“Supernatural suspense at its finest…The best thing about The Hunger is that it will scare the pants off you.”–The New York Times Book Review “Deeply, deeply disturbing, hard to put down, not recommended reading after dark.”–Stephen KingA tense and gripping reimagining of one of America’s most fascinating historical moments: the Donner Party with a supernatural twist.Evil is invisible, and it … supernatural twist.
Evil is invisible, and it is everywhere.
That is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the wagon train known as the Donner Party. Depleted rations, bitter quarrels, and the mysterious death of a little boy have driven the isolated travelers to the brink of madness. Though they dream of what awaits them in the West, long-buried secrets begin to emerge, and dissent among them escalates to the point of murder and chaos. They cannot seem to escape tragedy…or the feelings that someone–or something–is stalking them. Whether it’s a curse from the beautiful Tamsen Donner (who some think might be a witch), their ill-advised choice of route through uncharted terrain, or just plain bad luck, the ninety men, women, and children of the Donner Party are heading into one of one of the deadliest and most disastrous Western adventures in American history.
As members of the group begin to disappear, the survivors start to wonder if there really is something disturbing, and hungry, waiting for them in the mountains…and whether the evil that has unfolded around them may have in fact been growing within them all along.
Effortlessly combining the supernatural and the historical, The Hunger is an eerie, thrilling look at the volatility of human nature, pushed to its breaking point.
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Deeply, deeply disturbing, hard to put down, not recommended reading after dark.
This story is a perfect beach read. Inspired by the real story of the Donner Party, you’ll be chilled to the bone by this twist on the tragedy.
The aura of suspense increasingly bumped up my anxiety, notch by excruciatingly-taut notch. The palpable tension held me in thrall. The twists made me audibly gasp in shock. And, the fast pace of the wildly-captivating plot kept me swiping the pages feverishly.
The characters were so realistic, showcasing the strengths and weaknesses present in us all, that they made it quite easy for me to absolutely love or completely despise them, just like people in real life.
Great read! I was worried it might be a bit bogged down in historical detail and all that slow-moving stuff. Not at all – it flowed and entertained from start to finish. The pages flew by. Highly recommended.
Alma Katsu has taken one of the darkest and most chilling episodes in our history, and made the story even darker, even more terrifying. I swear I’m still shuddering. A fantastic read!
Deeply descriptive and detailed storyline. I love all the imagery in this book and the world building was outstanding. Very highly immersive book. I would definitely recommend this read.
“The Hunger” By Alma Katsu was such an immersing read with such diverse interesting characters you couldn’t help but become hooked and transfixed by the storyline.
With its rich tapestry of history, you actually felt transported back into another place and time.
Taking the story of the 90 men, women, and children of the Donner Party, one of the deadliest and most disastrous western Journey’s in American history and putting its own horrific slant on it.
The author has managed to meld fact with fiction, giving us this portrayal of history mixed with an ominous presence of dread throughout.
The story takes various members of this party and tells its narrative from different POV giving us such a diverse understanding of the dynamics and powers that were at play.
Different members insights show the good and bad of all involved here and how easy breakdowns in communication, as well as fear mongering, can spread like a plague throughout a group.
This was truly shocking in places and I was suitably impressed with how the fiction had been interwoven into the known facts.
Being from the UK I was not aware of the Donner Party myself so this was a new story for me and got to say a very enjoyable read.
Give this a go if you like stories rich in history and character.
So I was provided with an ARC of “The Hunger” By Netgalley of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
We all know how this story ends, but how they got there is what makes it so interesting. Katsu’s research shines, but does not overpower an excellent, character-driven retelling of the events leading up to the tragedy at Donner Pass. She mixes the supernatural with the very real and all-too-familiar devil that plagues all men when driven to desperation. You may think you know the story, but you don’t know THIS story.
When I was in school I had to write a paper on the Donner Party and I have since been fascinated with this little piece of history and read about it every so often. My little high school paper was nowhere near as interesting as this book.
This is a retelling of a horrible tragedy that befell the Donner Party, a wagon train made up of 90 men, women and children, headed to California. With a touch of paranormal and touch of Indian folklore, this is a book you do not want to read in the dark!
The Hunger is a terrific historical novel with a thrilling, bloody twist. Alma Katsu’s brilliant reimagining of the Donner party’s fate is rich with character, laden with imminent doom, and propelled by chilling mystery. A novel that book clubs and dark fiction fans should devour with equal relish.
I don’t know which was more disturbing—some of the characters or the unknown out In he wilderness. Great character development.
4.5 stars, if you like Dan Simmons’ The Terror you’ll love, LOVE this book! And seeing as how that’s one of my all time fav books, that’s quite a compliment coming from me! This book puts an eerie twist on the tragic & the ill-fated Donner party as they crossed the country to find a better life out west (oh, the irony). This was my kind of story and I CANNOT WAIT for Alma Katsu’s next novel: The Deep!!
I didn’t realise until I read the author’s notes at the back that this is based on a true story; I wish I had known.
The atmosphere in this book is a such a winner, and the naïveté of the families who set out to travel through uncharted territory, from Illinois to California, is quite pitiful; they fancied they were setting out a great adventure, little understanding the size of America, the range of temperatures and terrains, the dangers they might face when trying to transport their families and entire homes through completely wild lands.
Main characters feature: Stanton, a lone traveller with a troubled past; Bryant, a man fascinated with the Native American culture; Tamsen, a dissatisfied trophy wife; Reed, a pompous former shop owner; Elitha, a young woman who hears voices, the sinister Keseberg, whose back story is flesh-crawlingly gruesome… and there are points of view from various others, too. In fact, there are so many characters that I sometimes forgot who was who, but the main ones were well-drawn enough for them to stand out, and I realised after a while that it wasn’t absolutely essential to remember everything about a character, just because he or she had a name.
The party have started out too late in the season, and face many problems on the way, as, against advice, they take a route that is supposed to shave many miles off the journey, which becomes increasingly arduous … and, waiting in the wings, is another danger.
I did enjoy this book, a lot, though I thought it could have done without the zombie flesh eaters, which didn’t really work for me, and seemed superfluous, turning the book into a genre it needn’t have been; the darkness of man himself was enough to add all the terror the story required. However, this side of it is not too over-played, and I enjoyed it enough to buy a book suggested in the notes at the back – a fiction of the actual story, which Katsu used in her research.
Alma Katsu’s take on the infamous Donner Party is very entertaining. It contains a mixture of true details and fictionalized situations that are woven into a historical fiction novel that’s garnished with horror.
No, this isn’t a traditional horror novel. Yes, it’s a slow burn. But it also provides a fascinating slice of historical life with fleshed-out characters who have believable, and intriguing, backstories.
Katsu takes her time slowly building the suspense and tension. By the time the secret of the book’s horror elements is fully revealed, it becomes clear that this isn’t going to devolve into the standard zombie or cannibal novel.
Instead, the all-consuming hunger that pushed people to consume the flesh of their friends and family members in real life is symbolized expertly within the book’s “big bad.” Of course, much like most intelligent horror novels, the biggest enemy is the human mind and how easy it is for some people to betray others.
Even though I knew a lot of the Donner Party’s history, I was able to put that information aside to see where the story went. Knowing it wasn’t going to be 100% historically accurate also allowed me to feel true concern for my favorite characters.
This book would make a great introduction to horror for readers who love historical fiction and are willing to deal with a bit of gore. It’s also horrific enough to whet the appetite of horror fans who like their horror to have a solid plot, empathetic characters, and an emphasis on the human condition.
Well written and seemed historically accurate and realistic up until the supernatural happenings. Don’t want to spoil the ending. I found it fascinating.
If you think the story of the Donner Party can’t get more horrific, think again. In this gripping, atmospheric reimagining of that dark tale, Katsu has created a deeply unsettling and truly terrifying masterpiece.
I thought this book was excellent. I fully enjoyed the slow burn build up to the ultimate wretched ending. The storytelling reminded me of the old classic horror novels, in depth storytelling with read between the lines metaphors and analogies that reach into the depths of character development. A seriously good read
Liked the character development and the surprise development of a threatening character at book end. Loved the love story between Charles Stanton and Mary Graves? Very scary and nail biting. Compulsively readable. Read lots of thrillers but not many horror books. Especially liked the juxtaposition of true events and fiction writing. Definitely reading this author’s book about the Titanic! Enjoy!!!
It was sad
I loved reading this book, and I learned the history of the Donner Party as well. After I read the book I did a little research and the author did a good job painting the historical characters. I want to read more from this author.