The Underfoot
Into the Sun
Intelligent hamsters fight a destructive threat to themselves and their animal friends in the fun graphic novel The Underfoot: Into the Sun.
The result of human experiments in genetic modification, the Hamster Aquatic Mercenaries (H.A.M.) and the Hamster Airborne Paratroopers (H.A.P.) now inhabit a post-human world. The exact cause of the disappearance of the “Giants-That-Were” is unknown, but the hamsters have adapted human technology, thriving through a barter system of favors with other modified animals, including squirrels, hummingbirds, and cats. The animal groups each have their own version of the events that gave rise to their societies.
When items go missing around the hamsters’ home, it’s the first step in a plot by lizards, wasps, and other unrevealed masterminds to destroy the hamsters and claim their territory. The hamsters work with other hamster groups and non-hamster allies to launch a mission to foil the plan.
The book features a large cast of heroes and villains, all of whom are distinctive in the art. Creative science fiction extrapolations of natural animal and insect adaptations give this fantasy world life. The many action scenes deliver thrills while putting the storytelling first, ensuring a clear, smooth panel flow.
The book’s details have a cumulative effect, and include a hamster-versus-hamster battle that is conducted using sticks topped with safety pins, and the hamsters’ airship, which is held aloft by salvaged balloons that read “It’s a Girl!” and “Happy Birthday!” Each chapter is preceded by emails and other notes from the human era that further illuminate the backstory; also included are dossiers on the hamsters, from files kept by their matriarch, which give a fuller sense of the personalities and abilities of each.
The Underfoot: Into the Sun elaborates on a fun, smart mythology with charm, depth, and adventures.
Reviewed by
Peter Dabbene
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
