For what it's worth, Urban Hunters Collection is actually a collection of three short novellas, all of which are parts of a larger tale. But given how seamlessly they flow together (to the point where I ended up checking to see where each one started along the way), it really only makes sense to evaluate them as one story. That story revolves around Billy, an Aborigine youth living in the Outback with his family, and his growth into adulthood and the walkabout he goes on into the white culture he's hidden from for much of his life. Even if it did nothing else, Urban Hunters would be worth the time for the immersive view of Aborigine culture, whether it be the hunting practices, the practical jokes, the banter, or just the general life. In each case, Taaffe does a wonderful job of bringing that world to life and filling the page with rich details, all without making it feel like a travelogue or a textbook. Luckily, though, there's more to Urban Hunters - there's warm, funny characters that you genuinely care about, low-key plotting that nonetheless gets you involved, emotional stakes that end up mattering as much to you as they do the characters, and compelling storylines that work even though they're about little more than practical jokes or looking for food. In many ways, Urban Hunters ends up feeling like a coming-of-age story that you've never read before, but the details here - the Aboriginal culture, the early views of white Australia, the stunning natural scenery - make all the difference in the world, and turn the book into something really warm and enjoyable. Yes, there are a few typos along the way that feel a little distracting; yes, the low-key stakes can work against it a little - after all, part of the pitch of a serial novel is the stakes to keep you coming back, and I'm not sure that Taaffe's story lends itself to that kind of tension. But I ended up really enjoying Urban Hunters; for the brief length of its pages, I got lost in another culture and another world, and I was accompanied by characters that I genuinely liked and wanted to see do well. And that's no small feat for a book to do.
- Josh Mauthe
- Josh Mauthe