Review: Part-Time Monster Hunter by Nicholas Woode-Smith

Well, it's October.

Time for some zombie-killing fun.

[easyazon_link identifier="1690981571" locale="US" tag="upstreamreviews-20"]Part-Time Monster Hunter by Nicholas Woode-Smith[/easyazon_link] is the next wave of Urban Fantasy: in this case, a city that is not American, or even strictly Western / European, only set in the South African city of Cape town (sorry, it's "Hope City"). In this case, [easyazon_link identifier="1690981571" locale="US" tag="upstreamreviews-20"]Part-Time Monster Hunter by Nicholas Woode-Smith[/easyazon_link] has elements of Buffy and Monster Hunter International, with extensive world building elements that are on par with [easyazon_link identifier="B004UAVAE6" locale="US" tag="upstreamreviews-20"]Kim Harrison's "The Hollows"[/easyazon_link] series.

[easyazon_link identifier="B08955SV7Y" locale="US" tag="upstreamreviews-20"]Deal alert: On the date of this review, the first four books in the series are only $0.99 on Kindle![/easyazon_link]

The story

Since the necromancer sacrificed her parents, Kat Drummond's life has been busy.

While trying to survive in a post-Cataclysm world, when the rifts to another dimension brought magic and monsters to Earth, Kat has taken odd jobs. When she was attacked by a zombie during a baby-sitting gig, she is saved through the guidance of Treth, the ghost of a monster hunter from the other side of the rifts.

Now 19, with Treth's aid, Kat is balancing part time college as well as a part-time job as a monster hunter for hire. But when a new necromancer moves into town raising his legion of zombie minions, Kat is forced to up her game, or join the undead.

There's a lot to be commended in [easyazon_link identifier="1690981571" locale="US" tag="upstreamreviews-20"]Part-Time Monster Hunter[/easyazon_link], from the open of "You should never get used to the smell of rotting corpses. It's bad for your health" to the catastrophic failures of her online-bought swords. But a lot of what carries this is character and worldbuilding.

The characters

Like most Urban Fantasy, [easyazon_link identifier="1690981571" locale="US" tag="upstreamreviews-20"]Part-Time Monster Hunter[/easyazon_link] is told from a first person POV, so the book's sole focus in the character department is on Kat Drummond and Treth, the ghost in her head. Everyone else along the way has limited page time, but they are well-sketched, from her friend the goth (try not to confuse her with a vampire) to her sorcerer friend with the millionaire family background. Though her goth friend can be summed up by her thoughts on unicorns, referring to them as "Wannabe horse bastards."

With Kat, it's interesting watching as she and Treth feel their way through monster hunting and college. And while "teenage monster killer" sounds like Buffy... the similarities end there. Kat has to work through college, paying for all of her equipment, has to find time to sleep and study ("I haven't seen you for so long!"  "We had lunch yesterday." "No, you fell asleep in your fries"), and operates openly in a world where she can find paying jobs on her MonsterSlayer app.

Buffy never had these troubles... and she should have.

And no, there is no "chosen one" trope. The ghost, Treth, doesn't even pick Kat, he just finds himself attached to her for reasons beyond both of their understanding.

Honestly? This is one of those books that so improves on a concept, it makes me look back on other IP with disdain, looking at all of the lost opportunities. Once I was done with [easyazon_link identifier="1690981571" locale="US" tag="upstreamreviews-20"]Part-Time Monster Hunter[/easyazon_link], I thought "Buffy should have had a character arc that looked like this." Joss Whedon only had his main character grow up at gunpoint or for purposes of angst. Kat Drummond grew up over the course of one novel, and it may not have been an entire college semester, where her motives for doing what she does evolve from hunting for an adrenaline rush, to hunting for profit, for revenge, and finally, to protect.

By the end, Kat has a character moment that should end every superhero origin movie, that's one part personal revelation and acceptance of what she's become. Because it's not all fun and games and cracking the quip.

The world

Despite this being urban fantasy set in a different world from ours, a lot of this is based in reality. The geopolitics are light, but interesting, and not outlandish. And it's nice to have a different setting than some bland nondescript city. While this is the third or forth urban fantasy I've read lately that relied on rifts (this time, opening in Siberia), it does a lot of unique things along the way. I do enjoy the Magicorp concept, and the books stopped short of it becoming the OCP of RoboCop, though there are hints that the books will go into that aspect later on.

Also, since Kat is in college, the book delves into some of the stupidity of academia, especially when it comes to being politically correct about monsters, especially campaigning for "monster rights." It's especially entertaining when her real-world experience clashes with the assigned readings.

I do also enjoy the weapons involved, such as anti-magic minerals that can be weaponized against magic users. And there is an entire chapter set around the thought behind Kat's weaponry.

Much of the worldbuilding is explored via Kat's personal history. It feels a little like the Hollows of Kim Harrison, but without the angst. (Though I suspect that there will be an explanation in a later book about where Odin comes into play.)

A cute bit I enjoyed: "The end of the Cold War could have meant something if the nukes weren't replaced with dragons. Nobody could have predicted that, and you can't blame Harry Truman for the unification of Scandinavia under Odin."

It's also nice to see someone else use flash bangs against vampires.

The politics

As I said above, it's fairly based. Surprisingly so. I purchase the first four books as a set during a $.99 sale. I didn't expect to review it here. As this is an alternate reality, the overlap between the politics in the world of the novel and ours are slim.

But for those who read politics into everything, one can definitely arrange something.

It's pro-second Amendment (Kat spends time ridiculing the anti-weapon policy on campus only minutes before all Hell breaks loose), as well as pro-small business. The book also delves into the reality of expenses, budgeting ("I had even been able to afford to upgrade to the premium cup of noodles"), weapon and armor maintenance, as well as balancing work and life. Woode-Smith even makes fun of "Nothing is as permanent as a temporary government programme," and that government here is as useless as in the real world. I even liked the baby-sitting, only with a panic room.

Even the geo-political scale is interesting, since Hope City is a land of refugees, and just outside the border is the advancing Zulu empire. Given the current conditions in South Africa, this is almost prescient.

As for the villain of the novel ... let's just say that his ideas on universal healthcare are interesting.

Content warning

Mostly bloody maggoty messes. She does spend most of her time cutting up zombies.  There is some rated R language kicking around, but it's particularly heavy. I heard worse language in my catholic grammar school playground.

Who is it for?

This could easily be for any readers of [easyazon_link identifier="B004UAVAE6" locale="US" tag="upstreamreviews-20"]Kim Harrison's Hollows[/easyazon_link], [easyazon_link identifier="B00APA1GJE" locale="US" tag="upstreamreviews-20"]Larry Correia's Monster Hunter International[/easyazon_link], or those who enjoyed Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Only it lacks the gun porn of Larry Correia, and the angst of Buffy and "The Hollows."

Considering how much of this is monster killing for profit, even fans of [easyazon_link identifier="B0010SIPT4" locale="US" tag="upstreamreviews-20"]The Witcher[/easyazon_link] might enjoy this as well.

Why read it?

Imagine if The Witcher was set as a modern urban fantasy in an alternate universe of magic and monsters. I enjoyed it, and I want to see where the world is going to go.