Book Critique: The Last Phi Hunter

The Last Phi Hunter is a Thai-inspired dark fantasy novel written by Salinee Goldenberg, published in 2024.

The following (in italics) is paraphrased from the Goodreads summary –

Ex, the youngest member of the Phi Hunters Order, is determined to hunt down Shar-Ala, – who has eluded even the masters. Arinya, a charming fighter, saves him from an ass-kicking, despite being nine months pregnant. In return, she asks him to escort her through the dangerous, spirit-filled forest. But as more of Arinya’s secrets emerge, and the elusive demon nears, Ex must face dangers from both men and monsters.

Here is the link to my Goodreads review from a reader’s perspective – https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6847252202

In this post, I focus on my takeaways from a writer’s perspective –

Never judge a book by its cover? – Unfortunately in the publishing world, this is not true. In a time when every book cover features realistic models, AI-generated over-cluttered images or worse – photographs of movie-adaptations, this cover really stands out from the pile. Not only does it have a unique stylization, the shining golden borders immediately reminds one of Thai temples and palaces. As authors, picking the right type of cover-art is essential and this one is perfect.

Character-development and world-building –

One aspect of the book I didn’t like was how throughout most of the book, we get only glimpses of world-building and nothing beyond. The focus is always on the immediate dangers to Ex and Arinya as they make their way through the woods and small-towns. So, we have a fast-paced plot with action and character interactions with each other …. and that’s it, with world-building taking a backseat, until the last few pages of the book.

So, are these a zero-sum game?

Or, can we do this together at the same time? Yes, we can – if the characters wonder about the wider world, interact with it, have opinions of it – or better – have contradicting opinions on it and debate them. In that case, a character expressing views about politics, magic or history can simultaneously let the readers know of the world, but also give a glimpse into the characters’ moral compass, motivations and backstory.

Culture –

A positive element of this book is how there is a depth of culture. Rather than having characters and monsters of a conventional western story with a thin Thai “skin” applied on top, we genuinely see an authentic world that feels very “Thai.” We have people joining their hands in a wai gesture while greeting, taking their shoes off while entering homes, and having their inns blessed with the prayers of the Sangha to ward off evil spirits.

But of course the best part of it all is the food. It is clear the author considers food to be an important part of the world, and there is a lot of effort put into describing spicy noodles and various other delicacies. Food and clothing are becoming important in fantasy novels in modern times and these help create a deeper world that feels lush and textured.

Action vs Breathing Space –

Stories need to be fast-paced, and this book does that extremely well. At every turn of the journey, there is a new revelation, a new danger, or a new goal. However, there isn’t enough breathing space, so your attention keeps wandering, and the whole structure feels like a video game – of just walking through a linear maze and fighting one enemy after the other.

Consider Hitchcock’s B0mb under the Table analysis –

“Let us suppose that there is a b0mb underneath this table between us. Nothing happens, and then all of a sudden, “Boom!” There is an explosion. The public is surprised, but prior to this surprise, it has seen an absolutely ordinary scene, of no special consequence. Now, let us take a suspense situation. The b0mb is underneath the table and the public knows it…In these conditions this same innocuous conversation becomes fascinating because the public is participating in the secret.“

The original intent of the scene was to describe suspense. But I think it also shows the importance of how quieter moments can be used to heighten the tension, instead of just random enemies and obstacles just coming after you one after another. Sometimes knowing what is coming next and anticipation of that creates better intensity when the action scene finally arrives.

Lastly, I think an extremely good aspect of this book is how “lived” the world feels like. What does this mean? It means the world is not “static” but rather has changed and evolved.

In this story, we learn that before human-beings dominated the land, the Kingdom of Suyoram had Venaras (monkey-like divine beings) and Makaras? (Crocodile-like divine beings). The Capital City has underground tunnels that were built by crocodile-beings many eons ago. Also, the Capital, despite having important monuments to old magic – is increasingly becoming a modern city, and as magic is fading from it, people who dabble in magic are retreating to the woods. Similarly, we have competing faiths – the Necromancers, The Sangha and the Phi-Hunters whose position in society has gone up and down under different regimes in the past.

As world-builders, incorporating a changing world makes it feel more realistic. Our town’s market could be held in ruins of what was a former palace, before a violent regime change. Though the kingdom’s produce is silk, the sigil on its flag is a fish, back from when it was a fishing region before the rivers dried up. Not only do details like this enrich our story, it also creates a sense of overarching suspense – that even the current status-quo may not last, and can change in the future. Villages can turn to cities and cities can turn to ruins. Kingdoms and empires can rise and fall. Nothing is guaranteed.