Hunt the Ever Wild
By S E Kiser
- Hunt the Ever Wild
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Author: S E Kiser
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Publisher: Angry Robot
- ISBN: 9781836730071
- Published: June 2026
- Pages: 336
- Format reviewed: Paperback
- Review date: 26/06/2026
- Language: English
I think we can all agree that throughout history, and the present, we have had some leaders who are not always the best. Leaders that make their horse a senator, leaders who kill huge swathes of their population to keep control. Despite the madness of our own despots, we have not had a leader that has demanded a phoenix be captured and used in magic to create eternal life. The King in S E Kiser’s Hunt the Ever Wild at least lives in a world were magic exists, it is just that he is not going to go into the dangerous woods himself when he can send in court magicians and hunters.
Sy is a Magician who works directly for the Royal Court. Magic is based in blood, the magician using their own to cast spells. These spells are not to help the nation, but the rich. Sy is in great debt and must use his blood to beautify and extend the life of the feckless. The King is the richest of all and he offers a bounty to capture a phoenix from the Lichtenwald forest. Sy finally has a chance to get out from under his indenture, and he allies with Anja, a talented hunter, to capture the phoenix, but Anja may have her own reasons to be on the hunt.
Hunt opens up as a drama of competing wizards within a magical court but soon moves into the wilds. A lot of fantasy is based in cities and the journeys between them, but the majority of Hunt is set in the magical forest of Lichtenwald. This makes is less of an urban tale and one more akin to a story of the Fae. Rules are hard to come by in a magical wood, where every step could be an unseen danger. These lead to excitement, but also a sense that the tale is not grounded yet.
It is in the characters that Kiser finds this grounding. I did not immediately take to Sy as a character, but as you get to know him more and he moves deeper into the woods, he becomes more sympathetic. The other main protagonist is the feisty Anja; someone I was happy to follow from the start. Like any good duo novel, their relationship is key. It is an odd couple relationship built on a mutual goal, but also mutual mistrust.
Alongside the questing duo are other characters they meet. Here we learn more about the wider world, the politics of the court, and a curse that Anja lives under. We also learn about the dangers of the forest as not everyone who enters, leaves. It was interesting to discover the assorted reasons magicians entered the forest, many had valid reasons, others not so much.
The interesting magical system and central relationship makes Hunt a relationship based tale, a more personal journey for Sy and Anja than many fantasy novels. The fae style magic of the forest does not follow any rules, unlike the court magic of the magicians. The book is at its best when focussing on Ayna and/or Sy’s plight, and their relationship. If you are searching for a strong relationship based fantasy novel, Hunt will draw you in.
Written on 26th June 2026 by Sam Tyler .
Topics and themes
Key Tropes
Tone & Pace
Themes
Setting
General
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