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The Light Hunters #1
The Light Hunters
"You ask me what Light is, Lux? Light is everything. Every single thing. The very fabric of our world is made up of this force - people, trees, the chair I am sitting on, this pen I am writing with. Few can access this Light, control it. You are one."
Huge Monsters roam the land, smashing towns to splinters. For centuries, energy-wielding Light Hunters battled the creatures, rescuing the townspeople of Daven from a terrible fate. Then, a single, disastrous mistake turned the people against Light. Now, this powerful and ancient force is mostly gone, all but a memory.
Lux Dowd lives in a clock repair shop with his ill Grandpa and the old man s live-in carer, Miss Hart. Although he might seem to be a normal 12 year old boy, Lux has a secret: not only can he wield Light, he might be the finest Light-healer the world has ever seen. But when Lux uses his power to save his best friend Maya after she is mortally injured in a terrifying monster attack, his Light draws a strange, shadowy figure to town, one who would use Lux s powers for evil.
He is rescued from the stranger s clutches by Miss Hart, who reveals to him that she is one of the last of the undercover Light Hunters tasked with watching over Lux. After a dangerous air ship journey to the Light Hunter HQ, Lux begins to learn the Light Hunter ways and form a bond with his new squad of apprentice hunters. But before he can settle, the Hunters receive a warning about an upcoming Monster attack near Lux s hometown. The Monster that destroyed his family is back.
Lux and his new friends find themselves in a race against time to locate the Monster and stop it before it can destroy the town. But is the Monster the real terror, or is there a greater danger lurking in the shadows, waiting for its moment to strike?
Huge Monsters roam the land, smashing towns to splinters. For centuries, energy-wielding Light Hunters battled the creatures, rescuing the townspeople of Daven from a terrible fate. Then, a single, disastrous mistake turned the people against Light. Now, this powerful and ancient force is mostly gone, all but a memory.
Lux Dowd lives in a clock repair shop with his ill Grandpa and the old man s live-in carer, Miss Hart. Although he might seem to be a normal 12 year old boy, Lux has a secret: not only can he wield Light, he might be the finest Light-healer the world has ever seen. But when Lux uses his power to save his best friend Maya after she is mortally injured in a terrifying monster attack, his Light draws a strange, shadowy figure to town, one who would use Lux s powers for evil.
He is rescued from the stranger s clutches by Miss Hart, who reveals to him that she is one of the last of the undercover Light Hunters tasked with watching over Lux. After a dangerous air ship journey to the Light Hunter HQ, Lux begins to learn the Light Hunter ways and form a bond with his new squad of apprentice hunters. But before he can settle, the Hunters receive a warning about an upcoming Monster attack near Lux s hometown. The Monster that destroyed his family is back.
Lux and his new friends find themselves in a race against time to locate the Monster and stop it before it can destroy the town. But is the Monster the real terror, or is there a greater danger lurking in the shadows, waiting for its moment to strike?
295 pages, Paperback
Published January 23, 2020
2 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
Dan Walker
7 books23 followersDan Walker is a children's author and the creator of Sky Thieves, Desert Thieves and The Light Hunters fantasy adventure stories. His books have been nominated for the Brilliant Book Award, the Reading Rampage Award, the RED Book Award, the Salford Children's Book Award and the Derbyshire Schools Book Award, and have been translated into multiple languages around the world.
Dan lives just outside of Nottingham, where he spent his childhood being dragged up and down the hills of the Peak District, frantically hammering away at computer games and raiding his cousin's bookshelf for anything with a colourful cover.
Dan lives just outside of Nottingham, where he spent his childhood being dragged up and down the hills of the Peak District, frantically hammering away at computer games and raiding his cousin's bookshelf for anything with a colourful cover.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 11, 2020
Dan Walker has already had success with his Sky Thieves and Desert Thieves which I am so looking forward to reading soon.
But, I am amongst the lucky ones, I work in publishing, albeit less so than when I ran a real shop, but still I am involved.
Hazel, Debbie and the team at UCLan publishing are doing something special, they are tireless in their quest to bring books and access to them to the North West and the North in general, in just 2 years they've won awards, run festivals and launched and toured some sensational authors.
In 2020 they will be unstoppable, this is their first book of the year and many more equally superb ones are due, I am so looking forward to the new Philip Caveney in April, he's long overdue massive success, I met him 15 years ago when he started with Sebastian Darke and he has always delivered superb action, adventure, comedy, horror and ghost stories with aplomb. Inchtinn under his alter ego Danny Weston is already up for awards and I feel this is going to be his year and deservedly so.
But...we are here to talk about The Light Hunters, just look at that glowing cover alone and once you see the lovely little monograms and flourishes that adorn the inside of the book you'll be swept away in this rollicking, rip-snorting adventure.
Dan has obviously worked out that the simplest way to make a book grip you is to start and not stop, there is action on every page, but plenty of depth, humour and fab characters too. A superb world is imagined and becomes real instantly and you are desperate for more adventures as this one breathlessly ends.
There has been a spate of Monster attacks, big mythical nasties that are rather vile and almost unstoppable, weirdly some areas that have succumbed to these attacks seem to back away from having the support of the Light Hunters, those with the ability to use the fabric and magic of light in mysterious but beneficial ways, after all we are all of Light really, but we are tempered with shade and dark. Touching on shade, that is the clever antithesis at play here, moulded by Deimos a fallen Hunter and now hellbent on harnessing the power of Lux our hero for his nefarious means.
We are rapidly propelled on fantastical journeys with lightships, breathtaking sights and endless peril. Dan has a real wit and charm in his writing, he has captured something in his dialogue that is rare, instant empathy for all characters, usually some gel and some don't, but he has made everyone equal and that is a real treat.
We pick up so much information with ease and learn as we read, just as Lux learns as he tries to find out as much about his ability, one he didn't know he had in double quick time, he can use light to heal, this is a good thing, but what good can it do in the face of battle against huge lethal monsters, a Cerberus demolished his home and killed his family and indeed most of the community, he lives with his ailing grandpa and has an orphan who is only into tech as his best pal and she, Maya is a treat from page one.
I hate giving much plot away as the book is out on 23/1/20 and is being launched at Waterstones in Nottingham near where Dan lives on Sat 18th Jan 2pm and we do hope some of you come... Dan is then with us on tour for 3 days in the NW and then in the Midlands in Feb.
The chapters are beautifully constructed, you can read short chunks or as much as you want, if you get en-rapt as I did you'll not stop, I read all 300 pages in 3 hours and wanted more. But, it's a great book for class readers and bed time reads as you can structure how much you read as each chapter is about 4 pages and that means you can slow down or speed up at will.
There is so much detail in the structure of the belief and use of this magic system and yet, you know there is so much more to come.
This is a superb book, easily as good as the 'others you like' and I do hope you all read it and recommend it and do come to meet Dan too.
There are so many superb books for children/YA and indeed us adults who also read them, we should be thankful, especially to those that create and curate them, try and stay away from amazon, order from UCLan publishing direct or any Indie or Waterstones, make a little effort and then we all have a better chance of much more for a better book world.
The names and places in the book are great too, there is enough distancing from normality to make it totally believable in it's own world.
But, I am amongst the lucky ones, I work in publishing, albeit less so than when I ran a real shop, but still I am involved.
Hazel, Debbie and the team at UCLan publishing are doing something special, they are tireless in their quest to bring books and access to them to the North West and the North in general, in just 2 years they've won awards, run festivals and launched and toured some sensational authors.
In 2020 they will be unstoppable, this is their first book of the year and many more equally superb ones are due, I am so looking forward to the new Philip Caveney in April, he's long overdue massive success, I met him 15 years ago when he started with Sebastian Darke and he has always delivered superb action, adventure, comedy, horror and ghost stories with aplomb. Inchtinn under his alter ego Danny Weston is already up for awards and I feel this is going to be his year and deservedly so.
But...we are here to talk about The Light Hunters, just look at that glowing cover alone and once you see the lovely little monograms and flourishes that adorn the inside of the book you'll be swept away in this rollicking, rip-snorting adventure.
Dan has obviously worked out that the simplest way to make a book grip you is to start and not stop, there is action on every page, but plenty of depth, humour and fab characters too. A superb world is imagined and becomes real instantly and you are desperate for more adventures as this one breathlessly ends.
There has been a spate of Monster attacks, big mythical nasties that are rather vile and almost unstoppable, weirdly some areas that have succumbed to these attacks seem to back away from having the support of the Light Hunters, those with the ability to use the fabric and magic of light in mysterious but beneficial ways, after all we are all of Light really, but we are tempered with shade and dark. Touching on shade, that is the clever antithesis at play here, moulded by Deimos a fallen Hunter and now hellbent on harnessing the power of Lux our hero for his nefarious means.
We are rapidly propelled on fantastical journeys with lightships, breathtaking sights and endless peril. Dan has a real wit and charm in his writing, he has captured something in his dialogue that is rare, instant empathy for all characters, usually some gel and some don't, but he has made everyone equal and that is a real treat.
We pick up so much information with ease and learn as we read, just as Lux learns as he tries to find out as much about his ability, one he didn't know he had in double quick time, he can use light to heal, this is a good thing, but what good can it do in the face of battle against huge lethal monsters, a Cerberus demolished his home and killed his family and indeed most of the community, he lives with his ailing grandpa and has an orphan who is only into tech as his best pal and she, Maya is a treat from page one.
I hate giving much plot away as the book is out on 23/1/20 and is being launched at Waterstones in Nottingham near where Dan lives on Sat 18th Jan 2pm and we do hope some of you come... Dan is then with us on tour for 3 days in the NW and then in the Midlands in Feb.
The chapters are beautifully constructed, you can read short chunks or as much as you want, if you get en-rapt as I did you'll not stop, I read all 300 pages in 3 hours and wanted more. But, it's a great book for class readers and bed time reads as you can structure how much you read as each chapter is about 4 pages and that means you can slow down or speed up at will.
There is so much detail in the structure of the belief and use of this magic system and yet, you know there is so much more to come.
This is a superb book, easily as good as the 'others you like' and I do hope you all read it and recommend it and do come to meet Dan too.
There are so many superb books for children/YA and indeed us adults who also read them, we should be thankful, especially to those that create and curate them, try and stay away from amazon, order from UCLan publishing direct or any Indie or Waterstones, make a little effort and then we all have a better chance of much more for a better book world.
The names and places in the book are great too, there is enough distancing from normality to make it totally believable in it's own world.
August 16, 2020
I loved this book!! I need more! These characters were AMAZING!! The whole plot was AMAZING! So creative! The whole idea of powers of light & shade, & the way the light powers are broken down b/n different abilities...wow..& monsters & monsters spawn?? The magic system is broken down & explained so well. I wasn’t confused at all. I loved our main character Lux. He has already went through so much, & then has so much sprung on him out of nowhere that he has to try & digest & come to terms with, & just adjust. I adored Grandpa. I loved our side characters Maya, Ester, Fera, & Brace. They all formed their own little family, & I absolutely loved that dynamic. There was action packed in from the very beginning, & when I started yesterday at 65% read...well from there on it was VERY action packed & suspenseful. I could NOT put it down. So I read the rest all in one sitting lol there is so much bravery, humor, adventure, suspense, love, etc in this book. The villain isn’t just the monsters, but also a man(who I can’t stand lol he’s written very well). Which is usually the case in this life-some people are evil monsters. The world is explained very well each new place the characters are in, & I loved that too. I still feel like there could be so much more to come. The way it ended totally made it easy to continue into a sequel. I hope we get many more though, not just one lol highly recommend!! Also, BEAUTIFUL cover!!😍😍
Synopsis: You ask me what Light is, Lux? Light is everything. Every single thing. The very fabric of our world is made up of this force - people, trees, the chair I am sitting on, this pen I am writing with. Few can access this Light, control it. You are one.
Huge Monsters roam the land, smashing towns to splinters. For centuries, energy-wielding Light Hunters battled the creatures, rescuing the townspeople of Daven from a terrible fate. Then, a single, disastrous mistake turned the people against Light. Now, this powerful and ancient force is mostly gone, all but a memory.
Lux Dowd lives in a clock repair shop with his ill Grandpa and the old man s live-in carer, Miss Hart. Although he might seem to be a normal 12 year old boy, Lux has a secret: not only can he wield Light, he might be the finest Light-healer the world has ever seen. But when Lux uses his power to save his best friend Maya after she is mortally injured in a terrifying monster attack, his Light draws a strange, shadowy figure to town, one who would use Lux s powers for evil.
He is rescued from the stranger s clutches by Miss Hart, who reveals to him that she is one of the last of the undercover Light Hunters tasked with watching over Lux. After a dangerous air ship journey to the Light Hunter HQ, Lux begins to learn the Light Hunter ways and form a bond with his new squad of apprentice hunters. But before he can settle, the Hunters receive a warning about an upcoming Monster attack near Lux s hometown. The Monster that destroyed his family is back.
Lux and his new friends find themselves in a race against time to locate the Monster and stop it before it can destroy the town. But is the Monster the real terror, or is there a greater danger lurking in the shadows, waiting for its moment to strike?
Synopsis: You ask me what Light is, Lux? Light is everything. Every single thing. The very fabric of our world is made up of this force - people, trees, the chair I am sitting on, this pen I am writing with. Few can access this Light, control it. You are one.
Huge Monsters roam the land, smashing towns to splinters. For centuries, energy-wielding Light Hunters battled the creatures, rescuing the townspeople of Daven from a terrible fate. Then, a single, disastrous mistake turned the people against Light. Now, this powerful and ancient force is mostly gone, all but a memory.
Lux Dowd lives in a clock repair shop with his ill Grandpa and the old man s live-in carer, Miss Hart. Although he might seem to be a normal 12 year old boy, Lux has a secret: not only can he wield Light, he might be the finest Light-healer the world has ever seen. But when Lux uses his power to save his best friend Maya after she is mortally injured in a terrifying monster attack, his Light draws a strange, shadowy figure to town, one who would use Lux s powers for evil.
He is rescued from the stranger s clutches by Miss Hart, who reveals to him that she is one of the last of the undercover Light Hunters tasked with watching over Lux. After a dangerous air ship journey to the Light Hunter HQ, Lux begins to learn the Light Hunter ways and form a bond with his new squad of apprentice hunters. But before he can settle, the Hunters receive a warning about an upcoming Monster attack near Lux s hometown. The Monster that destroyed his family is back.
Lux and his new friends find themselves in a race against time to locate the Monster and stop it before it can destroy the town. But is the Monster the real terror, or is there a greater danger lurking in the shadows, waiting for its moment to strike?
February 22, 2023
This was okay and nothing more. At times it was just offensive. I thought the creativity was so stellar in let’s (like the hexagonal sky ship stations!) and then it fell into such a whirr of places and exposition. Lux has nothing beyond dead parents and magical potential as a chosen one (sound familiar?).
The town of Draven felt so empty. Nobody of note is really mentioned and within one kids lifetime this destroyed town is rebuilt and repopulated.
The revelation about his grandad was very obvious and anti climactic.
The Hogwarts replacement was okay but felt once again half described and half realised. Lots of 2D characters running around moving the plot slowly along.
The real thing which stopped me from giving this a higher score is the fact that the author fell into the bullshit move of making the bad guy physically scarred. ‘Oh! He has acne marks and is unattractive so must be a villain!’.
Seriously. It’s 2023 and it should have ended with the Twits.
Overall an average read like you would find in a WH Smith at a service station or an Asda book shelf.
The town of Draven felt so empty. Nobody of note is really mentioned and within one kids lifetime this destroyed town is rebuilt and repopulated.
The revelation about his grandad was very obvious and anti climactic.
The Hogwarts replacement was okay but felt once again half described and half realised. Lots of 2D characters running around moving the plot slowly along.
The real thing which stopped me from giving this a higher score is the fact that the author fell into the bullshit move of making the bad guy physically scarred. ‘Oh! He has acne marks and is unattractive so must be a villain!’.
Seriously. It’s 2023 and it should have ended with the Twits.
Overall an average read like you would find in a WH Smith at a service station or an Asda book shelf.
June 27, 2022
Years ago, the Light Hunters were applauded, even revered. Until a fatal error of judgement turned the people of Daven against them. However, there are a few people who still believe in them and would love to see them back in action, fighting monsters.
Lux is one of those, and even more, he can actually use Light. I really felt for him, having to keep his power a secret from the people around him, even his best friend. Of course it all comes out eventually and he and Maya are drawn into the Light Hunters' world.
I loved the idea of Light as a powerful force, like magic. All the light technology was fascinating. This was a really exciting start to the series and I am looking forward to book 2 which is out soon.
Lux is one of those, and even more, he can actually use Light. I really felt for him, having to keep his power a secret from the people around him, even his best friend. Of course it all comes out eventually and he and Maya are drawn into the Light Hunters' world.
I loved the idea of Light as a powerful force, like magic. All the light technology was fascinating. This was a really exciting start to the series and I am looking forward to book 2 which is out soon.
June 21, 2022
The first in a series by Dan Walker. This is an enthralling read that really gripped me. A great book for tweens. I love this book, this is the first Dan Walker book that I have read but now I have read this it has made me feel that I have to buy his other books. I really love his style of writing and I especially love the plot of his book. As a person who really loves fantasy-magical books this was my perfect read and anyone else who likes books such as Nevermoor this would be their cup of tea. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
August 28, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
I’d give this a 4.5 star.
I love the story, and I love the characters even more! The magic concept was good and the world building was amazing. However, the reason why I did not give this a solid 5 star is because this I a children’s book, and we added a death of a character that is close and important to the MC and the fact that he did not even cry his heart out for his lost makes me so mad!
But still, a good book and I’m so happy I picked this up. I can’t wait to read the next book!
I’d give this a 4.5 star.
I love the story, and I love the characters even more! The magic concept was good and the world building was amazing. However, the reason why I did not give this a solid 5 star is because this I a children’s book, and we added a death of a character that is close and important to the MC and the fact that he did not even cry his heart out for his lost makes me so mad!
But still, a good book and I’m so happy I picked this up. I can’t wait to read the next book!
March 7, 2024
I was really excited to read this, I liked the premise, and was really into it at the start. But towards the end I kind of...stopped caring. I feel terrible saying this, but it felt like so many other books of similar genre and ideas. Nothing felt particularly new or original to me. I did like the characters, they were fun and interesting. And I wanted to know more about them, but i just didn't enjoy the story enough to read any more in this series.
February 3, 2022
I read Dan Walker's other two books: Sky Thieves & Desert Thieves, a long time ago and enjoyed them, but this is on another level. I really enjoyed this action-packed science-fantasy book. It is packed with adventure, monsters, humour and some scary bits.
I would recommend this to any reader from age 9 - 15 and beyond. Give it a try!
I would recommend this to any reader from age 9 - 15 and beyond. Give it a try!
July 30, 2022
I love a new and interesting middlegrade setting with an unique magic system. This was something that I got in this book and it did not disappoint at all. It had lovable characters and the villian which helped to develop the magic system for good and bad magic. This was a different type of world as well than i am used to and i hope that there is a chance for future books from this author.
July 25, 2022
I had been meaning to read this for ages, and so when I was offered a copy when UCLAN rereleased the book with a new cover ahead of the sequel coming out soon, I just had to say yes. It’s about a boy named Lux, who is able to throw light and heal people, a forbidden skill where he lives, and what happens when a dangerous man named Deimos begins chasing him and he has to join the Light Hunters to protect himself, his beloved and sickly grandfather, and their world as a whole. I loved the camaraderie between Lux and his unit, comprised of fierce, fiesty Fera, the initially abrasive but also deeply loyal and talented Brace, and their leader Ester, who is unable to throw light herself but can do so using a Gauntlet. The worldbuilding and magic system is so well described and clever, and I can’t wait to learn more about it, or to see these very likeable characters again. As such, I’m super excited to read the sequel soon, and to share a guest post as part of the blog tour next month!
February 9, 2020
A good, and fun read. I really enjoyed this story, even as a 43 year old bloke. Hopefully this is the start of a series.
April 16, 2020
Great epic adventure. I really need to read the previous books in the series. NOW!
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March 30, 2023DNF
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