Book Review: The Troll Hunters

Reviewed by Chelsey Tucker

A mind-bending thriller where the hunt for justice is both physical and supernatural

The Troll Hunters begins with the Hunter of Men not being accepted into the collective minds of heaven or hell. Instead, he is banished to an in-between place—a walking wraith. 

A god that is not his, Baron Samedi, makes an irresistible offer to the Hunter: “I can make you a god over any man alive.” The trade-off is that he must obtain souls for Samedi’s third collective mind, another new collective mind like that of heaven or hell, but under Baron Samedi’s complete control. The Hunter agrees to Samedi’s offer with mutiny in his mind and is unleashed into the world using computers and electric energy as his conduit.

As the Hunter of Men hunts for souls, there are men hunting for trolls—internet trolls. Daniel Navarro and Tyler Hansen, two highly skilled computer programmers, became unlikely friends at their Catholic high school. Danny was often picked on by his peers, and one day it led to him becoming paralyzed. Tyler’s dad was an abusive alcoholic; his mother was an addict, and they both died by the time Tyler reached adulthood. Two broken young men lean on each other and embrace their business idea of hunting down internet trolls to serve justice.

A significant part of the story also revolves around the right-wing presidential candidate, Francis Ulysses Trust, a self-made billionaire. The amount of social commentary that Rehm is able to pepper around this fictional character helps ground the story by providing a third lens. “The grassy knoll, the moon landings, crashed flying saucers, and most recently, stolen elections. Part of the recipe for a solid theory is the ever-looming question of authenticity.” The Troll Hunters is rooted in society through the powers of the paranormal, keyboard warriors, and political scandal. The familiarity with our own reality allows the reader to become more emotionally invested during the more fantastical parts of the story.

There are some parts of the story that require closer attention to the narrative. Rehm occasionally uses some flowery language that makes the story a bit harder to follow. The beginning of the book can feel vague and cryptic, but once you adjust to the amount of metaphors being utilized, it becomes a fun read.

The Troll Hunters brings together the power of the supernatural and the power-hungry political landscape of today into a thought-provoking reflection of today’s society. It is easy to relate to the characters and their problems based on what we all see and interact with on a daily basis, even if the problems are metaphysical.

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