant so what can I do?'. Judge Birney, on the other hand, was one of my favourite characters. His approach was fair, indiscriminate and logical and it restored my faith a tiny bit after this book was done obliterating it.
I didn't like the so-called bond between Mara and Yuke, - it was an interesting idea but it added an element of surrealism that really wasn't needed - but their relationship was refreshingly straightforward and guilt-free. I've read so many books that have a homosexual couple and at least one of them feels guilty for the way they're wired and I'm so sick of it. No one should feel guilty for loving somebody and being in a relationship with them (as long as it's consensual and legal age-wise) and our society needs to get on board with that.
Madeleine was an interesting example of feminine empowerment. I liked that she'd managed to keep her job, despite the limitations placed on women in the UK, and her relationship with Mara was uncomplicated and unconditional. Her backstory was slipped into the narrative just so too. To hear that people protested the changing government before it took its current form, and that the jails were so full of protesters that it was one big party, reminded me of accounts from the 'flower power' era. It also made the world Stevens was building seem more authentic and more harrowing. Every little detail served as a reminder that while the Acts in the book aren't real, a lot of the attitudes are and it'd only take indifference and silence for things to escalate. The whole story actually functions as a reminder of how fragile society is.
The last thing I want to comment on is probably the hardest - Julie. For a start, I can't imagine how her parents felt before the Hunt and then after it, when they realised that their baby had been slaughtered by a psychopath. Mara's perspective brilliantly evoked helplessness and powerlessness but Julie's parents managed to do that tenfold without a narrative voice. Then came the newspaper coverage - the first autopsy ruled that Julie died of natural causes: a heart attack. Julie's parents, understandably unsatisfied with that, pursue further investigation. It comes to light that Julie had been tortured and that her body had given out from the stress and from intolerable pain. Price, her tormentor, is brought to trail AS THE VICTIM. He admits to his despicable acts but claims that Julie requested it all because she was a hardcore masochist. Not only does he get off Scott-free, he drags her name through the mud and has people believing she deserved her fate. Sound familiar? It should because stuff like this happens everyday in the worldwide media. Murderers are victims. Rapists are victims. But victims...apparently we deserve it because deep down, we want it.
SPOILERS AHEAD.
5 solid gold stars.
19.08.17 - After a day to process, I feel I might be able to do this book justice now. I'll start off with a warning - the sexual content in this book is NOTHING like that in Fifty Shades of Grey and its cohorts. There is no consent, there are no safe words and the men involved in the Hunt are truly sadistic animals. The least distressing sexual scene in this book, at least for me, was the rape. Don't misunderstand me - it was despicable, disgusting and ruthless but compared to the agonies Mara endured in Tyner's playroom, it was a single sentence that lacked unnecessary, explicit detail.
The torture scenes in the playroom itself were distressing, sickening and terrifying. I had a vague idea of how bad they were going to be but my fears were blown out of the kiddie pool and into a turbulent, shark-infested ocean when I actually started reading them. Despite being written in a clinical way, they felt immersively invasive. When Tyner locked Mara in that box, I came very close to a panic attack and had to stop reading for a few minutes. What made the whole experience even worse was the collusion of official figures, such as Dr. Roberts. Seeing Tyner free from prosecution and actively encouraged to inflict his dominant fantasies on an unwilling woman was gut-wrenching - having the whole experience 'validated' by a doctor was almost too much.
That was a theme, as a matter of fact, which pervaded the whole novel - the endorsement of such behaviour in everyday life by authority figures. At the beginning of the novel, Mara is interviewed by a New York journalist who helplessly watches as a man publicly punches a woman in the face when she dares to talk back to him. Catherine (the journalist) wants to phone the police but Mara talks her out of it, stating that the couple are probably married and a man has permission to beat his wife. Yuke, Mara's partner, is presented as another example of skewered 'justice'. She is forced by a court ruling to have her little finger amputated because she dared fight back against a police officer who sexually assaulted her. The social commentary a reader could write based on this novel would be immense and truly frightening.
As there always seems to be in novels of this type, there were notable exceptions to the status quo. Dr. Rodman, for instance, was obviously sympathetic to Mara's plight but his attitude tragically reflected one all too frequently found today - 'I'm just a lowly public servant so what can I do?'. Judge Birney, on the other hand, was one of my favourite characters. His approach was fair, indiscriminate and logical and it restored my faith a tiny bit after this book was done obliterating it.
I didn't like the so-called bond between Mara and Yuke, - it was an interesting idea but it added an element of surrealism that really wasn't needed - but their relationship was refreshingly straightforward and guilt-free. I've read so many books that have a homosexual couple and at least one of them feels guilty for the way they're wired and I'm so sick of it. No one should feel guilty for loving somebody and being in a relationship with them (as long as it's consensual and legal age-wise) and our society needs to get on board with that.
Madeleine was an interesting example of feminine empowerment. I liked that she'd managed to keep her job, despite the limitations placed on women in the UK, and her relationship with Mara was uncomplicated and unconditional. Her backstory was slipped into the narrative just so too. To hear that people protested the changing government before it took its current form, and that the jails were so full of protesters that it was one big party, reminded me of accounts from the 'flower power' era. It also made the world Stevens was building seem more authentic and more harrowing. Every little detail served as a reminder that while the Acts in the book aren't real, a lot of the attitudes are and it'd only take indifference and silence for things to escalate. The whole story actually functions as a reminder of how fragile society is.
The last thing I want to comment on is probably the hardest - Julie. For a start, I can't imagine how her parents felt before the Hunt and then after it, when they realised that their baby had been slaughtered by a psychopath. Mara's perspective brilliantly evoked helplessness and powerlessness but Julie's parents managed to do that tenfold without a narrative voice. Then came the newspaper coverage - the first autopsy ruled that Julie died of natural causes: a heart attack. Julie's parents, understandably unsatisfied with that, pursue further investigation. It comes to light that Julie had been tortured and that her body had given out from the stress and from intolerable pain. Price, her tormentor, is brought to trail AS THE VICTIM. He admits to his despicable acts but claims that Julie requested it all because she was a hardcore masochist. Not only does he get off Scott-free, he drags her name through the mud and has people believing she deserved her fate. Sound familiar? It should because stuff like this happens everyday in the worldwide media. Murderers are victims. Rapists are victims. But victims...apparently we deserve it because deep down, we want it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2019
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from LibraryThing in return for an honest review.
It is 2068 and Great Britain is nothing like the Great Britain we know today. Men have all the power and pass a variety of strict laws against women that dictate every aspect of their life. They cannot vote, have abortions, wear pants, or leave the country. Homosexuality is illegal. After a "feminist" group allegedly commits a terrorist attack, the state responds by creating an event they call the Hunt. This contest takes place in an abandoned area in London and lasts for a whole week. Ten women, who are randomly selected by the government, are chased by ten male Hunters, who pay to participate in the Hunt. Once caught the Hunters are allowed to do whatever they want to these women. Mara Gorki is a crime novelist in a lesbian relationship with Yuke Morishita, a film critic. When Mara is drafted as a Hunt participate she is determined to evade capture and somehow survive the week. But when the odds, and her own government, are against her what chance does she have?
I had a hard time finishing this book. I thought the idea behind it was intriguing but the actual novel feel short to me. It included a random supernatural element as well as introduced several interesting plot points only to drop them a few pages later. It also includes vivid descriptions of violence against women, rape, assault, torture, and sexual torture. I do not recommended this book for anyone who might be sensitive to these topics.
It is 2068 and Great Britain is nothing like the Great Britain we know today. Men have all the power and pass a variety of strict laws against women that dictate every aspect of their life. They cannot vote, have abortions, wear pants, or leave the country. Homosexuality is illegal. After a "feminist" group allegedly commits a terrorist attack, the state responds by creating an event they call the Hunt. This contest takes place in an abandoned area in London and lasts for a whole week. Ten women, who are randomly selected by the government, are chased by ten male Hunters, who pay to participate in the Hunt. Once caught the Hunters are allowed to do whatever they want to these women. Mara Gorki is a crime novelist in a lesbian relationship with Yuke Morishita, a film critic. When Mara is drafted as a Hunt participate she is determined to evade capture and somehow survive the week. But when the odds, and her own government, are against her what chance does she have?
I had a hard time finishing this book. I thought the idea behind it was intriguing but the actual novel feel short to me. It included a random supernatural element as well as introduced several interesting plot points only to drop them a few pages later. It also includes vivid descriptions of violence against women, rape, assault, torture, and sexual torture. I do not recommended this book for anyone who might be sensitive to these topics.
April 2, 2026
Hey,
I hope you’re doing great. I recently discovered your story and I was genuinely impressed. Your storytelling feels vivid and engaging, and it instantly made me think about how incredible it could be as a comic or webtoon.
I’m an artist specializing in comics, manga, webtoons, character art, and book covers. I’d absolutely love the opportunity to be commissioned to bring your story to life visually and turn it into something eye-catching.
There’s no pressure at all just wanted to reach out. If you’d like to talk more or check out my work, you can find me on Discord (bennett_lol) or Instagram (eve_verse_).
Best regards,
bennett.
I hope you’re doing great. I recently discovered your story and I was genuinely impressed. Your storytelling feels vivid and engaging, and it instantly made me think about how incredible it could be as a comic or webtoon.
I’m an artist specializing in comics, manga, webtoons, character art, and book covers. I’d absolutely love the opportunity to be commissioned to bring your story to life visually and turn it into something eye-catching.
There’s no pressure at all just wanted to reach out. If you’d like to talk more or check out my work, you can find me on Discord (bennett_lol) or Instagram (eve_verse_).
Best regards,
bennett.
July 16, 2025
I enjoyed the dystopian storyline, but the description is deceiving. It says Hunger Games Meets 50 Shades. There was not a big parallel to 50 Shades. The Hunt was straight up torture.
May 20, 2014
This is a science fiction book. I recommend this for 18 plus readers whom are not easily offended. This book is about humiliation to women, any way shape or form. I started the book and half way through I wanted to hate the book but I couldn't. It is a good story, even though I don't see the comparison to hunger games or fifty shades of grey. Hunger games is straight killing each other while this is torture, yes they both are randomly chosen to participate but that is the only factor. And fifty shades of grey, well the female can enjoy herself. This is only enjoyable for the men. I could understand the emotions that Mara was experiencing and I admired her for not allowing the hunt to take over her life. And I loved how her books were not "allowed" in her country so she sent them elsewhere to be enjoyed.
This book is about Mara Gorki, a novelist, whom has a secret... she is a lesbian. Something that is forbidden in her country Great Britain, year 2068, along with several other women's rights. All due to feminist group taking a stand against the state, for preventing women any laws, homosexuality, no choices, basically its a man's world. So for punishment, against all women... there is now a sick weekly entertainment for men called The Hunt. The Hunt is basically what it sounds like, ten women are randomly chosen, and along with ten men, have a week of cat and mouse. as you can guess the women are the mice.
Mara was chosen for The Hunt, and after reading what the captors are allowed to do to the women, well she is doing anything to keep from participating. Her last hope is avoid capture at he hunt.
favorite passages:
"Mara’s living space was dominated by stacks of books, which served as protective buffers between herself and an increasingly harsh reality."
"I have to be satisfied with expressing my frustrations on the page."
"The experience of being able to escape her troubles by writing and reading made Mara feel a connection with other writers, both living and dead."
"What he should have said was: If you want a vision of the future, imagine a man's boot stamping on a woman's face - forever"
"On one stall they found a strange device that resembled the menu for an expensive restaurant, but which the seller, a man in his sixties, informed them was a Kindle."
"I brought nothing to it when I came, and I took nothing away when I left."
"The penis must be a truly magical piece of flesh, since it also enabled its owners to vote, to drive, to leave the country."
"Mara did not even try to hide the smile that had spread over her face as she listened to this conversation."
"Anyway, we women have to look out for each other."
"I feel confident that this small flame can be fanned into a blaze which will sweep away the misogyny and injustice being foisted on this country's citizens."
This book is about Mara Gorki, a novelist, whom has a secret... she is a lesbian. Something that is forbidden in her country Great Britain, year 2068, along with several other women's rights. All due to feminist group taking a stand against the state, for preventing women any laws, homosexuality, no choices, basically its a man's world. So for punishment, against all women... there is now a sick weekly entertainment for men called The Hunt. The Hunt is basically what it sounds like, ten women are randomly chosen, and along with ten men, have a week of cat and mouse. as you can guess the women are the mice.
Mara was chosen for The Hunt, and after reading what the captors are allowed to do to the women, well she is doing anything to keep from participating. Her last hope is avoid capture at he hunt.
favorite passages:
"Mara’s living space was dominated by stacks of books, which served as protective buffers between herself and an increasingly harsh reality."
"I have to be satisfied with expressing my frustrations on the page."
"The experience of being able to escape her troubles by writing and reading made Mara feel a connection with other writers, both living and dead."
"What he should have said was: If you want a vision of the future, imagine a man's boot stamping on a woman's face - forever"
"On one stall they found a strange device that resembled the menu for an expensive restaurant, but which the seller, a man in his sixties, informed them was a Kindle."
"I brought nothing to it when I came, and I took nothing away when I left."
"The penis must be a truly magical piece of flesh, since it also enabled its owners to vote, to drive, to leave the country."
"Mara did not even try to hide the smile that had spread over her face as she listened to this conversation."
"Anyway, we women have to look out for each other."
"I feel confident that this small flame can be fanned into a blaze which will sweep away the misogyny and injustice being foisted on this country's citizens."
April 12, 2014
Mara Gorki lives in London in the year 2068. But it is a very different UK from what we know it today. Everything is controlled by men. Women have no right to vote, to drive. They’re not allowed to own their own businesses, homosexuality is banned and every time a woman over 18 steps outside a door, she has to wear the uniform; tights, skirt, blouse and jacket. If she should dare to go outside without wearing the uniform, the penalty is… severe.
But this isn’t the only thing women have to endure. Once there was a terrorist act, a bombing by some unknown female group (no one ever heard from them again after that), which set something more horrendous in action; The Hunt.
The Hunt is something all women between 21 and 30 can be pulled into. They have no choice in the matter, whatsoever. They have to meet in the Arena, dressed in the uniform and for a week they’re prey for the male hunters. 10 women and 10 men. One week. If you’re captured, the hunters will spend time with you – and they have all kinds of “fun” things to use. Only a few things are not allowed.
The Hunt is divided into three books; Before the Hunt, During the Hunt and After the Hunt. In each part we follow Mara in her life. Her life before the Hunt; her books (both those she read and write herself), her secret love for Yuke (remember homosexuality is banned). We get a unique insight into how the everyday life is in the new London; and it isn’t pretty.
Her life during the Hunt; everything Mara feels, every thought that goes into her mind, the other women she gets attached to, and every event during the “games”.
After the Hunt; how Mara copes with surviving, getting over the whole thing and how she has changed as a person.
I was sucked into this world that Brad has created, and I am in awe. It was so easy to fall into this world, to follow Mara and her thoughts, her fear, her courage and the love she feels towards Yuke. Absolutely amazing to read.
My stomach clenched when I read during the Hunt, it’s not for faint hearted, you feel violated along with Mara – and please, don’t get me started on the absolutely moron of Hunter she meets. *sighs and rolls eyes* I do love how Brad made a reference to a very popular book, and what the hunter put into that one. *snickers* Gosh, I didn’t think anyone could be that thick!!!
The end is… well, I have no words. It’s wonderful and sad, and I love the last part of the Hunt; very well done Brad!!!
I will DEFINITELY recommend this book!! Loved every page, made my heart jump into my throat, my soul cry out in anguish and made me snort with laughter. Amazing read!!
But this isn’t the only thing women have to endure. Once there was a terrorist act, a bombing by some unknown female group (no one ever heard from them again after that), which set something more horrendous in action; The Hunt.
The Hunt is something all women between 21 and 30 can be pulled into. They have no choice in the matter, whatsoever. They have to meet in the Arena, dressed in the uniform and for a week they’re prey for the male hunters. 10 women and 10 men. One week. If you’re captured, the hunters will spend time with you – and they have all kinds of “fun” things to use. Only a few things are not allowed.
The Hunt is divided into three books; Before the Hunt, During the Hunt and After the Hunt. In each part we follow Mara in her life. Her life before the Hunt; her books (both those she read and write herself), her secret love for Yuke (remember homosexuality is banned). We get a unique insight into how the everyday life is in the new London; and it isn’t pretty.
Her life during the Hunt; everything Mara feels, every thought that goes into her mind, the other women she gets attached to, and every event during the “games”.
After the Hunt; how Mara copes with surviving, getting over the whole thing and how she has changed as a person.
I was sucked into this world that Brad has created, and I am in awe. It was so easy to fall into this world, to follow Mara and her thoughts, her fear, her courage and the love she feels towards Yuke. Absolutely amazing to read.
My stomach clenched when I read during the Hunt, it’s not for faint hearted, you feel violated along with Mara – and please, don’t get me started on the absolutely moron of Hunter she meets. *sighs and rolls eyes* I do love how Brad made a reference to a very popular book, and what the hunter put into that one. *snickers* Gosh, I didn’t think anyone could be that thick!!!
The end is… well, I have no words. It’s wonderful and sad, and I love the last part of the Hunt; very well done Brad!!!
I will DEFINITELY recommend this book!! Loved every page, made my heart jump into my throat, my soul cry out in anguish and made me snort with laughter. Amazing read!!
April 10, 2014
REVIEW
For 18 yr + Readers !!!
Picture the Hunger Games with a Sadistic Twist…
This book all takes place in the future some where around the year 2068. We have a young woman by the name of Mara Gorki who is an Author living in the U.K. after a war had broken out by woman activists and the government changing the rules. Women have NO rights. Yuke is her lover and they must hide this as this is also not allowed and punishable by the government. When Mara writes she now has to publish in the US as nothing she writes is allowed to be produced in her own country. A US journalist comes to visit Mara her name is Catherine Darden and she witnesses for herself some of the ungodly treatment towards women. All women 18 years and older must wear uniforms at all times when out of their homes. If they are caught wearing anything else they are punished severely.
The Hunt:
It’s an event held for 10 men and 10 women. It’s basically a battle of wits I’ll call it but its torturous to the women involved. If the women are captured the Male can do what he pleases within guidelines set down by the British Government. Very EXTREME scenes !!
Mara’s worse nightmare has come true and she must report to THE HUNT.
Can she survive it? She has heard so many horror stories.
What will become of her? What of the other women who are there the same day as she?
This book is very well written and it’s a first read for me by the Author. I will say its not for the mild at heart however as the scenes/abuse between the Women and Men are extreme. The story flows very smoothly from one chapter to the next.
A very good book well worth the read and well worth the 5 stars I have given it !!!!!
Review copy provided by: Gifted copy provided to me by the Author for my honest review
For 18 yr + Readers !!!
Picture the Hunger Games with a Sadistic Twist…
This book all takes place in the future some where around the year 2068. We have a young woman by the name of Mara Gorki who is an Author living in the U.K. after a war had broken out by woman activists and the government changing the rules. Women have NO rights. Yuke is her lover and they must hide this as this is also not allowed and punishable by the government. When Mara writes she now has to publish in the US as nothing she writes is allowed to be produced in her own country. A US journalist comes to visit Mara her name is Catherine Darden and she witnesses for herself some of the ungodly treatment towards women. All women 18 years and older must wear uniforms at all times when out of their homes. If they are caught wearing anything else they are punished severely.
The Hunt:
It’s an event held for 10 men and 10 women. It’s basically a battle of wits I’ll call it but its torturous to the women involved. If the women are captured the Male can do what he pleases within guidelines set down by the British Government. Very EXTREME scenes !!
Mara’s worse nightmare has come true and she must report to THE HUNT.
Can she survive it? She has heard so many horror stories.
What will become of her? What of the other women who are there the same day as she?
This book is very well written and it’s a first read for me by the Author. I will say its not for the mild at heart however as the scenes/abuse between the Women and Men are extreme. The story flows very smoothly from one chapter to the next.
A very good book well worth the read and well worth the 5 stars I have given it !!!!!
Review copy provided by: Gifted copy provided to me by the Author for my honest review
April 13, 2014
**Originally written for Book Bliss book blog. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased and honest review**
Review:4.5 stars
General: The Hunt is extremely entertaining; filled with action and dramatic tension from the beginning until the end. The Hunt had so many wonderful moments from the characters down to the plot itself. The world building was absolutely wonderful. It was so easy to fit into the terrifying future male controlled Britain that I couldn’t put the book down while reading about the world itself. I wish there had been a tiny bit more to the world as the book went but the action sequences and character interactions were extremely strong and entertaining. The length was perfect and the pacing was very well done allowing me to connect with everything for the right amount of time before moving me along in Mara’s world. I do think the best written part of the three sections is the hunt section itself. The writing is very well done with great details and emotions drawn out that make you both root for characters and cheer for them to be caught. (I did this during the Hunger Games too so I’m a little mean).
The thing that threw me off the most about this book was the formatting. I’m not one for when authors tell me what is happening. I would rather let it be assumed I can tell based on the content and have the book just be divided into chapters.
Characters: Mara- Mara was a wonderfully written lead because I wasn’t on her side for the entire time and I enjoyed that. I never disliked her as a character but I loved how she was so paranoid at times it made me wonder how she’d survived at all. Then we would see an emotional moment in any of the sections and she could absolutely break your heart with her realness.
Review:4.5 stars
General: The Hunt is extremely entertaining; filled with action and dramatic tension from the beginning until the end. The Hunt had so many wonderful moments from the characters down to the plot itself. The world building was absolutely wonderful. It was so easy to fit into the terrifying future male controlled Britain that I couldn’t put the book down while reading about the world itself. I wish there had been a tiny bit more to the world as the book went but the action sequences and character interactions were extremely strong and entertaining. The length was perfect and the pacing was very well done allowing me to connect with everything for the right amount of time before moving me along in Mara’s world. I do think the best written part of the three sections is the hunt section itself. The writing is very well done with great details and emotions drawn out that make you both root for characters and cheer for them to be caught. (I did this during the Hunger Games too so I’m a little mean).
The thing that threw me off the most about this book was the formatting. I’m not one for when authors tell me what is happening. I would rather let it be assumed I can tell based on the content and have the book just be divided into chapters.
Characters: Mara- Mara was a wonderfully written lead because I wasn’t on her side for the entire time and I enjoyed that. I never disliked her as a character but I loved how she was so paranoid at times it made me wonder how she’d survived at all. Then we would see an emotional moment in any of the sections and she could absolutely break your heart with her realness.
January 7, 2015
I feel the blurb misleads....
"Hunger games meets Fifty Shades of Grey" Sign me up, right?! Ahh, the dark erotica lover in me was practically salivating at the thought of sadistic men who are given women to hunt/capture/spend a week with in an arena. Is that what happened? Yes. Was that the focus of the book? Absolutely not.
This was a decent read. It was an intellectual read with lots of politics, some views on religion, and lessons on the history of misogyny in various cultures. All erotica was quickly glossed over and even the sadistic scenes were discussed in a clinical manner.
I will say the author is very talented... this is an extremely well written book but it is one I would rather read for a book club discussion than for my own enjoyment.
Sorry, but if you throw in a 50 shades reference as your first line to hook readers, people don't want political strife and government oppression. They want panty soaking brain candy.
"Hunger games meets Fifty Shades of Grey" Sign me up, right?! Ahh, the dark erotica lover in me was practically salivating at the thought of sadistic men who are given women to hunt/capture/spend a week with in an arena. Is that what happened? Yes. Was that the focus of the book? Absolutely not.
This was a decent read. It was an intellectual read with lots of politics, some views on religion, and lessons on the history of misogyny in various cultures. All erotica was quickly glossed over and even the sadistic scenes were discussed in a clinical manner.
I will say the author is very talented... this is an extremely well written book but it is one I would rather read for a book club discussion than for my own enjoyment.
Sorry, but if you throw in a 50 shades reference as your first line to hook readers, people don't want political strife and government oppression. They want panty soaking brain candy.
July 13, 2014
FANTASTIC!
I loved this book! Sad too say that so many atrocities against women are still being practiced in these days and times. I loved that the author did not focus on the sexual aspects of the torture as much as just showing the pain and humiliation endured. If too much detail and time had been spent on the sexual torture, the book would not have been the same. It was emotional and heart wrenching. It changed the lead character so much despite the fact that she tried so hard not to let it change her. It goes to show that everything we go through in life affects us and changes us. Every decision we make in life will affect us in some way. Great job on a book well done and the first truly great book that I have read in some time!
I loved this book! Sad too say that so many atrocities against women are still being practiced in these days and times. I loved that the author did not focus on the sexual aspects of the torture as much as just showing the pain and humiliation endured. If too much detail and time had been spent on the sexual torture, the book would not have been the same. It was emotional and heart wrenching. It changed the lead character so much despite the fact that she tried so hard not to let it change her. It goes to show that everything we go through in life affects us and changes us. Every decision we make in life will affect us in some way. Great job on a book well done and the first truly great book that I have read in some time!
September 9, 2015
This book is disturbing on so many levels. It's not a "hunger games meets fifty shades of grey." This book is more battle royale with sexual brutality. I don't get it. I'm waiting for a book where the men are sexually abused and persecuted for being men. I found it disgusting that the author took a dystopian genre and then made it even more disturbing by filling it with a book that felt to me - hateful to women. I'm regretful that I read the book. I read it all the way to see if there was anything redeeming in it and sadly there is nothing.
December 24, 2014
I recently finished reading The Hunt by Brad Stevens. It was a fantastic dystopian read and I highly recommend it to fans of the dystopian and science fiction genres. The Hunt was taut, viceral, and with a riveting storyline!!
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